13 Of Our Favorite Events In Chicago This Week
By Michelle Meywes Kopeny in Arts & Entertainment on Jul 10, 2017 5:41PM
Image via Windy City Smokeout's Facebook page.
Rock out with your summer out this week in Chicago.
MONDAY JULY 10
MILLENNIUM PARK MUSIC SERIES: The Millennium Park Summer Music Series is back following a brief break during the Taste of Chicago. Monday’s free performance at Pritzker Pavilion features two indie rock artists: Natalie Prass and Angelica Garcia. 6:30 p.m.
COLLAB DINNER: Oyster Bah and Hopewell Brewing Co. tag team for a collaboration dinner they're calling "Monday Night Raw" at 6:30 p.m. The four course dinner will feature seafood dishes expertly paired with Hopewell brews. Tickets are $60.
FEEL THE LOVE: Recorded between November 2016 and January 2017, Wood's Love is Love is a reaction to last year's election results, but instead of anger, the band chose to explore love. What the band ended up with is a a beautiful little document that feels even mor genuinely precious now than it did when it was released just a few months ago. The lyrics still feel potent and really reflect the uncertainty of our time, but do so in a way that tries to uncover hope where there seems to be only despair. For a virtual time capsule of the waves emanating from a historic event, Love is love is proving to feel more universal than simply reflect a moment frozen in amber. The band brings their wandering psychedelia and hopeful vibes to The Empty Bottle on Monday night.
TUESDAY JULY 11
MILLENNIUM PARK FILM SERIES: The evening feature at this week’s Millennium Park Summer Film Series is El Norte. It’s the first Spanish-language film for the series (presented with English subtitles), and one that “serves to remind us of Chicago’s status as a welcoming city.” 6:30 p.m. Free.
WEDNESDAY JULY 12
WRIGLEY PARK MOVIES: Who wants to watch a baseball movie outside the ballpark on Wednesday? The Park at Wrigley in partnership with Music Box Theatre presents a screening of the 1993 classic Rookie of the Year featuring Thomas Ian Nicholas as Cubs pitcher Henry Rowengartner. 7 p.m. Free.
BEST LITERARY EVENT: CHIRP Radio’s "First Time Series" was just named “Best Literary Event” by Chicago Reader’s annual poll. The quarterly series returns to the stage at Martyr’s at 8 p.m. with the topic “First Catch.” Readers sharing their take include actor Wes Needham, musician Natalie Grace Alford, musician/historian Steve Krakow aka Plastic Crimewave, creative director and editor Micki LeSueur, writer/comedian Dan Shapiro and CHIRP’s Marites Velasquez. Tickets are $10.
THURSDAY JULY 13
MILLENNIUM PARK MUSIC SERIES: Thursday’s free lineup at the Millennium Park Summer Music Series features two ladies with wide ranging influences. Totó La Momposina combines Colombia’s African, Indigenous Indian and Spanish cultures while vocalist and composer Xenia Rubinos’s powerful songs dip from genre to soulful genre. 6:30 p.m.
RADIO FLYER 100: Bring the little ones, or let out your inner kid at Pioneer Court this Thursday as Radio Flyer celebrates 100 years. The toy company, native to Chicago, will have a full day of activities, including test track for kids, a face painter and the World’s Largest Wagon on site.
RIVERWALK UNIFEST: The Chicago Riverwalk embarks on a new food, drink and music series called Unifest on the River this week. The weekly summer series is presented by Chicago Sister Cities International and celebrates our 28 international sister cities. Kick things off this week with some tunes from Paris, spirits from Warsaw, eats from Hamburg and Athens and many more surprises. 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. every Thursday. Free.
FRIDAY JULY 14
PITCHFORK MUSIC FESTIVAL: Fans with discerning musical taste flock to Union Pier year after year for Pitchfork Music Festival, and this lineup was made to please. James Murphy and crew are out of a brief retirement with LCD Soundsystem headlining the first night of the fest. A Tribe Called Quest and Solange round out the headliners. As usual, the festival also includes other experiences like CHIRP Record Fair, Renegade Craft Fair, Book Fort and the Flatstock poster festival. Tickets are $175 for a three-day pass. Single day tickets are $75.
WINDY CITY SMOKEOUT: It doesn’t get much better than BBQ and country music on a July weekend. Windy City Smokeout brings us hefty helpings of both on the river at Grand Avenue. Pitmasters from all over the country bring their menus to the event. The festival also ups the ante with special added events like a Whole Hog Brunch, Crawfish Boil, Oyster Roast and cooking lessons. On the music side they’ve got artists like Jake Owen, Kip Moore and Lee Brice hitting the stage. Tickets are $110 for a three-day pass. Single day passes start at $40.
OPEN AIR: Heavy metal fans put those rock hands in the air because Open Air is back for another year at Toyota Park. The three-day music festival lineup features all the names you’d expect to hear: Ozzy Osbourne, Slayer, Megadeath, Rob Zombie, Anthrax, Lamb of God, Korn, KISS...and so many more. They’ve also got “Gourmet Man Food” and a “Headbangers Bier Hall” on site. Tickets are $130 for a three-day pass. Single day tickets are $80.
JOHN STAMOS ART SHOW: It’s no secret that Riot Fest is majorly crushing on the one and only John Stamos, and they’re taking it to the next level with an art show dedicated to the man behind Uncle Jesse. The John Stamos Art Show at Cobra Lounge this weekend will feature everything from canvas to butter mediums to be judged by a celebrity panel.