15 Of Our Favorite Events In Chicago This Week
By Michelle Meywes Kopeny in Arts & Entertainment on May 22, 2017 4:09PM
Another week, another great list of fun stuff to do.
MONDAY MAY 22
EAT YOUR SPINACH: If you haven't seen Popeye since it debuted in the theaters in 1980 (or stumbled across it on cable years later) here's your chance to take the movie in again in a new light. We admit when we first saw it. Monday night is now your chance to truly appreciate a movie, directed by Robert Altman, shot by Giuseppe Rotunno and featuring songs by Harry Nilsson, that stands outside of time. Popeye is screening on the big screen at The Music Box in an event sponsored by the Chicago Film Society.
WALLS OF SOUND: The Sword delivers catchy yet heavy stoner metal straight from Austin, Texas. Pontiak serves up sprawling psychedelia turned up to 11from the mountains of Virginia. The two groups will come together at Metro Monday night to melt your collective faces off. Start your week off right and blow out your eardrums with joy.
TUESDAY MAY 23
CRUNCHY SUMMER VIBES: Wavves has come a long way since their days of melting down on stage at Pitchfork in 2009. Since then the band, led by Nathan Williams, has turned into a band that crafts excellent albums of noisy California rawk and delivers searing live sets. Their performance at last year's Lollapalooza has lingered on in our memories to become one of our favorites of that long, long weekend. Their new album You're Welcome is a tremendously hefty serving of hooks and fuzz pedals set to dance, so you can count on Tuesday's show at Bottom Lounge to be a fun one.
MARYLAND BLUE CRAB DINNER: Summer House Santa Monica hosts their annual Maryland Blue Crab Dinner on the patio at 6:30 p.m. Executive Chef Ben Goodnick will also cook up corn on the cob, potatoes, crunchy slaw, watermelon granita and more. Lagunitas pitchers included. Tickets are $95.
WEDNESDAY MAY 24
Rick Nielsen. Image via Cheap Trick's Facebook page.
CHEAP TALK: Sit down for a conversation with Cheap Trick’s Rick Nielsen at “Cheap Talk” at 8 p.m. The discussion led by Greg Kot will take place at Nielsen’s very own Piece Pizzeria & Brewery. They’ll talk about the history of Cheap Trick and his life in rock & roll. Admission is a $5 suggested donation.
FLAVORS OF ALBANY PARK: Enjoy cuisine from around the world at the Flavors of Albany Park Restaurant Crawl from 6 to 9 p.m. The diverse neighborhood is known for its eclectic restaurants including Ecuadorian, Japanese, Persian, Middle Eastern, Korean and more. In addition to samples, there will also be a variety of entertainment. Tickets are $30 for adults, $15 for kids.
BEER WITHOUT BORDERS: Big Jones and Marz Brewing join forces for a benefit dinner at 6 p.m. They’re pairing Marz Brews with southern cuisine to benefit Centro Romero and the Illinois Center for Immigrant and Refugee Rights. During the first hour they’ll also debut a limited-release collaborative beer. Tickets are $100.
THURSDAY MAY 25
Image courtesy of Oyster Bah.
ROCK N ROLL DINNER: Food and drink takes on a “Rockin” theme at Oyster Bah’s Rock 'n' Roll Dinner at 6:30 p.m. Surf & Turf Hot Rock and Rocky Road are just a couple of the dishes on the menu for the five course dinner, each course paired with cocktails on the rocks. Tickets are $60. Call 773-248-3000 to reserve a spot.
COLLAB DINNER: Travelle Kitchen + Bar launches a new monthly "Chef Collab" series beginning at 6 p.m. For the first event, Travelle Chef Ricardo Jarquin teams with Holy Taco Chef Daniel Espinoza for a five course family style dinner. The restaurant’s glass-enclosed show kitchen will give guests a front row view of the collaboration in action. Tickets are $65. To reserve a spot, call 312-923-7705.
KERRIGAN + HARDING: We love a good drama, and American Theater Company takes us on a trip back in time to explore the competitive ice skating saga between Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding in Dan Aibel’s T. The play revisits the events of the 1994 Olympics and “explores the psychology of underdogs, desperate to rise above their class.” The show runs through June 25. Tickets start at $20.
WOMEN + WHISKEY + ROCK: SteakBar hosts a whiskey night just for the ladies from 6 to 8 p.m. The Women, Whiskey and Rock ’n’ Roll event includes tastings, apps, a whiskey class led by Four Corners Beverage Director Tim Ryll and a soundtrack of favorite female rockers. Everyone will also receive a take-home cocktail kit and other swag. Tickets are $40.
FRIDAY MAY 26
Jurassic World. Image courtesy of The Field Museum.
JURASSIC WORLD: This is SUE’s lucky day. The T-Rex’s dreams come true as Jurassic World: The Exhibition comes to life at the Field Museum. The exhibit based on the blockbuster Spielberg film (starring SUE’s celebrity crush, the one and only Jeff Goldblum) shows us what it would be like to walk among living dinosaurs of the prehistoric era. Guests are in for an immersive interactive experience drawn from the real-world science of dinosaur DNA. Exhibit runs through January 7, 2018. Tickets are $10 for children and $15 for adults for daytime entry (9 a.m. to 5 p.m.) in addition to general museum admission ($20 for children and $25 for adults for evening entry).
MOLE DE MAYO: The weekend festival at 18th Street and Ashland Avenue in Pilsen features art, musica, lucha libre and all the mole you can eat. Obviously Mole De Mayo is much more than just mole, with two stages of great live entertainment. Hours are 5 to 10 p.m. on Friday, and noon to 10 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Entry is a $5 suggested donation.
LIVE PSYCHO SOUNDTRACK: Watch the classic Hitchcock film with a live soundtrack provided by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra this Friday at 8 p.m. The event also includes a preconcert lecture about with conductor Richard Kaufman, producer John Goberman, and David Taylor, CSO Assistant Concertmaster at 7 p.m. Tickets are $80.
JETSET SERIES: ROOF on theWit’s JetSet Series returns this Memorial Day Weekend with a trip to Barcelona. The series takes on a different destination for one weekend a month all summer long. Enjoy Spanish food and drink specials including chicken and chorizo paella and Spanish fried egg. The party starts at 2 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.