CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Fall begins next week, but the forecast says otherwise. It is going to be hot this weekend, so if you love summer soak it up, because you never know when fall is going to sneak in and you'll have to change your entire wardrobe!
If you are looking for something to do this weekend and love music, then there again are a variety of events that might pique your interest. Riot Fest returns this weekend to Douglass Park. Plus, Dead Heads rejoice as Dead and Company performs at Wrigley Field for two nights! Plus, the Chicago In Tune Festival continues with events throughout the month, so be sure to check out that calendar!
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For sports fans, baseball is away this weekend, but the Bears host their home opener. The Chicago Cubs won't have to travel too far to take on the Brewers in Milwaukee; and the Chicago White Sox take on the Texas Rangers in Dallas. And football season is upon us. The Chicago Bears host the Cincinnati Bengals for the home opener at Soldier Field at noon on Sunday.
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Additionally, Chicago Gourmet kicked off this month with a variety of events throughout the city! Plus, theater performances have returned, so why not check out a classic like Blue Man Group or Teatro Zinzanni, with has some new cast members!
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Here's a look at things to do this weekend in Chicago and the suburbs:
Riot Fest
Riot Fest returns to Douglass Park this weekend! Local alt-rock luminaries the Smashing Pumpkins, energetic rap duo Run the Jewels, and costumed metal act Slipknot (taking the place of Nine Inch Nails) headline the three-day fest. There's also a "preview party" on Thursday, Sept. 16 featuring sets from Morrissey, Patti Smith, and Alkaline Trio. MORE INFO.
Where: Douglass Park, 2800 W. Roosevelt Rd.
When: Thursday-Sunday
Cost: $200, VIP $330–$1600
Dead and Company
Former Grateful Dead members Bob Weir, Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann team up with guitarist and singer John Mayer as Dead & Company, reheating the Dead's hallowed catalogue of genre-bending, psychedelic tracks in stadiums and arenas across the country. Dead & Company returns for another two evenings at Wrigley Field. MORE INFO.
Where: Wrigley Field, 1060 W. Addison St.
When: Friday and Saturday
Cost: Varies
Craft Brews at Lincoln Park Zoo
Cheers! Craft Brews at Lincoln Park Zoo returns for a sixth year on Saturday with strict safety guidelines in place. Guests ages 21 and older can savor a selection of more than 150 craft beers and ciders at this one-of-a-kind, after-hours experience. Tasting stations will be set up throughout the zoo’s luscious gardens. Ticket holders will also enjoy food for purchase, music, lawn games, and spotting animals of all sorts. MORE INFO.
Where: Lincoln Park Zoo, 2001 N. Clark St.
When: Saturday, 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Cost: Tickets begin at $55. Designated driver tickets are $20.
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Flea Market Frenzy
Find hidden treasures at Skokie's monthly Flea Market Frenzy! Shop for antiques, furniture, tools, electronics, video games, jewelry, books, music, movies, art, vinyl, and totally weird stuff! MORE INFO.
Where: Skokie Oakton Street Pool Parking lot, 4710 Oakton St, Skokie
When: Sunday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Cost: Free
Sam Adams Lakeview Taco Fest
Grab a sizzling taco or six at the 9th annual Sam Adams Lakeview Taco Fest this weekend, featuring more than a dozen local eateries with dozens of mouth-watering options.
This celebration of the tortilla-wrapped Mexican street food—and the seasonal beers that pair perfectly with them—is an ideal place to kick-off the autumn season. Located along Southport Corridor’s busy commercial strip on Southport between Addison and Roscoe, the fest will include live entertainment and a Kid Zone with a variety of activities.
Visitors can stick to traditional tacos ranging from steak to chicken and chorizo to ground beef. More adventurous eaters can savor tacos stuffed with imaginative ingredients including mushrooms, seafood, goat and duck. Special beer and taco pairings will be available throughout the day as well. MORE INFO.
Where: On Southport between Addison and Roscoe (3500 N. Southport Ave.)
When: Saturday & Sunday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Cost: $10 suggested donation, which benefits the Friends of Lakeview
Beverly Art Walk
The eighth annual Beverly Art Walk is a premier art and culture event organized by the not-for-profit The Beverly Area Art Alliance (The Alliance). The event will take place at nearly 50 locations along Western Avenue and the surrounding area on Saturday. Works by more than 100 artists will be showcased at venues including Heritage Gallery and Joplin Marley Studios as well as pop-up spaces in area businesses including the newly-opened record store Beverly Phono Mart and brewery Horse Thief Hollow.
This year’s event is free to all attendees and participants and marks its return to an interactive, self-guided arts experience after transitioning to a virtual series in 2020. This year also marks the return of the popular Uprising Handmade Market giving local vendors an opportunity to introduce their products to new consumers. Artists and vendors receiving 100% of the proceeds of the work or products they sell. MORE INFO.
Where: Along Western Avenue
When: Saturday, noon to 5 p.m.
Cost: Free
Chicago Gourmet
Chicago Gourmet, the annual food festival hosted by the Illinois Restaurant Association, returns this year with a month-long lineup of smaller events and dinners celebrating the city's dining scene. Normally a three-day event, the lengthened version includes a Tacos & Tequila event hosted by Chef Rick Bayless; The Hamburger Hop is back and bigger than ever; an expanded version of our fabulous Grand Cru, presented by UnitedHealthcare, that will feature the world’s finest wines, craft spirits, and unforgettable cuisine from Chicago’s award winning chefs, all in-person at the beautiful Harris Theater Rooftop; and back by popular demand, “Go Gourmet” returns in 2021, featuring a lineup of in-person dining events throughout the entire month of September at leading restaurants and venues citywide. MORE INFO.
Where: Various locations throughout Chicago
When: Throughout September
Cost: Varies
CHICAGO: Where Comics Came to Life (1880–1960)
A significant, but often overlooked contribution to American art and culture is Chicago’s role in the development of the early comic strip. Through its countless newspapers and its publishing industry, Chicago led the transformation of comics from daily fantasy and joke features into ongoing stories grounded in the textures and details of real life, its first real step towards legitimacy as an expressive language and semi-literary art form.
The exhibition focuses on the origins of the comics in popular publishing, the immeasurable importance of African-American cartoonists and publishing, the first woman cartoonists and editors, the first daily comic strip, and finally the art and comics of undeservedly forgotten Frank King, who with “Gasoline Alley” captured not only the rhythms and tone of everyday existence in his characters that aged not only at the same daily rate as its newspaper readers, but were also fictionalized versions of real people.
The exhibition is designed and planned as an intentional historical companion to the concurrently appearing survey of contemporary Chicago comics at the Museum of Contemporary Art, in which Ware’s work also appears. MORE INFO.
Where: Chicago Cultural Center, 77 E. Randolph St., Sidney R. Yates Gallery, 4th Floor North
When: Now through Oct. 3, open daily 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Cost: Free
Chicago Comics: 1960s to Now
Chicago has been a center for comics for decades—a haven not only for making and publishing cartoons, but also for innovating on the medium. Chicago Comics: 1960s to Now tells the story of the art form in the influential city through the work of Chicago’s many cartoonists: known, under-recognized, and up-and-coming.
The exhibition traces the evolution of comics in Chicago, as cartoonists ventured beyond the pages of newspapers and into experimental territory including long-form storytelling, countercultural critique, and political activism. Chicago Comics examines styles, schools of thought, and modes of publication across six decades of cartooning, including works from artists who are changing the medium today. The exhibition seeks to bring to the fore artists of color who were previously under-recognized throughout their careers. In this pursuit, the exhibition features archival material previously not seen in museums and offers a revised history of the art form. Represented throughout this timeline are special sections that highlight key artists including Kerry James Marshall, Lynda Barry, and Chris Ware. MORE INFO.
Where: Museum of Contemporary Art, 220 E. Chicago Ave.
When: Now through Oct. 3
Cost: Included in museum admission
Marvel: Universe of Super Heroes
Marvel: Universe of Super Heroes celebrates Marvel history with more than 300 artifacts including original comic book pages, sculptures, interactive displays, and costumes and props from Marvel’s blockbuster films. Guests can examine the origins of iconic characters such as Spider-Man, Black Panther, Hulk, and Captain Marvel and see how they have evolved alongside society over the past 80 years, making these characters a pop culture mainstay. MORE INFO.
Where: Museum of Science and Industry, 5700 S. Lake Shore Dr.
When: Now through Oct. 24
Cost: Requires an additional, timed-entry ticket in addition to museum admission: Adults $18, Children (3-11) $14, Members $9
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Neon and Light Museum
The new Neon and Light Museum pop-up invites guests to stand in, under and around some 70 professional neon and light-based sculptures in a dazzling and dramatic immersive exhibition.
Among the highlights are certain to be: Breathe, a 14-foot-tall perspective-based neon sculpture created by artist John Bannon; Circle’s Edge, Monika Wulfer’s dynamic installation inviting participation with activated gas trapped in glass tubes; and an iconic neon self-portrait by legendary Beatle John Lennon. Other remarkable talent represented in neon and light includes internationally renowned British artist Sarah Blood, feminist neon artist Zoelle Nagib, pop sign artist Jason Pickleman, neon master bender Jacob Fishman, the digital imagery of Detroit’s Annica Cuppetelli and Cristobal Mendoza, the projected light of Gary Justis, the language play of San Francisco’s Helen Lee, and abstract sculptor Michael Young, and more.
The Neon and Light Museum is an expansion of the successful On Neon show presented here in 2020 by the Ken Saunders Gallery, which, since 1995, has exhibited the most important and innovative artists working with glass in the world. MORE INFO.
Where: 325 West Huron, River North, Chicago
When: Now through Oct. 31
Cost: $25
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Helmut Jahn: Life + Architecture
“HELMUT JAHN: LIFE + ARCHITECTURE,” running through October, is a retrospective organized in the wake of Jahn’s death in a bicycle accident in May.
According to the Chicago Architecture Center, the exhibit presents important designs by the powerhouse architect, ranging from signature early projects like the crystalline Michigan City Public Library (1977) and Chicago’s dazzlingly provocative James R. Thompson Center (1985) to the transformational urban marketplace Sony Center in Berlin (2000) and the forward-looking Pritzker Military Archives Center, currently under construction in Somers, Wisconsin.
“HELMUT JAHN: LIFE + ARCHITECTURE” showcases 17 scale models of some of Jahn’s most recognizable works in Chicago and around the world, said the CAC’s content manager, Ian Speela. It also will include photography and sketches illuminating each project and exploring the collaborative design and engineering process, while personal imagery, video, and recollections by those who knew and worked with Jahn underscore his flair for the dramatic and zest for life. Jahn’s career spanned more than 50 years. MORE INFO.
Where: Chicago Architecture Center, 111 E. Wacker Dr.
When: Now through Oct. 31
Cost: Free with general admission
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Immersive Van Gogh
Step inside of Starry Night and The Bedroom in Arles with the help of more than 75 digital projectors in this high-tech exhibition that explores the work of Vincent Van Gogh. Designed by the Italian creative team that worked on the "Atelier des Lumières" exhibitions in Paris, "Immersive Van Gogh" covers 35-foot walls with animated versions of the Dutch painters work, accompanied by a score that blends electronic and classical compositions. MORE INFO.
Where: Lighthouse ArtSpace, 108 W. Germania Pl.
When: Now through Nov. 28
Cost: $40-50
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WNDR museum
The home of Chicago's only Infinity Mirror Room (created by Japanese Yayoi Kusama) is open to the public once again, presenting a new collection of one-of-a-kind art installations alongside some old favorites. New additions to WNDR Museum include a multi-sensory experience from S̶A̶N̶T̶IA̶G̶O̶X that uses artificial intelligence, sounds, visuals and scents, as well as an installation called I Heard There Was a Secret Chord that allows guests to become part of an evolving virtual choir. MORE INFO.
Where: 1130 W. Monroe St.
When: Tickets available now through Dec. 31
Cost: $30
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Human+Nature
The Morton Arboretum’s next outdoor art exhibition, Human+Nature, will inspire awe and wonder as it connects people and trees. Internationally renowned artist Daniel Popper created five 15- to 26-foot-tall sculptures exclusively for the Arboretum that will be featured in various locations across its 1,700 acres, leading guests to areas they may not have explored before. It will be his largest exhibition to date anywhere in the world.
On the East Side, a short walk from the Visitor Center, guests will be able to step within a huge female figure, as if into the heart of nature. Continuing along a less than mile-long walk, they will encounter a majestic maternal figure as tall as a tree, and a sculpture of diverse human facial traits interwoven with root structures. On the West Side, two hands joined by intertwining roots will extend near a grove of old oaks, and a towering face will evoke the interconnectedness of humans and trees. Made of concrete, fiberglass, and steel, each sculpture will weigh several metric tons. The largest ground footprint will be 28 feet wide and 37 feet long.
Human+Nature will be included with timed-entry admission to the Arboretum. The exhibition is planned to run for at least one year. MORE INFO.
Where: Morton Arboretum, 4100 Illinois Rte 53, Lisle
When: Now through next year
Cost: Included with timed-entry Arboretum admission
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