Five Must Go to Music Festivals In Chicago

Are you ready for all the great music festivals coming to Chicago this summer?  I know I am!   

First: Pitchfork Music Festival at Union Park July 18, 19, & 20. As of today, the 3 day pass has sold out as well as single day passes for Saturday and Sunday. Single day passes available for Friday for $60.00. Before heading to the festival this weekend, check out the festivals’ website www.ptichforkmusicfestival.com for what you can and can’t bring in with you.  If you are a concert going pro, you know not to show up with a pack of fireworks in your backpack.  Wear sensible shoes, bring sunscreen as the majority of the park where the bands play are in the sun. You can escape to the outer edge of the park for shade but those areas are very crowded. Bring a small blanket so you can sit someplace.  Take the CTA green line, there is nowhere to park around there.  Kids under age 10 get in free with a paying adult, think twice before bringing junior, there is no playground for them to play at and no kid area set up for them.  Also bring a tote bag for the Chirp Record Fair, Flatstock Poster Fest, & Coterie Craft Fair, you will definitely buy something there. Food choices are good, but no tables to sit and eat at so that blanket comes in handy. Must see bands: Beck, St Vincent, Sun Kil Moon, Neutral Milk Hotel, Sharon Van Etten, Real Estate, Tune Yards, Dum Dum Girls, & Cloud Nothings. 

Second: Lollapalooza at Grant Park August 1, 2, and 3. Lolla sold out the day all the bands were announced. Except for the platinum pass which will cost you $3600.00.  I am not sure why it sold out because the lineup is not impressive. I think Lolla has become a music event to be at despite the average lineup.  Many of the bands on this year’s lineup have played the fest already, the only predicted surprised was listing Outkast on the bill. For all your FAQ’s, go to www.lollapalooza.com.  On the website, you can see all the food listed under Chow Town as you will eat well at Lolla, restaurant picks are good.  Lolla’s festival grounds are massive, you will be bumping into people but there is also plenty of spaces to chill out (try Farmer’s Market and Green Street areas).  Really wear sensible shoes at this fest, there is a lot of land to cover, you will be constantly walking from stage to stage thru large crowds. Make sure you plan out what bands you want to see and at what time so you can make it to the stages in a timely manner. It could take 20 minutes to get from one stage to another. Lolla also allows kids in under the age of 10 for free with a paying adult. There is a kidzapalooza stage and kids can jump around, do some crafts, hear some cool bands however this area shuts down at 5pm so you will need to entertain your kids for the rest of the evening. Don’t start drinking as soon as you get there. I saw several younger concert goers last year passing out by 5pm, sad, you don’t want to miss out on your favorite bands while you are passed out in some bush. Must see bands: Arctic Monkeys, Lorde, Lykke Li, Interpol, Broken Bells, Outkast, The Avett Brothers, Glen Hansard, Spoon, & Warpaint.  

Third: North Coast Festival at Union Park August 29, 30, & 31.. This is a festival that I have not attended (mainly because I don’t like the lineup). The lineup is varied genres of music. Go to www.northcoastfestival.com for your entire list of do’s and don’t’ s for this festival. The festival map is not shown on the website just yet so I don’t know if the stage setup is similar to Pitchfork Music Festival. 3 day passes are still available at a reasonable $169.00. Single day passes are not yet available but maybe closer to the date of the festival. Like Pitchfork, take the green line although there is some mention on their website about limited parking being available.  Must see bands: Dr. Dog, Future Islands, Wild Belle, Little Dragon, Kid Cudi, & Bassnectar.  

Fourth: Hideout Block Party at 1354 W Wabansia September 5 & 6. Tickets are available at $55.00 for a 2 day pass (great deal!). Website does not list single day tickets yet. I went to this fest a couple of years ago to see Wilco and had a really nice time. We did find parking only a few blocks away but probably best to take public transportation. This fest is not about massive crowds, maybe 5000 if that. The fest is held at a shipping yard’s parking lot next to the tiny Hideout venue.  So, you are standing on a concrete parking lot to watch the stage so once again, wear sensible shoes!! There are several food trucks on hand to feed you, at this time the website is not listing the food vendors just yet.  Limited seating for food just had some tables and chairs littered about. I liked this fest because of the smaller crowds. For more information on this festival go to www.hideoutchicago.com. Must see bands: Death Cab For Cutie, The War On Drugs, Hamilton Leithauser, Mac DeMarco, Empires, & The Handsome Family.  

Fifth: Riotfest at Humboldt Park September 12, 13, & 14. Three day passes are available for $189.98. No single day passes available just yet. Riotfest is offering a layaway plan for purchasing tickets as well, nice idea, and helps with budget planning. Go to www.riotfest.org for the layaway plan information as well as all the do’s and don’ts of the fest.  I am very excited about attending this year’s fest, as this will be my first year attending Riotfest and I can’t wait. The lineup is amazing!! I will say I am a bit concerned about getting there as no train line drops you off in front of Humboldt Park. I will go online and see what the best bus route to get me there is. Along with all the great music at this year’s fest, they have a carnival at the park as well. A 3 day unlimited ride pass is $49.98. Looking forward to a festival in September where hopefully the temperature is not in the 90’s. Must see bands: The Cure, Jane’s Addiction, The National, Rise Against, Cheap Trick, Social Distortion, Afghan Whigs, Naked Raygun, and Thurston Moore.  

Don’t forget to tune into WXAV (88.3fm or @ www.wxav.com) every Wednesday night from 7pm to 9pm for Alternative Sounds For Your Head with host radioruta. Alternative, indie, new wave, punk, electronic music and more!!  Also, Music While U Work Thursday mornings 10am to noon.