{"id":59519,"date":"2025-04-22T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-04-22T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/?p=59519"},"modified":"2025-04-22T11:43:22","modified_gmt":"2025-04-22T16:43:22","slug":"itlm-otrs-presents-the-fixx-and-jill-sobule-bring-timeless-vibes-and-fresh-fire-to-the-barns-at-wolf-trap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/?p=59519","title":{"rendered":"ITLM OTRS Presents: The Fixx and Jill Sobule Bring Timeless Vibes and Fresh Fire to The Barns at Wolf Trap"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Fleurette Estes & Raymond Burton Estes<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eighties radio rock icons The Fixx<\/strong> lit up The Barns at Wolf Trap in Vienna, Virginia, delivering a powerful set of post-punk and new wave guitar-driven rock to a packed house. Kicking off the evening was singer-songwriter Jill Sobule<\/strong>, whose warm blend of folk-pop and witty storytelling quickly won over the crowd. While the audience leaned heavily Gen X, anyone expecting a simple nostalgia trip was in for a surprise\u2014in the best way possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Opening the show, Jill Sobule<\/strong> stepped onto the stage alone with nothing but her signature Stringsmith Vagabond<\/strong> travel guitar\u2014and immediately filled the room. Dressed in bright, playful clothes with a smile that could melt steel, Sobule radiated charisma from the first note. She praised The Fixx for being not only musical legends but kind tourmates – \u201cnot a5$holes,\u201d as she put it\u2014and then dove into a set that was part concert, part confessional, and 100% heartfelt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Her songs, full of wit, warmth, and wonder, wove effortlessly between tales of first crushes, a blue motorcycle, a red Mexican wrestling mask, and moments of vulnerable self-discovery. She wore her heart\u2014and her identity\u2014proudly on her sleeve, embodying a joyful, unapologetic authenticity that clearly resonated with the crowd.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Highlights included the standout number from her musical F<\/em>CK7thGRADE*, a tender yet hilarious look at adolescent heartbreak, and Forbidden Thoughts of Youth<\/em>, a song brimming with the nervous energy of a young girl\u2019s first crush on her friend Mary Gardner. The crowd swayed, sang, and soaked up every moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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One especially touching moment came when Sobule recounted a story from her days on the Lilith Fair tour. Feeling down and sidelined on the smaller stage, she visited the medic tent before her set. The medic lit up, telling her, \u201cYou are my daughter\u2019s favorite singer\u201d Sobule felt momentarily redeemed\u2014until the medic added, \u201cThanks, Jewel!\u201d She shared the anecdote with a self-aware grin, turning it into a moment of humor, humility, and connection. By the end of her set, it felt like she wasn\u2019t just performing\u2014she was making new friends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Fixx\u2014Adam Woods<\/strong> (drums, percussion), Rupert Greenall<\/strong> (keyboards, backing vocals), Jamie West-Oram<\/strong> (guitar, backing vocals), and Dan K. Brown<\/strong> (bass, backing vocals)\u2014opened with a brooding instrumental that set the stage for frontman Cy Curnin<\/strong> to make his entrance. With theatrical flair and magnetic presence, Curnin emerged like a new wave mystic, complete with props: a quill, a masquerade mask, a glittered cane. His performance was equal parts performance art and rock show, and his voice\u2014still rich and full of fire\u2014cut through the venue with the clarity of someone decades younger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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It wasn\u2019t just about the hits (though yes, they played them). Before launching into crowd favorites like One Thing Leads To Another<\/em>, Saved By Zero<\/em>, Red Skies<\/em>, and Stand Or Fall<\/em>, the band took their time showcasing deep cuts and newer material, proving they\u2019re far from a nostalgia act. Their chemistry was tight, their sound polished yet passionate. The room pulsed with a shared energy\u2014audience members visibly recharged, caught between memory and momentum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In a heartfelt moment, Curnin revealed that Happy Landings<\/em> was his mother\u2019s favorite song. With that in mind, he dedicated it to all the mothers and mothers-to-be, offering a tender tribute that stood out amid the band\u2019s often critical lens on human behavior. While many of their songs highlight the darker consequences of our actions, this dedication\u2014and the song itself\u2014shines with a sense of hope, pointing to the possibility of a brighter, more compassionate future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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By the time the final notes rang out, it was clear the night had been more than worth the price of parking, the Tax Day blues, and the midweek burnout. The Fixx proved why they’re still revered pioneers of their genre, blending poetic weight with sonic power. Sobule reminded everyone that a single voice and guitar, when wielded with honesty and heart, can be just as electrifying as a full band.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Both The Fixx and Sobule struck a perfect balance between honoring their roots and pushing forward with new material, playing with the same passion and urgency that built their loyal followings in the first place. This wasn\u2019t just a night of greatest hits; it was a celebration of artistic evolution, musical integrity, and connection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If this tour stops anywhere near you, do yourself a favor: go! Whether you’re revisiting old favorites or discovering these artists for the first time, you’ll walk away feeling inspired, energized, and maybe just a little bit younger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For more on The Fixx, click here<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For photo of The Fixx, click here<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For more on Jill Sobule, click here<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For photos of Jill Sobule, click here<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Fleurette Estes & Raymond Burton Estes Eighties radio rock icons The Fixx lit up The Barns at Wolf Trap in Vienna, Virginia, delivering a powerful set of post-punk and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":59527,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[41,246,39,20],"tags":[1224,285,1223,1227,1226,1222,1225,1221,1220,853],"class_list":["post-59519","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-features","category-itlm-otrs","category-music-news","category-reviews","tag-adam-woods","tag-concert-review","tag-cy-curnin","tag-dan-brown","tag-jamie-west-oram","tag-jill-sobule","tag-rupert-greenall","tag-the-barns-at-wolf-trap-vienna","tag-the-fixx","tag-virginia"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59519","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=59519"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59519\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/59527"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=59519"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=59519"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=59519"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}