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Röck Illustrated

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Stories from July 2026

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Smashing Pumpkins Covered Brady Bunch Hit with Barry Williams

Tour or event artwork for Smashing Pumpkins Covered Brady Bunch Hit with Barry Williams

The Smashing Pumpkins brought sunshine to a lucky crowd of 2,500 fans at Chicago’s Riviera Theatre on Wednesday (7/29), when they introduced the man many Gen Xers and older know as Greg Brady, Barry Williams, for a cover of the Brady Bunch song “It’s a Sunshine Day.”

The surprise appearance came during an official Lollapalooza aftershow two nights before the Pumpkins will headline the fest at Grant Park.

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Lollapalooza 2006: Setlist History

Event or tour poster for Lollapalooza 2006: Setlist History

Lollapalooza 2006 went down from August 4-6 in Chicago’s lakefront Grant Park, where the supersized eclectic spectacle graduated from curious experiment to an annual permanent cultural destination.

After returning in 2005 as a two-day fest, Lollapalooza expanded in 2006 to a three days, eight stages and 130+ performers.

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Remembering Glen Hansard

Remembering Glen Hansard

Glen Hansard was born to be a musician. He left school at 13 and began busking on Dublin’s streets. Music would be central to his life.

The public first really saw him at age 20 when he played the guitarist Outspan Foster in Alan Parker’s 1991 film The Commitments, the award-winning musical-comedy about an Irish soul band.

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Justin Vernon of Bon Iver Covered 16 Dylan Songs As Bon Dylan

Justin Vernon of Bon Iver Covered 16 Dylan Songs As Bon Dylan

Justin Vernon devoted his only scheduled solo performance of 2026 to someone else’s catalog. On Friday (7/24) at Carson Park in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, the Bon Iver leader presented “Bon Dylan,” a 16-song set made up entirely of compositions from the Bard.

Vernon boldly took on various parts of the Midwesterner's popular standards late-career bangers and even his controversial gospel-era selections.

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Setlist History: System of a Down Live Debuts “Chop Suey”

Tour or event artwork for Setlist History: System of a Down Live Debuts “Chop Suey”

Imagine the feelings festival goers in the mountains of Japan when they heard and watched System of a Down live debut “Chop Suey!” for them on a Sunday Afternoon.

On July 29, 2001, the Los Angeles quartet sprung the truly original song onto the Fuji Rock Festival crowd. It was a little less than three weeks before the frenetic tune would be released as a single, and more than a month before the band's album Toxicity would drop.

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Lollapalooza 2016: Setlist History

Tour or event artwork for Lollapalooza 2016: Setlist History

Lollapalooza celebrated its 25th anniversary in Chicago from July 28 through July 31, 2016, expanding from three days to four for the first time and boosting attendance to 400,000.

More than 170 acts performed throughout Grant Park. We're talking Radiohead, Red Hot Chili Peppers and LCD Soundsystem as the main headliners. Also joining the party were J. Cole, Future, Haim, Die Antwoord, Lettuce, Grimes, Disclosure, Ghost, M83 and Bloc Party among others.

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Rush’s Chicago Residency Boasted 2112 & Moving Pictures In Full

Rush’s Chicago Residency Boasted  2112 & Moving Pictures In Full

Rush returned to Chicago's United Center for the first time since 2015 for a four-show residency on 7/16, 7/18, 7/20 and 7/22, planting the flag that their Fifty Something Tour will consistently bring surprises.

Original members Geddy Lee (lead vocals, bass, keyboards, bass pedals) and Alex Lifeson (guitar, backing vocals, bass pedals) are showing off their new drummer Anika Nilles by introducing even tougher tunes to the set while the band is receiving assistance from Loren Gold (keyboards, piano, backing vocals).

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Billie Joe Armstrong’s Coverups Dedicates Song to Jennifer Finch

Event or tour poster for Billie Joe Armstrong’s Coverups Dedicates Song to Jennifer Finch

The Coverups are arguably the best side projects led by a major rocker since the era when Jack White formed the Raconteurs and the Dead Weather and when Dave Grohl moved between Queens of the Stone Age, Probot and Them Crooked Vultures.

The difference is Billie Joe Armstrong's motives seem entirely basic: to play a bunch of fun, rocking cover songs live with a small group of people for the pure joy of it.

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