The Sun-Times had a nice semi-overhead shot of the rally site in yesterday's paper, but we figured we'd go check out the rally site from locations that will look more familiar to any of the estimated million-plus people that are going to show up to Hutchinson Field in a little under a week. more ›

Most of the time we like to complain about how nothing gets done in Chicago unless the right wheels are greased, but this time we agree with the greasing that’s going on. We get to keep Lollapalooza for five more years, if the Chicago Park District votes to approve the deal on Wednesday. We know they’ll do the right thing. Wink. Wink. Our gift was delivered, right? Over the last two years, the Park District... more ›

Yesterday, we posted about a piece that ran on Billboard.com regarding a possible Smashing Pumpkins reunion at Lollapalooza. Our curiosity was piqued by one line in particular that said “Chicago media reports” had first carried this speculation. Since we hadn’t seen anything like that, we started doing a little research and sending a few e-mails. What follows is an account of our attempts to track down exactly how stories like this get legs and whether... more ›

Outside of iPods in the gym, it’s rare that physical fitness and rock and roll intersect. Frankly, Chicagoist prefers it this way, as the results can be a bit dicey. Sure there’s punk rock aerobics, but there’s also sweatin’ to the oldies. more ›

The water bottles and beer cans have all been cleaned up from Hutchinson Field so Grant Park is ready for the continuation of the Chicago Outdoor Movie Festival with another of Roger Ebert’s favorites: John Ford’s My Darling Clementine. Ebert highlighted this film in one of his Great Movies commentaries. It tells a story (though perhaps not the story) of the events in Tombstone that led to the legendary gunfight at the OK Corral. Its strength lies in its ability to flesh out the relationship between Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday and is “more about everyday things--haircuts, romance, friendship, poker and illness.” more ›

As we reported yesterday, the 5th annual Chicago Outdoor Film Festival begins tonight with Howard Hawks' great screwball comedy and Chicagoist favorite His Girl Friday. As any of the 30,000 attendees of the legendary Radiohead show at Hutchinson Field in 2001 will tell, the beautiful Chicago skyline is an ideal backdrop to any summertime cultural event. But if you don't want to deal with the mosquitoes, the people, or trying to discern the tipping protocol for free bike valet parking (?), head down to Facets to see a movie the old-fashioned way: inside. And, ironically, the movie to see there is about the great outdoors. more ›