ABBA’s record-breaking string of hits is timeless and continues to thrill audiences of all ages. There’s no generation gap here; just memorable music and memories, and AbbaFab covers them all. This multimedia production is a tribute to some of the greatest music produced in the 1970s and 1980s including monster hits such as “Waterloo,” “Fernando,” “Honey Honey,” “Dancing Queen” and countless others. From the earliest hits to Mamma Mia, AbbaFab will take you on an ABBA journey that is unmatched. Catch their show on June 22nd at the Batavia Fine Arts Centre for only a small service charge.

Catch intense roller derby action at Windy City Fieldhouse as the women of the Chicago Outfit, known as “Chicago’s derby little secret,” take on rivals from across the Midwest in Women’s Flat Track Derby Association competition. Founded in 2007, The Chicago Outfit is a democratic league run by the skaters, for the skaters, with the goal of creating a positive female community. They bring class, sass and dignity to their matches, and are proud members of the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association. While you’re there, in addition to the action on the track, feel free to strike a pose in the free photo booth, compliments of 9 Muses Photo, and explore unique goods by local artisans. June, July and August comps still available.

Cats have their own unique and indescribable bond with people and the NY Cat Film Festival celebrates that attachment, while giving back to animal welfare groups that protect cats and elevate their status. Settle in for an exploration through film of the fascinating felines who share our lives, creating a shared audience experience that inspires, educates and entertains. This medley of short films — documentary and narrative — honors the mysterious felines, who have fascinated mankind for centuries and continue to enchant us. Revel in your “crazy cat person” status when this touring fest crawls into the Patio Theater in Chicago on April 28 with shows at noon and 1:30.  

The Dog Film Festival is a celebration of the remarkable bond between dogs and their people. Onscreen at Chicago’s Patio Theater, there’ll be two distinct short film programs featuring a medley of canine-centric films. The first program, “Outdoor Adventures with Dogs,” features a selection of of pieces with dogs and their owners sharing time in nature. You’ll see a man skateboarding with his Samoyed, another trekking the Alps with his canine, explorers making their way through the Canadian Arctic with their four Inuit sled dogs and more. During the second program, “Who Rescued Whom,” see British dog owners discuss their love for their pooches, an Australian couple and their pack of differently abled dogs, a doc about senior dogs, shelter dogs that work as service animals to women in prison and more. All attendees will get a doggy gift bag!  Shows on April 29 at noon and 1:45.

Free tickets, anyone? Hop aboard the Comp Train, Goldstar’s popular two-day promotion (April 25 & 26 only that features complimentary tickets to tons of events throughout the country. For just 48 hours, Goldstar will be offering thousands of free tickets to live theater, concerts, dance, comedy and more – all you pay is a small service fee (amount varies depending on the event, but usually just a couple bucks), the Comp Train’s a great way to discover new events in your area.

You’ve watched SNL for years. Now relive 40 years of the show in a way you never imagined. At Saturday Night Live: The Experience at Chicago’s Museum of Broadcast Communications, you can become immersed in the show’s fast-paced creative processes and see how ideas become reality in just days. Interact with sets, original props and costumes. Take selfies on the Jeopardy set, rock out on the Wayne’s World couch, and deliver the “news” from behind the Weekend Update desk.  Ticket availability on Goldstar currently through April 30 for any operating date (buy the vouchers now and go whenever). 

One of rock ‘n’ roll’s most iconic bands comes to the Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre in Tinley Park for a night of classic hits and feel-good nostalgia. Fronted by reality TV superstar Bret Michaels (lead vocals/guitar), Bobby Dall (bass), Rikki Rockett (drums) and CC DeVille (guitars) round out the lineup of the legendary rock band known as Poison. Famous worldwide for anthem tracks like “Every Rose Has its Thorn” and “Talk Dirty to Me,” Poison has kept crowds loud and rowdy for decades, having achieved much of their fame in the heavy hair metal era of the ’80s. The gang has sold over 50 million records worldwide, with 15 million of those in the U.S. alone. For this epic concert, they’re joined by Rock Hall of Famers Cheap Trick. Over the course of their more-than-40-year career, Cheap Trick produced everything from ’70s power pop to ’80s hair metal to The Colbert Report theme. The group is sure to pump up the volume on immortal classics like “I Want You to Want Me,” “Surrender,” “Dream Police,” “The Flame” and many more.  Tickets to the June 9th performance are only $20 plus service fees.

Quasimodo, the deformed bell-ringer who longs to be “Out There,” observes all of Paris reveling in the Feast of Fools. Held captive by his devious caretaker, the archdeacon Dom Claude Frollo, he escapes for the day and joins the boisterous crowd, only to be treated cruelly by all but the beautiful gypsy, Esmeralda. The handsome Captain Phoebus and Frollo are equally enthralled. Frollo embarks on a mission to destroy the gypsies – and it’s up to Quasimodo to save them all. Based on the Victor Hugo novel and songs from the Disney animated feature’s Academy Award-nominated score — as well as new songs by Menken and Schwartz — The Hunchback of Notre Dame can be enjoyed at the Jedlicka Performing Arts Center in Cicero, which is super-easy to get to (Central and 55) with plenty of parking (it’s a junior college, after all).

2018 inductees to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and still going strong after over 30 years together, Bon Jovi remains one of the world’s premier rock bands. One of the top-selling groups in rock history, Bon Jovi is crossing the country as part of their This House Is Not for Sale tour and they’re making a stop at the Prudential Center in Newark. It’s sure to be an exciting show, where you can expect to hear all your favorite Bon Jovi hits — like “Livin’ on a Prayer,” “Bad Medicine” and “Have a Nice Day” — along with more recent material.  Tickets to their April 26th 7:30 concert at the United Center start at only $30 on Goldstar.

Offbeat and downright hilarious, comedian Maria Bamford is on everyone’s short list of favorite comics. Her inventive specials on Netflix and Comedy Central are some of the best out there. And while she’s known for her self-deprecating humor and stories about her dysfunctional family, she continues to receive critical acclaim for tackling darker topics with unabashed humor. In 2014, she won the American Comedy Award for Best Club Comic. A woman of many talents, Maria has built a career outside the comedy circuit. She appeared in season 4 of Netflix’s Arrested Development was the rabid Black Friday shopper in those quirky Target ads and has voiced characters on numerous animated series, including BoJack Horseman and The Legend of Korra. Her film work includes Stuart Little 2 and most recently Hell & Back. Join Lady Dynamite for an evening of imaginative comedy and sidesplitting humor at the Genesee Theatre in Waukegan. Tickets on Goldstar are Comp to $15 for her April 7th show.

With smart, observational humor and a legendary spontaneous interaction with the crowd, Paula Poundstone is one of our country’s pre-eminent comedians. She improvises with a crowd like a jazz musician, swinging in unexpected directions without a plan, without a net. There’s a disarming ease in her craft, an immediate sense that she’s so quick on her feet you need never worry about the possibility of something going wrong. Poundstone’s razor-sharp wit and impeccable timing makes for the perfect fit as a regular panelist on NPR’s #1 show, the weekly comedy news quiz, Wait, Wait…Don’t Tell Me! Now you can laugh along with all her witty brilliance live at Waukegan’s Genesee Theatre.  We LOVE listening to NPR’s Wait, Wait and Paula’s got some of the funniest comments on the show.  Get comp tickets on Goldstar for her April 12th performance; of course the $15 discount ticket isn’t too shabby either.