Backthird Entertainment exceeded my expectations. I reached out to them about a year and a half before my wedding. Stephen stayed in touch with me for that entire year and a half, checking in on the planning process and asking how he could help. He even met with me for coffee a few months before the wedding because he wanted to be sure that he understood our vision, music tastes, etc. The dance floor was full all night. So many people came up to me afterward and commented that they had never seen such a creative DJ - his transitions between songs were so fun, and he was flexible and knew how to keep the party going. He also provided all of the sound equipment for the entire day. We played a video during the reception, and even though he wasn't responsible for the equipment, he quickly jumped in when it looked like the sound wasn't working. Honestly, there is no reason to consider using any other DJ. Backthird is the best of the best! read more

I originally checked out some other DJ companies but, ultimately, wanted a DJ who would provide good MC services for my reception. I manage events for a living and knew that, if I didn't have someone to do that, I would spend the night worried about the agenda. Nobody needs that on their wedding day. I came across Backthird Entertainment and these guys have weddings down. I filled out an inquiry and Robbie, my account manager, contacted me right away to discuss the details. He had great ideas about the flow of the evening and, after our discussion, he paired us up with DJ Andrew. Their online portal was super easy to use and we had the opportunity to add in all of the special events we wanted during the evening. Andrew was great about helping us coordinate everything, especially since our reception ended up being a bit of a variety show. I appreciated that Andrew and his assistant, Scott, took care of all the details. They showed up early to set up, kept us on schedule throughout the evening, and made sure to play our "must play" songs and other requests at the times requested. Robbie even made sure to follow up with me at various times throughout the process to make sure everything was going well. These guys are great and really care about their customers. They helped make my big day worry free! read more

We had looked into several companies to provide music and MC services for our February wedding in Chicago and ultimately went with BackThird. Between the great questions and ideas our account manager was able to provide and the amazing setup and execution by our DJ Brianna and her Assistant, we had a wonderful evening! Brianna kept the dance floor full all night and worked seamlessly through details right before the wedding party announcement! read more

This is a quite late... so my apologies! My wedding was June 2012. I work in the DT Aurora area and was referred to Backthird by my boss - who raved about them. My then-fiancee and I went in for a consultation and were looking for a fun and upbeat DJ as well as something for the ceremony & cocktail hour. We chose Louise Kelly for the ceremony and cocktail hour. She was AMAZING! I can't tell you how many lovely comments we heard about the cocktail hour (which I wasn't present for because we were taking photos). She was really awesome to work with regarding our ceremony. My husband and I just kind of gave her an idea of what we thought would be nice... and Louise had the best suggestions and gave us some unique options. The ceremony couldn't have been better! Now on to the DJ - We chose Mark who was equally as amazing as Louise. He went through intros like a pro - and yes, we had a lot of hard to pronounce names. Every song that I had chosen for a specific part of the night was played. The only thing we missed, was our dad's toasts. I don't think this was fully the DJ's fault though. I'm not sure if this was the DJ or the coordinator that missed this. My husband and I didn't realize this was missed until too late :( We had about 215 people at the wedding and it seemed everyone was on the dance floor after dinner. I remember loving the energy and the music. It was a great mix and people were able to give suggestions. Also - no chicken dance was played at my request - even though I KNOW people asked for him to play it. I'm glad he kept with my wishes by excluding that horrible tradition. The booking and planning with this company went very smoothly. Anna and Benjie are great people who really cared about our wedding and did everything to accommodate what we were looking for. I would highly suggest using Backthird Entertainment if you are looking for a wonderful experience booking, planning, and having a memorable wedding day! read more

This is a mixed review: we worked with Reece as our DJ, and Twin Strings as our ceremony music. DJ Reece: The guy worked with us on a separate setup for dinner, and a full setup for dancing - he kept us on schedule as much as possible. He was also extremely flexible with regard to music - lots of people literally brought USB sticks with Bollywood music (mixed western and indian wedding) and he happily and comfortably obliged, mixing it well with the western music he/we'd selected. He managed the crowd well, with one minor negative note - the intro to dancing was a bit jarring (straight into Daft Punk). Fast recovery though :-) Twin Strings: We booked the Twin Strings for the ceremony itself. I admit, we were too busy running around to interact with them much during the ceremony itself, but they were pleasant and professional leading up to the event. Joy reached out about two months in advance of the date to advise on music selection, we chose our pieces, and they arrived on time and performed as requested. Not virtuosic, but beautiful just the same. The only downside was that we could only choose from a pre-set list of pieces - any other requests cost extra. read more

Backthird seems to be merely a company that sets you up with entertainment for your events. This means they do not always have a handle on who those performers or entertainers are. For my wedding, I used two different Backthird services: 1- Cellist and pianist. Benjie (the talent rep) set me up with Dan (Cellist) and Ruth (pianist) to perform at my ceremony. I used Backthird's online planner, which was awesome! It was so organized. About six weeks before the wedding, Dan reached out to me via email and phone to finalize all the music. My biggest worry was awkward silences. Dan reassured me and he delivered. People loved their variations of classic Beatles songs prior to the ceremony and the performers really added emotion to the vibe. So glad they were a part of my special day. 2- Stephanie Policarpio (DJ). Unfortunately, I had a different experience with Stephanie. She was unprofessional during initial meetings. After talking over the phone and correcting her schedule, she sent me an updated schedule of the reception events that was completely wrong. The worst part was when she announced my husband and I at our grand entrance into our wedding reception.... mispronouncing our new last name. She continued to create awkward pauses and the music volume was too soft overall. The one thing she does know is music. There were several more details that added to the weirdness. She knows what songs to play when, and she is really good at it. Unfortunately, to be a DJ, it requires more then just playing songs. I wish I would have requested another DJ or just used a ipod. Overall, I would use Backthird again, but I would do more research on my individual performers/entertainers. The company does a great job of providing support and great deals. Their online portal was great for mapping things out. Shout out to Benjie and Dan for doing a great job and contributing to my perfect day! read more

My (now) husband and I were searching for a DJ/emcee for our wedding and discovered Backthird Entertainment through an online search. Backthird received very positive reviews so we thought we would take a chance with them. We were so glad we did. We were so pleased with the service provided by Backthird and, particularly, our DJ - Ethan. Ethan was terrific. He was prompt, pleasant, professional, and perfect for our wedding. My husband and I met with Ethan a few weeks before our wedding to discuss music requests and reception details. Ethan was happy to accommodate these requests and executed everything perfectly and exactly as we had discussed. We did not have many specific song requests but we did provide Ethan with our general likes and dislikes in music. He really listened carefully because his playlist was classic, classy, romantic, fun, hip, new, and old, and we loved it all! He did a great job engaging the guests during the dancing portion of the evening. Following the event, several family and friends commented on how impressed they were with Ethan. I was also impressed with Backthird Entertainment's reception "planner" provided to us several weeks before our wedding. This online planner allowed us to detail everything from the specific music genres and song requests for the event to the wedding party and toast details (names, order of toasts, etc.). This not only helped us think about the order of events surrounding the event but also prepared Ethan prior to us meeting with him. When we met with him, we felt like he already knew what we wanted. Backthird made the process easy and as least stressful as possible. Backthird Entertainment comes with our highest recommendation for music, DJ, and emcee services for not only weddings but any special event. My husband and I were extremely pleased with the top-notch service and professionalism. read more

We got into touch with Backthird Entertainment via our reception sites preferred vendor list and were extremely pleased. We had a jazz trio for cocktails and dinner followed by a DJ for all of the dancing. The trio was fantastic! They really set the mood for the evening and I was very surprised a couple days before that it also included singing by the pianist. Our DJ, Vince, also did a fantastic job. Based on the reception planner we used ahead of time, Vince really understood the kind of music we wanted played at our reception and definitely delivered. Mind you, my husband and I only spent about an evening putting in the specifics and then providing a handful of suggestions, mostly based on the lists provided in the planner. Backthird was also super helpful in planning the timing of events at the reception as well which was definitely very appreciated. We loved working with them and are so thankful for the part they played in making our reception the ultimate, classic-rock dance party that it was. read more

Backthird and DJ Scott Krema did a wonderful job with my wedding. They were very helpful with the ceremony and made the reception very fun! Thanks so much! read more

Our wedding DJ/MC was Kelvon. He was fantastic. Working with him was really easy, he is super professional and has a very laid back style. From his organization during our initial conversations with him, to his follow up, to the day of - it was great. He kept the day on schedule, organized everything, kept folks calm, nevermind the back lighting was amazing. :) I would strongly recommend Backthird & Kelvon in particular, for anything you might need a DJ/MC for. read more

I had hired another company that had communication problems and last week of the wedding hired out a 3rd party DJ who was one of the rudest people I ever talked to on the phone and made us feel like we were an inconvenience to him.... this was completely unacceptable so I reached out to Backthird Entertainment and couldn't have been happier! Robbie was so great to work with in such a short time(72 hours) to find out if a DJ was available.... we had Stephan @ our wedding and he did a fantastic job! He played all the songs we requested plus put his own spin of songs that made it great! Can't recommend them enough! read more

We went with Backthird for our wedding at the Morton Arboretum and I could not have been happier. First, the company itself was great. We heard from them very quickly and had a great overview meeting with Amanda who was really clear and thorough. We were told that our actual DJ was going to be Keaton. In terms of the wedding itself, Keaton did a fantastic job. Our wedding day was filled with surprises due to the weather. We had to not only change our ceremony site, but also our reception site totally unexpectedly. Keaton was amazing, he completely rolled with all the changes and made it easy. He was fun and receptive to everything that we asked. The ceremony music was perfect. The reception music amazing. So many people came up to me and told me how much they loved the dinner hour music even, and his suggestions were absolutely perfect. We had some acoustic covers of punk rock songs that were awesome. He suggested the songs for the garter, bouquet toss, my husband's dance with his mom and our cake cutting and he was SPOT ON! I think we had some unique requests and he nailed it. Even the planning meeting we had with him was fun and I knew then he would be great. I was a little stressed when we had to move our reception venue because I have repeatedly said to all of our guests that the most important thing for the reception was for everyone to have fun and to dance. I have never seen a better and more packed dance floor, with so many people there until the end. I credit that to Keaton entirely. He had amazing energy and was natural and fun. He played such a great mix of music that kept all of our guests, no matter what age or taste in music, dancing and laughing the whole night. I would HIGHLY recommend this company and Keaton specifically to anyone. I could not have asked for a more perfect DJ and company for our special day, and I will always be grateful for them. Keaton accommodated last minute requests with speeches and never felt like we were throwing him off or frustrating him. He checked in with us at every stage. I can only hope that other couples are lucky enough to find you this company and Keaton for their own weddings! read more

Back Third knows how to please a customer and how to run a business. We didn't have to tell them anything twice, and they followed through with everything they said they would. I would recommend them to anyone planning a wedding or event. read more

This review is long overdue, but we used Backthird for our wedding and it was great! We really clicked with our DJ. Backthird has a website that allows you to program in your do-not-play, must-play, play-if-possible lists and select genres you really like, kind-of like, and hate. This helps your DJ create the right playlist for the night. You can program in your schedule for the event and they have all these prompts to ensure you don't overlook anything. It made planning the event so much easier, in fact, aside from just picking music. It's very detailed. Although we had a small wedding, our DJ ensured our dance floor was never empty. Our guests still tell us how much fun they had and how good the music was ("It was a PARTY!" is a direct quote from a guest). Although our particular DJ moved away from IL shortly after our wedding, so I can't recommend him personally, I'd still recommend Backthird for the overall quality of customer service. read more

From the get-go Backthird was great. From their little notes they sent us to the planning portal and execution, nothing could have been better. The strings were absolutely amazing and the perfect touch of class for our wedding. DJ Andrew was also great. He did a nice job with the music selection and keeping the crowd going. Thank you for all your team did. read more

We hired Kelvon Fluellen to DJ our September 2014 wedding reception and it was the best decision ever! Kelvon did a fantastic job and had everyone dancing the entire night. We even had him play longer as no one wanted to leave. I 100% recommend Backthird entertainment, and especially Kelvon! read more

DJ Ethan was DA BOMB! Every single person young and old commented on how perfect the music was - dinner and dancing! I don't think I've ever seen a dance floor that packed and I'm not saying that just because it was our wedding! I was actually dancing on the carpet next to the dance floor at points. Amanda was our coordinator and truly the easiest person to work with during the planning phase. Thank you Amanda, Ethan and Backthird for making our day so special!!! read more

Back Third Entertainment and DJ Vince set a perfect atmosphere for our event. They were extremely easy to work with before the wedding and made sure to understand our style and the theme of our event. During our reception, we couldn't get people off the dance floor and had multiple guests ask for the playlist because they enjoyed the songs and the evening so much. read more

Keaton and team did a great job. No Nickleback was played. He waited until I was out for a cigar before playing Cupid Shuffle. Kept boating music (Pour some sugar on it babe, etc) to a minimum. Easy to communicate with over the phone. Well done. read more

We used Backthird for our wedding reception. For our cocktail hour we had a saxophone and pianist, Dan was easy to work with and everyone enjoyed having live music during the cocktail hour. The DJ we were supposed to have cancelled on us at the last minute (about 1.5 weeks) and instead DJ Keaton stepped in. The night turned out better than we could have planned and everyone was dancing all night long. He had to reschedule a vacation for us and we really appreciate it. Our venue had difficult acoustics but Keaton made it work! Amanda was our BackThird account manager and she was so helpful throughout the process. She contacted us and kept us informed every step of the way. I would definitely recommend Backthird to others. read more

Backthird Entertainment I realized through this wedding process that I know exactly what I want and knowing that, the research process is so much easier. But for those of you that aren't quit sure, here is our experience with Backthird Entertainment. We came across Backthird through our wedding venue, I researched them, spoke with Robbie and had no need to shop around for another entertainment option. When I know I know. The BEST part about Backthird Entertainment is they cover music and entertainment from start to finish. We had the Pop Strings play our ceremony music AND our cocktail hour music. The Pop Strings are a trio, they can play more of a classic style or more of todays hits. I preferred more traditional music for our ceremony and they did a BEAUTIFUL job. For the cocktail hour, I told them they could mix it up with jazz, classics and todays hits. The coolest part...they played the theme song to Game of Thrones when we walked in(per our request.) My husband and I are HUGE G.O.T fans so that was pretty awesome. Especially for the other G.O.T fans in the room. For our reception, our DJ and MC was Stephen from Backthird. We were very particular on the personality and music style we wanted for our wedding. My biggest thing was 'not a cheesy wedding DJ." We wanted someone to capture our sense of humor and our love for music. Music can make or break a wedding vibe thats for sure. So after talking to Robbie about it, he said we would be best paired with Stephen. He was right. We had a nice long conversation with Stephen before the wedding which helped him get to know us better. Backthird also has an online portal where you can list your MUST play, TRY to play and DO NOT play songs which was a huge help. Not only did he listen to what we wanted and capture our personalities. But he was able to play music that every age could dance to(which they did) without it feeling "old, lame, dated, etc." He threw in a few of his own picks which killed it! Cardi B was the hit of the night.Thanks for that Stephen! Lets just say, I never left the dance floor. That says it all. Everything from his music, to the timing to his MC skills was perfect and we would not have changed a thing. Our overall experience with Backthird Entertainment was so smooth and easy, they were extremely accommodating and helpful from start to finish! read more

We used Backthird for our wedding and couldn't have been happier. The online planner and some phone calls helped communicate our vision, and Stephen followed through! Everything was perfect, from the set up, to the live music at the rehearsal, to the music selections, dedications, and MC responsibilities during the reception. I would definitely recommend backthird! read more

DJ STEPHEN VAUGHN!!! We had the absolute best time at our wedding. Our wedding was small-only about 60 people, but Stephen kept people dancing the whole time and made the room feel like a dance party. There was a perfect span of decades and he timed the slower songs perfectly. He made every dedicated song feel so special. I cannot express how patient Stephen was with my husband and me throughout the process. He always checked in with us and made sure we were where we needed to be in the process in a very kind and encouraging way. I fully admit that my husband and I were not on top of it when it came to the music planning of the wedding, so it was such a comfort knowing that Stephen had already thought of everything and had everything taken care of. He listened to what we wanted and made a playlist that fit us perfectly. At the wedding he was SO NICE and smiled the whole time. If I ever have another event where I need a DJ I'm absolutely calling Stephen. We also had the Jazz Duo and they created a perfect jazzy ambiance during the cocktail hour. read more

Backthird was SO worth the investment. We knew that we wanted a string trio for our ceremony/happy hour/dinner and a DJ for our reception, but the thought of having to hire two different music groups was overwhelming. Thankfully, Backthird provided both types of music!! Gemini Strings Trio was wonderful - they are talented musicians and play a wide variety of music. DJ Kelvon was awesome - very down to earth and fun. He kept the dance party going all night - he even got people to dance that I've never seen dance before! Backthird was amazing. Seriously, hire them. read more

Back third was amazing! My husband and I used them for our ceremony/cocktail hour and they did an amazing job. From the beginning of the planning to the day of the wedding they were professional and prompt. Many people complimented us on the variety of music they played and executed our ceremony the exact way I visioned it. I highly recommend the team at Backthird! read more

My bride and I were very pleased with Backthird as our music provider. Amanda was prompt in responding to questions and requests and providing us different options for our consideration. Our DJ Kelvon kept the party going all night! We could not have been happier with the job Kelvon did and how much fun we had. I would recommend and choose Backthird and Kelvon again for any other event we may have in the future. read more

I was tasked with finding a DJ for our wedding in October and after a couple days of researching I landed on Backthird. Backthird was easily one of our favorite vendors to work with and while our florist and quartet were MIA and impossible to reach during the planning process, Stephen at Backthird was always available and excited to talk details. Their online platform is intuitive and very easy to use and after meeting in person just once, Stephen had everything down to the T. Stephen was very personable and all our guests loved his energy. He was very mindful to get name pronunciations correct during announcements, and made sure that we were always comfortable with the music selection throughout the entire reception. I highly recommend Backthird and if you can I would suggest trying to request Stephen. Whether it be DJ-ing, up lighting, or providing other vendors with audio help, you really can't find a better DJ than Backthird and their pricing is very reasonable. 5-stars. read more

Let's start with the positives. Anna was our first person we met to go over the cost and what we were looking for. She was very nice and we were excited for our DJ and strings. We picked the twin strings (2 sisters for our classical ceremony and pop strings for our cocktail hour). Our DJ we picked was Katie because her profile seemed to fit what we were looking for, organized, upbeat ect.. Our first meeting with Katie we had to go downtown (which neither me nor my husband preferred because we live in Arlington Heights and can be a trek with traffic ect) and then she didn't show. I talked to Benjie, the manager, who assured us Katie would be great for our wedding and convinced us not to switch DJ's. Fast forward to our wedding day, the twin strings that played at our ceremony were not two sisters, but one of the sisters and someone else (we're not sure who). We paid for the Twin strings, and instead just got strings. The reason Backthird has 2 stars and not 1 was because they still did a beautiful job with the ceremony and cocktail hour. Katie, our DJ, was also very nice and upbeat, but the music was awful. We had multiple complaints from our guests that the basic wedding music/regular hits they requested she didn't have. The wanted and one direction were played (I listen to them in my car, but it's my wedding, not prom). Our best man even went to the extreme and told her that if she didn't start playing music we can dance to then she might as well pack up and leave. For the price we paid for the DJ and the strings I wish we would have went with another company, nothing seemed to be right and the DJ makes up such a large part of a wedding. read more

I came across Backthird Entertainment as they were listed as a preferred vendor at our rustic farm reception venue. We weren't looking to have the traditional dancing after dinner for our wedding entertainment. Since our reception was part on a lawn/part in a tent/part in a barn, we had some unique requests. We first really wanted live music. What got me interested in them was they offered live music in their packages. When I saw a video online of Twin Strings playing an instrumental version of Taylor Swift's "Shake it off," I was sold. Other requests we wanted were to have speakers outside on the lawn so we could play music during our wish lantern release. We also wanted a karaoke set up in the barn so guests could go to a karaoke barn. From my first conversation with Backthird, I could already tell that this company would be able to make our vision a reality. They paid close attention to detail during the planning process to make sure we get what we wanted. The online planner they use is very thorough. We were able to meet with DJ Stephanie to go over the timeline and pronunciations. The service we received from Backthird on our wedding day (05/06/16) was phenomenal. DJ Stephanie was great. The guests loved the music selection during cocktail hour and the overall flow of the evening. The quartet, Twin Strings, was amazing. I still have people telling me how awesome they were. The karaoke barn was fun. And most of all, the guests were able to hear the theme song from the movie Tangled during our wish lantern release. Backthird Entertainment played a huge part in making our wedding a success! read more

I got married about a month ago and we used one of their DJs, her name was Stephanie and she was so great!!! She was so sweet and very accommodating. We got to request several songs and she played all of them and then she got to pick the rest of the music and she did a great job! It flowed nicely, it kept people on the dance floor the whole time which is great. I got several compliments from guests on how much they loved the music. I was also so grateful for her attention to detail. One of my friends recently got married and they never did a mic check for the wedding so there was no sound for the ceremony! Stephanie was very diligent about everything working correctly and making sure everyone could hear clearly, we had a friend do music during the ceremony and she was very helpful setting him up. We seriously could not have been happier, Stephanie was the best, and I would definitely recommend her to anyone! read more