20 Of Our Favorite Events In Chicago This Week
By Michelle Meywes Kopeny in Arts & Entertainment on Apr 17, 2017 3:17PM
Taste of Iceland returns this Thursday. Image of Iceland Airwaves via Iceland Naturally's Facebook page.
Dance parties, dinners, concerts, C2E2, and more are all over our picks for this week.
MONDAY APRIL 17
HOLA PRIMAVERA DINNER: Mercadito’s next Experiential Dinner takes guests down the Pacific coast of Mexico, with dishes from Puerto Vallarta, Nayarit, the Guerreo region and more. The five-course dinner will be paired with Código 1530 Tequila pours. Chef Patricio Sandoval and special guest Jackson Miranda of Código 1530 will host the dinner beginning at 6 p.m. Tickets are $75. Call 312-329-9555 to reserve a spot.
BLOW YR MIND: The Flaming Lips continue to push boundaries both in the studio and on the stage. The band has found a DIY from another dimension style that works for them artistically, and still manages to wow the now largely mainstream crowds at their shows. And frontman Wayne Coyne has transformed himself into a reliably entertaining lysergic master of ceremonies, helping audiences submerge themselves in the always expanding aural and visual sensation that is now a Flaming Lips concert. Catch the band Monday night at The Riv.
TUESDAY APRIL 18
BARLEY’S ANGELS: Barley’s Angels Chicago is a women’s craft beer appreciation and education group (get it? Barley?), and they’re hosting a spring brew event at George Street Pub at 6:30 p.m. They’ll be sampling some Dogfish Head beers with experts from the brewery, and mingling with other barley-loving ladies. Tickets are $24.
PITCHFORK TALKS: The Magnetic Fields’ Stephin Merritt is the guest at the next edition of the Pitchfork Talk Series at the Museum of Contemporary Art at 8 p.m. The program is part of the co-presented conversation series In Sight Out, which explores new perspectives in music, art and culture. Merritt will discuss the band’s new album 50 Song Memoir with Pitchfork senior staff writer Marc Hogan. Tickets are $10.
WEDNESDAY APRIL 19
Image via Daybreaker's Facebook event page.
DAYBREAKER: That early, early morning yoga class and dance party is back, this time at PRYSM Nightclub. Daybreaker features a DJ, free coffees, juices and breakfast treats all before you have to get to the office. Yoga begins at 5:30 a.m. followed by dance party from 6:30 to 8:30 a.m. Tickets are $35 or $25 for dance party only.
EAT TO THE BEAT: You listen to Sound Opinions every week. Wouldn’t you love to sit down with Jim and Greg and pick their brains about this week’s Desert Island Jukebox picks? Well now you have the chance as they host Eat To The Beat, an evening celebrating the rock n roll revolution and great Chicago chefs. The six-course dinner at Salero will feature dishes inspired by each chef’s favorite rock anthem. Tickets are $200.
TWO NIGHT STAND OF POWER POP: The New Pornographers play two Chicago dates at The Metro this week, there are still tickets available for their April 19 date , while April 21 is already sold out. The band's new album just came out and in our recent review we said, "on Whiteout Conditions the band comes across as if they’ve awoken from a comfortable slumber with the intention of mining those corners of their talents that drove their earliest and most honest artistic explorations. In other words, The New Pornographers got their groove back." In other words, you want to catch one of these two shows.
THURSDAY APRIL 20
TASTE OF ICELAND: Experience Icelandic culture, cuisine, cocktails and more during Taste of Iceland. Music, food and film are all on the docket for the weekend with different events around the city. Concert fans will find themselves immersed at Chop Shop & First Ward’s “Reykjavik Calling” concert Saturday night, plus there are pop-up menu experiences and a cocktail class for adventurous foodies. Visit the festival website for the full schedule of events.
LATINO FILM FEST: AMC River East will play host to the 33rd Chicago Latino Film Festival this year. Celebrating Latin culture around the globe, Thursday’s opening night film spotlights Argentina with the romantic comedy One Night of Love (Una noche de amor). Lead actress Carla Peterson will be in attendance at the opening night gala which includes a reception with food, drinks and live entertainment. Opening night tickets are $90. The festival runs through May 4, and the whole program can be found on their website.
WINE DINNER: House cured bourbon salmon, fried green tomatoes with pickled shrimp, lollipop lamb chops and more top the menu at Roanoke’s wine dinner with Orin Swift Cellars at 6 p.m. Wines from the California winery will be specially paired and discussed with each course. Tickets are $85. Call 312-940-3760 or email jculligan@roanokehospitality.com to reserve a spot.
DANCE THE NIGHT AWAY: Betty Who's new album The Valley is a big step forward from her earlier work. We've seen her live and always thought she had a winning swagger and attitude, but the material she performed never seemed quite able to harness that correctly. The Valley changes all that, full of bubbling synth-driven pop that feels far more self-assured. Thin—a sprightlier Katy Perry, with less of a bullhorn voice and quirkier musical inclinations. We expect this Thursday's show at Concord Music Hall will be one of the last times you'll get to see Betty Who in such a small room.
HOLD ON TO YOUR BUTTS: It’s the Jurassic Park parody you never knew you wanted at Second City’s Donny's Skybox this weekend. The New York based comedy group Recent Cutbacks presents the live, shot-for-shot remake with just two actors and a foley artist. It’s part spoof, part tribute and will make laugh/cry, all under an hour. Tickets are $18.
COCKTAIL CLASS: Saint Lou’s Assembly and MONEYGUN’s “Multicourse” series is back at 7 p.m., this time with the flavors of Italy. The three-course cocktail class will be accompanied by dishes from Executive Chef Carlos Cruz. Tickets are $75.
FRIDAY APRIL 21
Melissa Benoist. Photo via C2E2's website.
C2E2: The Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo (better known as C2E2) is back at McCormick Place this weekend with the hottest in cool nerd culture. Meet your favorite stars and superheroes in real life during autograph sessions, photo ops and discussion panels. Guests this year include comic legends Stan Lee and Frank Miller, hometown MMA fighter CM Punk, the Stranger Things kids and many more. Tickets start at $30.
CIMM FEST SPRING FLING THING: The official CIMMfest #9 isn’t until the fall this year, but they’re keeping us satiated with the Spring Fling Thing!, a “one ring circus of music, movies and mayhem.” The lineup features a little of something for everyone (even the Chic-a-Go-Go crowd) at Chop Shop & 1st Ward over three days. For schedule and ticket info, visit CIMMfest’s website.
FX SUMMIT + EXPO: The Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events presents the 3rd Annual Lake FX Summit + Expo at the Chicago Cultural Center. The two-day “creative con” offers free entertainment and resources including the ACCESS lab for creators, performers and producers. Music and entertainment executive Kevin Liles (300 Entertainment and KWL Management) will be presenting the keynote address on Friday.
Image via Whiskyfest's Facebook page.
WHISKYFEST: Learn everything you didn’t know you wanted to know at the 20th anniversary of WhiskyFest at Hyatt Regency. There will be seminars from experts, tastings galore and a gourmet buffet. The Grand Tasting begins at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $275.
FUZZY PSYCH: Moon Duo comes to town behind their latest psychedelic opus, Occult Architecture Vol. 1 and Vol. 2. This collection is filled with drone-y, fuzzy, repetitive audio workouts, frosted with whispered vocals, and topped with all kinds of crazy, mystical lyricism. In other words, it's an old fashioned freakout, hewing more firmly to the modern mold set forth by groups like The Dandy Warhols in their wilder forays, or The Brian Jonestown Massacre on a good night. Moon Duo is all set to cast their spell over The Empty Bottle this Friday night.
DON'T CALL 'EM EMO: Chicago's Dowsing does, okay, pull a lot of their sound from what is now conventionally known as emo. But these folks are so much more than that! There's an urgency to their delivery that feels honest, and they opt to emote instead of whine. And they do all of this while creating a whirlwind of hooks that makes all those uncomfortable emtions go down so much more enjoyably. You can see what we mean when the band plays Beat Kitchen this Friday.
IPO: International Pop Overthrow, a week long tribute to all things power-pop, kicks off Friday night at Red Line Tap. The opening bill is heavily weighted with friends and alums of Chicago's own secret power-pop weapon Frisbie, including an appearance by the mysterious "The Diff." Friday's show promises to be a lot of fun, but check out the IPO website for the full slate of shows running throughout the next week.