July 24th weekend
It’s gonna be a hot one today, boyo! Tomorrow will be a whole 7° cooler!
And we’re gonna start with tomorrow, because we’ve already covered some Friday. And wouldn’t you like to be outside enjoying an experience close to living on the sun? The Silver Room boutique in Wicker Park hosts the Sound System Block Party, featuring three stages (DJ, in-store, outdoor bands) starring Innosphere, Rita J, 8 Inch Betsy, and Streets On Fire. There’s also live mural painting and a photo booth — if, by 11 p.m., you haven’t been reduced to a sweaty rag, there’s an afterparty at Double Door with Peven Everett. A full schedule is available at Silver Room. (Saturday@The intersection of Milwaukee and Evergreen.)
Inigo? Inigo, where are you? All Indigo Girls concerts should start this way, kind of like how Metallica takes the stage to “Ecstasy Of Gold” from The Good, The Bad & The Ugly. (A singer/songwriter concert in a plant conservatory needs a little levity.) Out in celebration of their latest double-live-gonzo outing, Staring Down The Brilliant Dream (Vanguard), an Indigo Girls concert has become a family affair with elongated stories and witticisms hurled from the stage at random. Amy Ray and Emily Saliers have little left to prove to anyone and invite you to relax with them. (Saturday@Morton Arboretum in Lisle.)
Speaking of the family approach, Omaha’s Landing On The Moon pack a married couple and a pair of brothers into their quintet. You can’t swing a dead cat in Nebraska without hitting a Saddle Creek relative, and on We Make History Now Megan Morgan (Ladyfinger NE) takes star vocal turns and helps this collegiate indie-rock band sound younger than it looks. The band’s broad experience helps turn the 10 tracks into mini suites, some gliding healthily past the 5-minute mark. Prone to meandering, they find strength in the gripping, soulful “Where Have We Gone?” and crisp “You Know Me.” (Sunday@Phyllis’ Musical Inn)
— Steve Forstneger
Category: Featured, Stage Buzz, Weekly
