Riot Fest limps on for another year, turning its focus to expanding in other cities, booking bands like Rise Against or the Offspring to fill out time between Iggy and his geriatric Stooges. Even Andrew WK, who has apparently insinuated himself into the NYC underground by sponsoring a well-thought-of venue, is slated to make an appearance. And for all the tolerance one might muster for third-wave ska, Less Than Jake wasn’t ever the pinnacle of its genre. So at least Chicago’s Deals Gone Bad are slated to appear, balancing out the ironic Pez frenzy. When a Chiodos reunion’s touted as a must-see component of any festival, it should raise a few eyebrows. But if you thought Coheed and Cambria were a dusty visage of bygone almost-pop-heroes, they’re back. And for whatever reason, Elvis Costello and the band he’s put together are set to appear—hopefully the former computer programmer gets into some singer-songwriter territory and pisses off the assembled Japanther fans. Slapstick’s going to make an appearance, as well. Slapshot apparently couldn’t be booked because that would be a bit too interesting. Instead, Choke’s ensemble performs alongside Dropkick Murphys, which will hopefully be limping off into our collective memories soon. Locking up Jesus and Mary Chain to perform is certain to bring in fans who would have otherwise avoided such a punky festival. And Built to Spill should pique the interest of Chicago’s tiny-spectacled spate of graphic designers. What the hell’s A Day to Remember and why should anyone care? Who knows, but maybe the Adicts’ll play “Mary Whitehouse,” since that should pack the pop necessities of all in attendance into two minutes and be performed by a guy who looks like he should be riding a giant unicycle down the street. (Dave Cantor)
September 14-16 at Humboldt Park and the Congress Theater, 2135 North Milwaukee, (773)276-1235. $45-$175. All ages.
For “Want” of a Change: A Preview of Rufus Wainwright at Ravinia Park Rufus Wainwright isn’t the first singer-songwriter to reinterpret earlier work through an orchestral lens. And much of Wainwright’s third and fourth albums, “Want One” and “Want Two”—whose twentieth anniversaries are the prompt for this new tour—is fully scored. But when Wainwright hits the Pavilion stage at Ravinia tonight, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra will be behind him.
Brutal Finesse: A Preview of King Crimson at Ravinia There have been few new compositions from King Crimson these past two decades, but the live arrangements of songs from its catalog are often strikingly different than the recorded versions.
Cooling It: A Preview of Colleen Green at Cole’s Bar When Green strums power chords or chiming notes on top of her backing track, you might think you’re at Ramones karaoke night and Madonna is taking her turn.
Riot Fest limps on for another year, turning its focus to expanding in other cities, booking bands like Rise Against or the Offspring to fill out time between Iggy and his geriatric Stooges. Even Andrew WK, who has apparently insinuated himself into the NYC underground by sponsoring a well-thought-of venue, is slated to make an appearance. And for all the tolerance one might muster for third-wave ska, Less Than Jake wasn’t ever the pinnacle of its genre. So at least Chicago’s Deals Gone Bad are slated to appear, balancing out the ironic Pez frenzy. When a Chiodos reunion’s touted as a must-see component of any festival, it should raise a few eyebrows. But if you thought Coheed and Cambria were a dusty visage of bygone almost-pop-heroes, they’re back. And for whatever reason, Elvis Costello and the band he’s put together are set to appear—hopefully the former computer programmer gets into some singer-songwriter territory and pisses off the assembled Japanther fans. Slapstick’s going to make an appearance, as well. Slapshot apparently couldn’t be booked because that would be a bit too interesting. Instead, Choke’s ensemble performs alongside Dropkick Murphys, which will hopefully be limping off into our collective memories soon. Locking up Jesus and Mary Chain to perform is certain to bring in fans who would have otherwise avoided such a punky festival. And Built to Spill should pique the interest of Chicago’s tiny-spectacled spate of graphic designers. What the hell’s A Day to Remember and why should anyone care? Who knows, but maybe the Adicts’ll play “Mary Whitehouse,” since that should pack the pop necessities of all in attendance into two minutes and be performed by a guy who looks like he should be riding a giant unicycle down the street. (Dave Cantor)
