Looking back at the major performers to play a concert at the home of the Cubs.
Dead & Company (June 30 and July 1, 2017): This was an offshoot project, formed by Bob Weir and original Grateful Dead drummers Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart, but the old mood was there. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
Jimmy Buffett (Sept. 4-5, 2005):
Fans outfitted in Buffett-approved “Parrothead” gear - grass skirts, straw hats, beads and coconut bras (and that was just the guys) - invaded Wrigleyville, while the headliner padded around barefoot onstage in lime-green shorts and a Cubs jersey. He covered three songs by Chicago folk legend Goodman, as well as such introspective odes to revelry as “Why Don’t We Get Drunk” and “Cheeseburger in Paradise.”
- Greg Kot (Photo by Michael Tercha / Chicago Tribune)
The Police (July 5-6, 2007):
The reunion of Sting, Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland started slowly. The first three songs stretched to nearly 25 minutes, the leisurely jams in sync with the summer heat but sacrificing the trio’s taut melodies. By the end, the pace had picked up and even the perpetually scowling Copeland flashed a grin during “Every Breath You Take.” That had to qualify as a small victory, given that the drummer had described the band’s performance on the tour’s opening night a few weeks earlier as “unbelievably lame.” This was more like “adequately tame.”
- Greg Kot (Photo by Alex Garcia / Chicago Tribune)
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Elton John and Billy Joel (July 16 and 21, 2009):
Sir Elton and the Piano Man faced each other across from their grand pianos and replayed their glory years. The 35 tunes that the two erstwhile AM radio giants performed are well-known to karaoke bar patrons. But it was clear the two artists have little affinity for each other’s music, because there wasn’t much chemistry when they swapped verses on each other’s songs. Joel got extra points for honesty when he squinted toward the upper grandstand from his piano bench in center field and cracked, “Those are (lousy) seats and you actually bought ‘em; thank you very much.”
- Greg Kot (Photo by Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
Dave Matthews Band (Sept. 17-18, 2010):
Matthews played a relatively succinct, jam-averse set, at least by his standards, including a cover of Talking Heads’ “Burning Down the House.” He also acknowledged that he couldn’t resist overindulging in some Wrigleyville entertainment the night before. “Last night I stumbled around the streets of Chicago,” he told the audience. “If I saw you, I might not remember.” Overserved Cubs bleacher bums could surely relate.
- Greg Kot (Photo by Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
Paul McCartney (July 31 and Aug. 1, 2011):
On a steamy night, McCartney didn’t take a break. He just ripped through 37 mostly amazing songs in nearly three hours. His bandmates - particularly monster drummer Abe Laboriel Jr. - pushed their leader hard, but McCartney kept pace. Some of the best moments were his nods to friends he had lost along the way, including a string-bending guitar solo on Jimi Hendrix’s “Foxy Lady,” and a tribute to John Lennon on “Here Today.” For George Harrison’s “Something,” there was a Wrigley rock-concert first: a solo ukulele performance.
- Greg Kot (Photo by Nuccio DiNuzzo / Chicago Tribune)
Roger Waters (June 8, 2012):
Wrigley’s ivy-covered brick wall is as iconic as it gets in Major League Baseball, but for Waters it wasn’t enough. He erected another giant edifice as part of the multimedia extravaganza for his Pink Floyd epic “The Wall” and performed a good portion of his show inside, on top of, or simply dwarfed by the 35-foot-tall, 424-cardboard-brick monstrosity his roadies erected in center field. He also unleashed massive inflatables that likely gave unsuspecting high-rise dwellers near the ballpark the shock of their lives: “Oh, honey, look! There’s a pig the size of a No. 22 bus outside our window.”
- Greg Kot (Photo by Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
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Brad Paisley (June 9, 2012):
The country singer, who’s as indebted to classic rock guitar solos as Nashville twang, recast “Sweet Home Chicago” as a West Texas blues, and sang a duet with a Carrie Underwood hologram. Rumors flew that the real Carrie Underwood missed the first two innings because she was loitering in the beer garden at Murphy’s Bleachers.
- Greg Kot (Photo by Taylor Glascock / Chicago Tribune)
Bruce Springsteen (Sept. 7-8, 2012):
Springsteen brought 28 songs and 18 musicians and singers with him as part of his first major tour since the death of his onstage foil, saxophonist Clarence Clemons. “Are we missing anybody, tonight?” the singer shouted. He turned the night into a celebration, with Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello adding guitar and Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder contributing vocals to several songs, including a closing cover of the Isley Brothers’ “Twist and Shout.”
- Greg Kot (Photo by Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)
Pearl Jam (July 19, 2013):
Normally, a thunderstorm such as the one that forced Pearl Jam and its fans to evacuate the field for more than two hours would cripple if not postpone most concerts. But the city powers-that-be granted the band an extension of the 11 p.m. curfew, and the Seattle quintet played on. Plus they had a secret weapon for reigniting the momentum lost by the rain delay. “Ernie Banks likes to say, ‘Let’s play two,’” singer and Cubs fan Vedder said after skies cleared. “I say, ‘Let’s play until 2.’” He then brought Banks himself onstage and the duo led a singalong of Vedder’s Cubs anthem, “All the Way.” Banks tipped his cap to the faithful: “I appreciate all of you coming to my house tonight.” Even if they didn’t leave till 2 a.m.
- Greg Kot (Photo by Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
Jason Aldean (July 20, 2013):
Rain also pelted Aldean’s concert, but he powered through without interruption, aided by turbo-charged guitars that rivaled Pearl Jam in the volume department. The singer augmented his country-rock (emphasis on “rock”) with pyro, fireworks and even rap. The opener, Kelly Clarkson, didn’t offer much in the way of country either, sticking to her post-”American Idol” pop hits, though she did take a stab at Mumford & Sons’ “I Will Wait.”
- Greg Kot (Photo by Nuccio DiNuzzo / Chicago Tribune)
