Over the last couple years, I have rediscovered my love of the Chicago music scene.

A few weeks ago, we attended a fantastic night of music at Lincoln Hall featuring Haley Reinhart. Located on Chicago’s near north side, Lincoln Hall is a cozy music venue, with its two stories having a capacity of 507. The actual building dates back to 1912, although Lincoln Hall opened in 2009. It’s modern yet historically beautiful. Reinhart is a Chicago-area native who finished third on American Idol Season Eleven (2011).

Since then, she has toured as a solo and as part of Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox.  Recently she has gained more recognition for her cover of Elvis Presley’s “Can’t Help Falling in Love,” used in a commercial for Extra Gum. The night started with a Meet and Greet. Reinhart happily posed, signed autographs and chatted with a bunch of us.

Additionally, we got to sit in on her warming up with the band. James and the Drifters officially opened the night of music with their blend of folk rock and blues rock. They produced a rich sound with their tight play and three-part harmonies. Next on stage were Jacob Luttrell and the band. Luttrell’s keyboard came alive with his upbeat yet soulful sounds. He reminded me a bit of a young Stevie Wonder.

After a few tunes, Reinhart joined them and took over lead vocals. Reinhart sounded great as she performed a few songs from Better, her latest album. Her father, Harry, joined her and revved up the crowd even more with his guitar work. You could see the pride and happiness between father and daughter as they worked musical magic.

This was a tremendous night of music spanning several areas of sound, all of them good. As the crowd exited into the warm summer night, all seemed right with the world.

— John Wroblewski, online contributor