2424 N Lincoln Avenue has worn many hats. Originally opening as a nickelodeon in 1912, the aptly named Fullerton Theatre (for its adjacent street) was a house of art until 1915 when it became an autoshop. It later returned to its creative ideals becoming The Crest Theatre, 3 Penny Cinema, and a sniper’s location on the night the FBI killed mobster John Dillinger in 1934. After multiple iterations of theatres and a shootout, the building opened in 2009 as Lincoln Hall under the Schubas brothers’ ownership. Since then, it has become a staple in the Chicago scene. Giving spotlight to local favorites and nationally touring acts, it is a landmark for any Chicago band to play. 

Six Foot Blonde has recently stepped underneath that ever growing umbrella. Chicago is undeniably a music city. Over 250 licensed music venues in the city limits, not including the innumerable house shows and pop ups that occur every night, you can’t walk anywhere without hearing a few notes. Normally known for the blues, Chicago has quickly become a launching point for rock bands in recent years. Friko opened for Modest Mouse and The Flaming Lips, Ratboys are headlining The Vic Theatre in April, Lifeguard joining Grizzly Bear for their reunion at The Salt Shed, and countless others. These are Chicago bands making waves in the city, and across the country. While crowded, Six Foot Blonde has made their way into the scene with their 2024 record “Ask Me How I Am”.  

Ahead of Six Foot Blonde’s wonderful performance, Violet Crime and Pretoria opened up the evening. The former went first, hitting long time staples in their set like “Bad Habit” and “Home”. Mixing their horn section with groovy and grounded piano, it was a pleasent and welcoming sound to start the evening. Taking in their set from the balcony, I watched people walk into the room drawn to the sound. Throwing in a cover of Maroon 5’s “This Love” also helps. Kevin Nagel, lead singer of Violet Crime, reminisced about playing a gig at Schubas in 2024 with Six Foot Blonde. One of many Midwest indie rock reunifications that Lincoln Hall and Schubas have housed.  

Pretoria approached the stage, shuffling past an expansive collection of amps and guitars. I made my way to the floor for this performance that was sandwiched in the middle of the night. With minimal physical space, they explored the sonic space like a Jeep in an empty desert. Building an expansive sound with three guitars, it was a joy to hear this harmonizing leads cut through a great rhythm section. I will admit, I was a little hesitant about the three guitars at first. I know of very few bands that have three guitarists in the band and not just touring. Combat comes to mind as they have immersive and layered guitar tracks, and Pretoria followed their lead but with a little calmer of a voice. Proving my bias of a three guitar band invalid, Pretoria belongs to be on a stage whenever they please. With poetic lyrics and bouncing instrumentation, I will be looking forward to their next Chicago gig eagerly.  

A new house is difficult to make feel like a home immediately, but Six Foot Blonde put that thought to the side. Raising the energy of the crowd like a broken thermostat. “Carmilla” was the first song on the setlist for the evening that got the crowd moving. After a quick hello during the bridge, 4 songs went by before we got a non-musical hello from Julia, Dom, and the band. Tearing through their set with passion and vigor, I don’t think there will be anything stopping this band from continuing up this Chicago ladder. A big landmark for bands is an Audiotree Session, which Six Foot Blonde had released in March of 2025. They continue to strut through each venue, dominating the space that they are in and creating new fans with each bend of a guitar and trill on the saxophone. This sweeping set included a cover of MGMT’s “Time To Pretend” which is a very fitting song for this band to play. A song that emphasizes the naiveness, dreams, and heights of youth being sung by a band whose members are all in their 20’s and hungry to keep pursuing this dream of theirs. New hits like “Kindergarten Crush” and one of their earliest tunes “Callin to Karma” to close out this lively gig, I heard everything I wanted to hear and more from Six Foot Blonde. I am impatiently waiting for their new record and a hopeful tour to come along with it.  

This gig was a transition of eras. Six Foot Blonde’s final headlining gig, before they began recording their second record, felt like a much earned victory lap. Flaunting their collection of singles and their debut LP, this 20 song set homed a (for now) career spanning set. Hitting heavy on the old and dabbling in the new with two unreleased tracks being played. The news of the second album was teased throughout the night but was not confirmed until the two song encore. A saunter back on stage for Julia to make the announcement felt like a red carpet. The crowd, still in full attendance, erupted in cheers. Mentioning how the couldn’t keep it a secret any longer, and  congratulating themselves as Hoosier alumni on a Peach Bowl victory over Oregon. I give my props to the Indiana University natives as Indiana manhandled the Ducks throughout their set, as members of the band and the crowd dawned the crimson and white. This gig was a housewarming party of the best kind, and a pleasure to be invited. Six Foot Blonde will be supporting The Nude Party for select dates in March, and just announced their return to Chicago on May 1st supporting The Back Alley at Lincoln Hall. You can find tickets and updates from the band on their website.  

Throughout the month of January, a group of Chicago venues (Lincoln Hall, Schubas, Metro, GMan Tavern, Sleeping village, Hideout, Color Club, Ramova) create a warmth of music that is dearly missed in the winter months. Through 20 years Tomorrow Never Knows Fest has brought artists like PUP, Big Thief, and Geese into smaller rooms than you’ll usually see them play. This year was no exception, sprawling over four weekends and holding a true knock-em-dead lineup. Featuring the likes of Brigitte Calls Me Baby at Schubas, two nights of Racing Mount Pleasant (formerly Kingfisher) bookending their tour at Schubas and Lincoln Hall, Jeff Rosenstock’s project Antarctigo Vespucci, and dozens of other artists and comedians, it is a pillar of the arts in Chicago.

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It was the warmest day in two weeks, and people were enjoying it. Southbound from 3145 North Sheffield was a stream of hundreds of people. Whether the meteorologist was calling for rain, sleet, or worse, it wouldn’t have stopped this dedicated string of folks. Each one with at least one shared intent, to get as close to the stage as possible. The layered tiers inside quickly filled up as the crowd filed in, making split second decisions on which side of the sound booth they would go around. Within minutes, you could hardly move. Adorned with a red curtain and a circle of lights, the anticipation grew amongst the masses. 

On that stage would be Evan Honer and five of his best friends as they brought their It’s a Long Road Tour to The Vic Theatre in Chicago, Illinois. The Arizona born artist loaded up the sunshine from his southern state to a packed Vic in a vibrant format, blasting through 25 songs to his adoring fans. Honer is halfway through his 33-stop tour across North America in promotion of his latest record Everything I Wanted making his way from east to west. He gave love to new and old, playing nine songs off the latest venture and three from his debut LP West On I-10. A first-time listener would not be able to tell what tunes were new and old as fans belted every word from throughout the venue.  

Honer began his set the way he ended it, with a backflip. This might have been my first backflip on stage that I’ve seen, and for sure my second. That was a great prologue to the type of night Honer was about to give the crowd. Switching between a Martin acoustic and a cherry red Gibson ES-335, Honer took us along the journey of his catalogue whether sad and slow or animated and loud. These songs bleed honesty and experience, even in Honer’s young age. “Mr. Meyers”, the fourth track off Fighting For, tells the tale of watching a man lose himself in his own losses. Directly after in the setlist was the second song from the same record, “Brother”, discussing Honer’s difficult time understanding his own brother’s mental illness. A song that encapsulates the hands tied feeling of not being able to help someone you love.  These songs rip each chord out of your heart and try to plug it back in oh so delicately. An artist able to evoke such strong feelings from a crowd of 1,000+ is someone to not take for granted. 

He couldn’t let sadness linger in the air for too long, so Honer made the great call to bring man’s best friend on stage. Ushered on to thunderous applause was his dog, Leroy, accompanied by an all-to-brief cover of “Bad, Bad Leroy Brown” by the legend Jim Croce. A quick dance with a bulldog lightened the mood as the band began a sprint to the end, hitting classics “Foolin’ Ourselves” and “Too Far Gone” from his first record. Sandwiched between those two was the first seed to Honer’s fame, his cover of Tyler Childers’ “Jersey Giant”. Honer’s maiden release from 2022 was an elusive track by Childers’ that does not have video of a performance from the author until 2025. With some synchronized choreography, a capo on the first fret, and a breakdown in the bridge, Honer the nearly impossible by making a cover sound like his own.  

Jersey Giant was not the only cover of the night, as the well-earned encore contained the 9x platinum single “Sugar We’re Going Down” by Chicago pillars Fall Out Boy. When I think of Evan Honer my mind does not immediately jump to From Under The Cork Tree but this faithful rendition shows his bands versatility and the dynamic voice he carries. His closer, “IDK Shit About Cars” left the crowd wanting even more as the house lights flared up. Clocking in at almost 2 hours, Honer’s set was well worth the price of admission and gives understanding as to why there are so many repeat customers at his gigs. 

The crowd was treated to Chicago native Michal Leah to begin the evening. Leah released her debut album Universe this past October with a deluxe edition, including three more tracks, in December. Alongside just her guitarist, she led the crowd through a showcase of her new discography, giving the audience a first listen to songs soon to be added to their playlists. She later reunited with The Vic, joining Honer for a rendition of “Waiting Ain’t Easy”. The combination of their voices felt like a fresh set of sheets as it wrapped around the whole theatre. In the audience was her father as well, who gifted the singer-songwriter flowers near the finale of her set. Leah provided a soothing, intimate, and strong performance to her hometown. You can follow Leah for updates here. 

The tour name implies the truth, there are many more nights of the It’s A Long Road Tour left for Evan Honer. Looking beyond this tour seems silly, but what lies ahead is exciting. This summer Honer will be hitting the road with the poet of his first release, Tyler Childers, on Childers’ Snipe Hunt Tour. This busy season is also sprinkled with headline dates and opening slots for Darius Rucker and The Head And The Heart at Red Rocks. As an independent artist, Honer has established himself and his record company, Cloverdale Records, as important pieces of the modern industry. You can follow Evan Honer for updates and find tickets for his upcoming shows here.  

The post Evan Honer’s Long Road Comes to Chicago appeared first on KRUI Radio.

On a dreary and windy Sunday afternoon, I strolled past a green river in the direction of Elston Ave. Strolling though discarded plastic gallon bottles from the Jewel with faded and smudged sharpie inscriptions like a foreshadowing “Borg Dylan”, I found the towering salt girl adorned on top of the 96 year old structure that housed thousands of pounds of salt for close to a century before thousands of people since 2023. This landmark houses not one, but two, of America’s greatest music venues, aptly named “The Salt Shed”. Somewhere that quickly made its way to the top of my favorite venues list, boasts a sleek and new place to watch the greatest bands touring today. Later that night, The Salt Shed would expand its impressive resume of artists as Frank Turner and The Sleeping Souls came to town.

On the final night of their North American tour, co-headlining with Descendents and supported by NOBRO, I spoke with Frank Turner before this voltaic finale. This conversation danced from books to harmonicas in Green Room E before it became inhabited by NOBRO. Touching on his ever-growing library and taking a stab at guessing his most played songs, Turner spun tales of what the past has meant and what the future will hold.

Logan Melia: So last day of work, like you’re holding up all right. 

Frank Turner: Yeah, it’s been a fun run. I mean, I’ve been looking forward to this for a long time. I grew up listening to Seven’s music and we’ve been friendly for on and off over the last kind of 10, 15 years, but like, This whole tour is quite funny, like, car headlining is kind of a good thing to do in general, and my booking agent was asking me for suggestions advanced to car headline with, and I suggested Descendants, and he was like, I don’t know if it’s going to work. And I just bugged him, and I said, look, me and Stefan are really good friends, and I know the other guys as well, and I said, it’s worth a Hail Mary. You know what I mean? Send the e-mail, see what happens. So he sent me an e-mail and he called me about a day later and was like, you’re never going to guess, but they just said yes. And I was like, what? So yeah, very, very stoked about it. It’s a huge honor for me to be on this tour. And it’s been a great tour. I mean, we’ve covered a lot of ground in a short period of time. We started here, actually, but we’ve been to Connecticut and Florida and Southern California. And do you know what I mean? We’ve done a lap. So there’s been a lot of sleeping on bumpy tour buses. But yeah, we are done after today. As much as I loved it, I’m quite stoked about that. 

Logan: Oh, absolutely. Put the feet up in the same spot two nights in a row, you know? 

Frank: Yeah, exactly. You know, and I’ve actually been away from home for 10 weeks now because I did a tour of South America before this as well. So I’m very much looking forward to sleeping in my own bed. 

Logan: Absolutely. Yeah. When you have a day off on tour, are you just crashing the whole day or are you… Are you trying to see the sights and sounds of the city? 

Frank: Not so much seeing the sights and sounds, because more often than not, we have days off in kind of like a, not quite a truck stop, but pretty middle of nowhere places, because we’re generally between A and B. But I mean, I keep busy while I’m on tour. I’m mixing some records at the minute, just keeping up with work and correspondence. writing, whatever it might be. So we have a thing that on days off we call it slug life. And slug life means you wake up, you get into the hotel room, you put on the dressing gown, you put your phone on do not disturb, you order Uber Eats, and you just don’t speak to anyone all day. And given the kind of intense sociality, if you like, of what I do for a living, because I’m talking to people all day, Apart from my client, obviously, but beyond that, like on a day off, I quite often don’t talk to anyone. And that’s a good feeling. I’ll watch some Netflix really work for everybody. 

Logan: Have you been watching anything good or read anything good? 

Frank: I’m reading Christopher Clark’s History of the Outbreak in the First World War, which is very good. I’m a history nerd. That was a period of history I thought I knew quite a lot about, and it turns out I didn’t. So that’s been cool. I’m watching a TV show called Animal Kingdom at the moment, which is fun. It’s pretty disposable. It’s not profound, I wouldn’t have said, but I watched it and I watched the Pee Wee Herman documentary recently that was really poor. I can’t remember his real name now, but that was a really… Weirdly moving, actually. I really enjoyed that. 

Logan: Do you have any pieces of media that you’ve held with you your whole life? 

Frank: Yeah, I mean, the obvious thing is obviously there’s tons of records which are hugely impactful for me. I mean, that’s the thing I talk about pretty regularly. In terms of other types of media, I mean, I I read some poetry, not loads, but some. And actually recently, I’m learning Spanish at the minute, and I’ve been reading Spanish poetry, which is, I’ve been reading a lot of Spanish, which is challenging, but a good way to learn the language for sure. I mean, I read incessantly. I’m a bibliophile. My partner is always horrified by how quickly I read. And you know, recently I’ve read, I was reading John Los Passos, USA Trilogy, which is a sort of foundational American novel that’s incredibly long and hardgoing, but I enjoyed it. I think in terms of things that stayed with me over time, the book I always have to mention is Cultural Amnesia by Clive James. I think that book probably changed my outlook on life, politics, and art more than anything else I’ve ever read in my life.

Logan: How so?

Frank: I just think that Clive James has long been my favorite writer. He sat down to write a cultural traces of the 20th century and the number of people he could even think to do that is pretty limited. And I’ve read it a few times. The first time I read it, I just had a notepad out and I was like, I’ve never heard of him, never heard of her, never heard of them. Do you know what I mean? 

Logan: You got homework.

Frank: Yeah, totally. And then I went and read a whole pile of books that he was sort of discussing or citing or whatever and watched films that he was talking about and listened to records he was talking about. And then sort of reread it again and had a better idea of what on earth he was talking about. But he had a kind of, I don’t know if this is quite the right way of putting it, but a kind of muscularly and humorously, but sort of self-deprecatingly sort of liberal view of the world and about sort of the need to resist totalitarianism, wherever it might come from, and all this kind of thing. So it definitely kind of gave my view of the world some sort of like hinterland, should we say? 

Logan: Yeah, oh, for sure. Do you have a big library at your place? 

Frank: Yeah, I do. When my partner and I moved in together, the boxes were arriving, and she was just like, this cannot be more books. And I was like, I’ve got terrible news for you, but it is. Yeah, I have a lot of books and I love them, I love keeping them there. I mean, one could argue how many, what’s the point, how many times I’m going to re-reference things. And there are a few that I do, but it makes me feel nice. I like to kind of stroke my bookshelf. 

Logan: Exactly. It’s furniture, you know, it’s something for the wall. 

Frank: Yeah, exactly.

Logan: A lot of books. Do you think you’ve crossed like the 500 book threshold, the 1000 book threshold? 

Frank: Oh yeah. I mean, I started keeping a list of everything I read in 2020. I read an average of about 60-70 books a year. And have done since I was like 10. I don’t, unfortunately, I wish I’d started keeping this. I’m quite sort of like meticulous about stuff. I mean, you can see it from the way I count my shows and everything. Like I just, I like keeping lists of things I’ve done. 

Logan: Now, speaking of kind of shows, the number I’ve written down is 3,131. Does that sound right to you? 

Frank: That’s going to be tonight? I actually think it’s 3,134 tonight. I think we’ve got it. I mean, the thing about that is there are some people who think that I retain that information in my head. I absolutely don’t. It’s written on the set list. But I wrote the set list just now. So and it’s written in quite a bit. When I first did it, it was in really small letters, and I kept finding myself doing this on stage and squinting at the ball. And eventually my tour manager was like, You know, you could make that bigger. And I was like, Oh yeah, that’s a great idea. But yeah, I mean, the whole show list thing, I started doing beginning. My old drummer in my old band kept a list of our shows, and I always thought it was a bit weird while the band was together, but when we broke up, I was very glad that he did, because it gave me an overview of what we’d done. It’s amazing how quickly you forget things when you do as many of them as I do. And then also the early days of my solo touring, there was no one else there. It was just me. I was hurling on the train, I had a rucksack, I had a guitar. And so there’s no one I can call to be like, hey, what were we doing in February 2006 or something? Because there was no one else at all the shows. So I started coming to the list, put on my website. We got to show 1000 and I organized a show for it with some friends of mine in London. And I said, look, it’s my thousandth show and they were like, what? How would you know? What does that even mean? And I’m like, and I sort of explained this to them. So that one, like not that many people were on board. By the time we got to show 2000, it had become a thing that people were keen on. And we just did, we did like a 2000 cab venue in Nottingham, England, my favorite venue, Rock City. And it sold out very quickly so when it got to show 3000, we went, let’s do a big statement show. We booked Out of Sound Palace, which is like 11,000 people, thinking, maybe we’ll get it sold out by the time of the show. And then it sold out in 24 hours, and it was just like, what the what? So that was pretty cool. And now we’re on our way to 4000, and the first e-mail I had asking me where and when Show 4000 was going to be was about two days after Show 3000, and I was like, this is going to take a minute. And when I say a minute, I mean, probably about 8 years. Eight years. So, because I mean, I have done a lot of frenetics in my life. I don’t talk quite as high as I did in my sort of 20s and early 30s anymore, which is a function of age to a degree. And it’s a function of the fact that me and my band and crew, everyone’s got families now and kids and homes that they live in. I mean, back in like 20, sort of like 2010 till about 2016 was just manic. I think we did 13 months without going home at one point. And now we get to the 3 1/2 week mark and everyone’s like ‘ugh’, And then, like I say, that’s a function of getting older and it’s a marathon or a sprint. I don’t want to kill myself pretending that I’m 22 for forever. So it will take a little longer to get to the next mark, but we’ll get there. 

Logan: Do you find yourself writing any differently in your new age? Do you? 

Frank: Yeah, definitely. I think, I mean, writing as a concept is a very… broad and complicated and ineluctable thing. And I think that it should change. I’ve never really had a methodology for it. Songs kind of arrive and I grab at them when I can and then I spend time hammering them together. I’m sort of keen not to repeat myself, which necessarily implies change, maybe not in a methodology, but I don’t have a methodology, but like, you know, I don’t want to rewrite Love Ire and Song. I wrote that. It’s already there. Yeah, and we still play a bunch of songs with that record live. So I don’t need to write them again. You know, I’m constantly looking for ways to change what I do. And yeah, getting older does, it changes your subject matter, it changes your taste musically, all that kind of thing. So these things evolve over time. I mean, right now, it’s way too early to actually talk about this, but I’m in a very kind of like trad folk place at the moment. The last couple of records I did have been kind of punk rock records, which I love, and we’re on tour with Descendents, so happy days, but I’ve been really kind of deep into kind of old school kind of folk and country again lately. It’s been a minute since I was deep into that stuff. So we’ll see what happens. Maybe there’ll be a grind core record. I don’t know. We’ll find out.

Logan: What old kind of folk records are you listening to? 

Frank: I’ve been A lot of kind of like I’ve got the Smithsonian collection of kind of field recordings of Tran-American stuff, which I love, and the Cecil Sharp House collection. as well, which is sort of the English fluent, the same thing. So I’ve been listening to all of that again. And you know, Phil Ox and stuff like that, and early Dylan and that kind of stuff. I mean, I’m not saying that I’m about to try and recreate all of that. 

Logan: You’re not writing Blonde On Blonde next.

Frank: I would go early at that. I’d say more stuff like Another Side and times are a changing kind of era. I’ve been doing a lot of full band stuff lately, which I love, and I love my boys, and they’re the best band in rock and roll as far as I’m concerned, but there has always been a strand to what I do that is sort of centered around the kind of idiom of one person with an instrument. And I feel like I haven’t kind of paid too much attention to that in recent years, and I’d like to kind of refocus on it. But we’ll see. Like I said, I changed my mind radically in between albums. So there was one point when Positive Songs to Negative People was going to be a white solo album, and it absolutely isn’t. And I think everyone’s quite glad about that, but I had this moment in time when I was just listening to white soul like all the time, Style Council, whatever else, and just thinking, ‘Yeah, I want to do this’, and then, in the end, I went that, and I think everyone’s pleased. 

Logan: You mentioned, you know, the number of shows you play is crazy. According to the set list out of time, I wrote down your top three most played songs and how many times you’ve played them. Do you want to take a guess as to what these three songs are and to how often? I mean, these numbers are probably wrong, but the rough estimates. 

Frank: Well, I think my top three most played songs will probably be Recovery. 

Logan: That’s #3. 

Frank: That’s #3. My God. I Still Believe?

Logan: Number 2. 

Frank: Number 2… Photosynthesis?

Logan: Number one. 

Frank: Oh my God, look at that. I mean, the thing about that, that’s interesting because obviously to some degree it’s just about how long songs have been around. Photosynthesis is a much older song than recovery. That’s fascinating actually. In terms of numbers of times, I mean, the problem with it is I’m vaguely familiar with the work in the set list of FM. And somebody’s uploaded my kind of list of past shows onto it, but like the vast majority of the early ones don’t have a set list. Because no one was writing it down. And I mean, I’m sure I was writing it down. Do you know what I mean? And it’s a surprising thing. A friend of mine who runs a, there’s a festival in England called 2000 Trees, which is sort of like my home festival. I love that place. And James sent me a photo of my set list, which was written on a paper plate from like 2007 or something. And I was like, ‘huh I played that? and also in that order?’ that seems mad to me now. But, I mean, that’s one of the things that to get philosophical for a second, a show is an ephemeral thing. It happens once in one place with one stage with one group of people. And that’s one of the things I like about it. It’s not a bottleable commodity in a way, you know, it’s a moment in time. That’s what they do for a living, I create moments. And so that made sense that day. My memory of that show to the extent that I have one is that it went quite well. So good for 2007, me. The numbers of times, I mean, Photosynthesis has got to be more than 1000, right? 

Logan: All three of these are over 1000. And I’ll say, one and two Photosynthesis, and I Still Believe, are only three plays apart. 

Frank: That doesn’t enormously surprise me. I mean, 2000? I don’t know. 

Logan: Photosynthesis 1666, I Still Believe 1663, Recovery 1377. 

Frank: I mean, this is the thing. I’m actually pretty sure I’ve played photosynthesis more times than that because that song’s on my second record and I’ve played it so many times. And indeed, without giving too much away, we’ll be playing it tonight. But, and it’s a funny thing, like, I mean, there are times when people go, doesn’t that get boring or whatever. The answer to that is obviously not. I mean, it gets boring in rehearsal, because, I mean, to be honest, when we’re running a set list in rehearsal, we usually get the first instance. I play the intro and everybody goes don’t need to run that guy

Logan: Yeah, we know how to do this one. 

Frank: Again, a show is not an isolated event. The whole point of it is it’s an exchange of energy and ideas with an audience. And the audience is different and tonight there’s going to be a different audience to any show I’ve ever played ever. And they will react in a slightly different way. And that means that playing this song is not boring. It’s interesting. because I mean, ultimately, if you were in a band where it didn’t matter who you were playing to, I think you’re doing it wrong. Do you know what I mean? It’s like it should absolutely matter. The audience should be part of the show, otherwise you’re basically talking to yourself. Do you know what I mean? Like, it’s a strange thing. 

Logan: Yeah, Chicago. Great place. We got a Green River right now. Did you catch that? 

Frank: Oh, no, I haven’t. To be honest, this is the nature of touring. I have not been anywhere other than the bus so far today. You’ve got terrible weather today as well. 

Logan: Yeah, we do. We tend to. 

Frank: Yeah, which we’re all a little nervous about because everyone’s supposed to be flying home tomorrow. I love Chicago, though. I mean, it’s a city I only know through touring. It’s a funny, It’s funny, some, you know, my friends back home be like, Do you know Chicago? And it’s like, I know the Aragon Ballroom. Yeah, I know the area, the Aragon Ballroom, the Metro, and blah, blah, blah, and the areas around them. I mean, this is our first time at Soul Shed. This place is rad. 

Logan: This place is incredible. 

Frank: It’s really cool. I mean, at the risk of sounding a tiny bit Aerosmith, like the backstage is delightful. Like they’ve, and you know, they’ve got notes for everybody on the note paper. 

Logan: Yeah, custom coasters. 

Frank: Yeah, custom coasters, the whole 9 yards. So, which is a nice way to finish the tour. We were in Davenport, Iowa yesterday, and everybody there was lovely, but the venue was a lot more spit and sawdust, should we say? 

Logan: I’m from Chicago, that’s why I’m here, I’m a spring break now. I go to the University of Iowa, and I’ve been to the Capitol Theater a few times, and this is quite the establishment. 

Frank: Yeah, it’s a different vibe. But at the same time, one of the things I always prided myself on, there’s a lot of British acts who played a handful of shows in Boston, New York, Philly, Chicago, and LA, and then go, we tried to break America and it didn’t work or whatever. And it’s just like, it’s because you barely went. 

Logan: There. Well, you are in Davenport, Iowa. 

Frank: Yeah, and I’ve done all 50 states. I did them all in a row. 

Logan: 50 days. 

Frank: Yeah, which was a terrible decision, but it’s now in the past. And we’ve played a million shows in Ohio, and we’ve been to Mississippi, and we’ve been to Portland, Maine 10 times probably, and all the rest of it. Occasionally, I do talk to friends of mine who are like, ‘how is it that you have a career over there?’ and it’s just like, dude there’s only one answer to that question, which is craft. It’s a continent. That’s like saying, Oh, we played Berlin and we didn’t break Europe. There’s more of it, you know what I mean? You’ve got to put the hours in, which is one of the things I’ve always liked about America. It’s kind of built for touring and there’s so much of it that you can just sort of keep playing around kind of indefinitely. 

Logan: Yeah, for sure. My first time seeing you in 2023 at Riot Fest here in Chicago, electric set. I was waiting for Pup, which is a great little Canadian punk band. 

Frank: I remember we took them on their first European tour. 

Logan: Are you serious? 

Frank: Yeah, I love those guys. 

Logan: Yeah, and I was so stoked for them, but I got them early and I saw you, and I have a picture of me, giving them a little recap, and it’s like, Frank Turner and the Sleeping Souls, like my new favorite band. 

Frank: Oh fuck yeah.

Logan: And it was just sick as hell. And I don’t remember very specifically that show you brought out Jaret Reddick. I’ve talked to before. He’s brought them up. You brought them out to, I think, play harmonica or something like that. Do you bring people out a whole lot? Do you remember that show in particular? 

Frank: I do remember that show. I remember that weekend. The show itself, I remember, again, this is the thing, I remember the show going well, I remember coming off stage and feeling good about it. Do you remember that weekend where my guitar tech being an absolute, getting drunk and being an absolute terrorist backstage. He found a massive shoe, one massive shoe and put it on and just started limping around the place and the security decided that he was genuinely disabled and started carrying him around and it was just complete bedlam. I saw Tomahawk play, which was awesome. I saw Postal Service, which was cool. And I saw, actually one of the highlights that weekend is I got to watch Snapcase side of stage and I grew up with that kind of music. So I kind of vaguely know the Snapcase guys a little bit, at least Darrell. It was just, that was such a cool thing because I mean they’re not the biggest man in the world, but the lineup of people watching Snapcase from Side of Stage was impressive. It was like Ben Gibbard was there and I was there and the guys from Rise Against were all there and everything and everyone was just kind of like, you know, there was a medium-sized crowd, but you’re still looking around like, you should be paying attention to these guys. And you know, they pray. played a lot of stuff on Progressions Through Unlearning, and that made me very happy. So, happy days. 

Logan: Absolutely. I kind of feel that way when I saw Helmet at Riot Fest this past year. Side stage was Tre Cool, Jack White, just like these powerhouses. 

Frank: Yeah, Helmet, I haven’t seen Helmet for 20 plus years, but they’re an incredible and gigantically influential man. But to go to what you’re saying about getting people up, I mean, we do get people up on stage every now and again. I’ve never quite been the kind of loads of collabs type of guy, do you know what I mean? Like, you watch a Coldplay show or something and there’s like someone getting up every other song or whatever. 

Logan: It’s Noel Gallagher up there. 

Frank: Yeah, at a certain point it becomes a little bit like, check out my famous friends. And that doesn’t sit super well with me. We had a thing years ago, when I did my first arena headline show, this was in 2012. And there’s a we had a bit where someone plays harmonica, and I was kind of going through the list of kind of notable people I knew who were coming to the show, and Ricky Gervais was coming, and Daniel Radcliffe was coming, whatever. And it was just like every single one of them just felt a bit gross, no reflection on them, but just the implications of the crowd is ‘check me out I know this guy’. And in the end, we got my mum to do it, which was way cooler because she brought the house down. You know what I mean? Everyone went apeshit. I mean, we had on this tour, we were in Anaheim and my friend Mike from the effects came down and we got him up to play Harmonica on a song that he wrote, which seemed like a justifiable use of that trick. But generally speaking, I’m kind of of the opinion that if I buy a ticket to see a band, I kind of want to see them play. You know what I mean? It’s like, The occasional pop-up can be kind of cool. And I’ve seen one or two of my time. This is about as obscurantis as I’m going to get in this interview, but like, do you know Sun O? They’re the kind of doom band. 

Logan: They’re coming to Iowa City. 

Frank: Oh, you should go. Yeah. Take ear plugs. They are the loudest band in history. And it is more performance than it is music. But almost don’t listen to anything ahead of time. Just go down and brace yourself. Like, It’s not unlike taking acid, but I saw them play and they had Justin Broderick from Gold Flesh got up and made some extra noise for a bit. That’s probably the best way of putting it. And that excited me a lot and that was really cool. But yeah, I don’t want to overdo it. 

There’s never been a moment during a Frank Turner show I haven’t enjoyed. Turner promised at the beginning of the set that if they weren’t fans already, and he delivered. Between ballerina twirls and a wall of hugs (a much calmer wall of death experience), it was an intoxicating set. Support from NOBROS got the crowd energized early, as they played a stellar set including their latest single DOOMTOWN. Descendents closed the evening with 34 songs including two from their most recent LP “9th and Walnut“. This combination of artists, punks young and old, acoustic and electric, was bombastic and loud. Everything a rock and roll show should be.

Frank Turner never sleeps for long. With almost 50 shows on the books for the remainder of the year, he has time for a quick nap before he returns for a stretch of solo gigs in April and a avalanche of dates throughout 2026. You can find tickets here. Turner is also releasing an anniversary edition of his first record “Campfire Punk Rock 20” releasing on April 10th.

The post Interview: Frank Turner is Learning Spanish in between shows 3,134 and 3,135 appeared first on KRUI Radio.

A beautiful building stationed in the heart of the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago is Thalia Hall. Originally built in 1892, this roughly 900 capacity room is the venue of choice for many artists on their stops through town. I entered the limestone building, admiring each chisel as it sits on the corner of 18^th and Allport. Walking up the stairs past the iconic chalkboard painting the names of the artist playing each night, the warmth of this venue wrapped around me. A balcony hung comfortably above my head as the space grew larger the further I stepped in. This room was special, housing the best of today, yesterday, and tomorrow. In a city of incredible venues, Thalia Hall prides itself on repeat customers. Taking in the old and weary Henry Rollins (4 times), giving a huge stage to the then-young Ratboys in 2023 (4 times), and have kept big names like Waxahatchee (5 times) coming back. Building itself as a pillar of arts in the community, it hosts the “Thalia Hall Free For All” twice a year. With stellar lineups, it opens its doors free of charge to see some top local and touring acts. This is a special place to take in some music. 

I made my way to Thalia Hall to see The Lemonheads and Erin Rae on December 15^th. A cold Wednesday in the winter made a little warmer by the atmosphere. I have been lucky enough to see Erin Rae before, opening up for Jake Ewald of Slaughter Beach, Dog on his solo acoustic tour in 2024. Playing in a smaller setting to only about 100 or so people, I vividly remember Erin joining Jake for a great cover of Bob Dylan’s “Buckets of Rain”. We caught her whole set, playing tunes off two of her records, 2022’s “Lighten Up” and 2018’s “Putting On Airs”. With a sprinkle of singles in their too, including “On Her Side”, it was a great set and a pleasure to see her accompanied by her full band. The three piece, that had Chicago legend Jeff Tweedy’s son Spencer on drums, produced a bright and calming sound just days ahead of the winter solstice.  

The Lemonheads made their way on stage with Evan Dando leading the charge. Touring their first album of original music since 2006, “Love Chant” was a riffy release with a wide collection of collaborators including opener Erin Rae. Their tour was not for the weak. Stretching from early November through December 20^th, this gauntlet had shows five to six nights a week. These weren’t short sets either, playing 28 songs in Chicago including six acoustic tunes near the end. “It’s a Shame About Ray” was represented the most of The Lemonheads albums with five tracks, followed by four from “Come On Feel The Lemonheads”, and another quitnent from the touring album including 2 of the lead singles “Deep End” and “In The Margain”.  

Arguably, their biggest hit is a cover of “Mrs. Robinson” originally by Simon and Garfunkel, released in 1992. Charting in the top 20 singles in the United States, Australia, and the UK, it helped launch The Lemonheads to prominence on the radio while it was shunned in their live shows. Only being played 36 times in the almost one thousand gigs under their belts, it doesn’t crack the top 50 most played songs by them. While that cover was omitted from the setlist, 10 others made their way including The Townes Van Zandt, Whitney Houston, and Chicago’s own Cheap Trick.  

Dedicated fans traced the balcony of Thalia Hall, enjoying this set by a band that has been making music on and off for the past 40 years. This constant touring develops a loyal fanbase, which is why their 29^th show in Chicago welcomed a steady stream of fans in the midweek of December. The Lemonheads will continue their tour in Europe this fall and will open for The Avett Brothers at Red Rocks this July, you can find tickets here. 

The post The Lemonheads and Erin Rae at Thalia Hall appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Liam Gallagher wasn’t in hibernation leading up to the announcement. His lengthy European tour celebrating 30 years of Oasis’ debut record “Definitely Maybe” was in its final stretch when a glimmer of hope was shined above the crowd at Readings Festival. The classic “Oasis” font and block with a set of dates displayed in black and gold. “27.08.24”. Murmurs began. A hesitating hush grew and blossomed into a raucous cheer. What could this be? A re-release of the debut album? A new line of $50 shirts? It couldn’t possibly be a reunion between “The Pouting Potato” (Liam said about Noel) and “the man with a fork in a world of soup” (Noel said about Liam). When the 27^th finally arrived, the impossible was confirmed. With 11 months warning, Oasis would be returning in July 2025.  

This tour lasted through November, touching down in Europe, North America, South America, Asia, and Australia. No shortage of miles being put on the Gallagher brothers as they embarked on their first tour in 16 years. “Live ‘25” was announced almost a year ahead of its opening date in Cardiff, Wales. Under a closed roof, Oasis firmly planted their foot as they stepped off the retirement bus. Holding hands and walking step by step, Noel and Liam Gallagher appeared from stage right.  

A sober Liam, who was driven right to the stage and right from the stage at every gig, made it very clear on social media that his shenanigans would be put on hold for the “Live 25” tour. This was a celebration for the old and new fans alike. Too sacred to jeopardize.  Folks have lived lives since their last gig. Children were born, people married, people divorced, houses were built. The world kept spinning without Oasis, but that doesn’t mean it time didn’t freeze during two hours they were on stage. A cleansing of the spirit. A wash of the life we all led earlier that day and will tomorrow. For a large group, this was the first time they were seeing Oasis. Whether they were 20 years old like myself who were 3 when Oasis last played the States, or a 50 year old who never got the chance when they were growing up to “(What’s the Story) Morning Glory”, this was the maiden concerts for fans everywhere.  

I saw Oasis at Soldier Field in Chicago on August 28^th, their first return to the US in 17 years. An open and wide stage sets the backdrop with screens that spanned its length. This was a smaller stage than normal for them, due to the size constraints of the smallest NFL stadium and the busy weekend Soldier Field had. The iconic font and block raised above the stage like a halo. A heavenly omen to the performance ahead. Before stepping out to tens of thousands, a warning was played for the crowd. Recalling their live record “Familiar to Millions”, “Fuckin’ in the Bushes” was blared over the speakers during their entrance. Jumping straight into the aptly named track “Hello” followed by the duet “Acquiesce”, you were hit over the head with only the beginning of a legendary night. The same setlist every night was welcomed as it was a nearly perfect encapsulation of the bands legendary run. 8 tracks from “Morning Glory”, 6 from “Definitely Maybe”, 5 B-Sides from “The Masterplan”, and a collection of other hits. A variety anchored by the first two historic records.  

Liam, at his heart, is an entertainer above all else. If the instruments were left in the truck, he could keep the people entertained with his stories. A key moment of this tour was ahead of the sixth song on the set “Cigarettes and Alcohol”. Gallagher would spew a story, depending on the location, of him being approached earlier that day by a worried fan that the crowd would not participate in the “poznan”. A celebration that has found its way to Maine Road and Man City, the Gallagher brothers favorite club, infected the Live 25 tour as well. Webs were spun across these stories, as Octopuses and Koalas in Australia were worried, Sharks in Sau Paulo questioned, and Noel even taking the reins for this ongoing bit in Mexico City. A volley back and forth between the brothers, one that seemed impossible 2 years ago. 

The final 8 songs were something that very few other bands could pull off. Split in half was the final four of the set and the encore quartet, it was a roulette of some of the greatest Oasis songs. “Slide Away” persuaded its outro into my ears for life, “Whatever” gave me a snippet of “Octopuses Garden” live in 2025. “Live Forever” into “Rock n’ Roll Star” is the exit of folklore. As a white screen with “live 25” sprayed bright lights over the crowd. No one moved a muscle. There was more to hear. Noel came back out with an acoustic guitar to play the B-Side “The Masterplan”, as he introduced the backing band. Bonded by original Oasis guitarist Paul “Bonehead” Arthurs, his replacement from 1999 Gem Archer, Beady Eye and Oasis alum Andy Bell on bass, and drumming extraordinaire Joey Waronker to hold down the rhythm section. A group welded together through connections, solo projects, and Oasis itself that felt like they’d been together for decades.

The final three tracks were what a lot of people were waiting for. All off the 1996 album “(What’s the Story) Morning Glory”, any of these tracks could have been the closer. Starting with Noel continuing his vocals with “Don’t Look Back in Anger”. The piano held steady going from C to F, as the pentatonic box that Noel loves so much was tickled into its iconic intro lead guitar part. The tension in this song builds so well, as the pre chorus goes from F to F minor to craft that dropping feeling before you are lifted back up for the chorus. Noel left the singing duties in the first two choruses to the crowd, rejoining the choir of 65,000+ after the guitar solo. Swiftly into the open mic night favorite “Wonderwall” followed by a thank you from Liam for showing up to Oasis’ first American gig since 2008. The first note of “Champagne Supernova” was struck. It felt like the closing of a book you adored. You’d waited a long time to finally read it, paid extra for the hardcover too. Once you got your hands on it you couldn’t put it down. Flipping through pages at an alarming rate, almost too fast, to the point where you knew you weren’t leaving that chair until it was done. With a final blank page at the end turned, you felt that lovely hardcover leave your fingertips and fall to the will of gravity as it closed. An expansive guitar solo, powerful vocals, and a fireworks display that would bring a grown man to tears, Oasis had reconquered the Unites States. Time to put the book on the shelf.  

In Chicago, there were songs dedicated to the Irish, the early risers, the warriors, the glue sniffers, and those who couldn’t be there. Whether they were just not in attendance, or those we have lost, “Live Forever” is a staunch reminder of what makes Oasis so challenging to put into words. There are lyrics that have implanted a response in my head whenever I hear those words in daily life. Also, absolute nonsense about lasagna in “Digsy Diner”. No matter where on the spectrum of poetry to pasta the lyrics fall, it’s the feeling it evokes. It’s the rattling of the barricade, the smiles spreading like the flu, the people singing, and the people listening.  

Everyone knew there was a timer on this. These moments couldn’t last a lifetime. They aren’t meant to. That’s what made it so special. If it didn’t end, we wouldn’t have the memory. Memory is a tricky thing. It can contort itself without you even knowing. Run threads from one to another as it crochets itself into a mural of your own making. It’s short sighted to say something like a concert can change a life. It didn’t change me but rather stuck with me. It was a hefty and sturdy string that has woven its way into my mural. The music, the look, the people, the smile, the joy, the day. I spent it by the lake with my friends, listening to one of my favorite bands, and running around in the chaos of what we all know will probably be the first and last time. I knew it in the moment too that this was going to be with me permanently. My bucket hat and I watched what will replay in my head when I’m stuck inside in February and feeling the sun on my face in July. I love being in a memory in real time. There was no questioning this. I know what I saw, what I heard, and what I felt. This memory has been woven in. It will live forever.  

The post Oasis “Live 25”: The Gig of a Lifetime appeared first on KRUI Radio.

He’s been doing this for the last eighteen years. Since 2008, Shaver has climbed that same ladder and across a wooden bridge that looks like it could collapse if you took a bad step. After one sharp right turn and about thirty feet later, a high-top chair, a headset and a monitor wait for him. He happily adds to the clutter, as he props up spot sheets, team notes, and ad reads among other things.

On the surface, if you were a Chicago Wolves fan watching this game versus the Texas Stars on FOX+ Chicago or AHLTV, one of your thoughts would probably be that the play-by-play announcer sounds like he has found his calling; as if this has been his destiny his entire life.

While that first part may be true, the second part is anything but.

Shaver is a third-generation sports broadcaster, as his father, Wally, still calls the University of Minnesota’s hockey games on radio, while his grandfather, Al, is in the Hockey Hall of Fame for the work he did with the Minnesota North Stars since they joined the NHL in 1967. Jason was initially uninterested in the idea of being like his father and grandfather.

“When you’re a kid, your first thought isn’t to follow in your father’s footsteps,” Shaver said. “The free games were always nice, but broadcasting never occurred to me.”

Most home Wolves games have the same routine: Shaver and his broadcast partner, color analyst Bill Gardner, have an opening segment where they share their initial thoughts on the matchup taking place. What follows is the in-arena pregame intro, starting lineups, and Chicago legend Wayne Messmer’s rendition of the National Anthem. By then, Jason and Bill are back at their posts, with Bill’s setup mirroring Jason’s, as the tightness of the broadcast space doesn’t allow them to sit next to each other.

Now, it’s no surprise that Jason grew up around the sport of hockey. Not only was it a part of his family bloodline, but he played hockey his entire childhood, even while attending Augsburg University. After some time away from the sport, he eventually decided to put a headset on and give play-by-play a try.

“To my surprise, I actually really enjoyed it,” Shaver said. “I mean, I had to have enjoyed it. Look where I am today!”

He enjoyed it so much that leading into the summer before he graduated, he started bringing a tape recorder to games, some of which he wasn’t even scheduled to call, even practicing doing ad reads.

“If I messed something up, I would have to cut it and do it all over again,” Shaver said. “Welcome to the 90s.”

Jason eventually landed a job in Waterloo calling games for their United States Hockey League team (the Black Hawks), as well as their Northwoods League Baseball team (the Buck). Play-by-play wasn’t the only thing he had to do, though, as he was also the Director of Communications and Public Relations for both clubs. Using his tapes, he got his foot in the door, much like someone he unknowingly emulated and was his eventual predecessor. Pat Foley got his start with the Chicago Blackhawks in the 80s by constantly sending his tapes to their offices consisting of games he called in the stands while at Michigan State. Sandwiched in his two stints with the Blackhawks, he was the voice of the Wolves—during which they won the Calder Cup in 2008.

Shaver’s path to the Wolves was complicated, working for teams some of which are now defunct, while also having to do sales, communications, marketing, and anything else that could be deemed ‘front office.’ He even substituted the ice rink for the larger pitch and called soccer for one summer. With each new team, the other responsibilities slowly started to diminish. Now, with the Wolves, his duties outside of broadcasting are voicing TV commercials, helping with social media and website content; still mostly amenities that fall under the entertainment category.

Gardner on the other hand has been with the Wolves since 2002. He worked with Pat Foley during his time with the Wolves and played for the Blackhawks when Foley began broadcasting for them. When hearing Shaver and Gardner on the call in the present day, their chemistry is palpable, almost as if they’ve been working together since 2008:

“The Stars are currently outshooting the Wolves eight to three,” Shaver recalls after a TV timeout in the middle of the first period, still no score on the board.

“I think the shots are updated now,” Gardner replies. “Wolves have six.”

“…you’re ahead of me then, Bill,” Shaver says with a smirk, which is immediately followed by Gardner’s uncontrolled laughter.

Even with the better part of a decade worth of broadcasting experience coming to Rosemont, Shaver still finds ways to reshape his craft.

For seven seasons, while still with the Wolves, Shaver was a fill-in play-by-play for the Chicago Sky, despite the fact that he had barely called basketball before. Instead of calling it a downgrade from hockey, he used it as one of his best learning experiences.

“When you don’t know a sport as well, you tend to use your color analyst as a learning tool,” said Shaver. “Not only are the fans educated, but so are you.”

Working with Gardner, he’s learned how and when to hand over the torch: “I’ve learned over time to focus on the black and white, which is what the play-by-play should be doing anyway,” Shaver said. “If Bill complains about a call, I don’t have to do the same.”

Sometimes, the line is crossed for a brief period, as Shaver asked, “when are they going to listen to their coaches?” in response to a Wolves forward electing to pass the puck instead of taking the open shot while they were down 2-0.

Other times, it’s understanding the world you’re living in and knowing your audience. Families usually tune into Wolves games, so when noting that two centers who had a faceoff percentage of 67% were going to duel in the dot late in the game, he reluctantly followed it up with, “the kids will like the ‘six-seven’ reference, the Wolves would like a goal.” They wouldn’t get another one, as they surrendered an empty net goal one minute later, and lost to the Texas Stars 3-1.

In eighteen seasons, he has seen it all. He’s watched the Wolves fanbase grow from individual diehard fans into mostly families with children, a change that he says still brings the same energy inside Allstate Arena. He’s seen the American Hockey League shift from a ‘rough and tough,’ ‘brouhaha’ infested league into a league where any line any team puts out has the same skill set. His calls bring all different facets of energy and meaning. One minute, he’s calling a random scoreless regular season game a “[Amir] Miftakhov show early in this hockey game!” The next, he’s calling the final seconds of the Calder Cup Final: “They reclaim their championship glory! The Chicago Wolves are the 2022 Calder Cup Champions, and the celebration is under way!” 

Through it all, win or lose, Shaver loves his job so much that he doesn’t consider calling games a job: “The actual job is preparing for the game; then you get to watch a hockey game for free!”

To his point, if you’re doing what you love, should it ever feel like a job? For Jason, no matter how difficult the game prep is, or how tedious the broadcast setup can be, or even how high of a climb it is on the ladder, he can let it all go from the first countdown to open the show until the moment he closes, bidding you a farewell. And he wouldn’t have it any other way.

The post Calling for Free appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Rams kicker Harrison Mevis swept his leg and sent the football through the uprights, ending the Chicago Bears’ season in an overtime Divisional Round defeat. A gut-wrenching end to a truly magical year. 

A year that featured twelve wins, including seven fourth-quarter comebacks, a division title, and the team’s first playoff win in fifteen years, cut short with one kick. 

But as the players trudged off the white field with their heads low, knowing they were just a handful of plays away from victory, they weren’t met with silence or boos. They were met with applause. 

The 60,000 die-hard fans at Soldier Field stuck around on a cold, flurry-filled night to give their team a standing ovation. A thank you to the team for giving them a season they will always remember. 

THE LEADUP

Going into the match, the Chicago Bears came off a miraculous Wildcard victory over their rival Green Bay Packers, 31-27. They trailed 21-3 at halftime and stormed back to take the win, a win unlike any other the city had seen before. 

Their opponent in the next round, the Los Angeles Rams, were believed by many to be a Super Bowl contender, but had barely escaped Carolina with a 34-31 win against the Panthers. 

With this in mind, and the fact that a team from warm California was coming to frigid Illinois, where the temperature would be in single digits, there was much optimism that the Bears could keep their Cinderella run going all the way to the NFC Championship for a date with the Seahawks in Seattle. 

FROZEN IN ICE

Early on, though, this optimism appeared to be misplaced. On their opening possession, the Bears moved quickly down the field with a big catch-and-run from receiver D.J. Moore, but the drive immediately stalled as quarterback Caleb Williams sailed a pass that wound up in the arms of Rams defensive back Cobie Durant for a fourth-down interception. 

The Rams used this momentum to glide down the field with precision passes from MVP candidate Matthew Stafford. They capped off the drive with a touchdown run from running back Kyren Williams that gave them the first points of the night. 

Chicago managed to bounce back, however, as they drove down the field once again and scored on fourth down this time. Williams connected with Moore on a strike to the endzone, evening the contest at seven apiece. 

But after those drives, the scoring slid to a halt. The icy winter air coated the field with a thin layer of snow that stopped both offenses in their tracks. Chicago’s defense finally stepped up after being gashed all season, keeping a high-powered Rams offense in check. 

Sideline view of Soldier Field during the NFC Divisional Round game between the Los Angeles Rams and Chicago Bears on Sunday, January 18, 2026, at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois (Michael Reaves / Getty Images).

The Rams pulled out all the stops to ensure they were prepared for the weather. They brought 2,000 pounds of cold-weather equipment, had copious amounts of hot chocolate and chicken broth on the sideline, and some players even jammed cayenne peppers into their socks. Whatever it took to get the win. Despite these efforts, they scored only a field goal for the rest of the half.

Unfortunately for Chicago’s defense, the other side of the ball couldn’t do much better as the hands of Bears receivers turned into solid ice, letting numerous balls fall to the grass. The offense also only managed a field goal, making the score 10-10 at the half. 

BACKS AGAINST THE WALL

The second half was much of the same, a defensive showdown. Punt after punt after punt, neither offense could gain much traction. 

Even after Williams threw another pick at midfield, Los Angeles still punted, unable to gain a single yard. 

For most of the game, Chicago’s defense successfully put pressure on Stafford with defensive backs blitzing off the edge, leading to four sacks and a multitude of errant throws. But in the fourth quarter, they found a way to exploit it. 

Chicago Bears defensive back Kyler Gordon (6) sacks Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) during the second quarter of the NFC Divisional Round game on Sunday, January 18, 2026, at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois (Matt Marton / Imagn-Images). 

Through short, quick passes, the Rams marched 91 yards down the field and took back the lead with another touchdown run for Kyren Williams. 

The pressure was back on the Bears to mount a scoring drive. They answered the call with a big scramble from Caleb Williams and several bulldozing runs from the duel threat of running backs D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai.

But as they got to the goal line, they could not bulldoze through the Rams’ wall of defenders. Another failed fourth-down conversion from just two yards out. Rams football with 3:06 on the clock. 

With their season on the line, the Bears’ defense matched the Rams’. They forced another punt that gave the Bears’ offense one last shot with 1:50 to play at the 50-yard line. 

Once again, a few good plays got the Bears close to paydirt until they got stuck. They faced a 4th and 4 at the Rams’ 14-yard line with 27 seconds remaining. Eerily similar to the end of the second game between the Bears and Packers, in which the Bears faced a 4th and 4 at the North endzone down by seven in the final minute. 

This play was even bigger than that one. The division wasn’t on the line, the season was. Last time, Williams managed to loft a pass to wide-open receiver Jahdae Walker in the endzone for the game-tying score. 

In a year full of miracles like that one, the Bears needed another to keep their hopes alive. The crowd was quiet, nervously waiting.

Williams took the snap and dropped back. Pressure in his face immediately. He scampered backwards as four Rams charged after him. 

Not until he reached the 40-yard line did he finally heave the pass into the endzone. The ball hung in the air for what felt like forever. 

In the corner of the endzone, there were only two players with a shot at the ball. Bears tight end Cole Kmet and Rams defensive back Cobie Durant, who already had two picks on the night.

In a 50/50 battle, Kmet came out the winner.

Touchdown. 

Absolute pandemonium. 

The Chicago Bears had done it again. Another last-second score. With the extra point from kicker Cairo Santos, the game was tied at 17. 

The Rams took a knee, and this game was headed to overtime. 

A QUIET END

Chicago won the coin toss and elected to kick, meaning Los Angeles would get first crack at scoring points. But yet again, they failed. 

Chicago got the ball back, only needing a field goal to win. They sauntered toward the endzone, piling up short passes and runs to midfield again. 

But they got a little too greedy. Williams’ deep pass was intercepted by Rams defensive back Kamren Curl, making a diving catch. On the play, it appeared as though Moore stopped running his route on the play, but regardless of fault, the Rams had the football back, and they made no mistake. 

A couple of dimes from Stafford led the Rams into field-goal range, where kicker Harrison Mevis sent his team to the NFC Championship with a 42-yard boot. A bittersweet climax to an emotional playoff battle and a remarkable season for the Chicago Bears.

Los Angeles Rams kicker Harrison Mevis (92) celebrates with his teammates after kicking the game-winning field goal against the Chicago Bears on Sunday, January 18, 2026, at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times).

A TIME TO REFLECT

As the year comes to a close, there is much to be happy about in Chicago. The team had accomplished more than even the biggest of fans expected them to and has a bright future ahead with a plethora of stars in the making. 

Quarterback Caleb Williams improved greatly under first-year Head Coach Ben Johnson and young talents such as receiver Luther Burden III and tight end Colston Loveland showed flashes of promise, leading the offense to be one of the best in the NFL.

The defense under first-year Defensive Coordinator Dennis Allen, while giving up plenty of yards and points, also led the league in takeaways with veteran safety Kevin Byard tallying a league-leading seven interceptions and young cornerback Nahshon Wright having eight takeaways of his own. 

Johnson stated after the game that, “They all believed all year long that we could find a way to win each and every week.” Even though they could not find a way to win against the Rams, it is clear that a winning culture is beginning to come back to Chicago. The city is hungry. And only time will tell whether this new fire will result in the ultimate prize: the Lombardi trophy. 

The post Out of Magic: Rams Knock Bears Out of Playoffs in Overtime 20-17 appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Die-hard Bear fans saw their team erase fourth-quarter deficits, score go-ahead touchdowns, and make last-second stops before, but this… was different. 

The crowd of over 60,000 in Soldier Field dressed head to toe in navy cheered even harder, even longer, even louder. Bars across Chicago could barely contain the noise the patrons made. The floors of households from Evanston to Naperville could barely hang on as the homeowners stomped across. 

This wasn’t just any old win. This was a playoff win. The first one this city had seen in fifteen years. A playoff win, they had to rally from an eighteen-point halftime deficit to win—a playoff win over the team’s most hated rival, the Green Bay Packers. 

A playoff win they’ll never forget.

DIGGING A HOLE

But for most of that night, it looked like the game would be unforgettable for the wrong reasons. As mentioned earlier, Green Bay stormed out to a 21-3 lead in the first half. 

Packers quarterback Jordan Love was on fire, lighting up Chicago’s defense with three touchdown passes in the first half. His receivers zoomed by defensive backs like speed demons on the freeway.

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Jayden Reed (11) scores a touchdown against Chicago Bears linebacker Tremaine Edmunds (49) during the first half of the game on Saturday, January 10, 2026, at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois (Wm. Glasheen / USA Today Network-Wisconsin).

The Bears, on the other hand, were stuck in a ditch with their hazards on. Head Coach Ben Johnson seemed to go back to the philosophy he learned under Dan Campbell in Detroit by going for it on all of the fourth downs. 

Unfortunately, his team only managed to convert one of the fourth attempts, resulting in just three points at the break. The crowd’s energy from the start of the game dissipated. 

The deficit could’ve been even larger had Green Bay’s kicker Brandon McManus not hooked a 55-yard field goal wide of the goal posts as the first half ended. This most certainly would just be a one-time occurrence and have zero impact on the game later. 

RISE AND FALL

The second half presented some opportunities to get back into the game for the Bears, though. The Packer offense, which looked unstoppable in the first half, was stopped repeatedly. Four straight punts to begin the half. 

Slowly, but surely, the Bears managed to claw back into the football game. A couple of field goals from kicker Cairo Santos and a touchdown from running back D’Andre Swift made it 21-16. 

However, the Green Bay offense hummed back to life as rookie receiver Matthew Golden scored his first career touchdown by making Bears defenders look buffoonish on his way to the end zone. 

But then, McManus struck again. He pushed the extra point to the left, which kept the lead at eleven. Chicago wouldn’t need two touchdowns. 

But on their next drive, they would need to convert a massive fourth down. Eight yards to go on their own 43. If they didn’t get this, their hopes were as good as dead.

THE SPARK

Quarterback Caleb Williams took the snap and faced pressure up the middle. He did what he does best and escaped to his left, desperately searching for an answer to his prayer. Packers linebacker Isaiah McDuffie chased after him and dove at his ankles. Williams hopped into the air and let the pigskin leave his hand. 

It traveled through the air and descended into a sea of blue and white jerseys, where somehow, some way, it wound up in the arms of receiver Rome Odunze for the first down. Through sheer magic, Chicago was still in the game. 

They capped off the drive with a touchdown throw to receiver Olamide Zaccheus and the two-pointer on top to tight end Colston Loveland to bring the Bears to within three. 

Chicago Bears tight end Colston Loveland (84) makes a catch against Green Bay Packers linebacker Quay Walker (7) during the second half of the game on Saturday, January 10, 2026, at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois (David Banks / Imagn-Images).

The Packers punched back, though. A bomb to receiver Romeo Doubs, and they were deep in Bears territory. With just under three minutes to play, they lined up for another kick, this one to make it a six-point game. 

But, of course, McManus missed. Strike three for Green Bay special teams, and all Chicago needs is a field goal with all the time in the world. 

TO THE SURFACE

They used this time to reach midfield quickly, with only two minutes to play. On 2nd and 4, Williams rolled to his right and fired a pass to receiver D.J. Moore. It fluttered off his fingertips and skipped onto the weathered grass. 

The crowd sighed. He has to catch that. 

He would. 

Two plays later, Moore found himself wide-open for the go-ahead touchdown. 31-27. 1:43 to go. 

ONE LAST GASP

However, the Packers now had all the time in the world and a timeout to boot. A dart to Golden resulted in a fourth-down conversion. A short pass to receiver Romeo Doubs got them on the Bears’ side of the field with 44 ticks remaining, no timeouts left. 

Love found receiver Jayden Reed for a deep completion over the middle, but an injury timeout meant an extra ten seconds ran off the clock. 

22 ticks.

After a few incompletions, the game came down to one final play. Seven. Seconds. Left. 

Every single fan in that stadium was on their feet. Hearts ready to burst out of their chests. They had seen these sorts of games before. The kind where the Packers rip their hearts out at the last possible moment. The 2010 NFC Championship, 4th and 8 in 2013, and the blocked field goal in 2024 are just a few plays that come to mind.

This year’s Chicago defense had prided itself on bending, but never breaking. They would need to hold serve, one more time. 

Love stood in shotgun formation, the snap rocketed back to him, and slipped through his fingers. He picked the ball right back up and scurried around, avoiding the pressuring Bears. 

He directed traffic in the end zone, but couldn’t do so for long. He had to just get the ball there. He lofted the pass, and it was… 

Incomplete. Bears win.

An explosion of joy in Chicago.

Against all odds, the Cardiac Bears delivered another victory. They had saved their best for the end yet again, as they scored 25 of their 31 points in the fourth quarter alone. They looked like a completely different team. 

When asked about his halftime speech, Johnson said that he had shown his players the New England Patriots’ comeback from down 28-3 in Super Bowl LI against the Atlanta Falcons earlier in the season to remind them that, “This has been done before and rather than saying “woe is me” and “we’re in a hole”, it’s more this is a great opportunity for us to turn this thing around into a game that we’ll never forget.”

They certainly did that. In a season where all three matchups against the Packers were battles that came down to the wire, the third chapter would be the one that proved to be the biggest of them all. 

Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (18) leaves the field in celebration after the game against the Green Bay Packers on Saturday, January 10, 2026, at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois (Matt Marton / Imagn-Images).

GAME BALLS

Colston Loveland: His second game ball of the season for catching 8 passes for 137 years as a rookie in first career playoff game, the first rookie tight end with 100+ receiving yards in a playoff game since the Eagles’ Keith Jackson in 1988.

Montez Sweat: His second of the season for notching a sack and consistently pressuring the passer in the second half. He helped keep his team in the game in the second half.

Caleb Williams: His second game ball of the season for throwing for over 360 yards with a pair of touchdowns. He made the plays when his team needed it.

NOT FINISHED YET

This Wildcard win means that the Bears will be advancing onto the next round, where they will host the Los Angeles Rams, coming off a shootout win in Carolina. 

The Rams are legitimate Super Bowl contenders, and the Bears’ defense will have its hands full trying to slow down their offense. 

Chicago’s already used a lot of magic to get to this point, and no one would be surprised if there’s none left in the hat. But if a few bounces go their way, and the game’s close in the fourth quarter, they might just be able to find that little extra to survive and advance.

The post Good, Better, Best: Bears Steal Victory from Packers 31-27 appeared first on KRUI Radio.

A familiar sight for Bears fans, as this was the eleventh game of the season to be decided by one score. It was only fitting that this would be true for the finale as well. 

Only this time, the game wasn’t in the hands of Chicago; it was in Detroit’s. Their kicker, Jake Bates, lined up in the green Soldier Field grass for a 42-yarder with two seconds left that would give his team the win. 

Bears fans hollered out, doing anything they could to throw him off his game. The snap was good. The hold was good. And the kick sailed through the uprights.

Bates didn’t even need to watch it go. He knew he got the Lions a closeout win and sent the Bears tumbling into the postseason by a score of 19-16.

THE STAKES

Despite being a matchup between two solid teams in the final week of the regular season, there wasn’t a whole lot on the line in terms of the playoffs. 

The Detroit Lions were already eliminated from playoff contention following their horrific performance against the Minnesota Vikings in a 23-10 Christmas Day loss. That being said, a Dan Campbell-coached unit always lays it all on the line and plays spoiler against a divisional opponent, especially to secure a winning record for the year.

And while many teams rested their starters in the final week, Detroit didn’t. Chicago didn’t either. The Bears were playing the same Lions squad that molly-whopped them back in Week 2, 52-21, and they were eager to show the world that they were a different team now. 

Head Coach Ben Johnson, former Lions Offensive Coordinator, stated after the game that his mindset was, “Some teams, they rest their starters. We don’t. We play football.”

Chicago Bears guard Joe Thuney (62) and center Drew Dalman (52) run onto the field before the game against the Detroit Lions on Sunday, January 4, 2026, at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois (David Banks / Imagn-Images).

FIRST HALF

This game began the same way the first one did, as Detroit marched the ball down the field with ease and bent Chicago’s defense to its will. This time, though, Chicago didn’t break and held Detroit to field goals on each of their first two drives. 

The Bears’ offense was a different story, however. The team struggled to do anything with the football, opening the door for the Lions to finally break through with quarterback Jared Goff throwing a touchdown pass to running back Jahmyr Gibbs to make it a 13-0 ballgame. 

That touchdown slap was finally enough to get Chicago’s offensive machine to run a little bit, but it ultimately sputtered on a failed fourth-down attempt deep in Detroit territory. 

Fortunately for the Bears, Bates’ field goal just before halftime hooked left, keeping the deficit at thirteen. 

At this point, Jared Goff had carved up Chicago’s secondary and served them for dinner as he had over 200 yards at halftime, while Bears quarterback Caleb Williams failed to cook anything with his measly 45 yards. 

Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff (16) readies to throw against the Chicago Bears in the game on Sunday, January 4, 2026, at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois (Matt Marton / Imagn-Images).

SECOND HALF

The kitchen disaster escalated as Williams threw an interception in the second half. At the same time, Goff let his offense simmer, controlling the clock and putting Bates in position to kick another field goal, bringing the score to 16-0 entering the fourth quarter. 

In a game meant to be a final statement just before the playoffs, the Chicago Bears were laying an egg bigger than Humpty Dumpty. 

But then, something funny happened. As soon as the final quarter began, the Bears seemed to transform into an entirely new football team. 

Williams fired a laser into the endzone for receiver Jahdae Walker, who made the catch for Chicago’s first points. Running back Kyle Monangai followed that up with a tough run on the two-point conversion to make it a one-score game. 

Next drive, same story. The Bears went down the field with ease, and tight end Colston Loveland stayed in bounds for the team’s second score. 

Fellow tight end Cole Kmet hung on through a big hit on the two-point conversion, and just like that, the scoreboard read sixteen all.

Where had this Bears team been all game long? The world may never know. The Cardiac Bears work in mysterious ways. 

Their magic appeared to continue to help them as Goff threw an ill-advised pass that safety Jaquan Brisker knocked up into the air and ended up in the hands of safety Kevin Byard III for a pick.

This was it. Chicago had the ball with all three timeouts at their own 26 with 2:11 remaining. This was the time when Williams would lead his team to yet another come-from-behind victory and storm into the playoffs ready to take on the world. 

But they didn’t. Williams threw an errant pass that resulted in an intentional grounding call, and the Bears punted the football back to Detroit. 

Goff redeemed himself with a big completion to receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown to put the Lions in field goal range, one of eleven catches that he hauled in for 139 yards. 

Bates lined up his kick, planted his foot in the dirt, and ended Chicago’s hopes of a vengeful comeback. 

He was understandably pumped up and celebrated with all his teammates. On the other side of the coin, the Bears’ sideline looked the same way it did for most of the game. Dejected. 

Detroit Lions kicker Jake Bates (39) celebrates with his teammates after hitting the game-winning field goal against the Chicago Bears on Sunday, January 4, 2026, at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois (David Banks / Imagn-Images).

Players timidly kept their hands in their pockets, let their heads hang low with drooping towels over their heads, and trudged to midfield to shake hands with their opponents. 

That’s exactly what the two head coaches did, too. Johnson and Campbell met each other halfway, shook hands, exchanged a few words, and went on their way. 

For Campbell, it was a bittersweet end to a disappointing season. For Johnson, a bump in the road whose effects he will hopefully mitigate in the coming weeks. 

THE FUTURE

Luckily for Chicago, thanks to Philadelphia’s 24-17 loss to Washington, they are still the No. 2 seed in the NFC and will take on their hated Packers on Saturday night in Soldier Field. 

These two teams have already met twice this season, splitting the series. Both games were filled with excitement and came down to the wire; the third contest is likely to be more of the same. 

It’s almost like a broken record, but this is Chicago’s biggest game in a long while. Their last playoff showdown against the Packers was in 2010, when Green Bay beat the Bears in Soldier Field en route to a Super Bowl win. 

It’ll be a tough road for Chicago to make that happen, given their inconsistent play and the sheer strength of the rest of the bracket, but in a weird season such as this one, NBA Legend Kevin Garnett’s famous quote rings true: “Anything’s possible!”

The post Stumbling to the Finish: Bears Rally Comes Up Short Against Lions 19-16 appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Bears quarterback Caleb Williams stood tall in the backfield, awaiting the snap. His team trailed by four, needing a touchdown to escape with victory.

Williams led his offense down the field, he’d made jaws drop all game and all season. He needed one more of those magician-like moments. 

The 24-year-old flipped the weathered pigskin in his hands, searching for somebody in the endzone. He scrambled. He waved his receivers left and right. He retreated. He fired.

The entire city of Chicago held their breath as they watched watched it sail through the air, kicking up dirt as it fell a yard short of the hands of Jahdae Walker, a near miracle in San Francisco.

42-38.

Bear, down.

THE LEADUP

Before this game even kicked off, the Bears had already jumped over the first couple of hurdles ahead of them. 

With their jaw-dropping win over Green Bay last week and Detroit’s controversial loss to Pittsburgh, Chicago had clinched their spot in the 2025 playoff dance. Even further, Derrick “King” Henry ran all over the Packers on Saturday night, and the NFC North belonged to the Windy City’s beloved Bears for the first time in seven years. 

It was already a fantastic year, surpassing the expectations of even the most optimistic of fans. But the Bears weren’t done yet. They still had a chance at the No. 1 seed and a date out west with San Francisco, an equally strong opponent also vying for first place. 

FIRST HALF

The game started with a bang as Bears linebacker T.J. Edwards intercepted the first pass from 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy taking it all the way to the house on the game’s opening play. 

“You could really feel the sideline come alive,” Bears head coach Ben Johnson said after the game.

It was the perfect start for his team and would certainly be a sign of fantastic defense to come in this game. 

This sign turned out to be a lie as San Francisco scored two touchdowns in quick succession to take a 14-7 lead. So much for the perfect start. 

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (13) throws a pass against the Chicago Bears during the second quarter of the game on Sunday, December 28, 2025, at Levi’s Stadium in San Francisco, California (Thearon W. Henderson / Getty Images).

Chicago wasn’t going to back down, though. Williams launched a perfect deep ball into the endzone to rookie receiver Luther Burden III for his second touchdown of the season.

All game, a non-stop nail-biting competition.

49ers running back Christian McCaffrey ran one in on the next drive. Williams threw another deep bomb to tight end Colston Loveland for a free-play score. Purdy scored another rushing touchdown. 

The game was a scoring bonanza. The 49ers faithful were buzzing. These offenses were smacking the defenses around like a tetherball as the 49ers had a 28-21 lead…at halftime. 

The over/under before the game was 51.5, in case you were wondering.

SECOND HALF

After halftime, the shootout continued. A two-yard run from Chicago running back D’Andre Swift tied the game at 28, keeping the pressure on San Francisco. 

But Purdy was cool, calm. Cool enough in fact to turn into MC Hammer one drive. Bears defenders couldn’t touch him, he made magic with his feet, and he found fullback Kyle Juszczyk in the endzone for an easy touchdown. 

Purdy danced his way back to the sideline, deservedly so, knowing he just made Chicago’s defense look foolish.

Once again, it was up to Chicago’s offense to carry the load, and they did so in kind. Swift scampered for another touchdown that tied the game at 35. The fireworks were never-ending. 

Chicago Bears running back D’Andre Swift (4) scores a touchdown against the San Francisco 49ers during the fourth quarter of the game on Sunday, December 28, 2025, at Levi’s Stadium in San Francisco, California (Kyle Terada / Imagn-Images). 

But there was a brief pause. 

The fireworks jammed.

The Bears’ defense finally got a stop, giving the ball back to their guys on offense. Though only mustering a field goal, they took their first lead since 15 seconds into the first quarter.

The 49ers took advantage of this shortcoming as Purdy fired a pass to wide-open receiver Jauan Jennings, who ran 38 yards for the go-ahead score with 2:15 to play. 

This situation wasn’t new to Chicago. They’re the Cardiac Bears, specializing in giving their fans heart attacks before pulling out an improbable win.

A few completions and scrambles from Williams got them deep into 49er territory, but they soon faced a 4th and 5 at their 26 with the game in the balance. 

Williams found a wide-open Loveland to pick up the first down, and two plays later, he found Loveland again, who lateraled the ball to Swift and ran for a crucial first down a couple of yards away from the goal line. 

And now here they were again. A chance to win it from the two yard line.

Williams dropped back and immediately felt pressure to his left. He made the defensive end miss and scrambled to his left to find a receiver. Looking, looking, looking. Another 49er defender ran at him, screaming. He had to get rid of it.

He tossed a prayer to the endzone… and it wasn’t answered. It fell just short of receiver Jahdae Walker’s grasp into the Levi’s Stadium grass. 

Game over. 

Bears and 49ers both lay down on the field, exhausted from their duel that just took place. The Bears gave it all they had and came up just short. 

“Gotta be on top of your mess, and we just weren’t,” Coach Johnson remarked after the game.

His players had plenty of chances to win and just didn’t take advantage. 

Williams and Purdy both balled out, with the former throwing for 330 yards and a pair of scores, while the latter had 303 yards for three touchdowns through the air and two more on the ground. A true battle of gunslingers.

Both fan bases likely had the same thoughts after their match. Those being, “Man, this offense is amazing!” and “Man, this defense is terrible!” Regardless of feeling, both teams were locked into the postseason. And if fate allows, they may play each other again in a few short weeks. 

THE FUTURE

Chicago has just one more game on the schedule for this regular season, a home game against its divisional foe, the Detroit Lions, a team already eliminated from playoff contention. 

At this point, many teams rest their starters. But if you don’t know Ben Johnson yet, you never will. He lost to his team earlier this year, 52-21. Ouch. So this is not just a seeding battle, but a revenge tour.

“We’re playing to win this week,” he said.

Of course the team is still dealing with nagging injuries to key players such as receiver Rome Odunze and defensive back Kyler Gordon, so the fanbase may not see every star on the field.

They say that you need luck in the playoffs. Especially when you want to make a deep run. The Bears have picked up some of that luck all season. But they’ve also shown great promise, this game being another example. If the offense keeps firing on all cylinders and the defense can get something together, this team might just have a chance at that miracle run.

The post Just Like the Wild West: 49ers Outlast Bears in 42-38 Shootout appeared first on KRUI Radio.