Rocking For The Garfield Park Conservatory

By Tankboy in Arts & Entertainment on Aug 18, 2011 4:40PM

When a freak summer hail storm hit Chicago over a month and a half ago it caused incredibly extensive damage to the Garfield Park Conservatory. The hail was unusually cruel to this building built mostly of glass whose sole purpose is to protect and house botanical treasures for Chicagoans and visitors to take delight in. It seemed to us at the time an unforgivable act of nature attacking itself.

Weeks later the amount it will take to repair the damage is still unknown but it is going to be great. According to WBEZ clean-up of the broken glass itself is expected to cost at least $2 million. So the Garfield Park Conservatory can use any help it can get.

Local musician Eric Mahle is doing his part to help out. Right after the tragedy occurred he put up a Facebook page for a benefit for the conservatory; he didn't know who would be involved yet, but he just had to do something. The benefit finally takes place tonight at Lincoln Hall and that blank Facebook page has filled up with some of the best local bands and an amazing list of donated raffle prizes and silent auction items including four LCD Soundsystem LPs autographed by James Murphy, autographed posters and copy of Noble Beast autographed by Andrew Bird and paintings by local artists and musicians including Jon Langford, Damon Locks, Gina Black and Jeremy Scheuch.

The line-up is truly all over the place in the best way. It includes Bobby Conn, Del Rey, Sünken Ships, Bare Mutants, Rivals of the Peacemaker and (we're guessing between acts (?)) DJ Scary Lady Sarah. There are too many silent auction items and raffle gifts to run through in the space we have here so check out a full list of (and start drooling over) the offerings here.

Tonight, August, 18 at Lincoln Hall, 2424 N Lincoln, 8 p.m., $20, 21+