Chicago’s Uptown Theatre hosted more than a hundred concerts from 1975 to 1981, featuring many of the era’s biggest rock and pop stars. The book I cowrote with James A. Pierce, The Uptown: Chicago’s Endangered Movie Palace, chronicles the theater’s history, with a chapter devoted to its years as a major rock venue. (The opening spread of that chapter appears above, with pictures by the great Chicago concert photographer Paul Natkin.)
As a bonus to the book, here is a more-or-less complete list of Uptown Theatre concerts. I say “more-or-less complete” because there’s some questionable information about certain shows, which may or may not have happened at the Uptown. Perhaps more definitive facts will emerge. (Please email me at loerzel@comcast.net with any corrections or additions.)
My sources include: a list prepared by Jam Productions and the company’s owner, Jerry Mickelson, who produced nearly all of these concerts; a 2024 blog post by Steve Marovich; concerts posted on Setlist.fm; and many advertisements, listings, and reviews that appeared in Chicago newspapers. I’ve included links to Setlist.fm’s pages for these concerts, which often include a list of the songs performed. (Links marked with an asterisk don’t have a list of songs.)
Before 1975
This list focuses on the Uptown Theatre’s years as a rock concert venue, 1975 to 1981, when it also continued showing movies. The Uptown had also featured live music during its earliest years—from 1925 to 1932, and sporadically in the following years—as part of variety shows that included movies.
For example, Duke Ellington and His New York Cotton Club Orchestra performed at the Uptown from February 27 to March 5, 1931. The Uptown briefly brought back live entertainment at the end of 1949—with Mel Tormé, Ella Fitzgerald, and Henny Youngman performing for a week starting December 30, 1949—but soon abandoned the effort.
Other musical acts appeared at the Uptown to promote their movies, including the Dave Clark Five on August 18, 1965, and Sonny & Cher on April 22, 1967. Neighborhood resident Maria Luisa Ugarte recalls seeing Sam & Dave and the Amboy Dukes perform daytime shows at the Uptown in the late 1960s; there are no mentions of those shows in newspapers, although both bands played nighttime gigs at the nearby Kinetic Playground.
October 31, 1975
The Tubes
Opening act: The Sensational Alex Harvey Band
Tickets $5.50 to $7.50
Setlist.fm*
Preview, Chicago Sun-Times, October 24, 1975: The Uptown Theater becomes a live-music showcase on Halloween night, and the Tubes provide the glitter. They’re only “the strangest rock and roll band of 1975 and perhaps of all time,” says [Sun-Times rock critic] Al Rudis, who ought to know.
Jack Hafferkamp, Chicago Daily News, November 3, 1975: The Tubes’ act is a series of barely connected sketches. … And the Tubes seem to try hard to find something to offend everyone. … As one young and clearly rubber-legged man put it to his friend on the way out: “The Tubes blew it man. I heard they really used to be white punks, but now, they’re just like Elton John.”
Wrong venue?
November 1, 1975: Shawn Phillips, with opening act Hall & Oates. Jam Productions lists this as a show at the Uptown Theatre, but according to newspapers at the time, it was at the Auditorium Theatre.
Wrong venue?
November 11, 1975: Utopia. Jam lists this as a show at the Uptown Theatre, but it was listed in newspapers at the Auditorium Theatre—and the Sun-Times published a review, reporting that the concert was at the Auditorium.
March 20, 1976
Roxy Music
Opening act: Harvey Mandel
Some sources incorrectly showed March 26 as the date of this concert.
Setlist.fm: Roxy Music*, Harvey Mandel*
David Witz, Chicago Daily News, March 22, 1976: Saturday night saw an exhausted Roxy Music droop to the stage of the Uptown Theater. It was the band members’ last stop on their extensive U.S. tour, after which they departed immediately for a European tour. Clearly, the masters of melancholy could use a vacation. … Saturday night’s out-of-whack concert wasn’t enough to win over the uninitiated and barely enough to feed the hard-core fans.
April 10, 1976
Jesse Colin Young
Opening act: Cheech & Chong
Wrong venue?
April 16 and 17, 1976: Genesis. Jam lists the Uptown as the venue for these concerts, but newspaper ads and reviews say Genesis actually played at the Auditorium Theatre.
April 30, 1976
The Tubes
Opening act: Golden Earring
Setlist.fm: Tubes*, Golden Earring*
Lynn Van Matre, Chicago Tribune, May 3, 1976: There is one thing to be said for the Tubes: Apparently dedicated to the proposition that nothing succeeds like excess, they put on a show. In the course of their set … “sea monsters” slithered, smoke billowed, amplifiers topped on cue, and the “fire department” rushed in. Guys tap-danced while women ran around in G-strings and halters, presenting their posteriors like something out of Hustler magazine and waving American flags between their legs. … the music’s OK, but the stunts sell tickets.
Wrong venue?
May 11, 1976: Bob Marley & the Wailers. Jam lists the Uptown as the venue for these concerts, but newspaper ads and reviews say Marley actually played at the Auditorium.
May 16, 1976
Leon Russell
Some listings billed this as a concert by “Leon and Mary Russell.”
Setlist.fm*
Al Rudis, Chicago Sun-Times, May 17, 1976: … his funky music couldn’t have been matched to a funkier hall than the Uptown Theater, where you tread on years of spilled soft drinks on the way to your seat. But at this sold-out show, it was plain to see that the Uptown is definitely superior to the Arie Crown Theater in sound and sightlines, even though it has more seats. And with a little cleaning up, it could easily approach the class of the Auditorium.
Howard Mandel, Chicago Daily News, May 17, 1976: Leon Russell took over the Uptown Theater Sunday night with his new bridge and nine other musical-looking types, roaring for more than two hours through a rock-and-roll medicine show. … Russell and his baby grand could be heard through the din that passed for entertainment. … Russell overcame his cold-eyed boredom, the lack of variety in his material and the absence of imagination in his chops, and drew an ovation from an audience anxious for a good time. His repeated references to Chicago in stage patter or as musical quotes, and his cries and growls incited the crowd. His show ended with “Jumpin’ Jack Flash,” but the rave-up was empty.
Unconfirmed
May 22 or June 16, 1976: Shawn Phillips, possibly with Corky Siegel. The Tribune and Daily News both ran concert listings for Shawn Phillips, saying that he was going to play at the Uptown Theatre on May 22, 1976. But on May 22, the Uptown advertised movies like usual, with no indication that there was a concert that night. Then on June 15, 1976, the Tribune’s “Tower Ticker” column reported that Corky Siegal [sic] and Shawn Phillips were playing that night at the Uptown. But the theaters ad in the Tribune listed movies and no concert. However, on June 16, 1976, the Uptown Theatre’s ads in the Sun-Times and Daily News both said that Shawn Phillips was playing that night. The theater’s ad in the Tribune on the same day didn’t say anything about a concert. Jam could not confirm whether this concert happened.
June 12, 1976
Marshall Tucker Band
Opening act: Henry Gross
June 19, 1976
Steve Miller Band
Al Rudis, Chicago Sun-Times, June 20, 1976: Broken up into two sets, allegedly with the first mellow and the second rocking, the music was dazzlingly good. Actually, the whole evening was mellow, with the second part just slightly rougher. Miller’s current mood is a softer one, and even on his early bulldozer song, “Space Cowboy,” the feeling was more free fall than firing rockets.
August 27, 1976
Bay City Rollers
Cynthia Dagnal, Chicago Sun-Times, August 28, 1976: … though nearly every critic and social commentator in America said it couldn’t be done, anyone who was near the Uptown … knows from the screaming female hoardes [sic] that the swindle has worked. The Bay City Rollers are here, no doubt about it. … despite all the grumbling we elders did amidst the melee—females flinging themselves across the aisles—no band could have survived the sound foul-ups these poor guys had to work around. … despite the screaming, sooner or later it’s going to get around that they just are not good enough. As it was, the theater was only half full. And judging from the fact that they were not called back for an encore even after a terribly short 50-minute show, their musical fans may know it already.
Canceled
September 25, 1976: Rod Stewart. This concert was advertised but later canceled.
October 3, 1976
Boston
Opening act: Jim Peterik and the Chicago Rhythm Section
This show was originally scheduled at the Riviera before being moved to the Uptown.
Setlist.fm
Cynthia Dagnal, Chicago Sun-Times, October 4, 1976: Just call me a Chicago chauvinist. I am probably the only rock-and-roller in the city who left the much-heralded first Chicago appearance of Boston, the sudden superstars who sold out the Uptown on word-of-mouth enthusiasm alone, with the impression that our own Jim Peterik and his Chicago Rhythm Section outclassed the headliners. … For Uptown rowdies, the density of [Boston’s] onslaught was just right—Boston beats a crowd into submission, rolling from tune to tune without a letup. Sheer momentum makes them work. But somehow the material lacked something.
November 4, 1976
Daryl Hall & John Oates
Opening act: Billy Joel
Setlist.fm*
Cynthia Dagnal, Chicago Sun-Times, November 6, 1976: Joel can do anything. … Joel put on a stunning and at times hilarious show. … Daryl Hall and John Oates … somehow have a little ways to go yet despite the hits. … there is something pale about them, and I admit I cannot put a finger on it.
November 21, 1976
Lou Reed
November 27, 1976
Styx
Opening act: Jam’s list says the opening act was Tommy Bolin, but the Sun-Times reported that Point Blank opened the concert.
Al Rudis, Chicago Sun-Times, November 28, 1976: The 4,400-seat Uptown theater was only a few spots short of a sellout Saturday night for a band of hometown heroes, Styx, and from the rhythmic clapping when the lights when down through the standing ovation and the encores, it was a love feast. … The most important quality missing from Styx’s stage show is dynamics. It seems everything the band does is all out…
February 12, 1977
The Kinks
Opening acts: Cheap Trick and Sutherland Brothers and Quiver
Setlist.fm: Kinks*, Cheap Trick*
Al Rudis, Chicago Sun-Times, February 14, 1977: … guitarist Dave Davies played the best I’ve ever heard him, performing some terrific solos and hitting hardly any wrong notes. … So what happened? The sound system played tricks on them all. It let the audience hear that the individual players were doing things right, but it mixed the sounds together in ways calculated to distort and destroy the musical whole. … The fact is the Kinks are millions (well, maybe only hundreds) of times more entertaining than the sharpest band of musical virtuosos on the pop scene. There are two reasons: songs and personality. … Preceding the Kinks, Cheap Trick bombarded the ears with unrelenting drone-rock.
February 26, 27, and 28, 1977
Electric Light Orchestra
Opening act: The Steve Hillage Band
Setlist.fm, ELO: February 26, February 27, February 28. Steve Hillage: February 26*, February 27*, February 28*.
Jam’s list doesn’t include the third concert, but newspapers listed the February 28 show. The Tribune reported that all three shows sold out.
Carol Herwig, Chicago Sun-Times, February 28, 1977: Despite a spotty show with some high points and a couple of low moments, ELO generated excitement. … ELO glistened during classical performances. The closer the song came to Wagner and Beethoven the better it sounded. And when a song rocked, ELO sparkled. Problems came with ELO’s earlier songs that had traces of leftover acid rock in them.
Wrong venue?
March 7, 1977: The Ohio Players. A blog post lists the Uptown as the venue for this concert, but newspaper ads say the Ohio Players actually played at the Auditorium Theatre.
March 11, 1977
Peter Gabriel
Opening act: Television
This was described as Peter Gabriel’s debut as a solo artist, following his years as the frontman of Genesis, but he’d actually performed a few “warm-up” shows in smaller cities before arriving at the Uptown. (Setlist.fm lists four previous concerts, at the Capitol Theatre, Passaic, New Jersey; Auditorium Theatre, Rochester, New York; Embassy Theatre, Fort Wayne, Indiana; and RKO Orpheum Theatre, Davenport, Iowa.)
Setlist.fm: Peter Gabriel, Television*
Al Rudis, Chicago Sun-Times, March 13, 1977: When he officially started his first American tour as a solo artist in the Uptown Theater Friday, he found out fast that he may as well forget about sitting behind a piano and being civilized. … what the audience came to see was Peter Gabriel the musical actor, the singer who got inside roles and made them come alive through voice and movement. This side of Gabriel didn’t really come out until his encore of “New York City,” a segment from the old Genesis musical show “The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway.” … Opening the show, Television first encountered a hostile audience, but by the end of its set, most of the crowd has been won over.
Lynn Van Matre, Chicago Tribune, March 14, 1977: … this time around, Gabriel was out to prove his musical abilities. No costumes, he’d warned; no theatrics. But singer and songwriter Gabriel is still a showman. When he wasn’t at the keyboards Friday night, he was bouncing around at the front of the stage and occasionally venturing into the audience, putting the songs across with sometimes whimsical, sometimes powerful style. … Television … did not … get a good reception from most of the crowd, although someone did call out for “White Light White Heat”—apparently mistaking them for the defunct Velvet Underground, which I’d consider a compliment.
March 12, 1977
Marshall Tucker Band
Opening act: Buckacre (unconfirmed by newspapers)
The Marshall Tucker Band had also played the previous night at the Aragon.
Setlist.fm*
March 18, 1977
Utopia
Al Rudis, Chicago Sun-Times, March 20, 1977: … the four members of Utopia … performed so well that their music managed to penetrate the tinny, mushy mix coming out of the PA speakers. … Distortion reigned supreme most of the time. It would have been a total disaster for most bands, but Utopia is not most bands.
Lynn Van Matre, Chicago Tribune, March 21, 1977: Utopia … played under an open pyramid … and put on a show that was a dazzling mixture of music and special effects…
Canceled
April 8, 1977: Gregg Allman. This concert was scheduled—and Setlist.fm lists it—but it was postponed until May 21 and then called off when Allman canceled his entire tour.
Unconfirmed
April 9 or 10, 1977: Weather Report, with Al Di Meola. A blog post lists a concert by Weather Report and Al Di Meola on April 9, 1977. An Uptown Theatre ad that ran on April 10, 1977, said Weather Report was playing there on that night. The Tribune also included the April 10 concert in its listings, with Al Di Meola listed as the opening act. Setlist.fm says Weather Report played on April 9 at Royal Oak Music Theatre in Royal Oak, Michigan. The group’s next show listed after that was on April 12 in Buffalo, New York. Jam could not confirm whether this concert took place at the Uptown.
April 23, 1977
Chick Corea and Return to Forever
featuring Stanley Clarke
Carol Herwig, Chicago Sun-Times, April 25, 1977: Collectively, Return to Forever was impressive. The group provided mood contrasts, neat solo work and a solid background for Chick Corea and Stanley Clarke to work off of. There were no boring tidy little harmonies.
April 24, 1977
Dickie Betts and Great Southern
Opening acts: Nils Lofgren and .38 Special
Setlist.fm: Dickie Betts*, Nils Lofgren*
Wrong venue
May 1, 1977: Procol Harum. Setlist.fm lists the Uptown as the venue for this concert, but newspaper ads say Procol Harum actually played at the Riviera Theatre.
Wrong date
May 5, 1977: Marshall Tucker Band. Setlist.fm lists this concert at the Uptown on this date, but it appears to be the show from March 12, 1977.
May 13, 1977
Supertramp
John Wilward, Chicago Sun-Times, May 15, 1977: As flecks of plaster dropped from the ceiling of the Uptown Theater Friday night and I noticed that each bass note was surprisingly distinct, it was clear that Supertramp hadn’t lost the touch. … When it performs an unburdened catchy rocker … Supertramp reveals that it has a highly entertaining pop sense that can transcend its occasionally cloying pretensions.
May 14, 1977
Foreigner
Opening act: The Paul Bogush Band (according to the Sun-Times review).
Setlist.fm
Al Rudis, Chicago Sun-Times, May 16, 1977: … a show that leaves the audience standing and screaming for more.
June 17, 1977
Bryan Ferry
Opening act: Rough Diamond
Setlist.fm*
Cynthia Dagnal, Chicago Sun-Times, June 20, 1977: He gives you perfection, not a party. With faces dripping ennui, his technicians—they are something apart from musicians— … were precise, purposeful, physically restrained by musically scorching.
September 30 and October 1, 1977
Foreigner
Opening act: Jay Ferguson
Setlist.fm: September 30, October 1
Al Rudis, Chicago Sun-Times, October 1, 1977: Friday’s concert was almost number for number the same show as [Foreigner’s] Chicago debut some months back. … Nevertheless, the concert was a success…
November 4, 1977
Frank Zappa
An early show at 7:30 p.m. and a late show at 11 p.m.
Setlist.fm: Early show?* Late show?*
Kim Upton, Chicago Sun-Times, November 7, 1977: Friday, when Zappa played to sell-out houses for two shows at the Uptown Theater, most of what happened could have been material for his next album. … Among the highlights: Mom, dad and the kids attending the concert as a family. Mom and Dad sharing a joint. Thousands cheering when Zappa, never known for a notable physique, took off his shirt. The audience throwing a 16-ounce soft drink on their hero, cup and all. … Zappa got drenched near the beginning of the performance, just about the time he was winding up a complex guitar run. But he didn’t miss a note.
November 5, 1977
Thin Lizzy
Opening acts: Graham Parker and the Rumour and (maybe) Groundhogs. A Tribune listing mentioned Groundhogs as the first opener. They were not mentioned in the Sun-Times’s concert review.
Setlist.fm.
Al Rudis, Chicago Sun-Times, November 7, 1977: … the best pure rock concert of the fall season … the kind of performance that gives the most jaded rock veteran hope for the future. Lizzy is a power band, with thundering bass lines from leader Phil Lynott and furious drumming by Brian Downey propelling songs with overwhelming force. … For Graham Parker and the Rumour … the applause at the beginning was mild, but by the time GP&R finished the first of its show-stopping numbers, “The Heat in Harlem,” more and more joined the standing applauders, until by the end … there might have been a riot had the band not done an encore.
November 12, 1977
WKQX Hometown Concert
Featuring Vesuvius, Nathan Schaeffer, W.A. Forack, Street Kids, McInerney & Warren, Tetra, Teaser, New Earth Rhythm Band, Frank D. Wright, and Ashcraft
November 18, 1977
Hall & Oates
Opening act: Eric Carmen
Setlist.fm: Hall & Oates*, Eric Carmen*
November 19, 1977
Nektar
Opening acts: Lake and City Boy
WXRT-FM recorded the opening set by City Boy and broadcast it during the station’s Un-Concert show on February 12, 1978, according to Steve Marovich.
Setlist.fm
Ted Joseph, Chicago Sun-Times, November 21, 1977: Nektar … has obviously mistaken volume for vision. … an early pyrotechnic display only further indicated the reliance on shock value over substance.
November 20, 1977
Gentle Giant
Opening act: Law. Dr. Feelgood was originally advertised as the opening act. Concertgoer Terry Nelson told me that Dr. Feelgood’s appearance was called off.
Setlist.fm
January 30 and 31 and February 1, 1978
Grateful Dead
Setlist.fm: January 30, January 31, February 1
Concert recordings: January 30, January 31, February 1
Released in 2026, Dave’s Picks Volume 57 is a three-CD live album featuring the complete February 1, 1978, concert by the Grateful Dead, as well as songs from the January 31 show.
Michael Zielenziger, Chicago Sun-Times, February 1, 1978: The Grateful Dead … had to battle equipment problems, security difficulties, and the aftermath of a snowstorm to demonstrate once again that while you might challenge their “relevance,” the group’s technical superiority in concert has almost never been equaled. … What was on display Monday night was a band engaged in a form of silent panic: a band unique for its longevity suddenly developing a distinct need to develop and shape its musical focus.
April 15, 1978
Renaissance
Opening act: Al Di Meola
Setlist.fm*
April 22, 1978
Leon and Mary Russell
Opening act: Some sources list Gary Ogan as the opener; others list Virginia Star. Some ads listed this as a Leon Russell concert; others billed it as the Leon and Mary Russell Show.
Setlist.fm*
April 26, 1978
Average White Band
Opening act: Peabo Bryson
WXRT-FM’s Un-Concert recording of the show was broadcast on July 23, 1978, according to Steve Marovich.
Setlist.fm
May 16 and 17, 1978
Grateful Dead
Setlist.fm: May 16, May 17
Concert recordings: May 16, May 17
The Dead were also scheduled to play on May 18, but that show was canceled at the last minute, when drummer Bill Kreutzmann was reportedly treated for exhaustion. But Kreutzmann explained what actually happened in his 2015 book Deal: My Three Decades of Drumming, Dreams, and Drugs with the Grateful Dead (written with Benjy Eisen): “I made them cancel the gig. Actually, I didn’t make anybody do anything. But long before our call time at the Uptown Theater, I was already back home in California. For whatever reason, Keith [Dead keyboardist Ketih Godchaux] and I got into a major fight back at the hotel, after the gig the night before. I don’t even remember what the fight was about. Isn’t that something? It was probably some real nonsense.”
Eliot Wald, Chicago Sun-Times, May 17, 1978: Deadlines being what they are … we had to abandon the Grateful Dead’s Tuesday set … shortly after the 2½-hour mark. The band was showing no signs of fatigue. They may still be playing. If they are, there are 3,500 people still hanging on every note, clapping for every cadenza. … The average age of Tuesday’s crowd hovered near 20, meaning that typical viewer was 7 or 8 when the band first played at Ken Kesey’s revelatory Acid Tests. … They will come stoned, get more stoned and soak up four hours of unexceptional, irresistible music. They will go home happy. Is there anything wrong with that?
May 27, 1978
Bob Marley & the Wailers
Opening act: The Imperials
Setlist.fm
John Milward, Chicago Sun-Times, May 29, 1978: At the Uptown Saturday night, a sold-out audience that was a heartening succotash of young whites, blacks, and ex-patriot Jamaicans, greeted Marley with … unfettered admiration. … With foot-long dread locks flying about with every shake of his head, and eyes that have probably been at half-mast since puberty, Marley still retains the charisma of a drug-addled tropical mystic.
Postponed
June 3, 1978: Rare Earth. This concert was postponed, with Rare Earth rescheduled to appear on June 30 as the opening act for Smokey Robinson.
June 11, 1978
The Kinks
Opening act: Charlie
Setlist.fm*
Lloyd Sachs, Chicago Sun-Times, June 13, 1978: … the antics are definitely taking a back seat to the music these days, and the music is as tight and forceful as it can be. … the Kinks kicked out the jams with more finesse than they’ve shown in years.
Canceled
June 30, 1978: Smokey Robinson, with opening act Rare Earth. Canceled.
July 1 and 2, 1978
Marshall Tucker Band
Opening acts: Climax Blues Band on July 1; Jay Boy Adams on July 2, according to Jam Productions’ list (but unconfirmed by newspapers).
Setlist.fm: July 1*
Lloyd Sachs, Chicago Sun-Times, July 3, 1978: To these ears, their music has become tiresome. … Still, the Tuckers … play extremely well as a group and are a good live act…
September 6, 1978
Bruce Springsteen
Lynn Van Matre, Chicago Tribune, September 7, 1978: … from the moment he walks on stage with his superb E Street Band, his impact in impossible to ignore. His energy seems almost unbounded, and as he alternates between a wildly feral and a wholeheartedly friendly approach, he seems totally swept up in the emotion of his music. His smile, in particular, seems as genuine as it is joyous…
John Milward, Chicago Sun-Times, September 8, 1978: He rekindles our rock dreams by laying his heart and soul on the line with uncompromising energy and urgency. … there’s a sense that in each concert he is aspiring to set a new standard and that, as the song says, he really is out to prove it all night.
At year’s end, Van Matre wrote that Springsteen’s “concert at the Uptown Theater in September proved to be the most exciting live performance I saw in 1978.”
September 29, 1978
Frank Zappa
An early show and a late show. A recording of the late show as released in 2016 as the two-CD album, Chicago ’78.
Setlist.fm: Early show, late show
Eliot Wald, Chicago Sun-Times, October 2, 1978: The Friday edition of Zappa’s yearly Chicago visit was, as usual, intense, quirky and though seemingly unstructured, orchestrated to the half-note.
October 13 and 14, 1978
Genesis
The first night was broadcast live on WXRT-FM, according to Steve Marovich.
Setlist.fm: October 13, October 14
Lloyd Sachs, Rolling Stone, December 14, 1978: Drummer-turned-lead singer Phil Collins is an exceedingly likable, charismatic figure, in a jock sort of way (wearing a T-shirt and wristbands and jumping around the way he does, he looks like a gymnastics instructor) … But the rest of this rather nondescript group is fairly colorless onstage and too unvaried musically to create any lasting excitement. It’s hard to imagine where Genesis would be without the ton of special effects they employ to seduce their fans. On this tour, there were dancing laser beam six huge octagonal overhead mirrors and enough fake fog to stage a sequel to Heaven Can Wait.
October 19, 1978
Peter Gabriel
Opening act: Jules & the Polar Bears
Setlist.fm: Peter Gabriel, Jules & the Polar Bears*
Lloyd Sachs, Rolling Stone, December 14, 1978: … after donning a Devo-ish Day-Glo orange construction-worker outfit, Gabriel shone a searchlight into the crowd to “look for” members of his group. Also wielding searchlights, the similarly outfitted band cook the stage in solemn procession finally getting things under way with the opening blasts of “On the Air.” … when he suddenly appeared in the audience with a cordless mike, some people were a bit wary of getting coo dose to him. … the show’s eccentric touches [gave] way to a more polished kind of entertainment and things didn’t really hold together conceptually. But the music was so convincing and Gabriel was so magnetic that this shortcoming was easy to overlook.
November 10, 1978
WKQX Hometown Jam II
It’s unclear exactly who performed, but the artists featured on the WKQX Hometown Jam II record were Mammoth; Rob Kleeman, Chip Trindl, Jeff Hoerter; Marv Jonesi; Mark Jaylin; The Kind; Brief Encounter; Craig Williams; Mesa; Hunter; and Ollie Ryce.
November 16, 17, and 18, 1978
Grateful Dead
Setlist.fm: November 16, November 17, November 18
Concert recordings: November 16, November 18
Postponed
December 4, 1978: Thin Lizzy. This concert was postponed, according to a Tribune report.
Postponed
December 31, 1978: Todd Rundgren and Utopia. These concerts (an early show at 7 p.m. and a late show at 10:30 p.m.) were postponed because of a blizzard.
January 5, 1979
Todd Rundgren and Utopia
Rescheduled from December 31, 1978.
Setlist.fm*
March 24, 1979
Mother’s Finest
Opening acts: Evelyn “Champagne” King and Sister Sledge
This concert does not appear on Jam Productions’ list, but it was widely advertised and listed in newspapers.
After the concert, the Chicago Defender published a short news item mentioning the show: Kim Kimberly, Hyde Park’s professional dancer, chatted with Sister Sledge backstage while they were waiting to go on. It’s said Kim impressed the group with her choreography ideas and may get the chance to work with them on a new stage presentation.
April 6, 1979
Roxy Music
Opening act: Atlantics
Setlist.fm*
Rick Kogan, Chicago Sun-Times, April 9, 1979: The great Roxy Music reunion finally tripped into Chicago Friday night and settled at one of the city’s great palaces of the baroque for an exciting, interesting stay. What a splendid place the Uptown Theater was for Roxy Music. Like the group itself, it is both beautiful and weird. … The stage at the Uptown was a stark battery of pillars and stairs—a sort of Stonehenge as designed by the makers of “Star Wars”—and lights continually bathed the group in eerie shades of red and green.
April 13, 1979
The Tubes
Opening acts: Jam’s list shows Horslips and Squeeze as the opening acts. Neither was mentioned by newspapers.
Setlist.fm: Tubes*, Horslips*
Rick Kogan, Chicago Sun-Times, April 16, 1979: Though the band is a cut above most rock and roll groups, its playing can be terribly erratic. … the group’s penchant for the excessive can have disastrous results.
Lynn Van Matre, Chicago Tribune, April 16, 1979: … it was a new, noticeably improved Tubes that headlined the Uptown. The sophomoric excesses that smacked uncomfortably of high school amateur night are gone, replaced by a more finely tuned vision, a far more professional approach to the theatrics, and some of the best rock and roll the Tubes have done since “White Punks on Dope” …
May 1 and 2, 1979
Rod Stewart
Rick Kogan, Chicago Sun-Times, May 2, 1979: The evening … began … with huge red curtains still drawn, to the band’s version—and a traditional one at that—of “The Stripper.” As the curtains parted to display a bare chested Stewart, clad in baggy purple satin pants and a jacket to match (his shoes were black, his socks pink), the image seemed complete. … Stewart made full use of the stage throughout, running back and forth and climbing the stairs that flanked either side of his band, like some modern day Busby Berkeley chorus member. He gestured and postured all night, shook his behind, rubbed his hands through his instant punk hairdo.
Lynn Van Matre, Chicago Tribune, May 2, 1979: Stewart’s Tuesday night show … wound up leaving a sour taste in a lot of mouths. … starting nearly a full hour late, followed—90 minutes later—by Stewart’s refusal to do an encore. Once the custom set’s red curtains with the initials RS came together, they did not part again, though the highly vocal, increasingly disbelieving and increasingly indignant crowd hung around for 10 minutes before the house sound system began blaring out Foreigner’s “Hot Blooded” and folks made their way out. It was a puzzling move on Stewart’s part, an arrogant exit that made it all too easy to forget the resoundingly energetic rock ’n’ roll that had gone before.
May 23 and 24, 1979
The Allman Brothers Band
Opening act: Henry Paul Band
Setlist.fm: Allman Brothers May 23, Henry Paul Band May 23*, Allman Brothers May 24*
Rick Kogan, Chicago Tribune, May 25, 1979: To use the vernacular, the Allman Brothers Band really kicked. … If you were there, you know that and were among those screaming and shouting for more even as Wednesday glided into Thursday.
June 19, 1979
Charlie Daniels Band
Opening act: Leroux
June 28, 1979
War
July 9, 1979
Renaissance
Wrong venue
July 23, 1979: Rockpile. Setlist.fm lists the Uptown as the venue for this concert, but a Sun-Times listing said Rockpile was actually playing that night at B’Ginnings in Schaumburg. Rockpile also opened for Blondie on July 25 at Park West.
August 11, 1979
The Kinks
Opening act: Herman Brood & His Wild Romance
Setlist.fm: Kinks*, Herman Brood*
Canceled
September 8, 1979: Peter Frampton. This concert was announced but later canceled.
September 17, 1979
Robert Palmer
Opening act: Yipes (unconfirmed by newspapers)
Setlist.fm*
September 29, 1979
The Knack
Opening act: Fools
Lynn Van Matre, Chicago Tribune, October 1, 1979: … the Knack proved highly energetic, highly derivative, and highly ordinary. … almost all of it passable but non-descript pop. It must be said, however, that all of this, particularly the cuteness, seems to have a fairly devastating effect on girls around the age of 12. A half dozen of them seated in my vicinity could barely contain themselves, shrieking and arguing over which member of the band was the cutest. The battle lines were fairly well drawn between those favoring the dopey-cute lead singer and the gorgeous-cut, curly-haired drummer.
October 5, 1979
Jean-Luc Ponty
Opening act: Snopek (unconfirmed by newspapers)
Setlist.fm*
October 7, 1979
Dire Straits
Opening act: Ian Gomm
Setlist.fm: Dire Straits, Ian Gomm*
November 13, 1979
Bob Marley and the Wailers
Opening act: Betty Wright (unconfirmed by newspapers).
Setlist.fm
Concert video
Rick Kogan, Chicago Sun-Times, November 15, 1979: Marley has never been better, commanding the stage with sure-handed authority and visual sparks. (His dreadlocks looked almost otherworldly.) … For the first time in memory scalpers were making bundles in front of the hall, some enterprising lads getting as much as $25 for $10.50 seats. … They were dancing and shouting and loving every minute of this thing called reggae and why not?
November 22, 1979
Santana
December 3, 4, and 5, 1979
Grateful Dead
Setlist.fm: December 3, December 4, December 5
Concert recordings: December 3, December 4, December 5
Lynn Van Matre, Chicago Tribune, December 4, 1979: … the Dead do have some fresh material to offer this time around, from their forthcoming album, “Go to Heaven” … But basically, the Dead experience changes little. … The band isn’t much on pushing “personality,” preferring to concentrate on the music, and it doesn’t bother them a bit to turn their backs to the audience while they engage in prolonged tuning sessions. “The Dead have been known to tune for hours,” a Deadhead sitting near me explained to his friend.
Rick Kogan, Chicago Sun-Times, December 5, 1979: … a full-blown and well-constructed four hours of music … They crowd, as always, was a rabid bunch. (Many boasted of having tickets for each of the three nights.) … A few people decided to leave before the concert was over but most stayed, hoping that the music would never stop. It hasn’t stopped yet, and if Monday’s concert was any indication, it may outlast us all.
December 27, 1979
Charlie Daniels Band
Opening act: Rockets (unconfirmed by newspapers)
Setlist.fm*
February 28 and 29, 1980
Rick James & the Stone City Band
Opening act: Prince. These were Prince’s first concerts in Chicago.
Setlist.fm, Rick James: February 28*, February 29*. Prince: February 28*, February 29*.
Patricia Smith, Chicago Sun-Times, February 29, 1980: [Rick James] probably didn’t expect to be shown up by a mere Prince. Prince, the energetic opening act for James, is a one-man wonder. … it was an impressive and important debut. The audience was surprised at his vibrancy. Even as he swayed through the slower, more sensuous numbers that have become his trademark, there was an undercurrent for energy that was infectious. … With his corn-rowed hair whipping his face like so many black ribbons, [James] was a virtual whirlwind on stage, striding and pouting and flirting—but striding and pouting and flirting just a bit too much.
June 26, 1980
Peter Gabriel
Opening act: Random Hold
Setlist.fm
Lynn Van Matre, Chicago Tribune, June 28, 1980: Gabriel no longer goes in for the costumes he regularly utilized during his days as lead singer for Genesis, but his shows are among the most dramatic rock has to offer. Headlining Thursday night at the Uptown Theater, Gabriel and his four-piece band put on an extraordinarily impressive show, one notable both for its musical content and its sheer theatrical impact. Ever the changeling, Gabriel has shaved his head for this tour, giving him a peculiar look, to say the least.
August 6, 1980
Rossington Collins Band
Opening act: Point Blank
Setlist.fm*
August 15, 1980
WLUP Chicago Rocks
Featuring: The Shades, Dreamer, the ODd, Amy Hart, Clox, M&R Rush, the Buzzards, Lois Lane, Matteson All Stars, Hot Luck
Rick Kogan, Chicago Sun-Times, August 18, 1980: There were about 50 people in the audience—maybe even 100 if you count those who arrived later in the evening. … Where were you, you who so proudly strut around in your Loop T-shirts? Where were you, you who so proudly claim that “Chicago rocks”? Shame on you. All of you. Burn your T-shirts and turn off your radios. If Friday night’s concert was any indication, you are all a bunch of phonies. … The bands performed courageously in the face of such great adversity.
August 19, 20, and 21, 1980
Grateful Dead
Setlist.fm: August 19, August 20, August 21
Concert recordings: August 19, August 20, August 21
September 17 and 18, 1980
The Kinks
Opening act: Angel City. Setlist.fm lists the opening act as “The Angels.”
Setlist.fm: September 17, September 18
Don McLeese, Chicago Sun-Times, September 18, 1980: If their sold-out show Wednesday night at the Uptown … is any indication, there’s no need to worry about the Kinks. The lads from London’s Muswell Hill remain every bit as winning during these steak-and-champagne days as they were then they were scuffling. Reaching their peak popularity a decade and a half down the road doesn’t appear to have changed their attitude one whit. …
October 10 and 11, 1980
Bruce Springsteen
Setlist.fm: October 10, October 11
Concert recordings: October 10, October 11
Don McLeese, Chicago Sun-Times, October 11, 1980: … more than two hours of rock ’n’ roll at its most ecstatic. … these guys still act like they live to play. … From the way the crowd responded, you might have thought they were healing lepers. Never have I seen an audience so excited at the start of a show—standing on chairs, cheering every chord change, extending their hands toward the stage as if a single touch could save a soul. Most of the fans had either spent a long night in line (tickets sold out in about a half-hour when they went on sale a few weeks ago) or a lot of money with a scalper ($400 was the top asking price I heard) for a chance to see Springsteen, and they were determined that the night would be worth it. There was a lot of faith in “The Boss” at the Uptown. … the crowd was hit with a knockout punch right at the start: a powerhouse version of the anthemic “Born to Run” steaming directly into “Prove It All Night,” then a street-tough “Tenth Avenue Freezout.”
Lynn Van Matre, Chicago Tribune, October 13, 1980: … chances are he will move to the stadium-sized Rosemont Horizon. … a female fan stealthily wriggled onstage, sprinted purposefully toward her prey, and managed to quickly embrace Springsteen before jumping back into the crowd.
Lynn Van Matre, Chicago Tribune, November 2, 1980: It is heading toward 2 a.m. in Chicago. Outside the stage door of the Uptown Theater, a dozen or so diehard Bruce Springsteen fans cluster in the October chill, occasionally bursting into a ragged version of “Born to Run” — partly in tribute to the New Jersey rocker they call “The Boss,” partly, one suspects, to break up the boredom as they wait for a chance to see The Boss emerge and climb into what turns out to be a cab, not a limo, for the trip back to his hotel. Springsteen, sipping tea from a Styrofoam cup in his upstairs dressing room, hears the din and grins in modest pleasure. … the only small theater (4,300 capacity) booking on Springsteen’s current tour. … “When I’m onstage, it’s like, hey, it doesn’t matter what happens tomorrow, or what happened last night; it’s tonight that counts. I think of that kid that maybe stood in line for 12 hours to buy a ticket, and I think this is his night. It’s me and him. This is our shot with each other.”
October 25, 1980
Maze featuring Frankie Beverly
Opening act: The Fatback Band
October 28 and 29, 1980
Kansas
Opening act: John Cougar
A blog post incorrectly lists October 20 as the date of a Kansas concert at the Uptown.
Setlist.fm: October 28, October 29*
Don McLeese, Chicago Sun-Times, October 30, 1980: I must admit that my tolerance for Kansas’ brand of pompous drivel … lasts about a song and a half. What this band is purveying is sophomoric insight masquerading as profundity. … Theirs is a heavy-handed, self-important sensibility that strains toward majesty and settles for bombast. Salvaging part of the evening was opening act John Cougar and his band, the Zone. … He comes across as a boy-next-door who’s playing at rock ’n’ roll and having the time of his life. Nothing special yet, but he’s still growing.
October 31, 1980
Jean-Luc Ponty
Opening act: Larry Coryell
November 28 and 29, 1980
Frank Zappa
Setlist.fm: November 28 early show, November 28 late show, November 29*. Zappa played early and late shows on November 28. It’s not clear if he also played two shows on November 29 when that date was added.
December 19, 1980
Prince
Opening act: Teena Marie
Setlist.fm: Prince*, Teena Marie*
Darrell Hill, Chicago Defender, December 27, 1980: … the interracial, enthusiastic crowd rose to their feet to welcome him back with thunderous approval. … the Uptown audience seemed to love every minute. Prince was dressed in an outrageous costume consisting of a half opened trench coat … long black ‘boot warmer’ hose that stretched high above his shapely thighs and black ankle boots. He delighted the house with some exceptional guitar playing. … he never spoke throughout the show with the exception of an occasional ‘thank-you.’ … The band threw tambourins into the audience and the concert was instantly transformed into a massive party of dancing, happy fans.
Richard Mitchell, Chicago Defender, January 7, 1981: Black punk rockers, adoring female fans, hard rockers and just plain freaks of all colors and sexual preferences became the ‘show’ that came to watch the show. [last summer] Prince, his opening act, had outsung the young, braided Motown upstart. Out sung, out danced, out performed, out played—in short blew away Rick James and his half-million dollars of lights and gimmicks. … He … showed his legs and his chest, quite frankly he showed just about everything. … Prince, to the shrieks and howls of his fans, takes off his clothes. … The sound was so deafening, it took the crease out of my pants. All the energy that is Prince thundered from the stage, igniting all who came to ogle, fingerpop and get off with the music. This time only the coat shirt and bandana were shed, but as Prince stood there undulating in his jet black briefs, legwarmers and boots; he became the “Sexy Dancer” he sang about.
January 17, 1981
Elvis Costello & the Attractions
Opening act: Squeeze
Setlist.fm: Elvis Costello, Squeeze*
Don McLeese, Chicago Sun-Times, January 19, 1981: Few high-intensity rockers would dare open their first Chicago appearance in almost two years with a brand new ballad, accompanied only by spare solo piano backing. Few audiences would stand through it with rapt attention, as the full house at the Uptown Theater did Saturday night. … Over the course of 75 minutes at the Uptown, Elvis crammed in 26 songs, giving his audience more—more of himself and more passion per second than practically any other rocker around. …While calling a concert the best of the year means little at this point, someone will have to go a ways to beat this one.
Wrong date and venue?
February 14, 1981: Boomtown Rats, with opener Jim Carroll. Jam’s list shows this concert at the Uptown on February 14, but the Sun-Times reported that the bands actually played February 15 at the Aragon Ballroom.
February 26, 27, and 28, 1981
Grateful Dead
Setlist.fm: February 26, February 27, February 28
Concert recordings: February 26, February 27, February 28
Don McLeese, Chicago Sun-Times, February 28, 1981: Like man, I went and saw the Dead at the Uptown Friday night, and it was like just soooo far out. Like, y’know? I mean, the Dead, man—good ol’ Grateful Dead. … Outside the Uptown I saw more fresh flowers than anywhere this side of Amling’s, and enough bandana-ed heads to give the look of an Aunt Jemima revival. A lot of Deadheads had tickets for all three of the Dead’s appearances at the Uptown. … As any true Deadhead understands, you have to surrender yourself to the music. You’ve got to go with the flow. Unfortunately, the flow wasn’t quite ready to go when deadline called, so I had to go without it.
August 6, 1981
Alice Cooper
Opening act: Spider
Setlist.fm
A movie presentation
August 28 and 19, 1981: The Song Remains the Same. Although this was a movie screening, not a live concert, it appears on Jam Production’s list of Uptown shows. Not confirmed by newspaper ads.
November 17, 1981
Jerry Garcia Band
Canceled
November 25, 1981: A simulcast of the Rolling Stones concert at the Rosemont Horizon was announced, then canceled.
November 27, 1981
Frank Zappa
Early show at 8 p.m., late show at 11:30 p.m.
Setlist.fm: Early show, late show
Canceled
December 11, 1981: Greg Lake
December 19, 1981
J. Geils Band
Opening act: Red Rider. Jam’s concert list, newspaper listings, and the Sun-Times’ review all say that Red Rider was the opener. Setlist.fm, however, lists an appearance on this date at the Uptown by Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes.
Setlist.fm.
Don McLeese, Chicago Sun-Times, December 21, 1981: … the Geils Band confirmed that it can shake a house down with any band in the land. … The crowd was on its feet from the start, dancing, clapping and carrying on as a natural reaction to the energy of the music. …If, as rumored, this was the last rock show to be held at the Uptown (at least for a while), the hall went out in a blaze of glory.
Picture sources: In addition to the cited newspapers, this blog post includes several pictures from the collection of James A. Pierce. Thanks to Kenneth Voss for sharing that 1981 Grateful Dead poster. It is likely most of the Jam ads were designed by the late Shelley Howard.