18 Of Our Favorite Events In Chicago This Weekend
By Michelle Meywes Kopeny in Arts & Entertainment on Jan 13, 2017 4:40PM
MLK image courtesy of the Chicago History Museum.
We've got an extended edition of events on a weekend that honors the memory of Martin Luther King Jr. So have some fun on this long weekend, and get out and get some history.
FRIDAY JANUARY 13
NEW SECOND CITY ETC REVUE: New year, new e.t.c Revue at The Second City. The 41st revue, titled Fantastic Super Great Nation Numero Uno, sees the comedy troupe once again taking on hot-button political differences as we enter 2017 as such a divided nation. With several new cast members, they’ll help us see the funny side. Show time for the grand opening on Friday is 8 p.m. Tickets start at $19.
Chicago Cubs celebrate after Game 7 of the Major League Baseball World Series against the Cleveland Indians Thursday, Nov. 3, 2016, in Cleveland. The Cubs won 8-7 in 10 innings to win the series 4-3. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
CUBS CONVENTION: Only 31 days until pitchers and catchers report. It’s music to the ears of baseball fans in Chicago, especially coming off a historic World Series victory last season. The 30th annual Cubs Convention this weekend at the Sheraton Chicago provides fans the opportunity to interact with players, coaches and alumni while immersing themselves in other Cubs madness. Tickets are $65.
WOODY’S WINTER WARM UP: Cubs legend Kerry Wood hosts the 6th Annual Woody’s Winter Warm Up at Harry Caray’s on Navy Pier at 8:30 p.m. Local celebrities, and of course, members of the World Series Champion Cubs team, will be serving up drinks and competing for tips. Already committed to be in attendance are Kyle Hendricks, Ryne Sandberg, Tom Ricketts and stars from NBC’s Chicago Fire, Chicago PD, and Chicago Med. Tickets are $250 benefiting youth mentorship program Pitch In.
MIX AT SIX: Harris Theater’s performance happy hour series is back with Streb’s Action Hero at 6 p.m. See a one-hour performance while enjoying signature drink specials and food trucks out front. Streb’s new show, SEA, displays their magical acrobatics and action set to an interactive soundtrack from their resident DJ/Producer. Tickets are $10.
MOSCOW MULE TASTING: Try different kinds of Moscow Mules at Schoolyard’s 8 p.m. tasting. Stations include tequila for a Jalisco Mule, whiskey for a Tennessee Mule, bourbon for a Kentucky Mule, and peach and traditional vodka for the classic Moscow Mule. Tickets are $35 and include passed apps and a souvenir copper mug.
EASY BAR ANNIVERSARY PARTY: The popular Wicker Park bar hits a milestone this month: ten years. They’ve invited local Prince cover band Purple Pain to play at 10 p.m. and then DJ Substance D will take us into the night. They’ll have drink specials including rotating craft beer deals throughout the night. 9 p.m. Free.
SATURDAY JANUARY 14
A PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION LIVE: The long-running public radio show Prairie Home Companion visits Symphony Center for a live show at 4:45 p.m. Chris Thile will host and he’ll be joined by a couple of performers with Chicago history: musician Andrew Bird and comedian Beth Stelling. Folk singer Laura Marling will also appear. Tickets start at $35.
BOY BAND REVIEW: “Everybody” is gonna want to be at Cubby Bear this Saturday for the Boy Band Review. “As long as you love” them they’ll keep playing tunes from bands like Backstreet Boys, *NSYNC, New Kids On The Block and even Britney Spears. “It’s gonna be” you who is singing and dancing along by the end of the night. 9 p.m. Tickets are $5.
NOT A REPLACEMENT BUT A FRONTMAN: Tommy Stinson grew up in rock and roll—literally. Playing bass for The Replacements since just about when he could barely walk through a stint as one of the longer lasting sidemen in Guns N' Roses, Stinson's skills are legendary. While he's done a few solo tours over the years, there's always been a longing among fans for him to revive Bash & Pop, the rock combo he started in 1992 after The Replacements disbanded. They put out a single album before calling it quits in 1994. But if there's one thing the past couple years have proven, it's that no one seems to really break up forever any more, so there was quite a bit of excitement around news the band was regrouping and releasing a new album this year: Anything Could Happen. Anything Could Happen is not the sound of a bunch of old dudes feeling sentimental; it's a remarkably strong collection of gritty power pop that isn't so much a return to form as it is—dare we say—better than the band's 23-year-old debut album. Stinson and the crew could have easily treaded water with this, but instead opted to make an even bigger splash with their long-awaited sophomore effort. You'll have a chance to hear the new material ahead of the album's release when Bash & Pop plays Cobra Lounge Saturday night. Tickets are $15.
HANDMADE MARKET: Find jewelry, handbags, clothing, skincare and so much more at this month’s Handmade Market at Empty Bottle from noon to 4 p.m. More than 30 makers and sellers will be set up. Bar will be open, and brunch is an option next door at Bite. Free.
SUNDAY JANUARY 15
Image via Cheesie's Facebook page.
GRILLED CHEESE MELTDOWN: Time Out wants you to get down with a cheesy sandwich at their Grilled Cheese Meltdown at Thalia Hall on Sunday. Pick from three sessions to sample and then vote on grilled cheeses from Jerry’s, Cheesie’s, Gayle’s and more. Tickets are $27.50.
SONS OF THE SILENT AGE: One of our top recommendations of this year’s Tomorrow Never Knows Festival is Sons of the Silent Age, performing David Bowie’s Low for the album’s 40th Anniversary. They’ll play more hits from the starman and music of Neu. The group, headed up by Chris Connelly and Matt Walker, is dedicated to playing the music of Bowie and donates a portion of their proceeds to benefit cancer research at Pablove Foundation. 8 p.m. Tickets are $20.
SILENCE SCREENING + DISCUSSION: See the new Martin Scorsese film Silence and then stick around for a special discussion with Cardinal Blase J. Cupich at The Music Box Theatre. Show time is 4:45 p.m. Tickets are $11.
CHICAGO VOICES TALK: Lyric Unlimited and the Chicago History Museum team up for Chicago Voices TALK! The series of three panel discussions will include live performances commemorating Chicago’s contributions to gospel, classical and hip-hop. Sunday’s panelists include Robert Marovich, author of A City Called Heaven: Chicago & the Birth of Gospel Music; Joy Bivins, CHM director of Curatorial Affairs; and Johari Jabir, associate professor of African-American Studies at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Tickets are $10 for each panel.
MONDAY JANUARY 16: MLK DAY
MLK PROJECT: The Chicago History Museum has a full day of family-friendly programming for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. One of the top events of the day is Writers Theatre’s performance of The MLK Project: The Fight for Civil Rights at 10:30 a.m. They’ll also have a reenactment of MLK’s famous I Have a Dream speech, and crafts and storytelling for the kids. Visit the museum’s website for a full schedule. Museum admission is FREE for Illinois residents.
Image courtesy of Chicago Sinfonietta.
SINFONIETTA TRIBUTE: Chicago Sinfonietta presents their Annual Tribute to MLK, Jr. at Symphony Center at 7:30 p.m. Young voices from the area will perform works from Williams, Vivaldi, Dvorak and Beethoven. Tickets start at $18.
MLK DAY FESTIVAL: The Art Institute’s family festival includes artwork, storytelling, performances and more at the Ryan Learning Center from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. The programming encourages guests to discover the power of their own voice. Free.
FEMINIST HAPPY HOUR: The feminist-friendly variety show goes “From GOBAMA to Goodbye” in this edition of Feminist Happy Hour at the Whistler. Alicia Swiz hosts with Veronica Arreola, Kim Bellware, Jasmine Davila, Colette Gregory and Jill Hopkins-Oleynik who say goodbye to “the administration that brought us The White House Council on Women and Girls, the first Latina woman to serve on the Supreme Court, as well as the first President to hold a hip-hop block party at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.”