In the latest exhibition at Davenport's German American Heritage Center, guests are invited to explore how German immigrant traditions transformed local musical life through Play On! German Immigrants & the Quad Cities' Musical Legacy, this showcase of ingenuity celebrating the enduring organizations, venues, and rich riverfront behind area-wide music culture.
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On January 24 and 25, the Vibrant Arena at the MARK will host feats of staggering skill when the touring Professional Championship Bull Riders & Barrel Racers show returns to Moline, its national success based on a simple concept: Place one determined cowboy on the back of a cranky 2,000-pound bull and see whether he can stay on the gigantic, bucking beast for eight long seconds – and do it with only one hand gripping the animal’s backside.
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Delivering their first stage offering of the year, as well as the professional dance company's first Family Day at the Ballet for 2026, the talents of Rock Island's Ballet Quad Cities will present a special, free performance at Moline's Black Box Theatre on January 24, Dorothy Goes to Oz a delightful, half-hour tale of friendship and teamwork adapted by L. Frank Baum's storybook classic.
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An award-winning hypnotist and mentalist who has become one of the most sought-after entertainers in United States, Brian Ambus brings Miracles of the Mind to Maquoketa's Ohnward Fine Arts Center on January 24, inviting crowds to marvel as Imbus astounds with uncanny abilities to influence thoughts, predict the future, and create an unforgettable journey into the mysteries of the human psyche.
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Held in conjunction with the Davenport venue's new exhibition Play On! German Immigrants and the Quad Cities' Musical Legacy, the German American Heritage Center presents the fascinating program Blues in the Quad Cities: A True American Artistic Creation on January 25.
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Political Ideology Is Not Driving Socialisim's Rise in Global Cities, Structural Stability Amidst Unseen Resources Is
Over my 67 years in the Midwest, I’ve watched generations leave small towns for larger cities. I understand the appeal: opportunity, stimulation, anonymity, convenience. Alongside this pervasive trend, a political shift is taking place: socialism has become more acceptable and capitalism less revered, especially in the nation’s largest metros.
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Governor JB Pritzker set off a chain reaction last November when he told reporters he’d be open to changes in the SAFE-T Act, which eliminated cash bail and replaced it with a new pre-trial release/retention system, among other things. Governor Pritzker was asked about the case of a woman, Bethany MaGee, who was horrifically set ablaze while riding on a Chicago commuter train.
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Remember the national uproar last November when US Representative Chuy Garcia bowed out of his re-election race at the last minute and quietly passed petitions to put his chief of staff Patty Garcia on the ballot? We saw a lesser, but still quite palpable, mass grumbling when state Rep Marty Moylan, D-Des Plaines, did the same that month for his chief of staff Justin Cochran, who was subsequently appointed to the House by the district’s Democratic township committeepersons after Moylan resigned.
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Whitey’s entire life was shaped by the game of golf. Growing up during the Great Depression with a single mother who worked 12-hour shifts to care for her three children – with little help and no car – Whitey’s story is one of resilience and determination.
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Propaganda has proven itself to be among the most useful tools in the behavior modifiers' toolbox for capturing human cognitivity and strategically directing it to predetermined, highly specific conclusions. The success of propaganda campaigns depends on the techniques used, and the resources available for deploying and anchoring propaganda, including whether said messaging induces harmony or discord relative to the established hierarchy of social norms and mores.
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Opening its 2026 with a musical comedy hailed by Tripod as "sublimely silly and highly entertaining," the Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse presents the Quad Cities debut of Lucky Stiff from January 21 through March 7, this delightful song-and-dance slapstick inspiring RachelReviewsTheatre.com to rave that the stage treat "has that energy a good farce should have, and I was laughing throughout."
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Returning to Iowa City's Riverside Theatre with her first solo show in years, area favorite Megan Gogerty – a co-star in last spring's The Lifespan of a Fact – performs her self-written autobiographical play Fair State from January 22 through February 1, this debuting dramatic-comedy monologue production designed by Chris Rich and stage managed by Meenakshi Chinmai.
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From January 23 through February 1, the Center for Living Arts, the Penguin Project of the Quad Cities, and Augustana College's theatre department will team up to help turn adolescents and adults with special needs into stage stars for the eagerly awaited Frozen Jr., a one-act version of the Tony nominee based on Disney's Oscar-winning animated classic that stands as one of the highest-grossing animated films of all time.
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With the latest stage presentation by Barely There Theatre a trio of brand-new one-act plays making their world premieres in the Quad Cities, playwright, producer, and Reader theatre reviewer's What Might Have Been runs at Moline's Black Box Theatre January 29 through February 7, the production boasting stories that explore the roads not taken, as well as the choices, chances, and curiosities that shape our lives.
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Updated: Thursday, January 15
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Currently touring in support of her forthcoming, highly anticipated new album that promises to deliver the fierce energy and signature guitar work fans around the world have come to love, rock icon Lita Ford plays Davenport's Rhythm City Casino Resort Event Center on January 23, the artist famed as the lead guitarist for The Runaways who consequently embarked on a successful glam-metal solo career.
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Hailed by IndiePulse Music Magazine for a repertoire that's "hard-hitting while remaining airy and light on its musical feet," the Iowa-born and Nashville-based Xolex (pronounced "X O Lex") headlines a January 23 concert at Davenport's Raccoon Motel, Iowa PBS stating that the artist "mixes pop sensibilities, soulful lyrics, and a bit of rock 'n roll behind songs that pull from personal experience to explore universal themes."
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For 2025's year-in-music survey, we winnowed contributions down to two lists of top fives – the top five album releases and top five singles (which weren't necessarily on any of the top five albums).
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Touring in support of their most recent album Thank You Brother Bill: A Tribute to Bill Withers, the blues and soul artists of Kevin Burt & Big Medicine play a special free concert at Rock Island's RIBCO on January 24, this acclaimed recording praised by Rock & Blues Muse as a work that “hits the highest marks on all counts – phrasing, soulful delivery, musical accompaniment, and genuine conviction.”
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Touring in support of their 2025 Richmond's Most Wanted that Holler Country insisted "isn’t a one-and-done listening experience" given that "each listen explores something new and beautiful in their finely crafted music," the talents of The Jack Wharff Band headline a January 24 concert at Davenport's Raccoon Motel, Holler County adding that last summer's recording "is probably one of the best debut EPs to be released in a long while, and we know how steep the competition is in country music right now."
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I couldn't wait for last year's 28 Years Later to end. I was disappointed when this one did, as another half-hour or so would've been totally fine by me.
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This year, One Battle After Another and Sinners appear poised to not only tie but update the most-Oscar-nods-ever stat … and their tallies might not even end at 15.
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Going to the cineplex or staying in and streaming this weekend? Every Thursday morning at 8:15 a.m. you can listen to Mike Schulz dish on recent movie releases & talk smack about Hollywood celebs on Planet 93.9 FM with the fabulous Dave & Darren in the Morning team of Dave Levora and Darren Pitra. The morning crew previews upcoming releases, too. Or you can check the Reader Web site and listen to their latest conversation by the warm glow of your electronic device. Never miss a pithy comment from these three scintillating pundits again
Thursday, January 15: Discussion of Primate, Is This Thing On?, and Father Mother Sister Brother, and previews of 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, No Other Choice, and Dead Man's Wire, the latter of which sounds uncannily similar to Dog Day Afternoon. It's even got Al Pacino in it!
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One can only hope that director/co-writer Johannes Roberts' Primate remains the worst 2026 horror flick to feature a previous Oscar winner. It should be said, however, that Troy Kotsur, who earned a deserved Best Supporting Actor trophy for 2021's CODA, is the finest thing that could've happened to a dopey, rather repugnant shocker about a chimp gone ape.
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Now playing at area theaters.
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Works by a gifted area artist and educator will, through February 20, be on display in the Morrisey Gallery of Davenport's St. Ambrose University, the exhibition 50 Years and Counting: Paintings by Brad Bisbey showcasing the talents of the 1976 St. Ambrose graduate who is a signature member of the National Society of Painters and teaches acrylic painting at Davenport's Figge Art Museum.
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Inviting visitors to reflect on themes central to the artist's practice – including the joyful celebration of LGBTQ identity, acknowledgment of ongoing challenges to the community’s rights, and the enduring impact of the AIDS epidemic – Felix Gonzalez-Torres: "Untitled" (L.A.) will be on display in the Figge Art Museum's Gildehaus Gallery from January 24 through June 26.
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Always an eagerly awaited series at the Figge Art Museum, the latest incarnation of Young Artists at the Figge will be on display from January 26 through May 24, with the Davenport venue celebrating the accomplishments of budding creative talents whose works will be showcased in a continuing series of individual exhibitions.
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Closing 2025, and opening 2026, with an arresting and enthralling collection of surreal paintings and sculpture, Rock Island's Quad City Arts Center will house the Boone & Zahn exhibition through January 30, treating gallery attendees to a series of remarkable works by the Chicago area's Berthold Boone and Moline's David Zahn.
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With Swiss artists Peter Fischli and David Weiss known for their witty explorations of human nature, the duo's acclaimed 1987 video The Way Things Go will be screened in the Figge Art Museum's Lewis Gallery through February 8, this playful spectacle revered for transforming destruction into art, and embracing absurdity and unpredictability as essential parts of life.
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