Crüefest Chicago Preview

Crüefest Chicago
Saturday, April 15, 2006
Pop’s, Roselle

On your Easter weekend, why not spend your Holy Saturday, the day between fasting and worshiping, rocking? Maybe it would be worshiping? Worshiping at the altar of Mötley Crüe.

Fans from across the country will descend upon Pop’s Saturday to pay tribute to Vince Neil, Nikki Sixx, Tommy Lee, Mick Mars, and maybe even John Corabi. Crüefest Chicago, an all-ages, all-day event, will give fanatics the chance to talk glory days, the prospect of a new record, Lee’s wang, Mars’ hip, Neil’s makeover, and all things Mötley. But the festival was organized for reasons bigger than getting drunk and discussing the finer points of Shout At The Devil (so many!) and Theatre Of Pain (so few!): The event will raise money for a handful of charities affiliated with the band members. All proceeds from Crüefest will be divided among three different charities: the Skylar Neil Memorial Fund (named after Neil’s daughter who died of cancer in 1995), which donates exclusively to the T.J. Martell Foundation For Leukemia, Cancer, And AIDS Research; Sixx’s Running Wild In The Night Foundation, which raises funds for the Covenant House (largest privately funded childcare agency in the country); and the St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital.

Crüe diehards will have the chance to win a variety of band and non-related raffle prizes throughout the day, including a Nikki Sixx signature Elite T bass, Jägermeister swag, admission tickets to the Rock ‘N’ Roll Hall Of Fame, Chicago Rush tickets, various musical gear, White Castle gift cards, and a lot more.

And, of course, the music. There are obvious choices (Chicagoland tribute act The Crüe), surprising picks (arty indie rock locals Raised On Zenith and Twin Wrecks The Memory), and the anticipated appearances (Neil Wharton’s Rock N Roll Junkies –a Crüe cover band fronted by Neil’s son). Soul Joke, Blackout, Queen City Romance, and Baby Kage are also scheduled to perform.

For more, including ticket and donation information, visit www.cruefestchicago.com.

— Trevor Fisher

Click here for streaming samples of Neil Wharton’s Rock N Roll Junkies.

Click here to download Blackout’s “Home.”

Category: Stage Buzz, Weekly