The governor of Illinois, JB Pritzker, represents yet another side in the Democrat civil war.

“People wonder how it is that we didn’t do something. We didn’t run away. We didn’t hide. Well, things didn’t happen at once. Things happened very s-l-o-w-l-y. Each time a new law came out or a restriction, we said, Well, just another thing. It’ll blow over.” – Renee Firestone, Auschwitz survivor Just today, we had …

Chief is hitting the road. We’re just a couple of days away from the release of Evangeline vs. The Machine, the upcoming album from country music legend (yeah, he’s a legend at this point) Eric Church. But ahead of the album release, Church is also giving fans something else to look forward to: A brand new tour. Church announced today that he’ll be hitting the road this fall for the Free The Machine tour, which kicks off September 12 at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and will feature 22 stops along the way before wrapping up November 15 at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California. If you’ve never seen Eric Church live, you know that it’s more than a concert: It’s basically a religious experience. I’ve seen him around 15 times now (not counting his residency shows at his bar), and every time it’s a completely unique but always full-throttle experience from start to finish. One of the cool things about Church shows is that he obviously has a ton of hits, but his fans also know every single word to all of the deep cuts, so he always throws some of those in there too…and unlike shows from others where those deep cuts may be a good time for a bathroom break, for the Chief they’re some of the most magical moments of the evening. And unlike some of his past tours where Church has gone out solo, he’s bringing along some killer opening acts this time around, with Elle King, the Marcus King Band and Charles Wesley Godwin hitting the road with him for select dates on what’s sure to be a can’t-miss tour. Church was last on the road back in 2023 for his Outsiders Revival Tour, which was an amphitheater tour unlike anything he’d ever done before. Those shows featured a horn section and Church performing new arrangements of some of his biggest hits, as well as digging deep into his catalog for fan-favorites that you might not hear as much at a live show. For the past year or so, he’s spent much of his time performing a residency at his downtown Nashville bar, Chief’s, which featured an acoustic storytelling set from Church – but also featured a showstopping moment with a surprise choir on one of the songs from his upcoming album. We’ve already gotten a couple of songs from Evangeline vs. The Machine so far, with “Hands of Time” being released last month and “Darkest Hour” dropping in the wake of the devastation from Hurricane Helene in his home state. The album once again pushes the creative boundaries, with a full choir and orchestra backing Church and his band, so there’s no doubt that the Free The Machine tour will also be unlike anything we’ve seen from Church in the past. Tickets for the tour go on sale to the general public on Friday, May 9 at 10 AM local time (except for the show in Philadelphia, which will go on sale Friday, May 16), but of course members of his Church Choir fan club get first access to the tickets through a presale that starts May 5 at 10 AM (and May 12 for the Philadelphia show). But if you’re not a member of the Church Choir, you can still sign up at EricChurch.com for presale access, so you can make sure to get tickets for what’s sure to be a sold-out tour. I never pass up an opportunity to see the Chief in concert, and I’ve never been disappointed by one of his shows. I know that this tour won’t be any different. And before you get your tickets, make sure to stream Evangeline vs. The Machine, the latest album from the Chief which drops this Friday. Free the Machine Tour Dates September 12      Pittsburgh, PA         PPG Paints Arena September 13      Columbus, OH         Nationwide Arena September 18      Philadelphia, PA*   Wells Fargo Center September 19      Boston, MA              TD Garden September 20     Brooklyn, NY           Barclays Center September 25      Green Bay, WI        Resch Center September 26     Milwaukee, WI        Fiserv Forum September 27     Des Moines, IA        Wells Fargo Arena October 2            Detroit, MI                Little Caesars Arena October 3            Lexington, KY          Rupp Arena October 9            Indianapolis, IN      Gainbridge Fieldhouse October 10          Grand Rapids, MI   Van Andel Arena October 11           Cleveland, OH         Rocket Arena October 23          Salt Lake City, UT  Delta Center October 24          Boise, ID                  ExtraMile Arena October 25          Spokane, WA           Spokane Arena November 6        Vancouver, BC        Rogers Arena November 7        Portland, OR           Moda Center November 8        Seattle, WA             Climate Pledge Arena November 13      Sacramento, CA     Golden 1 Center November 14      Fresno, CA              Save Mart Center at Fresno State November 15      Inglewood, CA        Intuit DomeThe post “Different Than Anything You’ve Ever Seen Or Heard From Us” – Eric Church Announces ‘Free The Machine’ Tour, Featuring Charles Wesley Godwin, Marcus King Band & Elle King first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

There is no question that Donald Trump’s ambition in the first 100 days of his return to the Oval Office was to set a new standard for presidential accomplishment. To rival, even surpass, the scope of Franklin Roosevelt’s efforts nearly a century ago, when he moved so quickly — and so decisively — that he established the first 100 days as a yardstick for executive action. But as consequential as they have been, and as exhausting as they’ve felt to many Americans, these first months of Trump’...

Harvard president Alan Garber apologized for the university’s failure to address both antisemitic and anti-Muslim/Arab tensions on campus in the wake of the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attack. On Tuesday, Harvard University released reports from its presidential task forces on antisemitism and anti-Israeli bias, as well as anti-Muslim, anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian bias. In a letter to the university, Garber expressed his gratitude for the teams’ work and lamented the rise of bigotry and "...

President Trump used a rally in Michigan to mark what he claimed had been "the most successful first 100 days of any administration in the history of our country, according to many, many people". He highlighted his efforts to tackle illegal immigration, to bring back jobs to the US and end what he called "the inflation nightmare". BBC Verify has looked into some of the main claims from his speech. Are petrol prices down 'by a lot'? Trump said "gasoline prices are down by a lot"...

The U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments Wednesday in a case that could transform public education in the Unites States. For the first time, the justices are being asked to decide whether overtly religious schools may be publicly funded charter schools. Like 45 other states, Oklahoma has enacted a charter school system to allow some schools more flexibility, autonomy and specialization. Under both the state and federal laws, charter schools are defined as public schools. They are...

Chasing down the melodies.

Finally firing back.