The Summer Set started off the evening by hitting their latest record Meet Me at the Record Store for four songs. Ripping into “I Don’t Want to Party” and “Flowers“, the Arizona natives kept the energy high throughout their time on stage. They made a quick return since their performance at the House of Blues in March to a warm welcome of the Chicago crowd. Sneaking in a cover of “Mamma Mia” by ABBA, the dancing didn’t stop with the closing duo of “Chelsea” and “Lightning in a Bottle“. The Summer Set will take some time off after a huge tour and will be playing Vans Warped Tour Orlando in the fall.

Coming off an incredibly busy 2025, Mayday Parade are continued hitting the ground running in 2026 joining All Time Low across the pond in Europe and the UK. Their month has been filled with festival slots at Welcome to Rockville on May 7th and Sonic Temple the night before they made their way to Chicago. The quick drive was well worth it as the eager crowd filled up the venue early. Mayday Parade made their way on stage 7:40, breaking into their latest single “Blame It on the Youth“, released in April. It was followed up with a classic from their debut “Jersey” as 4 of the 13 tracks played were from A Lesson in Romantics. The 19 year old record has earned a certified gold status as it has sold over 200,000 copies.

Their setlist hit heavy on the classics, punching through “Kids in Love” and “Anywhere but Here” from their sophomore record sharing the same name. This was followed by two tracks off their self titled record and “Piece of Your Heart” from 2018’s Sunnyland. This set hit all the marks fans new and old could want with the heart of the old and a touch of their latest like the lead single from 2025’s record Sad, “Under My Sweater“. Lead singer Derek Sanders knew how to end a show with a bang, hitting “Black Cat” and the certified platinum single “Jamie All Over” as the closer. The crowd drowned out any passing cars by throughout the set with a booming yell of the final chorus.

Derek Sanders said it himself, “what a special place to be playing”. Wrigley Field has hosted some of the biggest names in music throughout it’s 112 year lifespan, so seeing some great artists in a more intimate setting at the historic site is an incredible experience. The architecture and feeling of the Gallagher Way leads to engaging atmosphere for all fans. Mayday Parade has a handful of dates in 2026 including stops at Vans Warped Tour Long Beach, Montreal, and Mexico City. You can listen to my interview with Derek Sanders here.

Gallagher Way will be hosting two more cocnerts this summer, OK GO with The Stone Foxes on June 13th and Guster with Eggy on June 26th. You can find tickets here.

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The defending National Champions in the Major Baseball League manage to survive. For now. The mounting of a comeback has begun in Chicago. In a low scoring match between the Chicago Cubs and the LA Dodgers, the Cubs would top their adversaries 3-2 in Wrigley Field.

This particular addition to the series would face off Jake Arrieta and Alex Wood. Unlike other faceoffs between the Dodgers and Cubs, this matchup would only allow runs scored off home runs. In similar fashion to Game 3, the Cubs would strike first on a second inning home run from Wilson Contreras. A 491 foot bomb into left field.

Contrasting the previous outing, Chicago would not merely score once this inning. The 437 foot belt into left by Javier Baez would further the gap. This hit is very significant for the second baseman. The end of a 0 for 20 streak slayed the demons which haunted Baez for longer than any Cubs fan would enjoy.

Despite this, the Dodgers would respond the next inning. Another homer, this one from first baseman Cody Bellinger. The score would stay at a 2-1 standstill until the fifth inning following the 378 foot blast.

Off of another pitch by Wood, Baez would once again swing for the fences. And succeed. A 380 foot solo shot into left field put the Dodgers into a 3-1 hole. In spite of their best attempts, LA would stay in the hole. An eighth inning home run by Justin Turner tightens the gap to a single run once more. Nonetheless, this would be the last run scored by either side.

The bullpens for both Los Angeles and Chicago performed well in Game 4 with both sides totaling more than 10 strikeouts a piece. The Cubs would total 12 strikeouts and the Dodgers, 11. The Dodgers would end up pulling 6 members of the bullpen onto to mound in opposition to Chicago bringing only Arrieta, Brian Duensing, and Wade Davis to close.

In the top of the ninth, Game 4 ends in dramatic fashion with a Bellinger hit turning into a Chicago double play. The Cubs stave off elimination to earn another fight. Game 5 between the Cubs and Dodgers will occur Thursday night at Wrigley Field once again. Clayton Kershaw will be on the mound for the Dodgers facing Chicago’s Jose Quintana with the first pitch at 7:08 pm CST on TBS.

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I know a place where you walk through neighborhoods of people just to glance the grand structure. Children peer up, awestruck. Adults do the same. Your age won’t matter here. Your gender doesn’t matter here. Your ethnicity doesn’t matter here.

I know a place where strangers are family. United in their attire, united in excitement, united in their understanding. The understanding that the score isn’t what this is all about.

I know a place where that ramp seems to have no end. It’s the impatience resulting from that eagerness to see what rests beyond the finish. It’s the feeling in the pit of your stomach, the quick pace of your heart, the slap of the soles of your shoes that instills that ramp with everlasting greatness. It’s hope.

I know a place where those last few steps off the ramp catch sight of a tunnel, suddenly there’s a state like tonic immobility. And will it live up to its massive, impossible, grandiose expectations? Be it your first time, your second, your one-hundredth time, the feeling will be there, right under your chest.

I know a place where the light traces an outline at the end of the tunnel and it becomes more blinding as you near it. Is this Heaven? Might as well be. Exit the tunnel, breathing uneasy, your knees might shake. You expect to be overwhelmed by the vastness of the landscape but instead, you’re captivated by the contrary. Energy hits you from every direction. It comes from the other people, from the employees, from the players, from the flags flapping in the breeze, the perfectly cut grass, the smell of Vienna Beef hotdogs. It’s coming from your bones.

I know a place where everyone is equal for just a short time. A place where your seat is only your seat if no one else gets there first. You can’t buy yourself early access. You can’t pay more for a solidified spot. You just know there will be a special spot waiting for you.

I know a place where there’s only a wire basket between you and the deep green ivy that hugs the aging brick wall. Heroes stand beyond the wall. They wear white jerseys with deep blue pinstripes and wear smiles on their faces. They’re playing the game for a living. They often interact with the people on the other side of the wall.

I know a place where you never know what might happen next. You don’t know whom you’ll interact with. A place where Greg Maddux can toss a ball to an eight-year-old during batting practice and smile and say, “Throw it back.” I still have that video, just me playing catch with my hero.

I know a place where the left battle the right in a non-political fashion. You’ll hear thousands chant in unison, “Left-field sucks,” only to hear, “Right-field sucks,” shouted right back. You’ll realize that anyone could have picked the left or right side and that you’re all part of the exclusive club they call the Bleacher Bums. It’s tradition.

I know a place where a ladder drops down from the deep green scoreboard. A place where you climb the ladder slowly and wonder what awaits you at the top. You find the inside to be a faded bronze and you smell the paint chipping away on the rusting metal. You feel the breeze sweep through the panels as the leader tears the plate out to insert one that signals an update in the action. The few panels left open lets you see the entirety of it.

I know a place where time stops and nothing else matters again until the final out is recorded. A place where anyone can identify that something is different. This is more than just a game. Something is special. Welcome to Wrigley Field.

The post Welcome to the Friendly Confines appeared first on KRUI Radio.

What does the hiring of former Tampa Bay Rays skipper mean to Cubs fans?

Well, to keep it simple, it means hope. Cubs fans have constantly been blinded by the deceptive message of “Wait ‘til next year!” Again and again, the organization has been telling fans to “just wait,” but again and again, teams have underperformed, come up short, or in most cases, have just been downright awful.

After yet another season finishing in the cellar of a strong N.L. Central Division, the infamous message that has been ringing in Cubs fans ears for years may actually be coming to light.

Theo and company has built the top rated best farm systems in all of baseball. Young players such as Jorge Soler, Javier Baez and Arismendy Alcantara have already gotten the call to the show and have shown signs of what is to come. Other young sluggers such as Kris Bryant and Addison Russell are still lurking in the minors, waiting for their turn to contribute.

The young guys are there. The bullpen is loaded with young talent. What the Cubs needed next was a type of leadership in the form of a proven winner. They hit a home run with Joe Maddon.

Maddon is the guy that is ready to take this team to another level. His positive attitude, great sense of humor, relaxed and humbled personality, coupled with his statistical genius way of approaching a baseball game, goes with the fact that Joe Maddon knows how to win.

He turned around a franchise in Tampa with an abysmal payroll, low attendance, and a shaky roster. He brought it to the World Series in a matter of years. Maddon has a career record of 781-729; two Manager of the Year awards and has managed an All-Star Game. Give him a young team with an outstanding farm system, a stadium that sells out consistently, and a ton of money to spend in the free-agent market, and you have a match made in heaven.

The Cubs will be looking to add top arms such as Jon Lester and/or James Shields to anchor the rotation this offseason. If that gets accomplished, Joe Maddon will turn the page on this franchise, as he has proven to do in the past.

For the Cubs faithful, this hiring brings light to the dark tunnel of being a Cubs fan.  The fan base, which can sell out Wrigley Field even in the lowest of seasons, deserves to see a winning team. Not a team that throws money at free agents hoping to build a one and done team, but a team that has been built from scratch and will win for years to come i.e. the Kansas City Royals, Oakland Athletics, Tampa Bay Rays, and Pittsburgh Pirates.

Renovations are underway at Wrigley Field and the surrounding Wrigleyville, but what fans are really anticipating are the renovations being done to the roster. So, as fans pile into Wrigley Field on opening day 2015 feeling the breeze coming off of Lake Michigan, many will be intrigued by the brand new scoreboard towering over the left field bleachers. But every single one of those fans will have their attention focused primarily on the Cubs dugout, watching as Joe Maddon sends out his team to begin the new era of Cubs baseball.

Sure, the pressure is there. Every single fan wearing Cubbie-blue colors is already anticipating nothing short of a World Series in the Joe Maddon era. But if there is any manager in the game that can handle the pressure of fans and media and go out there day in and day out and just win, it’s Joe Maddon. Pressure creates losers; pressure creates diamonds. The Chicago Cubs have themselves a diamond.

The front office is ready. The young roster is ready. Joe Maddon is ready. The fans have been ready for 107 years.

“Wait ‘til next year,” Cubs fans.

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