AN ACOUSTIC EVENING WITH JOHN HIATT Comes to the MAC This October

The McAninch Arts Center (MAC) presents "An Acoustic Evening with John Hiatt," featuring the acclaimed Grammy-nominated American rock guitarist, pianist, singer and songwriter Sunday, Oct. 2, at 7:30 p.m.

This concert showcases Hyatt's special talent for acoustic blues music as featured in his 2014 studio album "Terms of My Surrender" with classics like "Have a Little Faith in Me." The Tennessean says of Hyatt, "He prowls the stage, delivering the bluesy stuff in a whiskey-burn howl" and Boston's The Arts Fuse observes, "John Hiatt is the kind of artist you'd love to sit in the living room and swap a few stories with."

Hiatt was born in 1952 in Indianapolis, as one of seven children. The suicide of his older brother and the death of his father a few years later inspired him to escape into the music and lifestyle of rock and roll. At the age of 18, Hiatt moved to Nashville and landed a job as a songwriter. Within the next couple of years, his music was being recorded by the likes of Conway Twitty, Tracy Nelson, and Three Dog Night who took Hiatt's song "Sure as I'm Sittin' Here" to number 16 in the summer of 1974. Following his songwriter success, in 1974 Hiatt was signed to a record label but was subsequently let go, so he moved to California. There he began to play at clubs opening for folk musicians such as Leo Kottke, and the rest is history.

Hiatt's Grammy-nominated songs have been recorded by Bob Dylan, Bonnie Raitt, and the cartoon bear band of Disney's film, "The Country Bears." Top hits including "Have a Little Faith in Me" and "Thing Called Love," have earned him a reputable name in the music industry. Forty years into his recording career "Terms of Surrender" was released as John Hiatt's 22nd studio album. His new album showcases a Blues music essence that provides a unique insight into those skills that have only sharpened over the years. John Hiatt primarily plays acoustic guitar, to enable audiences to truly feel immersed in the music. His dedication to his music has helped him garner the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award for Songwriting from the Americana Music Association (AMA) in 2008.

Opening for Hiatt will be singer-songwriter Rick Brantley. When barely out of high school, the Macon G.A.-born Brantley found his own songs and red-hot band performances leading to a publishing contract and new home base in Nashville. Since then, his songs have been covered by artists ranging from Meat Loaf to country crooner David Nail, while he's continued honing his stage chops as both full-tilt rock-show frontman and acoustic solo performer, opening for acts as diverse as John Hiatt, Zac Brown Band, Better Than Ezra, and Steve Earle. Brantley's brand-new EP, LO-FI, leans into his thoughtful, thought-provoking side. Brantley has been hitting the road to promote LO-FI while continuing work on his next full studio album.

McAninch Arts Center (MAC) located at 425 Fawell Blvd. at College of DuPage presents An Acoustic Evening With John Hiatt with Rick Brantley Sunday, Oct. 2, 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $45-$60. The MAC's VIP Experience includes a private, pre-show cocktail and hor d'oeuvres reception followed by coffee and dessert at intermission and is available for this concert for an additional $30 per person. For tickets or more information visit AtTheMAC.org or call 630.942.4000.

McAninch Arts Center (MAC) at College of DuPage is located 25 miles west of Chicago near I-88 and I-355, and houses three performance spaces (the 780-seat proscenium Belushi Performance Hall; the 186-seat soft-thrust Playhouse Theatre; and the versatile black box Studio Theatre), plus the Cleve Carney Art Gallery, classrooms for the college's academic programming and the Lakeside Pavilion. The MAC, now celebrating its 30th Anniversary, has presented theater, music, dance and visual art to more than 1.5 million people since its opening in 1986 and typically welcomes more than 75,000 patrons from the greater Chicago area to more than 230 performances each season.

The mission of the MAC is to foster enlightened educational and performance opportunities, which encourage artistic expression, establish a lasting relationship between people and art, and enrich the cultural vitality of the community. For more information about the MAC, visit AtTheMAC.org, facebook.com/AtTheMAC or twitter.com/AtTheMAC.

Pictured: John Hiatt. Photo by Jim McGuire.

To post a comment, you must register and login.