Put Up Or Shut Up

By Scott Smith in Arts & Entertainment on Sep 16, 2005 3:17PM

Attention, lovers of live music! We’re not really sure how to put this delicately so we won’t: if you end up staying home this weekend, you’re a fucking poseur.

We say this not because we are looking down from our hipper-than-thou mountain and proclaiming that WE are true music fans and YOU are not. Nay, it is the eclecticism in this weekend’s offerings that demand you get your homework done, dip into your savings, bring an umbrella, sell your children or whatever else it takes to combat the usual excuses you give yourself for staying home and cuddling up next to whatever Netflix just sent you.

And it’s not as if we’re privy to some super-secret knowledge either. Sure, we’re got the deets on the World Music Festival and the Hideout Block Party but if those aren’t you’re bag then finding info on more suitable offerings like Celtic Fest Chicago, Hankfest or Farm Aid isn’t too tough. The Tribune’s Greg Kot also runs down some other shows worthy of your attention like Shemekia Copeland and North Mississippi All-Stars.

One show that’ll likely get lost in the shuffle is the show we’re calling The Last of the Norwegians at Empty Bottle. Covered in the Chicago Reader a couple weeks ago, the show is part of a cultural exchange between Chicago and Oslo and paid for, in part, by the government of the latter (yay, Socialism!). JR Ewing along with Hakon Kornstad and Hardvard Wiik will accompany a few Norwegian bouncers and bartenders to the Bottle this Saturday at 10 PM for a free show.

Otherwise, there’s always The Drams at Beat Kitchen on Friday, The Methadones on Friday or The Vibrators on Saturday at Bottom Lounge, or the My Chemical Romance/Alkaline Trio show at the UIC Pavillion.

So get out there! Whatever you do, just don’t end up at Navy Pier for Michael McDonald. You’ll only encourage him to record more albums that piss on the graves of actual, talented artists.

Note: the Katrina Benefit show at Schuba’s tomorrow just sold out while we were writing this but the Reader lists other benefit shows here.