Rock out with your _ out.

Lollapalooza Tickets are on Sale now! The Lollapalooza 2009 tickets went on sale today and are available at variable prices with the first come first served lowest price model. Here is how it works. Right now the early bird 3-day pass is $175. That is a great deal for 3 whole days and nights of concerts and bands. Then when those sell out, the advance tickets will be available at $190 each. Then when those advance Lollapalooza 2009 tickets sell out the price may go over $250. Then when all the tickets are sold out (in July) the re-sellers start charging around $350 for 3 day passes. If you are a rich exec or company looking to get VIP access those VIP Tickets are $850! (YIKES!)

Nine inch nails play for the crowd in Grant Park in 2008.

It is in your own best interest to go over to the Lollapalooza.com site and buy the tickets now and get them for around 1/2 price as an early bird. They get sent in the mail closer to the concert festival date so you don’t have to worry if you forget about them, and you don’t have to save up a ton of money later in the summer when there are lots of events going on that fill up the budget.

In this economy I think that the regular Lollapalooza tickets will probably still sell out since it’s such a festival about all kinds of people, music and ideas. People will still want to come together and be a part of the music because it is a unique experience (some call it a big hippie-fest) they can’t find anywhere else. It’s worth it to cut out other high priced items and keep Lollapalooza on your summer todo list or keep it on the agenda to travel to Chicago to see.

The concerts are usually from very popular bands and singers also so most everyone finds a few bands they love and a few new groups they have not heard of yet that they discover. (although somewhat less discovery these days) The lineup for 2009 has not been announced yet, but it is usually expected to have some of the biggest names in music on it. Check back for more details when they become available.

Lilly Allen is playing the Riviera Theater on April 12, 2009 at 7:30 pm. Doors will open at the Riviera Theater at 6pm. Tickets can only be purchased at Ticketmaster. (I know, boo for extra fees) Luckily general admission tickets only cost $26.50 to start. Maybe including all the fees the total price will end up being around $40.  Click Here to see the seating chart for the Riviera Theater. A band called Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head will be opening for Lilly Allen. The Lilly Allen concert was originally scheduled for another uptown venue The Vic Theater, but was moved to The Riv when the demand for tickets skyrocketed. This concert is one of only 11 planned for the US and only 7 listed on Ticketmaster. At the time of this post there were general admission tickets still available.

Lilly Allen’s first album “Alright, still” was a great indie music hit in Chicago in 2006-2007 and her new album “It’s not me, it’s you” is currently on sale so the concert tour is in full blast right now. From the songs I have heard on Lilly Allen’s new album (The Fear) the sound is similar but the songs seem more developed and mature. Lilly continues her “the world sucks” themes on this album and I think a lot of people really relate to that. How many times have we all had nothing go right in a week and wondered why this all happens? Lilly’s music is a little bit of everything with her style being considered a blend of retro, urban, ska, and pop genres.

Lilly Allen captures that feeling of young adulthood bewilderment with how the world works around us that many of us feel. She is just really making it big with the music she created in this image. (to get that big of a hit the first time out of the box is rare) I’m glad that she has done well telling it like it is, but now that she is wealthy and famous and decides to get plastered all over the place I wonder how much I still relate. She has had some personal strife to speak of, so maybe that continues to be her inspiration in writing new songs.

Regardless of what you think about Lilly Allen as a person, her music usually still resonates with most people under 35. I bought the last album and will most likelybuy this one too. Check out the concert in person for one of the rare stateside appearances she is making. I hear the concerts are usually peppered with the stories behind the songs and some sry humor so it looks like a great show.  I am not sure Lilly Allen has ever played Chicago before or how long it will be before she does again.

 

The Flight of the Conchords show has taken off by storm lately. What was a cult hit last season is mainstream popular this year.

I just heard that Flight of the Conchords will be playing at Arie Crown Theater on March 24th in Chicago. This is going to be a very popular show judging by how about 50 people I know have become “fans” of them on Facebook in the last 3 weeks.

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If you are wondering who these Australian New Zealanders are you may want to check out some episodes of their show or download their album from iTunes or Amazon. They use the most creative (improvised?) satirical lyrics in their songs possible. Flight of the Conchords is like combining Moxy Fruvous’ Music, Second City Mainstage’s Improv/Comedy and the show The Office’s awkwardness all at once. This seems to be a magical combination for fans because the popularity is still growing for this ever “failing” band.

If you have no idea what I am talking about, check out their episodes online and see if this mockumentary style show grows on you too. if you go to the concert post your comments below and let me know how it goes!

The Flight of the Conchords Show Details are:

Show Date: April 28, 2009

Time: 7:30 pm

Address: 2301 Lake Shore Dr At McCormick PL, Chicago, IL 60616

Ticket Prices: $38.50 before tax, tip, and licence and doc fee. About $50 each after.

Tickets are available at Ticketmaster.  After those sell out there might be a few on StubHub or Ebay, but with the restrictions that is doubtful.

There are a lot of restrictions on reselling these tickets so be careful if you buy them, you must have them at will call and no alternate person can pick them up. There is also a 4 ticket limit to purchase. Wow, they anticipate this will sell out like crazy. If you can’t get tix remember there will always be discount Flight of the Conchords Season 1&2 DVDS to enjoy at home.

I am sure you have heard Jesse McCartney’s songs on the radio, and maybe you have figured that he has a lot of soul in his music for a white guy that is only 21 years old, but if you haven’t heard his music you have time to discover it just in time for his concert in Chicago next week. Jesse McCartney will be playing the House of Blues on Wednesday February 18, 2009. This concert will most likely sell out due to his popularity right now.

Jesse McCartney was on Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin Eve show this NYE and I was impressed. I thought it was great that not only did he sing great live, he sang better than the record. That is hard to find in most singers these days with all the digitizing they have done to their voices. 

If you want to go see Jesse McCartney live in concert here are the ticket details you need to know:  

Jesse McCartney Concert @ the House of Blues Chicago, IL
Wednesday, February 18, 2009 @ 06:00 PM

Tickets $25.00 for General Admission – no seats, standing room only 

Call the House of Blues Box office for more info at 312.923.2000

There is parking at the House of Blues, expect $20 as the charge.

Get there early for a good spot to stand since there are no seats and no difference in tickets, so first ones in get the best place to stand right in front of the stage.

Leave the cameras at home, the House of Blues has a no pictures policy and they check bags and coats for them when they are letting you in the theater.

Lady Gaga will be coming to Chicago to play a concert at the House of Blues on March 24, 2009. This will be huge since she has been getting so popular and her music keeps us dancing. Lady Gaga Tickets are selling for $22-$24.00 direct from the House of Blues but I expect these tickets to sell out quickly with how popular Lady Gaga’s music is in Chicago.

I think everyone has been dancing to Lady Gaga’s hit “Just Dance” on the radio, downloading it and watching it on YouTube. I knew that Lady Gaga had gone from cult hit on Perez Hilton to mainstream music when I heard the song on 101.9 FM in Chicago last week as “new music”. That is the middle age station in Chicago. It has to be mainstream to be considered for that station. Her album “The Fame” is doing well with Poker Face and Starstruck also being pretty popular songs.

The House of Blues is located at 329 North Dearborn street Chicago, IL 60610 312.923.2000 You can see more details about the concert at HOB.com or Lady Gaga’s site at ladygaga.com. The show at the House of Blues opens the doors at 10:30 PM and the show begins at 11 pm. The House of Blues has parking on site but they do not allow any cameras and there are no chairs or seating in the venue. So wear comfortable shoes and stand near the front if you want to see well. The show is age 17 and up with ID.  If you like electronic music, her shows are supposed to be awesome with laser lights and all kinds of effects. Lady Gaga also has been said to consider herself sexy weird rather than what the pussycat dolls do. I would concur. Maybe she is the next Madonna? Be ready for lots of leotards, sunglasses, PVC vinyl clothing and a great show!

Chicago is known as much for it’s Blues and Jazz music as it is for it’s pubs and bars. Lucky for us, these two worlds get to celebrate winter together with the Chicago Blues Tour. This Blues Festival is different than most because rather than setting up in one location, the Blues Tour takes visitors from one venue to another so they can see these Blues singers and performers in their home element and the tour-goers get to experience more genuine Chicago Blues clubs. And you stay a lot warmer inside these clubs or on the bus than you would in Grant Park in January.

I would see the Chicago Blues Tour roll in every winter at Green Dolphin Streetand wonder why the house was packed. It is often the case with many Chicagoisms,  Blues is more popular with the people outside Chicago than with most of the people who live here so a packed Wednesday night at Green Dolphin Street was a rarity. Still, it was great to see Blues Music celebrated and a room full of happy people.

This year the Chicago Blues Tour will hit these locations for the shows listed below.

Blues Tour Performers: Cyrus Hayes, Guy King, Johnny Drummer, Larry Taylor

Blues Tour Venues:
Alcock’s Inn: 411 S. Wells Street in Chicago, IL 60607 Phone: 312-922-1778
Saturday January 17th The Chicago Blues Tour – 12 Bands, 9 Clubs
2 Live Bands at Alcocks – continuous music with two bands from 9PM to 2AM
Super Percy & His Soul Clique with special guest The Arkansas Bellyroller
Nathan Graham Blues Trio

LEE’S UNLEADED BLUES 7401 S South Chicago Avenue Phone – 773-493-3477
Johnny Drummer & The Starliters with special guests 7:00 pm

Linda’s Place 1044 West 51st Street Phone: 773-373-2351
Fantastic L-Roy & the Bulletproof Band @ 7:00 pm with special guest: Mz. Peaches

Root Inn 230 West Root Street Phone: 773-268-1525
Tre & the Blue Knights with Lady Kat 8:30 pm

Checkerboard Lounge 5201 South Harper Avenue Phone:773-684-1472
Vance Kelly & the Backstreet Blues Band 9:00 pm

Taste Entertainment Center 6331 South Lowe Street Phone: 773-873-6701
[2 bands - continuous music, alternating bands] 8:30 pm 
Taildragger’s Chicago Blues Band
Larry Taylor Blues & Soul Band featuring:Vernon Harrington

For the Good Times Lounge5545 South Damen Phone: 773-865-9938
Killer Ray Allison & the Killer Band 7:30 pm

Rosa’s Lounge 3420 W. ARMITAGE Avenue Phone: 773-342-0452
[2 bands - continuous music, alternating bands] 8:00 pm
Sharon Lewis & Texas Fire
Guy King Band

Wallace’s Catfish Corner 2800 West Madison Avenue Phone: 773-638-3474
Cyrus Hayes & Lady Lee Blues Revue 8:00 pm
 
You can buy tickets online at ChicagoBluesTour.com.
Tickets include all Bar Admissions and Bus Transportation  

Nickelback is coming to Chicago for a concert at AllState Arena on March 12, 2009.

Nickelback is a popular Canadian Rock band that crosses over the genre boundaries into several different music categories. I enjoy Nickelback musicand so does my fiance. The interesting thing is that Steve really likes heavy metal music and I am more of a pop/rock listener. Nickelback is a cross breed of both. (and I thank them for that, because we actually have something we can both listen to in the car now) Some people have actually officially classified Nickelback as an Alternative Rock band or Alternative Metal band. Call them anything you want, they are very good.

I like their music because it has a lot of movement and feeling. Usually hard rock and alternative groups loose the clarity of the singing and vocals to the power of the guitars and drums. Nickelback provides a more lyrical emotional ballad with a rock background and setting. Some of the songs they are well known for are “Hero” from the first Spiderman movie, a top 10 hit “Photograph” and “Rockstar”. There is a lot of depth to their albums beyond the top 10 hits on the CDs though, and it’s worth a trip to AllState Arena to fully appreciate.

When is the Nickelback Concert? Mar 12, 2009 7:00 pm (Thursday)

Where is the Nickelback Concert?  Allstate Arena (map) 6920 North Mannheim Road in Des Plaines, IL 60018

Where can I get Tickets?  Through Ticketmaster.com they are $46.50, $55.00 or $75.00 each.The Nickelback tickets are about 1/2 sold at the time I am writing this post, I would expect that they will get close to selling out closer to the concert date. If there aren’t any left on Ticketmaster you can always check ebay and stubhub.com.

There are fan group packages and discounts available at Ticketmaster.com if you are a citi card holder. The AllState Arena (formerly the Rosemont Horizon if you are from the 80’s) is built so that even the seats in the balcony have a clear view of the stage (unless you are behind the stage. Plus many bands usually travel with huge digital/projection screens for showing a closeup of the band for the people sitting far up in the stands, so you would be able to see that way too. Otherwise you can always bring binoculars with the earplugs. (earplugs are always recommended for large concerts since the volume is so high, regardless of what type of music it is)

Harry Connick Jr is playing 2 nights in December at the historic Chicago Theater with a concert featuring Christmas music from his new holiday album “What A Night! – A Christmas Album“. (CD available in stores now) Harry Connick Jr is one of the people who brought back swing music in the early 1990’s (before the gap commercial) and for that I will always love him. The rest of the world knows Harry Connick Jr for his acting as well as his New Orleans style jazz and big band swing music that has been consistently popular for 2 decades now. He has a smoothness that reminds us of Frank Sinatra and more presence and range than youngster Michael Buble’.

If you like Christmas holiday music or the swing and big band sound, this is a concert not to miss. I can’t go because of prior commitments but I would love to. Harry Connick Jr’s music is always something that gets me in a positive and creative mood. I think the Chicago Theater is also a great place for a concert of this style of music. It is historical and back from the dead kind of like swing music. (although some people would like swing music to die out again). Harry also likes to innovate on classic songs and compose his own work. He is so much more than just someone doing covers from the great American songbook. I highly recommend his shows also because he is one of those few people who is just as good live in performance as you hear on the CDs. In an age of digital enhancement and robot voices, this is rare.

Tickets are still available for the shows on December 10 & 11 (Wednesday and Thursday) at the ChicagoTheater.org site. Both shows start at 8pm and tickets range from $37-$52.00 (plus at least $10 in service charges). There are still tickets available on the main floor and all over the balcony. I advise you to bring binoculars if you sit in the back of the main floor or in the balcony. The view is good in that it is clear and well lit but you just can’t see any detail from that far away or really get a feel for the performance going on. I think this will be a great concert not to miss. (and what is going on with that CD cover? and the spray tan? weird.)

The Chicago Celtic Festival is another free festival in Grant Park from the Mayor’s office of Special Events in Chicago. (they are so generous there) The Celtic Festival originated to celebrate the 7 original Celtic Nations. The original Celtic Nations were: Ireland, Scotland, Wales, The Isle of Man, Cornwall, Spain, Brittany France and Galicia. For the purpose of the festival they celebrate Celtic music, dance, golf sports, food, tartan kilts and more fun activities for the whole family. It is Free to the public and runs from 11 am to 9pm on Saturday and Sunday. Come out to explore your Irish, Scott, Celtic or Welsh heublritage as well as learn more abut the history, music, culture and food from that green region of the world.

The Schedule of events at the Celtic Fest include many musical acts, dance,

At the Petrillo Music Shell the bands will be:

Saturday, September 13, 2008
6:00pm The Elders
7:15pm Great Big Sea

Sunday, September 14, 2008
6:00pm Old Blind Dogs

At the Celtic Crossroads Stage the Musical performers will be:

Saturday, September 13, 2008

11:30am Cara
12:50pm Beoga
2:10pm Old Blind Dogs
3:30pm Larkin & Moran Brothers
4:50pm Men In Kilts Leg Contest

Sunday, September 14, 2008

11:30am Errigal
12:50pm Mary Jane Lamond
2:10pm The Willis Clan
3:30pm The Muck Brothers
4:50pm Bodega

The Celtic Voice Tent has all kinds of interesting speakers with a wide variety of Celtic, Irish, Welsh and cultural topics. I have heard about the shapeshifters from listening to Glen Hansard talk in concerts I have listened to online. It sounds like an interesting folklore and history.

Celtic Voice Tent

Saturday, September 13, 2008
Noon Finding Your Chicago Irish – with Sharon Shea Bossard
1:15pm Kevin Henry and Maggie Healy
2:30pm Tim O’Sullivan
3:45pm Learn to Speak Welsh
5pm Mary Jane Lamond
6:15pm Irish Heritage Singers

Sunday, September 14, 2008
Noon The Old Town School Women’s Choir
1:15pm Jim Wearne
2:30pm From Celts to Christians, Ireland in Late Antiquity and Early Middle Ages – with Sean Doyle
3:45pm David Llewellyn
5pm The Shapeshifters and Fairy
6:15pm Navan

Learn to dance at the Céilí Dance Tent!! I have always wanted to learn more about the Riverdance style of Irish Dance, here is my chance.

Saturday, September 13, 2008
12:00-1pm Emma O’Sullivan & Sean Nos performance and instruction
1pm-3pm Broken Pledge Ceili Band & Ed Heffernan, dance instructors
3pm-4:30pm Glen Ayre & Ken Chau, dance instructors
4:30pm-6pm Broken Pledge Ceili Band & Ed Heffernan, dance instructors

Sunday, September 14, 2008
12:00-1pm – Emma O’Sullivan & Sean Nos performance and instruction
1pm-3pm – Ceoltoiri Chicago & Brendan Houlihan, dance instructor
3pm-4:30pm – Glen Ayre & Barbara Cool, dance instructor
4:30pm-6pm – Ceoltoiri Chicago & Brigid Sutton, dance instructor

And finally all the Irish Dance Companies that will be performing this weekend!

Saturday, September 13, 2008
12:00pm Sets of Erin
12:30pm Evanston Scottish Country Dancers
1:00pm McNulty School of Irish Dance
1:30pm Thistle & Heather Highland Dancers
2:00pm Trinity School of Irish Dance
2:30pm Teresa y Los Preferidos Spanish Dance Co.
2:45pm World Academy of Irish Dancers
3:15pm Gillan School of Highland Dance
4:00pm Dennehy Irish Dancers
4:45pm Sheila Tully School of Irish Dance
5:15pm Teresa y Los Preferidos Spanish Dance Co.
5:30pm Cas Dannsa
6:15pm Lavin-Cassidy School of Irish Dance

Sunday, September 14, 2008
12:00pm Gaelic Park Set Dancers
12:30pm Royal Scottish Country Dance Society
1:00pm Spriorad Damhsa
1:30pm -illan School of Highland Dance
2:15pm Cross-Keys School of Irish Dance
2:45pm Teresa y Los Preferidos Spanish Dance Co.
3:00pm Mullane Healy O’Brien Academy
3:45pm Thistle & Heather Highland Dancers
4:15pm The McDance Company
4:45pm Teresa y Los Preferidos Spanish Dance Co.
5:00pm Anam Mor
5:30pm Cas Dannsa
6:15pm Dillon-Gavin School of Irish Dance

If you do decide to go to the Celtic Fest, remember that street parking is impossible to find and parking underground is the only option and it is expensive at ~$30.00. The best way to get there is by public transportation. Buses and EL trains are convieniently in the area and the Metra is also an option from the suburbs with a cab from the station to the fest if needed.

The Chicago Celtic Festival is free to the public and open from 11:00 am to 9:30 pm both Saturday and Sunday this weekend. The only rules are no dogs of course for saftey purposes. For a map of the Chicago celtic fest click here.

The Labor Day Weekend and Holiday Monday are so jam packed with events you won’t be able to stay home for long. Both in the City of Chicago and in the suburbs there are large events and parades happening in addition to all the shopping sales all over Chicagoland. The Chicago Jazz Festival is this weekend, the JayCees Naperville Last Fling and the Labor Day Parades are all day Monday. I know the weather will also be good this Labor Day Weekend, it should be in the upper 80’s and no rain is in the forecast.

First, on Friday at 5pm there is the monthly Critical Mass Bike ride through downtown and the streets of Chicago. Join up wiht them at Daley Plaza at 5pm if you want to ride along. There is a police escort at the front of the pack and bike riding helmets may be required….

The Chicago Jazz Festival is also this weekend in Grant Park. The 30th Annual Jazz Festival runs Thursday through Sunday.  In the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park they will be celebrating 30 years of jazz with two time Grammy Award winner Sonny Rollins. The admission to the Chicago Jazz Festival in Grant Park is Free! The Jazz Festival will run August 29-31 for three days of free music on three stages from 10:00 am-9:30 pm per day. No Dogs or Alcoholic beverages will be allowed in the festival. The Grant Park Petrillo Band shell Schedule is as follows:

Friday, August 29, 2008
5:00-5:50 T.S. Galloway’s Tribute to Capt. Walter Dyett featuring Julian Priester, Ken Chaney, Mwata Bowden, Edwin Daugherty, Ari Brown and Von Freeman
6:00-6:55 AACM Roscoe Mitchell, Wadada Leo Smith, Amina Claudine Myers, Michael Logan and Thurman Barker
7:10-8:10 Dee Dee Bridgewater’s Tribute to Betty Carter
8:30-9:30 Eddie Palmieri’s Latin Jazz Band

Saturday, August 30, 2008
4:30-4:45 – Remembering Franz Jackson
5:00-5:50 – Pharez Whitted Sextet
6:00-6:55 – Vijay Iyer Quintet
7:10-8:10 – Dave Douglas Brass Ecstasy
8:30-9:30 – Gerald Wilson Orchestra with a special guest Kenny Burrell

Sunday, August 31, 2008
5:00-5:50 – Ron Dewar Quintet
6:00-6:55 – From the Netherlands: The Instant Composers Pool
7:10-8:10 – 8 Bold Souls with a Special Guest Dee Alexander
8:30-9:30 – Ornette Coleman

Naperville is also hosting it’s Jaycee’s Last Fling Concert Event in the downtown area. This is the traditional last event of the summer to celebrate and socialize before the official fall season and back to school craziness takes off and fills the calendar. Click here to see the full last fling booklet with the map, directions, schedule and more info you may need.

The Naperville JayCee’s Last Fling 2008 features a Carnival, Main Stage Performances featuring Nationally known Artists, Free performances on the Entertainment Stage daily, a Beer Garden and Dozens of Great Food Vendors and Business Expo Booths From local Naperville Businesses. It is a great place to take the family for a fun night out. Tickets are $10.00 per person on Friday night and $12.00 per person on Saturday and Sunday night. Tickets can be purchased at Oswald’s Pharmacy at 88 Gartner Road in Naperville, 60540 (in the Naperville Plaza Shopping Center) or at Dean’s Clothing at 226 South Main Street in Naperville, 60540 (in Downtown Naperville). The actual location of the Last Fling is: The Naperville Riverwalk, 100 West Jackson Avenue Naperville, IL 60540 phone: 630-961-4143

Naperville Last Fling Dates and Times:

• Friday August 29 @ 5 pm – 11 pm
• Saturday  August 30 @ 10 am – 11 pm
• Sunday  August 31 @ 10 am – 11 pm
• Monday September 1 @ 10 am – 6 pm

Music Concert Schedule
Friday August 29th
8:00 pm to 10:00 pm Dennis DeYoung
6:00 pm to 8:00 pm The Music of Styx – Hi Infidelity

Saturday August 30th
8:00 pm to 10:00 pm The Doobie Brothers
6:00 pm to 8:00 pm Painkiller Hotel
4:00 pm to 6:00 pm Josh Holmes

Sunday August 31st
8:00 pm to 10:00 pm Gavin DeGraw
6:00 pm to 8:00 pm Absentstar
4:00 pm to 6:00 pm Kimi Hayes

Monday September 1st
4:00 pm to 6:00 pm The Hat Guys
2:00 pm to 4:00 pm Stellar Road 

Enjoy the Labor Day Holiday and have a great weekend!

What is there to do in Chicago this weekend? Well, the big event for everyone between the ages of 20 and 40 is Lollapalooza. The concert series in Grant Park will draw thousands from the suburbs and all over the country. It is sold out though. (and so are all the hotels and motels) So, if Lollapalooza isn’t on your calendar this weekend what events and fun things to do are still available? I have some suggestions and recommendations for you.

First off EAA Airventure is happening all week and ends this weekend in Oshkosh Wisconsin. It is a long drive from Chicago (4 hours) but worth it to view jets and classic airplanes up close and personal and see a bigger airshow than the Chicago Air and Water show. If you want to stay in the city and hunt for new food and drinking spots, Blue 13 Restaurant, Old Oak Tap, The Cat’s Meow in West Town and MANA Food Bar open this weekend. First Fridays is this August 1st at the Museum of Contemporary Art and it is a classy place to mingle and watch the meat market for $10.00. OR go to a bunch of the Lollapalooza after parties located at the clubs in Chicago. (party 48 hrs straight) Check out the Lolla Parties at Debonair or Sonotheque until sunrise. Want to mellow a bit more? There is always the Chicago beaches (Oak street beach and North Ave Beach) and there is a fun Used Book Sale to leaf through in Andersonville. Check out all the details below.

1. EAA Airventure OshKosh – Check out Airventure.org for the details. It is a 4 hour drive up highway 45/41 all the way to the middle of Wisconsin to see this festival of aviation, but it is well worth the drive. Pack the kids in the minivan early and get on the road. Go walk through giant carrier planes in AeroShell Square and watch the daily airshow at 3pm that is bigger and better than the Air and Water show in Chicago. Bonus: if you go on Saturday you get to see the Warbird Spectacular in the Airshow at OshKosh, which brings together more vintage war planes than in any other place in America in a salute to the men and women in the armed forces of yesterday and today. The tickets can be bought at the gate there. Parking is usually about $15 and admission tickets run from $23 for members of the EAA and $35 for non-members and $15 for kids. It is well worth it for the direct access to the planes and pilots that you can’t really see anywhere else in America.

2. Blue 13 Restaurant- This new restaurant brings Rock and Roll to chic cuisine in Chicago. Check out the Lobster Pizza, it is very good. Check out Blue13Chicago.com for the menu and pictures of the restaurant. Located at 416 West Ontario Street River North in Chicago, IL phone: 312.787.1400 for reservations.

3. Old Oak Tap – This new rustic bar and grill has a great patio and a new twist on some comfort food favorites. Located at 2109 West Chicago Avenue in West Town Chicago, IL Phone 773-772-0406 for reservations or information.

4. The Cat’s Meow Bar – They have taken a 1920’s saying and made it mod. Check out the swanky cool decor and the crabcakes over some kitchy named drinks. Located at 2700 West Chicago Avenue in the West Town neighborhood in Chicago, IL. The Phone number is 773-489-6998.

5. First Fridays at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) – Tickets are 10 in advance or $15 at the door for this mixer that attracts artists, business types and city culturalists. Also fun if you like people watching as much as ooking at modern art. (remember it could mean anything you want it to) Located at 220 East Chicago Avenue, Chicago, Illinois.

6. MANA Food Bar – A great new multicultural (Asian, American, Latin) vegetarian restaurant in hipsterville. Located at 1742 West Division Street in Wicker Park Chicago, IL Phone 773.342.1742 for more info.

And…Have a great weekend!

It is officially Fourth of July weekend now and we have a lot going on around Chicagoland. I am not sure how anyone would go to all these events, but here is a list of things going on from the family friendly to the avant gard. If nothing else, enjoy the holiday weekend and relax while celebrating our independence one more time. It is a good time to pause and reflect on patriotism, freedom, our values and the upcoming presidential elections in November. It is also a time for food, family and flags. So it’s your 3 day weekend, have fun with it!

1. Taste of Chicago is still running. If you haven’t had your giant turkey leg yet this year, this is the place to do it. Downtown in Chicago in Grant Park. Admissions is free, food is sold by a ticket system and expect drinks to be expensive.

2. The Naperville Ribfest (the suburban anti-taste) is running this weekend also. This festival celebrates the joy that is barbecued ribs with rib cooking specialists from all over the country. My favorite is still Sweet Baby Ray’s though. There will be Fireworks at 9:30 pm on Friday night for the 4th of July.

7/4/08 Update: If you go to the Ribfest, you must-must-must park at one of the lots and take a shuttle to the event. We found no parking within a mile of Ribfest yesterday and we ended up parking at the 5th Avenue Metra Station in Naperville and taking the bus shuttle to Knock park behind Edwards Hospital. (the Ribs were great though!!!) And Ted Nugent was mighty entertaining.

3. The Lisle Eyes to the Sky Hot Air Balloon Festival is also happening this weekend in the  SW suburbs. The Lisle Eyes to the Sky festival is off Route 53 in Lisle,IL at Short Street between Maple and Ogden Ave. But much like Ribfest, if you go there isn’t any parking located there. You have to go into downtown Lisle at the Metra station, park there and walk or take a shuttle to the festival. Also much like Ribfest there are live musical acts, fireworks and all the carnival foods and rides you would expect of these summer carnival fests. The balloons usually launch at 6:30 pm each evening and 5:30 am each morning. The one bummer of this fest is that you can’t actually ride in a balloon yourself and the wind sometimes grounds the launches all together. It is a free event though, so at least there is no cover charge.

4. The Navy Pier City of Chicago fireworks display will be the day before the 4th on July 3rd at 9:30 pm. The fireworks are from Navy Pier but are viewable from most places near the lakefront downtown.

5. Summerdance is back at the Grant Park Spirit of Music garden in Chicago. Sunday July 6th is a Swing night with a USO swing band and free dance lessons beforehand by the professionals of Big City Swing. Lesson is at 4 pm and big band swing music starts at 5pm and goes until 7pm. The park is located at the corner of Michigan Avenue and Harrison Street. Summerdance does happen every weekend all summer long, so mark your calendars for next week too.

6. Free workouts in Millennium Park in Chicago on Saturday Morning. Work off all those BBQ ribs…

7. The Chicago beaches are open but there has been a swimming ban put out by the National Weather Service because of a seiche (wave) warning so please stay out of the water. Picnics and volleyball on the beach are still ok though.

8. Most cities and towns in the suburbs will have fireworks on July 4th at dusk. My favorite has always been the Darien/Downers Grove/Woodridge fireworks at 75th street and Main street (Lemont Road). They are viewable from all 4 corners of the intersection in the shopping mall parking lots. I also have seen a great fireworks show in Carol Stream at the intersection of Idaho St and Lies St. They use a retention pond area to display the fireworks over and they are really close to where you sit on Lies Street so you end up watching the fireworks overhead most of the time. They are even more dynamic up close like that. I have also heard that DesPlaines has a nice fireworks show over Oakton Community College and that Glen Ellyn’s Fireworks are really good too, over Lake Ellyn.

9. And lastly, if all these events aren’t risque enough for you Going.com is listing an event at Crowbar for “P*rn on the 4th” with a p*rn star Jesse Jane. I guess that is celebrating freedom of a completely different kind. You can RSVP for no cover charge early at the going.com/pornonthefourth website.

Have a happy and safe 4th of July in Chicago!!

The 4th of July is almost here and everyone is heading out to their favorite restaurants with outdoor patios and putting on the sunblock to go to the beach in Chicago. It is that rare time of year when we forget that Chicago is really a cold and desolate place the rest of the year and we enjoy the outdoors. But we also like our air conditioning because Chicago is humid in the summer, so you have to balance your activities between indoors and outside. This weekend there is a bevy of new restaurant openings, events and concerts to go to. So enjoy your weekend and plan for next week on July 4th also.

1. The Grant Park Music Festival is going on all Summer long from June 11 through August 16th. They have found sponsors to cover the costs of the musicians and facilities so that the city can offer free classical music concerts to the public all summer. This weekend they have 2 concerts scheduled, one on Friday at 6:30 pm and one on Saturday at 7:30 pm both at Harris Theater. (which may not be free, but there is no note about ticket costs on the booklet they sent me in the mail) The classical music concert is featuring 20th Century Masters played by the Grant Park Orchestra. The Harris Theater is a very box-like uber-modern concrete structure at the northern most edge of Millennium Park.

2. C-House Restaurant opens at the Affinia Chicago 166 East Superior Street Downtown. (312.523.0923) Expect a high class experience with a nautical theme. I wonder what the draw is for bringing high quality seafood to Chicago when transportation and fuel costs are so high. Anyway, I am sure the food is divine.

3. The (BAM) Belmont Arts and Music Fest  is on this weekend with plenty of indie bands to delight the senses. As they say it is “2 days of Beats, Art & Eats” (and drinks) The Belmont Arts and Music Fest is open from 12pm noon until 10pm on Saturday and Sunday this weekend. Check it out on Belmont Avenue between Damen and Leavitt in Roscoe Village. The music lineup includes (in reverse order):

Saturday: Cursive @ 9:00 pm, The Redwalls @8:30 pm, Maritime @ 7:55 pm, Waco Brothers @7:00 pm,
Sybris @ 6:45 pm, Dot Dot Dot @5:30 pm, Unwed Sailor @ 5:40 pm, Steepwater@4:00 pm; Parlor Mob @ 4:35 pm Rockit @2:30 pm, Mark Rose @ 3:50 pm, Hey Champ @1:00 pm, Everthus The Deadbeats @ 3:00 pm,

Sunday: American Music Club @ 9:00 pm, Smoking Popes @ 8:30 pm, Johnathan Rice @ 7:55 pm, Justin Townes Earle @7:00 pm, Maria Taylor @ 6:45 pm, Air This Side Of Caution @5:30 pm, Casiotone For The Painfully Alone @ 5:40 pm, Ezra Furman and the Harpoons @4:OO pm, Nik Freitas @ 4:35 pm, Anne Harris Band @2:30 pm, Yourself and The Air @ 3:30 pm Cavashawn @1:00 pm 

4. Cirque du Soleil has a new show in the parking lot around the United Center called KOOZA. The concept of highly trained acrobats with lighting and special effects and clowns is getting a little old, they have been pushing it since the Albertville Olympic Games in 1992. I am really tired of it and most of us realize it’s still just a bunch of circus performers. Yes it can be awe inspiring to see once in a while, but not anything new, exciting or ground breaking. Hence all the advertising they had to do in order to sell tickets. If you love the circus, this is for you, if not, skip it.

5. The Joffrey Ballet  is selling tickets to their new home location opening coming up this September, so if you really miss having a local Ballet Company downtown, book these dates. 

• Thursday, September 11th, 2008 – 6:00pm Joffrey Ballet Performance at Millennium Park
• Friday, September 12, 2008 – 7:00 pm The Opening Night at the Joffrey Tower. A Black Tie Dinner and Performance Limited Seating is available.
• Saturday, September 13, 2008 – 3:00pm Joffrey Tower: Community Open House
• Monday, September 15, 2008 – 6:30pm Couture and Cocktails Fashion Show by Maria Pinto

6. Of course on Sunday the Gay Pride Parade in Chicago is going on from noon until around 2 in Boystown and Wrigleyville. It is always a light hearted fun time with lots of flamboyant costumes, rainbows and skin. I have to say that it can be an eye opening experience if you have never been there before but everyone is really nice and very cool so it is always a fun time. It is really a chance to celebrate openness in society and realize that while we aren’t all the same we are pretty similar (we all like beer!) and can all get along.

7. The Randolph Street Market Festival has all you can possibly imagine in the way of decorative furnishings and vintage antiques. (over 200 vendors from all over the country selling all eras of “vintage”) It is kind of like a cross between those fancy shmantsy antique shows at the merchandise mart and the flea market on the Kane County Fair Grounds. But on Randolph Street instead. The Randolph Street Market festival is open on Saturday from 10am to 5pm and on Sunday from 11am to 5pm. 

8. If that isn’t enough to do just wait, The Taste of Chicago Starts Friday June 27th at 11 AM!

Have a great weekend!!

Naperville Ribfest has become one of the largest suburban summer festivals in Chicago. It has been running for at least 20 years and the Ribfest has grown to now include major music acts along with great ribs from all over the country.

The thing that makes the Naperville Ribfest so attractive for both businesses and local residents is that it is in the suburbs and there are over 128,000 people living in Naperville and many more in towns of similar size around it. All these families with kids get something fun to do over the July 4th weekend and advertisers and entertainers love to be in front of them.

Over 1 million people go through the Naperville Ribfest over the 4th of July weekend. With that in mind save yourself some time and park in the 5th Avenue Metra Station lot and take the shuttles they have running every 10 minutes to the Ribfest. Otherwise there is no aprking within 1 mile of the fest. It is actually located in Knoch park behind Edwards Hospital but the hospital parking lot is off limits too. All the street parking was full by 3pm in the afternoon when we went too.

We suburbanites live 1 hour or more southwest of Chicago so the Taste of Chicago isn’t really an option for us with the awful traffic Chicago has these days. Plus if you live locally walking or biking to the Naperville Ribfest makes it more community friendly and less like the big city. The festival tries to be kid friendly and family friendly but local high school and college kids enjoy the Ribfest too.

Here is some helpful information about  the Naperville Ribfest schedule, rib restaurants selling food there and the events that weekend. 2009

Ribfest 2009 will run from Thursday, July 2rd through Sunday, July 5th.

• Thursday, July 2nd 12:00 Noon to 10:00 p.m.
• Friday, July 3rd 12:00 noon to 10:00 p.m.
• Saturday, July 4th 12:00 noon to 10:00 p.m. Gates open to public at 7:00pm for fireworks
• Sunday, July 5th 12:00 noon to 10:00 p.m.

The Ribfest Food Vendors selling Ribs will be:

• Desperado’s BBQ & Rib Co. – Their 10th year at Ribfest
• Fast Freddy’s Electric BBQ Ribs – They aren’t cooked fast but they are eaten fast!
• Sweet Baby Ray’s Barbecue and Catering – You know and love Sweet Baby Ray’s sauce from the Jewel grocery store and come see what they do when they are cookin’
• Texas Outlaws BBQ – They have won first place two of the last five years
• Uncle Bub’s- The Hichory Smoked BBQ Restaurant was born in 1997 in Westmont
• Famous Dave’s – Well, they are famous for their ribs of course
• Pigfoot BBQ Company – A Ribber at Naperville Ribfest for 13 years
• Aussom Aussie – A 20 year veteran of the International BBQ Circuit and they have great cornbread for $2.00 also.
• Butch’s Smack Your Lips BBQ – They offer both tomato based as well as vinegar based sauces.
• Porky N Beans – a member of the National Award Winning Rib Cookers of America since 1983
• Rasta Joes BBQ – Joe Alexander (Rasta Joe) has been at Ribfest for over 15 years
• Sgt. Oink’s Pit BBQ – Last year they won Naperville 3rd place best ribs
• Johnson’s BBQ – They have a BBQ sauce called “Thermonuclear Sauce”
• Smokin’ Joe’s Hog Wild Barbeque
• Armadillo’s Rib and Que Company
• Howling Coyote Southwest BBQ

The competition for best ribs prizes is Fierce! Last year Uncle Bubs was voted best in the Naperville Ribfest and Armadillo’s won best Sauce. I think that those plus Sweet Baby Ray’s will be the best ones to check out first because it may be impossible to try them all unless you plan on eating lunch and dinner there every day of the festival. There are other food and drink vendors there at the fest too. You can always count on Oberweis for some great ice cream and root beer floats.

If you come to Naperville Ribfest for the food, stay for the music. They have brought nationally known bands and acts to the suburbs for years and this year is no different. There are 2 stages; the Main Stage (Heart, Sarah Evans, Todd Rundgren and Huey Louis and the News) and the Brian R Schultz Rock and Roll Stage (Blue Oyster Cult, North Mississippi All Stars, WAR, Herman’s Hermits with Peter Noone) plus there is also a BP Family Area that has a lot of fun activities for the kids. The schedules for both stages are below.

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Some tips for making your trip to the Naperville Ribfest more fun:

1. If you drive be prepared to walk because parking fills up in downtown Naperville quickly and you end up parking far away. Wear comfortable shoes. Park in the 5th Avenue Metra station lot off Washington and take the shuttle to the fest.

2. Buy your tickets in advance through the Ribfest web site or pre-sale tickets locally in downtown Naperville at the Jewel Grocery Food Stores and save $2.00 per ticket. Otherwise it is $10.00 at the gate and there are usually long lines.

3. Bring the kids, your appetite and stay for the music and entertainment all evening long. Here is a Map of the events and locations of the Naperville Ribfest.

4. The Ribfest will close if when it is raining there is any Lightning. At that time the park will close and everyone will be asked to leave for safety reasons. It is very very crowded and everyone just sits on the ground with their ribs to eat. So bring handy wipes for your fingers or get them at the Sweet Baby Ray’s station.

Enjoy the Ribfest and have a great time!

In case you haven’t already heard, this year’s most eagerly anticipated concert is coming to the Chicago Theater this week. The Swell Season with Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova will be in Chicago on their national Tour following their Oscar win for the songs from the Movie Once. (song: Falling Slowly) And I have found from the first time I saw this movie (spring of 07) I have slowly fallen for this talented duo and the group Glen Hansard was originally with, The Frames and coundn’t be more excited to see them at the Chicago Theater Wednesday night. (The show review is listed at the end of this post)

Their individual stories are almost fairy tale like since they both rose from obscurity to fame after years of work and experience locally. Glen Hansard dropped out of school at 13 at the urging of his principal to go start his career since he was talented at music and uninterested in traditional subjects. He has been making music ever since and a part of The Frames for 17 years, which is a band very popular in Ireland. Marketa Irglova is the daughter of a concert promoter and grew up learning all spects of music and the business among other things. She met Glen years ago while he was on tour with the Frames in Eastern Europe. So, when Glen was approached to see if he knew an Eastern European girl that could sing and play piano he knew the perfect person.

The movie Once was originally written with a well known Irish actor in mind and when things fell through with him, (and with financing, making it a small indie film rather than big budget) they asked Glen Hansard to play the lead role since he had written the music and would be the best person to perform them. Plus parts of the movie were based on ideas he submitted from his experiences busking as a teenager in Dublin. Glen suggested Marketa for the role and she got the part and then they spent a week in the studio recording songs for the movie. The movie itself was shot for something like 100K and with 2 cameras in 2 weeks in mostly public places. The rest is history as people seeing the film fell in love with the movie, the songs and the actors. The Oscar win was the icing on the cake making the small indie film into a major success. I heard that it made 9 million dollars before it was picked up for distribution in the US, but who knows how much it has sold since then. And all these concerts are selling out across the US also.  

Glen and Marketa filmed the movie Once and then even though in the film they go their separate ways, in real life they really did start dating. Their chemistry comes across so well in their music. I have been listening to The Swell Season and The Frames concerts from NPR in All Songs Considered online and downloaded the Atlanta concert from this tour on PlayedLastNight.com. They have a relaxed conversational way of hosting a concert and as experienced performers we are curious to hear the songs from the movie and about more of their music.  They are actually surprisingly funny and Glen likes to go into stories and analogies often on stage that are pretty interesting.

Marketa was a great compliment to Glen’s voice, music and writing skills. Their sound is much lighter and softer together than Glen Hansard was with the Frames, but since The Frames are on tour with them the songs are backed up by a much richer sound than in the movie with a violin, drums and possibly additional pianos and guitars.  They do some Frames songs together also and Marketa can really rock too.

The thing about the music in The Swell Season and in the movie Once is that it seems so real. Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova’s music is simple enough to make you want to sing along even if you have never sung before and harmonized beautifully in a complex way at the same time. It is completely open, vulnerable and emotional in ways we tend to normally keep to ourselves but somehow are more comfortable exploring with their help. Personally, I identify with them when Glen says things like “when you tend towards the darkness, its important to repeat these things”.  (the lyrics in Thread the Light) I raise my hand here in the office building I work in on Michigan Avenue while I am listening on my ipod during the work day.

I am overall very excited to see this show since it sold out so fast and you had to know a yuppie hipster or Irish culture fan to even know tickets were going on sale. (I got lucky I work with hipsters) Even though I only got nosebleed seats at the top of the Chicago Theater, it will be a treat to see them live and experience the magic in person.  Tickets are all sold out, so if you really must go to this concert at any cost, you might be able to find a few on Craigslist, although I don’t advocate the reselling of tickets at high prices. If you are more modest in means, check out itunes, NPR’s all songs considered or playedlastnight.com to download and purchase the soundtrack from the Oscar winning Movie Once, The Swell Season album and The Frames albums.Or just rent the film Once from Netflix. It’s a great movie for an evening in at home. 

Picture/Photo linked from VenusZine.com and their review of the Sunday June 15 show.

Update: June 18th Show Review (written 6/19/08)

I saw this show last night and it was a dynamic and inspiring musical performance. The show started at 8 with a opener also from Ireland and he played guitar and told a few stories about living in Chicago in the late 80’s.

Then at 9 The Swell Season started. Glen Hansard opened the show by coming out with the acoustic guitar and no amp or microphones and playing acoustically to the audience and singing “Say it to me now” with no mic. It worked well and we were able to hear him way up in the balcony seats without a problem. I was a little dissapointed though that the audience was not that supportive and just politely waited to clap at the end rather than cheering throughout when he had moments of crescendo and projected to the back corners of the theater.

He then introduced Marketa and the band and went into playing the first few songs from the movie that people knew but without much introduction or explanation like I had heard in the concerts online. They played “Lies” with an amazing lighting effect where the 6 spot lights behind them on the stage projected their beams up over the musicians and together up into the theater dome on the ceiling. Then the light reflected back down on the audience in a “heavenly” way. It’s hard to describe, but the nature of the song being about telling lies and then the beam of light from above made a compelling atmosphere for the song. They used these lights again later on in the show too.

About the 4th song in, they sang “Falling Slowly” and Glen Hansard briefly told of how that one song changed everything for them. Then in the song he missed a cue somehow, spun around from the mic and then at the next point he started apologizing for that and explaining that he got into his head a bit. Somehow he has a great sense of humor without really being like a standup. Anyway, he explained that he was thinking that they should dedicate the song to a special guest they had that night. Barack Obama was there. He pointed to mid floor on the ground level of seats, but from where I was sitting you couldn’t see him. Glen made a brief comment about the song being dedicated to Barack Obama and that it would be great if he won the election and made this country great again. I think he hit the sentiment of the crowd on the head with so many people frustrated with so many things in the USA these days. It wasn’t a political statement, it was more a reflection of the feelings and mood of the people in the US right now and a hope that they can get a better life back again and weather the storm of sorts.

After that announcement the show and the audience seemed to warm up considerably. I heard from 3 people who went to the Tuesday night show that Glen talked a lot and the intros were longer than the songs. And that a boy named Ethan was called out of the crowd to sing the Hoover Fixer Sucker Guy song. (he has 29,000 views of him singing it on YouTube and has sung it with Glen Hansard before) On Wednesday though the crowd sensed some reserve in Glen and wasn’t as cheery and supportive until he loosened up after the Barack Obama in the audience announcement. Then the heckler stopped and the crowd was behind him all the way.

I also thought it was interesting that Glen and Marketa each both play guitar and piano and for some songs they switch. I did not know that before seeing this performance. Marketa has the confidence and presence on stage of someone older than her years and Glen just exudes emotions and happiness when he plays and sings. Like he says all these years he has just been playing his guitar and hoping people like him.

One review of a show last week cited that Marketa just sits by the piano and looks to Glen for direction but I never saw that. They keep in eye contact when they are playing together but that isn’t looking to him for direction. Marketa was an active participant in running the show with Glen and they share the stage and the spotlight. After each song they seemed to confer about what to play next and she would stand with hand on hip and chat for a minute with him between songs as if the set list was flexible. She also introduced her songs and the interlude played by the violinist. Anyone who thinks Marketa isn’t as involved in the show just plain wrong.

There were also about 5 songs they invited the crowd to sing along with, which I loved, since it is such singable music within the range of what I am guessing is comfortable for most people’s voices. Or maybe I am over thinking this, but I have been singing along to the swell season in my car for months now and I love it for that. I think the crowd was tentative about the audience participation portion of the program at first (and my seat neighbors may have been annoyed at my singing) but then they concluded the show with an Irish Drinking song singalong called The Auld Triangle that went over well. Glen even went as far as picking an older gentleman out of the audience to sing it along with him on stage like an old Irishman would. The guy sang along a few verses and then retreated back to safety at his seat when Glen wasn’t looking. I guess not everyone would think going up on stage would be fun (like I would) but it was a nice touch to be so open with your audience to invite them on stage with you. This song did end up getting everyone in the 3,000 seat packed house singing, I even nudged my boyfriend to sing and he did.

Overall, I thought the show was great because their voices are always so “on” and the instrumental band members are also so good at this. The violin player was very popular getting many applause when he added his instrument to songs. They can play the songs spot on like the CD and play such a depth of music beyond it because of the depth of their experience and skill. Even the songs that aren’t from the movie have the characteristics we love about the Swell Season and Glen and Marketa’s work and the audience received them warmly.

After the show ended we walked around to the side of the Chicago theater to see if the group of fans would get their wish and get to meet Glen and Marketa after the show. But after a crazy/drunk/homeless guy ranting at us for a 1/2 and hour and the information from the security guy that they didn’t come out until 2am the night before (and a lot of beer went in through that door) we decided to just go home. It was late and the L stops running at a certain time so we had to get back, but we were overall very happy with the show and I would definitely see them again in concert if they came to Chicago. If you were at the Swell Season concert, you can post your comments below also.

Update 6/20/08I just read on Time Out Chicago’s Blog that Barack Obama was not there, they checked with the Chicago Theater directly on that. How weird. Glen, what’s up with saying he was?

The Old Town Art Fair is just one of many festivals going on this weekend in Chicago. On June 14th and 15th (Saturday and Sunday) from 10 am to 6 pm you can pay $5 bucks to wander through the stations and view all the artwork and hear the local jazz and musicians play. The entrance is on to the Old Town Art Fair is at 1763 N Park Avenue but most people seem to get there by Second City at North Avenue and Wells Street because the Piper’s Alley theater has a paid parking garage. (it fills up fast and costs $25 to park for the afternoon) From there you can walk north or south to view the posh artwork.  

The Old Town Art Fair features local artist’s work from Chicago and the surrounding areas. You can find everything from fine art like paintings and watercolors to photography, sculpture and other creative arts. It is not though a craft fair. You won’t find flower arrangements or sewing projects. It is all about art in the traditional sense. They even feature some interesting emerging artists you might also see at the Around the Coyote Festival in Bucktown each year. So if you are looking for art to furnish your condo or home in Chicago or if you are just looking for an entertaining way to spend the afternoon in the Old Town neighborhood, check out the Old Town Art Fair. Expect large crowds (like in the picture) and this weekend expect it to be hot and sunny so remember the water and the sunscreen while enjoying the art fair.

The Chicago Blues Festival is the second most popular and attended event in downtown Chicago and Grant Park every year. The most popular is the Taste of Chicago. I missed Blues Fest this year due to some lack of planning and lack of time. I still think this is an important festival for chicagoans and visitors alike to attend because it helps continue communicating the language of jazz and blues music to the next generation while providing a weekend of great entertainment for everyone. Chicago has long been a center of both jazz and blues music creation and performance. There are fewer jazz and blues clubs in Chicago than in the heyday of Jazz but it is still an important part of our local culture and should be preserved and innovative at the same time. This year’s blues fest was a great success and these are some pictures that I looked up on flickr. I hope you enjoy the sights of the Chicago Blues Festival recapped here. And maybe next year I will get to actually attend the fest!

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. The Skyline behind people watching the show at the Chicago Blues Fest in June.

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The Front Portch Stage at the Chicago Blues Fest.

Well, despite some cold and soggy weather, spring is almost over in Chicagoland. It will be summer soon, the kids will be out of school, co-workers will be out of the office on vacation and your lawn will need watering again. Why not take some time to enjoy this fleeting season and go have some fun in the city for the weekend? It was a short 4 day work week and we all just want to go home and relax with a bratwurst sandwich and a beer at this point. Here are some additional suggestions and recommendations to make your weekend sing.

1. I have written a lot about Second City and IO Theater since I am a big believer in Improv as a comedy form and a Chicago pool of talented comedians. I haven’t written as much about Stand-up Comedy unless you count my raving reviews of Eddie Izzard. (He really improvs his stand-up though) There are fewer places to see Standup Shows since Improv reigns supreme here. Zanies is one of those places and hosts some famous comedians along with the local ones and is a good place to go see a funny show for tourists and locals alike. (Gilbert Gottfried was there the last time I was walking by and read the posters) And although it is sometimes met with a skeptical look when you mention Zanies  in the suburbs along with 2 drink minimums, the Chicago location on Wells St in Old Town is celebrating it’s 30 year anniversary. So, you should check out their comedy lineup and consider a different format for laughs this weekend or next. Zanies is located at 1548 N Wells Street in Chicago and you can call Zanies for tickets at 312-337-4207.

2. The Chicago Beaches are officially open  now that we are past Memorial Day.  As always be safe at the beach and don’t bring any alcohol unless you want to be arrested. Take a walk along Lake Michigan and enjoy the skyline, the sunset and the water. If you are a tourist visiting from the midwest, enjoy our lake and the views that look like the ocean, but without the salt.

3. The Grant Park Gospel Fest is the festival of the week this week in Millennium Park at the Pritzker Pavillion. The performances run from noon till dusk with a wide range of performers from all over. Admission is free and the singing is amazingly uplifting.

4. This isn’t the most original thing to do this weekend, but most audiences rate the Indiana Jones movie  at least as good as a bratwurst, and you might like it as much too. The Sex and the City Movie also opens this weekend and it has gotten some great reviews and some crap reviews. The weirdest thing I have heard about this movie is that they did not remove the microphone booms from some of the scenes. Odd, random and totally weird.

5. The Annual Avon Walk for Breast Cancer is downtown on Saturday and Sunday. This is a different walk than the Susan G Komen walk but there will still be plenty of pink walking all over Chicago this weekend. It all starts at 6am Saturday at 1410 S Museum Campus Dr. If you would still like to participate you can call (888)540-9255 ext. 4 or go to avonwalk.org for more information on how to donate or walk this weekend.

6. And it is not totally a weekend event but I also recommend taking part in the Critical Mass bike ride on Friday May 30th. This is a fun bike ride with hundreds of other people in downtown Chicago. It is an official organized event, but many people still use it to support free speech and political causes (like being anti-war). It is a grass roots type event that is officially approved to ride through the city with some police escorts on bikes. I think it is fun to ride, although it is several miles and probably not for the less experienced rider or tourist. If you are looking for a fun crowd to ride with once a month visit chicagocriticalmass.org for more information or show up at Daley Plaza at 5pm when the event starts on Friday.

Have a great weekend!!  

Chicago Festival season has begun this year and I wanted to post a comprehensive list of all the major Chicagoland festivals and block parties and neighborhood events that I found. If there are summer events not listed here post a comment to add yours to the list. I hope this helps you plan your summer calendar and find a lot of fun things to do in Chicago while the weather is warm.

May Spring Festivals and Events in Chicago

May 14: Chicago Fair Trade Day Festival

May 14: Green City Market opens

May 14-16: Black Thai International Arts and Crafts Fest

May 16-18: Chicago Mayfest

May 23-25: Summer Camp 2008 (suburbs)

May 23-26: Gaelic Park Irish Festival (suburbs)

May 24: Memorial Day Parade

May 24-25: Randolph Street Market Festival

May 25: Bike the Drive

May 26: Memorial Day Festival

May 26: WOOGMS 45th Annual Memorial Day Parade

May 28-31: Chicago Turkish Festival

May 29-June 1: Mayfest in Lincoln Square

May 30-June 1: Chicago Gospel Music Festival

May 31-June 1: Belmont/Sheffield Music Festival

May 31-June 1: Do-Division Street Fest and Sidewalk Sale

May 31: Chi-Town Kruze and Car Show

JUNE Summer Festivals and Events in Chicago

Through June 1: Belmont/Sheffield Music Festival

Through June 1: Gospel Music Festival

June 2-8 Chicago Improv Comedy Festival

June 5-6: Lake View Music Fest

June 5-8: Chicago Blues Festival

June 6-8: Jeff Fest (named after some dude named Jeff)

June 7: Chalk Festival

June 7-8: 57th Street Art Fair

June 7-8: Community Art Fair

June 7-8: Fiesta Back of the Yards

June 7-8: Printers Row Book Festival

June 7-8: Ribfest Chicago

June 10-15: Fiesta Puertorriquenas

June 11-Aug. 16: Grant Park Music Festival

June 12-13: Festa Pasta Vino

June 12-Aug. 24: Chicago SummerDance Festival

June 13-15: St. Michael’s Celebration

June 14: Puerto Rican Parade

June 14-15: Andersonville Midsommarfest

June 14-15: Artists of the Wall Festival

June 14-15: Old Town Art Fair (North Avenue and Wells)

June 14-15: Wells Street Art Festival

June 14: Wrigleyville SummerFest

June 16: Halsted Tastes Better

June 16-20: Thailand Festival

June 19: Southside Neighborhood Gospel Fest

June 20-22: Close 2 Smooth Jazz Festival

June 20-21: Scottish Festival and Highland Games (suburbs)

June 20-22: St. Josaphat Summerfest

June 20-22: Taste of Greece on LaSalle Street

June 20-22: Taste of Randolph Street

June 21-22: Chicago Summerfest in Lincoln Park

June 21-22: Custer’s Last Stand Festival of the Arts (suburbs)

June 21-22: Pizza Fest

June 22: River North SummerFest

June 24-25: Randolph Street Market Festival

June 25-28: Chicago Arabesque

June 27-29: Peace Fest

June 27-July 6: Taste of Chicago

June 28: Back Lot Bash

June 28: Chicago Pride Fest

June 28-29: BAM! Belmont Arts and Music Fest

June 29: Gay and Lesbian Pride Parade (GBLT)

June 29: Girl Blast

JULY Summer Festivals and Events in Chicago

Through July 6: Taste of Chicago

July 3-6: African-Caribbean International Festival of Life

July 3-6: Naperville Ribfest (suburbs)

July 5-6: Lake View Music Fest

July 10: Bastille Day 5K Run, Walk and Block Party

July 11-12: BenFest

July 11-13: Chicago Tribune Magnificent Mile Art Festival

July 11-13: Irish American Heritage Festival

July 12-13: DuSable Arts and Crafts Festival

July 12-13: Chicago Folk and Roots Festival

July 12-13: Kwanzaa Summer Festival

July 12-13: Rock Around the Block

July 12-13: St. Andrew’s Greek Festival

July 15-Aug. 26: Chicago Outdoor Film Festival in Grant Park

July 18-19: Old St. Pat’s World’s Largest Block Party

July 18-20: Pitchfork Music Festival

July 19: Silver Room’s Sound System Block Party

July 19-20: Ethnic Arts Festival (suburbs)

July 19-20: Sheffield Garden Walk and Festival

July 19-20: Summer on Southport

July 20: Chinatown Summer Fair

July 20: Dearborn Garden Walk and Heritage Festival

July 25-27: Pierogi Fest (in Indiana)

July 26: Ghana Fest

July 26: Venetian Night

July 27: An Arts Adventure

July 26-27: Randolph Street Market Festival

July 26-27: Taste of Lincoln Avenue

July 26-27: Wicker Park Fest

AUGUST Summer Festivals and Events in Chicago

August 1-3: Lollapalooza

August 2: Uptown Summer Unity Festival

August 2-3: Retro on Roscoe

August 3: Belize Day in the Park

August 8-10: Caribbean Festival

August 8-10: Gold Coast Art Fair

August 8-17: Illinois State Fair (rural)

August 9-10: Korean Street Festival

August 9-10: Market Days

August 9-10: West Fest

August 15: Croatian Fest

August 15-17: East Meets West Fest

August 15-17: North Side Summerfest

August 15-17: St. Demetrios Greek Festival

August 16: Barrio Art Fest

August 16: Carifete

August 16-17: Chicago Air & Water Show

August 22-24: Glenwood Avenue Arts Fest

August 23: Chicago Reggae Festival

August 23-24: Bucktown Arts Fest

August 23-24: Taste of Greece

August 23-24: Viva! Chicago Latin Music Festival

August 24: Festa di Tutti i Santi

August 28-31: Chicago Jazz Festival

August 29-Sept. 1: African Festival of the Arts

August 29-Sept. 1: The Last Fling (suburbs)

August 29-Sept. 1: Taste of Polonia

August 30-31: Bash on Wabash

August 30-31: Randolph Street Market Festival

SEPTEMBER Fall Festivals and Events in Chicago

Through Sept. 1: The Last Fling (suburbs)

Through Sept. 1: Taste of Polonia

September 5-6: Windy City Wine Festival

September 5-7: German-American Festival

September 6: Guinness Oyster Fest

September 6: Von Steuben Parade

September 6-7: Ukrainian Village Fest

September 11-14: Festival de la Villita

September 13: The Wine Crush in Old Town

September 13-14: Celtic Fest Chicago

September 13-14: Lincoln Park Art Faire

September 13-14: Renegade Craft Fair

September 21-22: Hideout Block Party

September 26-28: Eighth Annual Oktoberfest

Every year Lollapalooza is the concert event of the summer in Chicago. It looks to me like it draws more people to Grant Part than even the Taste of Chicago does in 3 days. Everyone who is a fan of the Lollapalooza concert series and festival has been waiting for the lineup to be announced and I just got the email announcing it today. These are the performers and bands lined up to play this summer’s Lollapalooza 2008: (in the longest run-on sentence ever)

Radiohead, Rage Against the Machine, Nine Inch Nails, Kanye West (so much for no repeats), Wilco, The Raconteurs, Love and Rockets, Gnarles Barkley, Bloc Party, The Black Keys, Broken Social Scene, Flogging Molly, Mark Ronson, Cat Power, Lupe Fiasco, The National, G. Love and Special Sauce, Sharon Jones and The Dap- Kings, Explosion in the Sky, Brand New, Gogol Bordella, Stephen Malkmus and The Jicks, Dierks Bentley, Okkervil River, Amadou and Mariam, Blues Traveler, John Butler Trio, Girl Talk, CSS, Battles, Jamie Lidell, Butch Walker, Mates of State, Spank Rock, Brazilian Girls, Chromeo, Duffy, The Kills, Rouge Wave, The Go! Team, Mason Jennings, The Gutter Twins, Yeasayer, Grizzly Bear, MGMT, The Weakerthans, Booka Shade, Santogold, Black Kids, Black Lips, Louis XIV, Dr. Dog, Nicole Atkins and The Sea, The Ting Tings, Kid Sister, Office, The Cool Kids, What Made Milwaukee Famous, Does it Offend You Yea?, The Whigs, Manchester Orchestra, Foals, Uffie, The Octopus Project, Cadence Weapon, Ferras, De Novo Dahl, Noah and The Whale, Margot and The Nuclear So n So’s, K’NAAN, Serena Ryder, Newton Faulkner, Your Vegas, Eli “Paperboy” Reed and The True Loves, Steel Train, Bang Camaro, The Blakes, Tally Hall, White Lies, Magic Wands, Electric Touch, Interpartysystem, The Postelles, The Parlor Mob, DJ Bald Eagle, Krista, Ha Ha Tonka, Witchcraft, We Go To 11 and Sofia Talvik.

Click the schedule at left to open the image in a new window and view the bands at each stage all day for the concerts.

Ok, how many of those names did they just make up and how many are real bands? I must be getting old because not only have I not heard of 90% of them, I am not sure why they chose most of those names or if they are real. But then again I have heard that you should go to Lollapalooza just to discover a bunch of new talent and songs you haven’t heard of yet but are totally good. So, maybe you aren’t supposed to know them yet.

Anyway, for what it is worth, that is the list, check out Lollaplooza.com to read bios on all the artists and bands as well as see the lineup video, download the lineup poster and to buy tickets for this huge 3-day music event in Chicago this summer.

Lollapalooza 2008, here we come! I just got the email announcement that 3 day passes are available in advance at a discount now on the Lollapalooza site. Plan ahead to come to Chicago for Lollapalooza August 1-3, 2008 and get your 3 day pass now for only $175 bucks. When these first ones get sold out it goes up to $190 for a 3 day concert pass and when those sell out it goes up to $205 per 3 day pass. So, get the tickets now, while they are hot!

If you go to lollapalooza.com you can buy tickets online through their site at the discounted early bird rate. These tickets are not available online anywhere else right now, not even ticketmaster has them. I know that the Lollapalooza concert festival in Grant Park was the highlight of the summer last year in Chicago and I expect it to be the same case in this summer too. (Kanye West and Daft Punk anyone?) Everyone should go once in their life just to experience it. And it looks like summer concert season planning starts now. The full Lollapalooza lineup schedule will be announced on April 7th.

Looptopia is a Chicago festival that celebrates the Loop area (inside the L tracks loop) downtown. Looptopia is a night time festival with arts performances, exhibitions, music, food comedy and many other cool entertainment to take in that evening. It is meant to help celebrate the rebirth and renewal of the Loop area of Chicago in 2008 since many businesses have returned to the area recently and many condo and apartment buildings have returned to the area making living and playing in the Loop possible again after about 20 years of neglect, crime and poverty.  Looptopia usually starts at dusk and goes until dawn. They schedule performances and exhibitions and music events all night long and they are all free to attend and see.

I attended the event last year (see picture above from 2007) and took some photos but it was very crowded with a lot of teenagers and college kids and it was very difficult to walk around and get anywhere. It was even more impossible to see any of the exhibits, shows or theater that they had put together for the event because of the immense crowds that were much larger than the spaces that they had available. I tried to go to the Chicago Cultural Center to see TJ and Dave perform their amazing Improv show and I couldn’t even walk up the stairs because of the packed people standing there not being able to get through. So, after pushing my way around in the crowds for a while, I just left. I walked around the block and saw hundreds of kids blocking intersections and loitering around everywhere. There were some cops but not many. Everyone was orderly but it was difficult because people came to see the events and no one could find them (no map with schedule on it) and no one could actually get anywhere. Many people resorted to walking in the street to get home or to the bus or train they needed, and just gave up frustrated.

The Looptopia web site says the following summary about the festival: 15 Hours; 100 Venues, 300+ Artists, 200,000 attendees = Looptopia May 2, 2008.  What they left out is massive crowds and no parking.

I hope this year they provide better maps and schedules and allow for more people to access the events. It was difficult to enjoy the Loop last year during Looptopia under those circumstances. I think Chicago has a lot to offer in the arts and this should be a great festival to showcase that. They just need some better resource planning and organization to manage it. And some older viewers might help too, but all night parties don’t really always appeal to over 40 people. Check back in a few weeks and I will try and post more about this year’s 2008 lineup of performances and schedule.

The official PDF looptopia map can be downloaded here and the full event and performer schedule is available on looptopia.com. If you go, plan out your evening first since wandering into random events won’t be possible. They will have too many people there and no space to get around. It will take a lot of work to actually get to what you want to see and plan on getting there early.

World famous UK standup comedian and actor Eddie Izzard is coming to do shows in Chicago for the first time since 2003. Eddie is playing 3 shows in May (15, 16, 17) at the 3,000 seat Chicago Theater on State & Lake Street in the loop.  These 3 shows will all sell out fast. Expect about an hour and a half of whip-smart comedy if you get tickets. I got tickets this morning for the Thursday and Friday shows. (Yes, I am going twice, why not?)

This is HUGE news! Eddie Izzard is one of the funniest comedians ever and I have flown to LA twice to see him perform his standup show live. (it helps to have business in LA) It is much more amazing to to see his shows in person rather than just on DVD, and they have never disappointed me.

Some people say he is great because of his Monty-Python-British-UK-Surrealist humor, others say it is because he has a unique take on the world as a transvestite, I just think he knows “funny” better than anyone and is an amazing improviser and storyteller. I recommend getting to Ticketmaster now to buy tickets. (The secret ticketmaster code for buying advance tickets before 3/16/08 via the fan club is: 1strip or 2strip see the cake or death web site if they don’t work, they change from time to time)  You can get access to the pre-sale via signing up for email alerts from Eddie Izzard at his website eddieizzard.com. If you don’t get tickets before they sell out expect them to be for sale via scalpers on Ebay and Stubhub and maybe Craigslist.

This should be a fantastically funny and intelligent show. Eddie Izzard does great thinking-comedy which is rare in the rude-crude-gross comedy climate we have today. I can’t recommend this show enough, I would give it a million star rating if possible.

Recently Eddie has been doing warm-up shows getting the content set for this tour in NYC and the people who have been blogging about them have said that he is way funnier in this show than he was in Sexie in 2003. So, go Eddie for getting your game on. Recently you may have seen Eddie Izzard in his breakout performance on the FX show The Riches. Maintaining standup comedy material at the same time as drama is really difficult, so I give him extra props for that.

If you need a refresher on why Eddie Izzard is the most brilliant stand-up comedian, visit YouTube and search on “Eddie Izzard” and view the videos of his DVDs there or go to Amazon.com to purchase them or Netflix to rent them. The names of the DVDs are: Unrepeatable, Definite Article, Glorious, Dress to Kill and Circle. (there actually are 2 others (Live from the Ambassadors and Sexie) but they aren’t available, nor as funny) 

Anyway, it will be a great show, not to miss!!

It will be cold this weekend in Chicago, hovering between 10 and 25 degrees, but there is plenty happening indoors to keep warm at.

1. BonJovi is playing concert shows Saturday, Sunday and Monday at the United Centerin Chicago. Shows start at 7pm. Tickets are still available to most shows although don’t expect front row seats last minute. You can catch BonJovi tickets via ticketmaster or ebay or stubhub online now. This is a must see for children of the 80’s. Tickets range from $50 to $500 depending on the seats.

2. The hottest teen group right now The Jonas Brothers are playing a concert at AllState Arena in Chicago on Friday Night. Some tickets are surprisingly still available on Ticketmaster now. I would check them out fast because the Jonas Brothers are so popular right now they could sell out. Tickets range from $25 – $100 depending on the seats.

3. The International Kennel Club Cluster of Dog Shows moves into McCormick Place West in Chicago since the Auto Show is over. Come see some pretty primped pooches and many fine breeds of dogs. Tickets are $10 – $16 per person at the door and the show is open from 8am to 4 pm Friday, Saturday and Sunday. See more info at ikcdogshow.com 

4. The Oscars are on Sunday night!! Some of us wait for this glittering event all year long! If you want to view the Oscars with some fancy company you can attend the Oscar Night America Gala at the Gene Siskel Film center on State Street in the Loop for $150-$250. For tickets call  312-846-2072 All proceeds go to the Gene Siskel film center.

5. Wingfest is always a non-glitzy way to slather yourself in hot sauce and avoid the Oscars.  You can either go eat a lot of wings competitively or for fun. Expect your mouth to be on fire either way. For tickets and info call 312-664-6656 ext 124. I can smell the buffalo hot wings from here. Or see wingfest.net for the full list of restaurants participating in the fest.

And stay warm this cold weekend in Chicago!!

Every February despite the cold weather, Chicago’s Chinatown comes alive with decorations, lions and lots of food in celebration of the Chinese New Year. This year it falls on Thursday February 7, 2008. Last year in 2007 was the year of the Pig and in 2008 it is the year of the Rat. Each Zodiac animal has different characteristics that lend a different mood and personality to the year and the celebrations. The year of the rat is known for wealth and prosperity as well as particular luck.

People born in the year of the rat are said to be smart, crafty, good with other people, social, empathetic, a little shrewd sometimes, hard working, ambitious, very entertaining and into parties. You are a rat if you were born in these years: 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984 and 1996. Some famous people who were born in the Year Of The Rat include Prince Charles, ice skater Sasha Cohen, and Scarlett Johansson.

The number 7 is also considered lucky in western cultures (via gambling) and the number 8 (in 2008) is lucky in Chinese culture. (and is also coincidentally the main number of the date and year of the China hosted Beijing Olympics 8-8-08, triple lucky) It is also said that if you get married in 2008 you will have good financial situations and if you buy real estate you will have good returns on your investment. The lowering of real estate prices nation wide will also make property purchases attractive to Chinese people with cash on hand looking to make a good return investment. 

January 26, 2009 will start the year of the Ox (or Buffalo) which is also very important to Chinese Americans and anyone who follows the Asian Zodiac as well.

Chinatown in Chicago traditionally has a parade and festival during the Spring New Year Festival and on the Chinese New Year itself. Be sure to stop by to see dragons dance in the streets under the pagoda arch, the lantern festival and try some moon cakes. The parade will be on February 10th at 1pm on 2400 South Wentworth Ave in Chicago. It usually goes down the main street of Chinatown if you don’t have a map to Wentworth Ave specifically. Or just follow the crowds. featuring a 100-foot-long dragon float and the traditional Chinese Lion dance. The parade starts at Wentworth Avenue and 24th Street, then heads north on Wentworth to Cermak Road.

If you don’t believe in the Asian Zodiac or won’t be able to make it to Chinatown this Chinese New Year there is  a great dance and musical show you can enjoy at the Arie Crown theater that is very popular and well received. Plus there are 15 days of the Spring New Year festival to celebrate beyond just the New Year date Feb 7th itself. For more info about the Chinese New Year Spectacular Show:

Show website: chicagosoh.net
Online Purchase: ticket.ntdtv.com or at ticketmaster.com
Show theater: Arie Crown Theater
Information hotline: 312-225-5120
Ticket price range: $28 – $128
Show schedules: 2008-01-25 20:00, 2008-01-26 14:00, 2008-01-26 19:00
Performance Group: Divine Performing Arts on Tour from China

And Happy Chinese New Year!!

The Chicago Sketchfest Comedy Festival is awesome. I just went to see a double feature show last night and saw Space Future and Chronic Optimism. They are both local Chicago groups that perform at IO and Second City and Annoyance theaters. I haven’t been blogging as much latley due to work constraints so I didn’t post this earlier, but this weekend is the last weekend of the comedy festival. It’s not too late to call the box office (and avoid the $5 buck per ticket surcharge from Ticketmaster) and get tickets for Friday night, Saturday night and Sunday night shows. Call 773-327-5252 for tickets or go to the Theater Building on Belmont in Chicago to buy tickets at the box office directly. It’s always a funny show even if you haven’t heard of the group before. There are a lot of tallented improvisers and comedy performers here in Chicago that have a lot great work to offer. Go see some great comedy this weekend.

New Year’s Eve 2008 in Chicago will be a huge event. We have a lot of holidays around religious beliefs and history but New Year’s Eve is just about fun and nothing else. You can go to any one of a number of NYE parties happening around Chicago and have a great time. Many of these parties have been going for years and have a great lineup of live bands, singers, champaigne toasts and balloons at midnight as well as drink specials all night long.  If you can find a baby sitter and get out, enjoy the night and the celebrations around Chicago. It’s the one night that you can stay up until dawn and not care about the hangover and after effects the next day. It’s also a day to celebrate the year in review and look forward at new and great opportunities. After the ball drop you can take a minute to ponder where you want to be next year and see if you can make it happen in 2008.

Weather Note: It is usually freezing on NYE every year. So, if you are a girl going to a party that you don’t want to have a coat or a purse because it might get stolen, try a black cardigan sweater or blazer over the sparkly top. It looks accomplished and professional but still sparkly. And has pockets for ID, Keys, Lipstick and Credit Cards. 

Here are the 3 biggest parties happening in Chicago on New Years Eve in 2008.

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Navy Pier Grand Ballroom - The Kiss 1035.5 Radio Station has a huge bash in the ballroom of Navy Pier this year. They get great current bands to play and the whole place is a huge concert. It also has a great view of the skyline of Chicago from outside on the pier, and Fireworks out there at Midnight. (but I wouldn’t stay out there more than a few minutes in the 10 degree weather) It is always packed so if you are looking to meet girls and guys on this party day, this would be a great place to go. Thousands of people (singles and attached) go every year and make this a well known hot spot. There is a Navy Pier Parking Garage attached to the complex so you can even drive in from the suburbs and park close by and not walk outside in the cold. Expect parking to be around $25.00 though it’s not cheap when it’s in demand. Tickets are $150.00but they include open bar, appetizers and of course the live concert from the Lollapalooza favorite band The Shock Stars.  Tickets are available at Ticketmaster or TrystNightLife.com which sells them through going.com. Navy Pier is located at 600 East Grand Avenue, Chicago, IL  60611.

At the House of Blues in Chicago Radio Station, 93 XRT is also hosting a New Year’s Eve bash with CBS and Collective Soul. This isn’t as huge as the Navy Pier Party but also guarantees a great night of entertainment and partying. This event is 21 and over event and remember the house of blues is a general admission standing room only venue. So wear comfortable shoes.  The tickets are $145.00(without fireworks like Navy Pier) and if you are looking for a dinner package with the restaurant, call 312.923.2000 for more information. The live band starts at 9pm. I would guess that this ticket price includes an open bar, but the site didn’t really specify. Tickets are only available at Ticketmaster. House of Blues is located at 329 N Dearborn St, Chicago, IL  60610.

Excalibur’s New Year’s Eve Bash is always a huge clubbing party. It’s been happening for years and you can party on all the different levels in the turn of the century limestone castle building that has a weird goth vibe if you ask me. They say they have 25 bars and 100 bartenders to serve you and are open from 5pm to 7 am. There are 3 levels of tickets here. $125 Platinum Reservedtickets with guaranteed admission before midnight and premium open bar from 8p to midnight. It also includes a supreme dinner buffet from 8pm-11pm, access to vip rooms and the entire building. A $75 Gold Reserved ticket which gets you guaranteed admission before 11pm, a Deluxe Dinner Buffet 7p-9:30p and an Open Bar from 7pm-11pm. There is also a budget special $50 General Reserved ticketwith guaranteed admission before 9pm and a Cash bar if you’re not a big drinker. It is important to note that there are no returns and no re-entry if you leave the party. It is also a 21+ only event. Excalibur is located at 632 N Dearborn Chicago, IL.  

What’s going on in Chicago this weekend?

It’s fall now, the leaves have mostly fallen and we are picking through the last of the Halloween candy and thinking about Thanksgiving and Christmas. (started you shopping yet?) But there are still a lot of things going on in Chicago during this holiday intermission. There are always new movies released every Friday and this week there look like a few I would actually go see. On Sunday we have some free cultural events at Millennium Park and some Musical Improv Theater. Saturday is open with artistic and theater possibilities.  Check out all the listings below and plan your weekend today:

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Friday November 2

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Friday night is Movie Night! These new movies open this Friday in Chicago:

American Gangster - this highly anticipated Oscar buzzy film is very popular before it’s opening. The buzz for this movie started back in July. The American public is always interested in gangster life drama that balances the wrongs they do in society with the strong family bonds and entrepreneurial spirit that they use to make a living in hard places. This movie promises a lot of drama and surprises.

Martian Child - John Cusack is finally starting to look like his sister. I never saw the resemblance before. In this movie he is a guy that adopts a boy. Why not in this world? If dads can get full custody they should be able to adopt too. Maybe it’s not a manhood movie in the sense of blowing things up but its still a manly characteristic to be a good father.

Bee Movie - Jerry Seinfeld’s animated “B” movie featuring a Bee has been getting hype for about a year now. How a film takes 3 years to develop and involves so many people that even Eddie Izzard is in the trailer I don’t know. It was a random unfocused project, we will see if it is a random unfocused movie or if it will be memorable and get Jerry out of the Seinfeld rut that so many long running sitcom people have after the shows end.

Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead - Ethan Hawke and Phillip Seymour Hoffman (playing brothers) are in this movie and they say there are Oscar nominations waiting in the wings. Yet there has been little or no advertising support for this. So maybe it is good? Or not? Or just doesn’t have a marketing budget? Seriously, if we didn’t bring you the rundown, where would you find out about these un-promoted movies?

Darfur Now - Don Cheadle has made a documentary about the places in Africa in Darfur that he learned about while making Hotel Rwanda. It seems that a few celebrities really take the time to go learn about a humanitarian crisis and do something to try and help. He seems like one genuinely dedicated to promoting this problem but aside from another military invasion we can’t support I am not sure what any of us are supposed to do in this situation.

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Saturday November 3

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DANCE Chicago is now playing at the Athenaeum Theater on Lincoln and Southport in Lakeview/Lincoln Park. Check out all kinds of dance styles and performances all month long from the traditional to the modern and avant garde. Tickets are very affordable at $10, $20 and $30 dollars depending on the show and the seat. The tickets can be purchased from dancechicago.com or ticketmaster.

Dane Cook - Standup Comedian extrordinaire is playing the very large house of United Center Saturday night. Last minute tickets might be found at ticketmaster or by checking ebay or stubhub or craigslist. They orginally listed at $30-$100 bucks, now being last minute expect to pay double. Go rock out the su-phi finger thing with all the other college and 20 somethings. He is funny, but it’s getting a bit overplayed. Please Dane, some more new material…we like A:46 but we need some new stuff to chew on.

Drink for Hunger - Charity bar club event at Aliveone. Open Bar 8-11 pm and music all night long. Located at 2683 N. Halsted Street Chicago, IL 60614-2301 call 773-348-9800 for more info and tickets.

SOFA Chicago - The 14th annual International Exposition Sculpture Objects and Functional Artfeatures three-dimensional fine art in glass, ceramics, wood, metal and fiber, from 100 galleries in 18 countries, including dealers from England, Scandinavia, the Czech Republic, Argentina, the U.S. and others. Also includes a lecture series on art-related topics. All artwork is for sale. Located in the pier’s festival hall. I have yet to see this but it is supposed to be really spectacular. The creativity here influences the consumer products we buy and use years down the road. Get hip to the emerging trends here first. Open at Navy Pier Friday Saturday and Sunday this weekend only. Tickets $15 bucks at the door. Call 800-563-7632 for more information.

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Sunday November 4

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Second City Danny’s Skybox Theater – The Second City Musical Improv House Ensemble puts on one heck of a show. Not only are they all skilled improvisers, they are also great singers and end up improvising a lot of very funny songs. Check out this week’s Sunday show at 8pm. Tickets are $10 dollars at the door.

Arctic: Soundscape Millennium Park- As part of the Chicago Humanities Festival 2007 “The Climate of Concern,” this  outdoor audio/video installation will have you revisioning the outdoor Pavilion as a giant iceberg. A collaboration between composer Max Eastley and video artist David Buckland, Arctic combines chilling video footage with sounds recorded on the Arctic island of Spitsbergen, (part of the Cape Farewell Project), reassembled into a haunting hour-long sound and video spectacular. Max Eastley’s Arctic will be played over the speakers of the Park’s Jay Pritzker Pavilion and the Great Lawn from 9am – 10pm. It’s a Free event!

Dance Chicago is a wonderful festival that runs all through November with several different programs that feature local Chicago Dance Troupes performing different styles of dance. Every dance troupe taking part in the festival is top notch and puts on a spectacular show. Even if you don’t know much about dance, you should go and see some performances. They will open your mind to what dancing can be. It’s not all stiff ballet. They have every style imagineable from tap, to jazz to modern, to tango, to Irish dance, to ballroom (ala Dancing with the Stars) to Latin to all kinds of free form interesting work. I have attended Dance Chicago every year for the past 5 years and I love seeing what creative, innovative, new movement these troupes will create with music and usually a story too. Every dance tells a story, even if they don’t say it does, let your mind wander and interpret one. You will enjoy watching dance performances more. I always look into the dance as a story with characters and a plot. They don’t have to talk at all for there to be a dialouge going on. It’s so amazing you go home wanting to dance yourself.

The festival is run by John Schmidt and he always has brought together amazing and different styles of dance to create these amazing shows. His partner in running the shows passed away within the past few years and I am glad to see that the show still goes on. It’s a memory and tribute to him and I am sure he would have wanted it to continue. John also runs a space in the St. Alphonsus church school on the 3 rd floor where he rents out the classrooms to dancers and arts performers of all kinds that need affordable rental space to practice. I have rented those rooms at times, and I have really appreciated that they were available. It’s a simple space but it is crucial to the arts community’s survival that it is available.

This year’s program is divided into 13 different “programs” which are all different shows with different groups performing their best dances. So there is a lot to see and a lot to choose from. Here is a rundown of the different programs in a list and summary and dates that you can get tickets for Dance Chicago this year.  (from the dancechicago site) Tiekcts are available at the Athenaeum Box office or through Ticketmaster. Or to have them send out a brochure booklet of all the listings call 773/935-6860.

Opening Weekend – Fri, Nov. 2, 2007, 6:30 pm
Fri, Nov. 2, 2007, 8:00 pm
Sat, Nov. 3, 2007, 8:00 pm
Sun, Nov. 4, 2007, 3:00 pm
Tickets: $25 A high-octane, foot-to-the-floor Opening Weekend with River North Chicago Dance Company, Deeply Rooted Productions, Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago, Istanbul Dance Theatre, Joffrey dancers and more. See ballet, tap, Irish, jazz, hip hop, contemporary and live music.
 

Dance for Kids too! - Sat, Nov. 3, 2007, 2:00 pm
Sat, Nov. 10, 2007, 2:00 pm
Sat, Nov. 17, 2007, 2:00 pm
Tickets: $15 adults and $5 children under 12
Dances for kids, yes, but also for the entire family. All dance forms are represented. Dances are short, fun and accessible. If your kid wants to dance, this is a must see. It’s a Dance Chicago tradition: The ROPE WARRIOR does moves with jump ropes you never thought possible.

Extended Views – Wed, Nov. 7, 2007, 7:30 pm Contemporary
Wed, Nov. 14, 2007, 7:30 pm Hip Hop
Tickets: $20  Ever wanted to see several dances of that special artist all on the same program? Well, we’ve got the answer. For years these award winning Chicago choreographers have been creating dances you love. Now they put it all together on one magical EXTENDED VIEW. Curated by the artists. This show is more intended for people who have a knowledge of the dancers and their work already. If you’re new to Dance Chicago an opening or closing night might be a better cross section and sample of dances to enjoy.

New Moves (always one of my favorites) – Thu, Nov. 8, 2007, 7:30 pm
Fri, Nov. 9, 2007, 8:00 pm
Thu, Nov. 15, 2007, 7:30 pm
Tickets: $20   See Chicago’s newest, hottest choreographers and the city’s best dancers. Together they create all-new dances – and each night is different. See the best dances before anyone else.

International Rhythms – Sat, Nov. 10, 2007, 8:00 pm
Sun, Nov. 11, 2007, 3:00 pm
Tickets: $25  In this new program, live music weaves together works and sounds from world cultures into a single, seamless collaboration. INTERNATIONAL GUESTS and Chicago’s rich ethnic companies show you Latin, Spanish, African, Russian ballet, Turkish, Indian, contemporary fusion and surprises galore.

Dance Slam – Tue, Nov. 13, 2007, 7:30 pm
Tue, Nov. 20, 2007, 7:30 pm
Tue, Nov. 27, 2007, 7:30 pm
Tickets: $10  Interactive dance competitions, with a non-stop beat! This is a fast race – each work is five minutes or less, and you vote for the winners. Every night is different. This show is the most affordable to try if cost is a concern. It is still packed with lots of excitement and great dancing though.

Dance Slam Part Two – Wed, Nov. 28, 2007, 7:30 pm
Tickets: $15 Your favorites from each night of Part One return to the race track, and our panel of experts picks the winner. Someone has to be the overall winner. Come back again to vote!

Dance Chicago All Stars – Fri, Nov. 16, 2007, 8:00 pm
Sun, Nov. 18, 2007, 3:00 pm
Tickets: $25  We’ve taken the best of the Dance Chicago repertory and created our own dance company that now tours the world. See the show before it takes off on its global journey. This is a good place to start if you have never seen Dance Chicago before. It’s a sample of a lot of different dances.

Best Moves: Sat, Nov. 17, 2007, 8:00 pm
Fri, Nov. 30, 2007, 8:00 pm
Tickets: $25  See the victory lap as the best new acts from New Moves and other programs earn a place in our hearts and in to future festivals.

Holiday Kids Show – Sat, Nov. 24, 2007, 2:00 pm
Sat, Dec. 1, 2007, 2:00 pm
Tickets: $15 adults, $5 children under 12  The most popular holiday dance program in Chicago! Created for all ages. You’ll see Nutcracker excerpts, magical stories and seasonal delights. And, yes, the Rope Warrior is in this program as well. Get the kids out to get inspired to start dancing.

Jazz Fusion – Fri, Nov. 23, 2007, 8:00 pm
Sat, Nov. 24, 2007, 8:00 pm, Sun, Nov. 25, 2007, 3:00 pm
Tickets: $20  Sleek, hot and daring. Year after year, this is a gold standard of urban beat. You’ll see jazz, steppin’, tap, hip-hop, Latin and contemporary fusion. Chicago’s jazz is world renowned and this showcases the mind-boggling artistry and precision of the city’s best interpreters of that sound.

Anything Goes the Barzel Entertainment Awards Show – Thu, Nov. 29, 2007, 7:30 pm
Tickets: $20  Part dance, part comedy, part cabaret, all of it entertaining – just the way Ann liked it. The winner takes home a $1000 prize. Prepare to be entertained…big time. This is new this year, and I am going to go see it and find out what this new show is all about. And how comedy fits in with Dance.

Grand Finale – Sat, Dec. 1, 2007, 8:00 pm
Sun, Dec. 2, 2007, 3:00 pm
Sun, Dec. 2, 2007, 7:00 pm
Tickets: $25  Speeding to the finish line, here is the last performance of our season! The best works of the finest companies showcase ballet, tap, jazz, Irish, hip-hop, contemporary and live music in a grand sendoff. If you don’t see any other shows, go see this one. Its the best of the fest and the last weekend in the festival.

I also have to mention that if you can’t atted this year’s Dance Chicago festival and still love and support the arts through yearly charitable contributions, please consider adding them to your list. I don’t know of a more deserving organization that brings such amazement to audiences through the arts. If you would like to send a contribution to Dance Chicago please send it to them at: Dance Chicago, Emergence Productions, 5851 N. Kenmore, 3F, Chicago, IL 60660

And enjoy the show!

I went to go see a preview performance for Jersey Boys at the LaSalle Bank Theater at 18 W Monroe Street in Chicago, IL. The Jersey Boys 2006 Tony Award winning best Musical show runs there through next April of 2008. Tickets range from $37.50 for balcony seats to $147.50 per seat for the front row. They are available to purchase online through BroadwayInChicago and Ticketmaster as well as by calling the LaSalle Bank Theater’s Box Office at 312-977-1700. The official Jersey Boys show opening was on 10/5/07 and they have the Musical scheduled until 4/30/08. This is a must see for baby boomers and people who remember the music of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. JERSEY BOYS the musical features their hit songs “Sherry”, “Big Girls Don’t Cry”, “Rag Doll”, “Oh What a Night”, “Let’s Hang On” and “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You”. And I personally think that because they have updated the harmonies, background instrumentation and have clearer recordings, the official Jersey Boys soundtrack album is better than some of the old original recordings. I downloaded them to listen and they were not nearly as dynamic, crisp and clear as what you hear in the theater. You react the same way in the theater like these were the old recordings, but they’re better. But then again that is what 30 years of technology development can do.

The story follows Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons as they get together through various connections back in New Jersey and then become a huge national hit singing group through their first single “Sherry”. Then they take a wild roller coaster ride in the music business through tours, TV shows, performances and the behind the scenes drama of living life on the road and being away from your family. They also chronicle the lives of all 4 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame members, the Four Seasons group members: Frankie Valli, Bob Gaudio, Tommy DeVito and Nick Massi. they all started out as average American blue collar working class kids in New Jersey and then became a national sensation selling over 175 Million records worldwide and trying to keep the career moving and balance life in the fast lane at the same time. There were good times and bad times, but all in all many people would say they lived the American Dream.

I was blown away by the performances and singing in this Musical and I didn’t think it would be that great going into it last Thursday night because I am not old enough to have known the Four Seasons or Frankie Valli while growing up. What I found out though was that I knew all the songs anyway since they are always used in commercials, movies and TV shows. Plus the story is told in a very honest contemporary way that people will all be able to relate to.

I ended up getting there a few minutes late, which can be a huge rude move in theater, but we just waited in the lobby and watched the show in a flat screen TV for a few minutes and then entered in between scenes. There was a slight mix-up with the seats, some other people were sitting in them, but eventually we got seated and were quickly engrossed in the story.

The show makes great use of the stage with a lifting section from below and many scenery elements dropping from the ceiling throughout the show. There is a catwalk above the stage as well where they use the space to either look down on the scene below or give monologues direct to the audience from each group member’s perspective. The costumes are pure 1950’s and 1960’s with lots of bright colors and flashy suits to look just as they did performing back in the day. The monologue format in between scenes is really effective in filling in the storyline as time passes and to give a personal connection with each of the Jersey Boys and their own story. All the 4 Season’s actors have a unique combination of great acting, great monologues, fantastic singing ability and they’re good dancers too. It’s a complete package and they wow you every minute they are on stage. You want to get up there and sing along with them, the music is just so moving.

So, I guess it is obvious that really enjoyed the music and was very impressed by the singing. A lot of their songs are used in the show and performed in full as they were performing on stage in different cities throughout the story. This gives you a front row seat at a great concert at the same time as seeing a impeccable musical in a theater. The story winds through time until the point where they are accepted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame which for many artists is the highest level award one can receive for their work.

The show echoes a slightly similar path with the Academy Award Winning Movie “Ray” from 2004 ending on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame note. They also update you on where each of the Four Seasons Members is now and what they are doing. I think the clever scene changes, monologues, updated songs, choreography, stage direction and great story of all four of the Four Seasons members makes this a great dramatic story and unforgettable Musical.

I think everyone should go see this show, it is a part of 20th century American History and a great entertaining show for all ages. I am not a baby boomer and I thoroughly enjoyed it. If you were a big fan of Frankie Valli and of the Four Seasons you will enjoy it even more. You will probably be transported back in time to the place you were when these songs were popular. If you can, get tickets now, they are sold out through January so they are selling out quick!

The official email from Lollapalooza has arrived and the dates for the 2008 concert festival have been set. Lollapalooza will run from August 1-3, 2008 in Grant Park. Mark your calendars now and be ready for the advance ticket sales reminders early in the year. Chicago loves being home to Lollapalooza for the next 5 years and it is a great reason to come travel to the city and take a vacation here surrounding the festival dates. Come a week early and enjoy all the sights and restaurants before the festival starts. It will give you a chance to familiarize yourself with the CTA transit system and seem like a pro when the concerts start. Or come for Lollapalooza and stay a week after, recovering from all the party had to offer. Either way come to visit Chicago in 2008 and make sure to attend Lollapalooza while you’re here. In the mean time visit the Lollapalooza site to download and view all the performances from 2007.

Update: Word has it that Radiohead and the Nine Inch Nails are headlining Lollapalooza 2008 this summer.

It’s about that time again that everyone is wondering what’s happening this weekend in Chicago? And they start to search for something to do this Friday and Saturday night in Chicago. Well there are a lot of movies, art exhibits and events this weekend. And the weather should be great. It should be in the 70’s all weekend and clear with no rain, so get in that last Barbecue on the grill before it gets too cold. I will be celebrating my birthday so who knows what will happen. Here is a list of what I found happening around town in the city and suburbs this weekend.

Friday September 21: (Yom Kippur begins at sundown)

New Movies opening this Friday in Chicago:

Resident Evil Extinction - Part Horror, part action, part zombie movie. Looks kind of dumb and gross to me, but men like Milla Jovovich in a heroine role kickin ass.

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford – New Brad Pitt movie getting rave reviews all over the place. Good Morning America was singing its’ praises this morning in order to get some celeb time.

Jane Austen Book Club – The chick flick of the weekend. This seems a little odd that people would find this concept believable. I bet it’s cheezy but women will want to see it anyway.

Good Luck Chuck – I’m not sure why Dane Cook keeps getting movies. And how did he get a movie with Jessica Alba? Anyway, I would expect dumb humor all through this one. Not very good for Jessica’s career.

Into the Wind – A serious film from Sean Penn but not starring him. A guy leaves a family of wealth and privilege to go live in the wilderness and find himself. He ends up dying. Somehow this is about discovering yourself at all costs and what you learn from it while our time is fleeting on earth. He probably could have found himself with less death though.

The Brave one and 3:10 to Yuma are still playing and doing well as is the Bourne Ultimatum. If none of these cracker jack boxes appeal to you, go see last week’s all stars.

Jen Stark’s Little by Little(seen at left) Art Exhibit at the Heaven Gallery at 1550 N. Milwaukee Ave., between Damen Avenue & Honore Street on the second floor. You may have seen her amazing works in pictures passed around online. All these works are made from card-stock and glue. That’s it. They are visually and architecturally amazing. She does things with paper that I never thought possible. It runs through October 7th Saturday: hours 1-5 pm (photo courtesy of jenstark.com)

After Dark at the Art Institute of Chicago: The after hours event to go see the Art Institute in a whole new light. @ the Art Institute 111 South Michigan Avenue at Monroe Drive. Call for Tickets at 312-575-8000. Featuring: Life During Wartime DJs, theater performances from Collaboraction, and photos by Jeff Wall with some drinks, and yummy appetizers too.  Friday from 6-10 PM.

Saturday September 22: (the first official day of Fall)

Winefest Chicago- Yet another Wine Festival – If you haven’t already gone to the Chicago wine Festival and the Naperville wine festival in the last  2 weeks you’re in luck, because there is a 3rd this weekend. People must really love their wine!
September 21 - 5 pm – 10 pm
September 22 - 12 pm – 10 pm
September 23 - 12 pm – 10 pm
Free to enter; $25 dollars for a wine tasting glass and food tickets
Call for more information at: 773-525-3609  
Location: North Lincoln and Berenice Avenues (North Center neighborhood) 3840 N. Lincoln Avenue, Chicago, IL 60613

Oktoberfest At Sheffields- Oktoberfest in September again – September 22nd : 11:30 a.m. till ?? Come drink beer like the Germans do and listen to the music of the Polkaholics…
Price: No cover
Event Phone Number: 773-281-4989
Sheffield’s is in Lakeview at 3258 N. Sheffield Avenue Chicago, IL 60657-2211

Sunday September 23:

Second Annual Andersonville Dessert Crawl – Sundays are for sweets! Hello yummy! 26 dessert destinations in three hours for any possible kind of dessert you can imagine. It’s worth not eating all day to go to this event. It is Sunday from 4-7 PM so you’re in bed before Dr. Who is on TV. Tickets are available at the Swedish American Museum Center 5211 North Clark Street at Foster Avenue or at brownpapertickets.com. You can also call for more information 773-728-7552.
 

Lots going this weekend in Chicago. See below for local events, festivals, movies and parades you can attend this weekend.

Friday September 14

Oktoberfest is a state of mind: It’s not actually October yet, but come join in this German Beer Festival at Federal Plaza Square 219 S. Dearborn St. See german music bands while you taste the genuine authentic German food and beer. Always a fun fall festival, just like in Germany. Open from 11 am (lunch) to 9 pm.

Check out the sales at Old Navy. A lot of fall in season items are 50% off. GAP Corp. had a lackluster quarter and is cutting prices drastically to move items. I got Courderoys ofr $14.5o, Turtleneck shirts for $7.95 and T-shirts for $6.95. Their 3 new women’s dark denim jean styles are also marked down to $25.00. Their loss is our win. Stock up for the cold weather before it is too cold to go out.

New Movies opening this Friday in Chicago:

Across the Universe – See Eddie Izzard’s Cameo and revel in 1960’s hippie ideals

3:10 to Yuma – Still tops at the Box office, some people smell Oscar.

Mr Woodcock – Toilet Humor Fans Only Need Apply

Halloween - Haloween movie remake from the 1970’s, horror film

Superbad – still running, still funny, still talked about by a lot of people, go see it if you haven’t yet.

The Brave One – Jodie Foster and Tarence Howard. Action and Suspense Thriller type Movie.

Fierce People, The Hunting Party and Eastern Promises open also, but I haven’t found anything out about them yet. All three have big names in them, yet no ads out. Richard Geere, Diane Lane and Naomi Watts star in them.

Chicago Art District Second Fridays: A quote from someone describing it today “All the galleries are open and there is free booze everywhere.” Well I am not sure if free drinks are enough to make a place your destination, but free art viewing plus free drinks makes it a destionation for me. Check out Chicago Art District Second Fridays on the second Friday of every month. (duh!)

Saturday September 15

Eli’s Cheesecake Festival: Everyone loves cheesecake (unless you are lactose intolerant) and Eli’s is a Chicago original. Come taste the best cheesecake at their fastival Saturday September 15  9 am - 5 pm and Sunday September 16 11 am - 5 pm. Located at the factory at 6701 W. Forest Preserve Drive, Chicago

Lincoln Square Apple Fest: Pick up fresh fall fruits and vegetables, enter bakery baking and pie eating contests, or you can take a Chopping Block pie making class. But then again not everyone can be Martha Stewart. Saturday from 8 am to 5 pm at Giddings Plaza at 4731 N. Lincoln Ave, between Leland & Lawrence Avenue.

Naperville Wine Festival: Over 200 wines available to sample and drink. Food for purchase and excellent musical performances also. $25.00 per ticket. Located at Naper Settlement in Naperville close to I-55 and I-88.

Sunday September 16

11th Annual Celtic Fest Chicago: Fun for the whole family! Celtic music, singers, dancing and food. (do you like lord of the dance irish style folk dancing? this is the place to see it) It is open from11 am to 9:30 pm and it’s Free! Located at Grant Park and call (312)744-3315 for more information. Check out the men in Kilts Hot Legs Contest. Who doesn’t like a man in a Kilt?

Chicago Mexican Independence Day Parade on 26th Street & Albany Avenue @ 12 noon Sunday. Free and fun for all ages. Time to come out and celebrate Mexican Independence with great floats, music and food. Call 773-521-5387 for more info.

Lollapalooza was last weekend in Chicago and it was so much fun. Lollapalooza is a concert music festival that runs for 3 days once a summer in Grant Park in Chicago. It originally back started in 1991 and grew into a traveling concert series that traveled all over the United States. But after several years of big ticket sales successes, Lollapalooza faltered and canceled a lot of the series in 1997. It came back in a new form just in Chicago only in 2005. We love that Chicago is home to Lollapalooza now and they have signed a 5 year deal with Grant Park to host it here every year.

The music featured at the concert festival has a broad range of popular musicians from rock, to alternative to punk rock to heavy metal, to electronic to hip-hop and rap. Lollapalooza is kind of an equal opportunity music festival, everyone is invited. There has been a custom though that once you play Lollapalooza you don’t perform there again. So it’s always new. Maybe since they are going on for so long now they will bring back some bands and artists from prior years that have new music since they are almost out of known bands and singers now. (orat least for us old folks) I have heard that a lot of people my age are not sure who any of these bands are now and want to see some of the old ones again since it’s been years and years. I think they also end up appreciating it as a way to find out about new music too though. So I guess it works both ways.

It’s funny too that a Lollapalooza is also known as an all day lolly pop that is really large. I could definitley see people eating those at Lollapalooza too. It’s kind of a hippie style festival. It’s not really said publicly, but I have a feeling that people are pretty high there too. It’s just that crowd that goes to 3 day musical events to party.

Some of the 2007 Bands and Artists were:

Location: Grant Park in Chicago (artists listed from earliest to latest set times)

The dates the shows run this year are: August 3-5

Ghostland Observatory, Jack’s Mannequin, moe., Satellite Party, Daft Punk (my personal favorite), Tokyo Police Club, Silverchair, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Muse, Dax Riggs, Lupe Fiasco, Kings of Leon, My Morning Jacket, Pearl Jam, Soulive, The Polyphonic Spree, M.I.A., The Black Keys, Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals, I’m from Barcelona, Stephen Marley, The Roots, Snow Patrol, Interpol, The Cribs, Amy Winehouse, Iggy & the Stooges, Modest Mouse, Elvis Perkins in Dearland, Son Volt, Sparklehorse, G. Love & Special Sauce, Femi Kuti & the Positive Force, Matt and Kim, Pete Yorn, Sound Tribe Sector 9, Regina Spektor, Patti Smith, Juliette and the Licks, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Paolo Nutini, Yo La Tengo, The Fratellis, Ted Leo & The Pharmacist, Slightly Stoopid, Blonde Redhead, LCD Soundsystem, Last Band Standing Runner-Up (TBA), Sherwood, Tapes ‘n Tapes, Motion City Soundtrack, The Hold Steady, Spoon, White Rabbits, Heartless Bastards, Blue October, TV on the Radio, Carey Ott, Colour Revolt, Charlie Musselwhite, Electric Six, The Rapture, High Class Elite, Ryan Shaw, Sam Roberts Band, Rhymefest, Roky Erickson & the Explosives, The Postmarks, Dios Malos, Los Campesinos, Apostle of Hustle, The Wailers, Last Band Standing Winner (TBA), Illinois, Chin Up Chin Up, Viva Voce, Against Me!, Silversun Pickups, Arckid, The Satin Peaches, Aqueduct, Cold War Kids
Sunday: The 1900s, David Vandervelde, The Black Angels, Annuals, Peter Bjorn & John, The Switches, Tom Schraeder, Bang Bang Bang, Powerspace, Inward Eye, Wax on Radio, Dear and the Headlights, Ludo, Kevin Michael, Lady Ga Ga, Cage the Elephant, Back Door Slam, The Graduates, Mr. North, Smoosh, The Diffs, John Paul White, Bound Stems