Entertainment

Ron Onesti:  Frankie Valli and the mystery of the Crown Royal A big part of the “fun” for me when I produce shows is being able to work with the acts that I love.  At fifty-nine years of age and a…

Ron Onesti:  “Did I ever tell you about the time…?” I have been writing this “Backstage with…” column in the Daily Herald for about three years now.  I have been blessed with a thirty-five-year-plus career in the entertainment biz and it…

Backstage with The Arcada Theatre’s Ron Onesti Jerry Lewis Secretly Shares A Moment With His Father Besides presenting shows with some of the biggest names in entertainment today at The Arcada Theatre, one of my favorite things to do there…

Ron Onesti:  A Stroll Down Memory MacLaine Like so many others, I went from “Sesame Street” to “The Electric Company,” then from “Soundstage” to “NOVA,” then from those Doo Wop shows to “Chicago Tonight.”  WTTW Chicago has always been a big…

Ron Onesti:  “Going Viral”…not a cool thing anymore!   What is going on?  Nobody knows!  This just another scary time in our history.  Being in the hospitality industry owning restaurants and bars myself, plus the theatres, I have fallen victim to…

Ron Onesti: Jason Bonham’s Stairway to a Heavenly Legacy It’s 1975, I’m thirteen years old, and I am just starting to figure out what it is I like musically.  Chicago is going crazy because rock supergroup Led Zeppelin is coming…

Ron Onesti:  Toby Keith…A Red, White and Blue “Storm Trooper” As much of a Rock-N-Roller I am, I really appreciate Country music too!  Many of our customers do too, so peppering our Oldies, Classic Rock, Heavy Metal and Prog Rock experiences…

Ron Onesti:  The Sport of Show Biz Kings As I sit here on a plane to a solo-golf-getaway to Arizona, I am beginning to get into my “3-putt zone”.  I just needed a couple of days after 14 months of shutdown,…

Ron Onesti: Paul Shaffer…A “Behind the scenes” icon For thirty-three years, America’s number one musical side-kick, Paul Shaffer, took us to commercials and tossed in a quip or two during David Letterman’s opening monologues.  After it all ended, Paul appeared at…

Ron Onesti:  Our salute to African American Heritage Month…Arcada-style! Music as a cultural medium has always interested me, even though in high school, music history wasn’t as interesting as it has become over the years.  And much of the reason for…

Ron Onesti:  “Baby It’s Cold Outside”, but here’s how to stay warm! How many times have we sat on our couches looking outside into our snow-peaked yards and stayed home from work as Chi-town-area temps hit sixty-below-zero with the wind chill? …

Ron Onesti:  George Thorogood, really “Good” to the bone! This guy is one of those legends who can be unpredictable, from what those who worked with him in the past would say.  I have had him several times over the years,…