This year’s free agency period is going to be quite different for the Chicago Bulls. For the first time in a while, the Bulls should be fairly competitive in going after key names.
Thanks to the boldness of Arturas Karnisovas, Chicago was able to land All Star center Nikola Vucevic and pair him with fellow All Star Zach LaVine. Now, the Bulls become a much more attractive spot for free agents.
Specifically, point guards will be more attracted to Chicago because of their need at the position. It doesn’t appear that Coby White is the guy they can count on to start at, and Tomas Satoransky could end up being traded or stick around as a reserve.
Chicago is going to be looking at a few different names at the point guard position, but a couple of them have been connected to the Bulls as of late.
There is a world where the Chicago Bulls land both Lonzo Ball and Derrick Rose.
When it comes to Lonzo Ball, the Bulls have long been linked to the former UCLA standout. Recently, it was reported by Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report that there is mutual interest between Chicago and Ball in signing a 4-year, $80 million deal. Even Yahoo Sports NBA insider Chris Haynes backed up that report within the last few hours.
Watching NBA TV’s free agency special. Well respected @ChrisBHaynes reports unless there’s a major “hiccup”, sources tell him Lonzo Ball intends to work out a contract with the Bulls. Pelicans are going hard after free agent PG Kyle Lowry.
Rose, meanwhile, could return to Chicago. Also reported by Fischer, Rose is apparently interested in coming back to his home town.
After being drafted no. 1 overall as a 20-year-old kid back in 2008, Rose is now a 32-year-old veteran who has battled through some of the toughest times any professional player could endure.
Bulls fans remember those times well, when it seemed like Rose would never play a full season again after multiple significant knee injuries. At one point, it looked like his career was over. Yet, he battled back, proved he could stay healthy and finally reinvented himself.
For the last four seasons, Rose has proved he can indeed still play in the NBA and play well. His spark off the bench helped the New York Knicks make their postseason run last year, and while it’s still possible he could return to the Big Apple, Chicago remains a serious possibility.
Back to Ball for a brief moment. Last year, the 23-year-old Ball improved his jump shot in a big way. He proved he could score at a higher rate than he had in the past, which is something that’s been a big knock on his game since entering the league. In fact, Ball knocked down an average of three 3-point shots per game last year, shooting them at nearly 38 percent.
Ball’s defense and playmaking ability would fit well next to LaVine and Vucevic. Picturing Ball as the starter and Rose coming off the bench as the team’s sixth man could equal a definite playoff appearance for these Bulls — and maybe more.
If Chicago is able to secure both Ball and Rose, look out. They’ll be a completely different team than they were a year ago, and ready to compete in the East.
While everyone is talking about the Chicago Bears‘ quarterback situation between rookie Justin Fields and veteran Andy Dalton, it’s the defense that should be generating an equal amount of buzz at training camp.
Over the last two seasons, the Bears struggled in a couple of major areas on defense under Chuck Pagano: sacks and takeaways.
Now under the leadership of new defensive coordinator Sean Desai, the Bears are taking a familiar defensive approach.
Takeaways. It is all about takeaways.
“A ton of takeaways and turnovers,” Nagy told the media this last week. “A ton of them.”
Chicago Bears head coach Matt Nagy and his staff are zeroed in on an aggressive defensive approach during training camp.
When asked about his defense and the team’s approach during camp, Nagy made it pretty clear what they’re focused on.
“When those guys go to bed at night, just think about intercepting the football, stripping that football. Be crazy about it. Everywhere you go.”
Nagy’s obsession with takeaways is refreshing, because of just how bad the Bears have been in the last two years in this category. After Vic Fangio left, this unit fell off dramatically when it comes to taking the football away.
In 2020, the Bears came up with just 18 takeaways. By comparison, the Miami Dolphins led the league with 29 of them. In 2019, the Bears finished with 19. Again, the league leader was far ahead of Chicago — the Pittsburgh Steelers with 38.
In order to make the focus even clearer with his unit, Desai has introduced something called the “turnover bucket” during training camp.
The idea is that, whenever the defense takes the ball away during camp, a big blue bucket comes out onto the field and the player who came up with the ball gets to dunk the football into the bucket.
So far, the team has really taken to the turnover bucket.
“We want to make sure that when we get a takeaway, everyone knows that we got one,” Desai said.
This obsession with turnovers feels very reminiscent of the Fangio era, for sure. However, going back even further, it feels a lot like the Lovie Smith era. Under both coaches, the defense was expected to hound the football. On every down, it was about crowding to the football.
That’s the mantra these Bears are adapting once again, and the unit is responding well thus far.
Chicago’s defense has enough great players to be a top unit once again in 2021, but it’s all about taking the football away. With the right attitude and scheme, there is no reason why they cannot come up with 25-plus takeaways this coming season.
As long as the defense comes up with a good amount of takeaways this season, the Bears will be an improved team. While many like to project another season hovering around .500, the talent speaks otherwise, and it starts on defense. This unit is out to shock the NFL like they did in 2018, and it begins and ends with taking that football away.
When the 2021 NBA free agency period opens up on Monday, the Chicago Bulls will undoubtedly be busy.
Last year, the Bulls completely renovated their front office and now, should show much more aggressiveness in building a contender. Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley already proved that aggressiveness by trading for Nikola Vucevic last season.
Now, with some money to spend and other decisions to make, things should get quite eventful.
As most fans know, the most pertinent need for the Bulls this offseason is at point guard. Coby White may not be the point guard of the future for Chicago, and he’s also recovering from an injury right now. Meanwhile, Tomas Satoransky could be traded or cut in order to save the Bulls $5 million.
There are some excellent, realistic options at point guard for the Chicago Bulls.
Regardless of what happens with White or Satoransky, one thing is abundantly clear: the Bulls will add at least one point guard during free agency.
With all of the names potentially available, there are a few that don’t make sense for the Bulls. First and foremost, Chris Paul will more than likely be returning to the Phoenix Suns. The same could be said about Mike Conley’s situation. He’ll probably stay put with the Utah Jazz.
Just about any other name in the point guard pool is fair game, though. But, not every one of them makes sense. These five point guards are the most realistic options for the Bulls, and any one of them would make this team a whole lot more interesting in 2021-2022.
Lollapalooza is on the books. Now ahead, comes the major COVID-19 outbreak, super-spreader style. That’s not just the likely outcome of Chicago’s just concluded four-day music festival. It’s a certainty.
It will be fueled by the extremely dangerous Delta coronavirus variant and ushered in by Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who implacably declared that the show must go on, under, they assured, the tightest of restrictions.
Concert-goers were required to produce their proof-of-vaccination cards, or evidence of a negative coronavirus test within 72 hours of entering the show. The unvaccinated were required to wear face masks. And no worries, an outdoor event is much safer in a pandemic.
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So party on, they cheered, at a time when the state’s COVID-19 positivity numbers are at their highest point in months.
On Friday, Cook County Health officials said they now recommend “‘universal masking” in all indoor public spaces, due to what the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention called “substantial” COVID-19 transmission.
Our elected officials stared down warnings from respected health experts like Dr. Emily Landon, who said a mass gathering like Lolla, even outdoors, was unsafe.
“So, I think continuing to have Lolla at that level of capacity was a bad idea even before there was a pandemic, and I’m shocked that we’ve agreed to go back to that same level of capacity, ” Landon, the executive medical director of infection prevention and control at the University of Chicago Medicine, said last Monday in an interview with NBC-5 Chicago.
You don’t need the experts. Just look at those overhead news videos of the monster crowds in Grant Park, knee to jowl, shouting and singing their little hearts out.
Watch, as I did, festival-goers flooding the city’s trains, maskless, on their way to the fun and frolic. And take a gander at the photos and videos of hundreds of thousands of happy, bare faces at the party.
For four days, 100,000 people a day, a huge, sweaty swath of humanity, will pack Grant Park for hours on end, day into night.
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On the Monday morning after, questions remain.
How many of those young revelers presented real, valid paperwork? The FBI and watchdog groups have been calling out the proliferation of fake vaccination cards for months.
How many tested positive one day, then were infected the next?
What happened to the old Lori Lightfoot? The Lightfoot who, last year, sternly tweeted, scolded, even threatened us to obey the COVID rules, for our own good and for the sake of our lives?
On Day 1 of the festival, its Twitter feed crowed: “Great job, Lollapalooza fans! More than 90% of you showed us your proof of vaccination today!” Another 8% of attendees presented “proof” of a negative COVID test, the festival’s sponsors reported, and 600 were turned away because they had no paperwork.
Meanwhile, a Chicago Sun-Times photographer captured signs posted at the festival’s main entrance that read: “An inherent risk of exposure to COVID-19 exists in any public space where people are present.” By attending Lollapalooza, the sign advises, “you voluntarily assume all risks related to exposure to COVID-19,” which “can lead to severe illness and death.”
They’ve got the numbers but made sure to cover their patooties. Just in case.
One final question: Why was Lollapalooza allowed to go forward? That one is easy. It’s about the money, honey.
Three people were wounded in a shooting late Saturday in The Island neighborhood on the West Side.
About 11:40 p.m., the group was standing on a porch in the 1100 block of South Mason Avenue when two males approached from the sidewalk and opened fire, Chicago police said.
A 49-year-old woman suffered a gunshot wound to the arm and was taken to Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood where her condition was stabilized, police said.
A man, 39, and another man, 35, were both struck in the leg, police said. The older man was transported to Loretto Hospital and the younger was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, according to police. Their conditions have not yet been released.
A 15-year-old boy was wounded in a drive-by shooting Saturday night in Bronzeville on the South Side.
The teenager was standing in an alley about 8:30 p.m. in the 500 block of East 41st Street when a dark-colored vehicle drove by and someone inside opened fire, Chicago police said.
He was shot in the hand and took himself to Comer Children’s Hospital, where he was stabilized, police said.
One small note to report: Iain Wilson, head brewer for 14 years at Rock Bottom Orland Park, has put in his notice. His last day will be August 5, which he will mark by tapping Final Daze as a farewell beer. Iain posted on his Facebook account that he will take over August 9 as head brewer at Hop River Brewing Co. in Fort Wayne.
Iain is likely the longest-tenured brewmaster that the Chicago area Rock Bottom restaurants. I had heard, but could not confirm, that was retained to brew enough beer to fill taps at all the restaurants as they reopened after emerging from bankruptcy.
Monday, August 2
7:00 – 8:30 pm • Yahtzee Game Night Evil Horse Brewing Co., 1338 Main St., Crete, IL 708-304-2907 Map We’re playing YAHTZEE (in a socially distanced way, of course!). Come with a group of your besties, or just by yourself. We will play 4 rounds of Yahtzee, and the group with the best average score wins! You can play with 2 or more in your group. If you don’t have a group, we’ll set you up! Feel free to bring your own Yahtzee set if you’d prefer, but we’ll have plenty of sets to play with as well.
7:00 – 8:00 pm • Backyard Yoga with Stefanie Side Lot Brewery, 110 Slocum Lake Rd., Wauconda, IL 847-714-2584 Map Join us and Yoga Instructor Stefanie Tanacea for an hour of Side Lot Backyard Yoga followed by a refreshing Side Lot Draft Beer. Class is $25 through Tock, and includes Two Drinks The Brewery will remain open to participants 1 hour after class. These classes are outside. In the event of inclement weather, the class will be rescheduled. [Classes Are Non-Refundable]
Tuesday, August 3
6:00 pm • DC Movie Trivia Two Pints Lounge, 641 E. Boughton Rd. #110, Bolingbrook, IL (630) 739-3000 Map 5 rounds of trivia. Prizes each round. All ages welcome. Call 630 739-3000 and register your team name.
6:30 – 8:30 pm • So You Want to Become a Beer Judge Orange & Brew, 1027 Burlington Ave., Downers Grove, IL (630) 541-3880 Map Learn to evaluate attributes of beer with a recognized set of criteria. You will learn become a more distinguished evaluator of beer and discover best practices of beer judging. Get a sneak-peak into the important habits practiced by beer judges and the dos and don’ts of beer judging. Orange & Brew Bottle Shop in Downers Grove This class is presented by Marty Nachel, a 35-year member of the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) and professional judge who has participated in some of the largest and most prestigious beer competitions in the U.S. and abroad. To learn more, contact Jenifer Walsh, program manager, at (630) 942-3045 or [email protected] College of DuPage Continuing Education, class PROED-0011-611, $39
7:00 pm • CLB Trivia Crystal Lake Brewing, 150 N. Main St., Crystal Lake, IL (779) 220-9288 Map Grab a few friends to form your team and join Chicago Trivia Guys every Tuesday night at 7pm, here in the tap room. Drop ins are welcome, the trivia is entertaining and laid back, and prizes go to the top teams. There’s no more fun way to spend a mid-week evening!
7:00 pm • Side Lot Bingo! Side Lot Brewery, 110 Slocum Lake Rd., Wauconda, IL 847-714-2584 Map We’re playing Bingo again! Get ready to shake your balls every Tuesday night at Side Lot Brewery. Limited seating is available both inside and outside. Reservations are HIGHLY recommended. MASKS ARE REQUIRED TO ENTER THE PROPERTY & ANYTIME YOU’RE NOT SEATED. If this is a problem, stay home.
Wednesday, August 4
No events for today. But please check back, we update continuously.
Thursday, August 5
11:00 am • Chicago Ducky Derby Watch Party The Northman Beer & Cider Garden, 233 E. Riverwalk, Chicago Map The 2021 annual Chicago Ducky Derby takes place on Thursday, August 5th after a break in tradition due to COVID in 2020. The Chicago Ducky Derby helps raise money for Special Olympics Illinois, allowing supporters to adopt a rubber duck (or ducks) in the hope of winning prizes which include an all-new Chevy Trailblazer, an all inclusive trip to Mexico, a Chicago Day Getaway, $2,000 cash, and more! Join us at The Northman for a “Birdseye” view of the Chicago Ducky Derby as more than 65,000 rubber ducks splash down from the Columbus Drive Bridge and race down the Chicago River. The Northman open at 11am, no reservations, come on down and join in the fun and help raise money for a great cause! Don’t worry, no ducks or Chicago River life is harmed during this fun, family-friendly event. Nets catch all the duckies after the race and are re-used, again and again, in different cities around the country. Special Olympics Illinois is not-for-profit sports organization offering year-round training and competition in 18 sports for more than 23,100 athletes with intellectual disabilities and over 13,000 Young Athletes ages 2-7 with and without intellectual disabilities. It strives to be a global leader in shaping a culture where people with and without intellectual disabilities are fully integrated into the community by provide year-round opportunities in competitive sports, health education, leadership, and personal development. If you are interested in being a part of Special Olympics Illinois and its vision, contact your local region, call 800-394-0562 or visit our website.
4:00 – 9:30 pm • Thursday Night Tacos! Side Lot Brewery, 110 Slocum Lake Rd., Wauconda, IL 847-714-2584 Map You’ve been asking when Tacos are coming back to Side Lot. Taco Thursdays kick off on June 3rd and will continue every Thursday night. Make your reservations!
4:00 – 10:00 pm • Vinyl Night at Black Lung Black Lung Brewing Co., 3232 Monroe, Waukegan, IL (847) 340-3320 Map We have vinyl night every Thursday evening! Bring a record and we will even give you $1 off while your vinyl spins! Rain or shine! Shutdown if we have a band!
5:00 – 8:00 pm • Hop Field Open House Backbarn Hops, 9N050 Dittman Rd., Elgin, IL Map Please join us as we bring together local family farmed hops with local brewers. The field should be close to harvest ready so start thinking about how you want to brew with Michigan Copper hops. It will be an open house style event so please stop by if you are available, talk hops and beer, or simply take photos. We only grow hops so BYOB is encouraged.
5:00 – 8:00 pm • Food Truck: Serna’s Grill Plank Road Tap Room, 39W149 Plank Rd., Elgin, IL 224-238-3527 Map Serna’s Grill will be rolling into the beer garden this summer! They are known for their monster burgers and gyros. But, they have a little something for everyone…. tacos, Italian Beef, and more! Check out their menu here. Please note: Times and menus are subject to change. PRTR is 21+ only. Children are not allowed on premise.
6:00 pm • Trivia at Great Central Great Central Brewing Co., 221 N. Wood St., Chicago (855) 464-4222 Map TRIVIA’S BACK! Love to test your knowledge while sharing some laughs with friends, and 24 beers on tap?! Maybe you just want to try something different than your typical Thursday night? Our Trivia night is for you! Thursdays @6pm
6:30 – 10:00 pm • “Train with Brain” Running Club Blue Island Beer Co., 13357 Olde Western Ave., Blue Island, IL (708) 954-8085 Map Our good friend Brian Fee is training for the Chicago Marathon, and you can join him every Thursday til October! He’s raising money for Mercy Home for Boys and Girls and you can donate at this link. Each week you can plan on running at the most 4 miles and your first beer is on Blue Island Beer Co.!
6:30 – 8:30 pm • Chicago Brew Cruise Chicago Fireboat ToursMap Chicago Fireboat Tours and Phase Three Brewing Co. are partnering up to offer one of the most unique experiences in Chicago, every Thursday evening all summer-long!! Phase Three Brewing Company will be bringing just days-old fresh, new releases directly from their Chicagoland brewery every week to serve aboard Chicago Fireboat Tours’ 1933 retired Chicago Fireboat, the Fred A. Busse. Boarding begins at 6:00p.m and the boat departs at 6:30pm for a 2-hour sunset cruise. The Brew Cruise will start on the lake, float through the locks and right into the heart of downtown Chicago via the Chicago River, enjoying world-class views, an amazing sunset, and great music; all paired with fresh, innovative craft beers and hard seltzers. Tickets are $45 per person at www.fireboattours.com, and include your 1st Phase Three brew once onboard.
7:30 pm • Side Lot Trivia Side Lot Brewery, 110 Slocum Lake Rd., Wauconda, IL 847-714-2584 Map Are you the smartest one in the Taproom? The only way to find out is to join Side Lot Brewery on Thursday nights at 7:30pm for Taproom Trivia. 7 Rounds with varying categories. Free to Play, Prizes to Win!
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Meet The Blogger
Mark McDermott
Writer, trivia maven, fan of many things. I thought to learn all there is to know about beer as a way to stay interested in learning. It is my pleasure to bring Chicago’s craft beer scene to you.
WASHINGTON — Cubs right-hander Kyle Hendricks allowed five earned runs in his last start against the Reds, which was the most he had given up in a game since April. But he got back on track in a 6-3 victory Saturday against the Nationals.
Hendricks mowed down a depleted Nationals lineup and was in control all night, allowing one run and four hits in seven innings before handing things over to the bullpen. He struck out three and walked one.
The Cubs took control of the game with four runs in the fourth. They scored their first two runs of the inning on an RBI single by Sergio Alcantara and an RBI double by Andrew Romine before Rafael Ortega capped the inning with a two-run home run to give the Cubs a 5-1 lead.
Ortega had a torrid July and will continue to get opportunities.
”I think what has helped me is that I’ve had a strong mentality throughout this time [in Chicago], specifically with adjustments at the plate through all my games since I’ve been here,” Ortega said.
Cubs’ bullpen ‘work in progress’
The Cubs’ bullpen was their biggest strength for much of the season, especially when the team was at its best. The combination of Andrew Chafin, Ryan Tepera and Craig Kimbrel was one of the best high-leverage trios in baseball.
But Chafin, Tepera and Kimbrel are now on different teams after the Cubs’ trades this week, and manager David Ross will have to find a new formula in the bullpen.
”I probably won’t go full closer,” Ross said before the game. ”I think we’ll try to try to navigate the biggest pockets where we feel like guys fit in the biggest moments. . . .
”It’ll be a work in progress, but I’ve got some more thoughts on that scenario than just having an identified closer.”
The Cubs will have time to figure that out in the last two months of the season as they try to determine who might be part of their bullpen in 2022.
Hard-throwing right-hander Manny Rodriguez is going to get several opportunities to be part of that mix. Rodriguez made his major-league debut Friday, throwing a scoreless inning with two strikeouts, and showed some of the electric stuff the Cubs are excited about.
Right-hander Codi Heuer also is expected to be a part of the Cubs’ bullpen of the future. Heuer, who was acquired from the White Sox in the trade for Kimbrel on Friday, pitched out of trouble in the eighth after the Nationals had scored twice against left-hander Rex Brothers.
”He’s had some success, some real success,” Ross said of Heuer. ”I think it’s a real arm that can get real hitters out, somebody that has had success in the big leagues that we feel can be sustainable.”
Lollapalooza 2021 continued on Saturday with a high-profile and eclectic Day 3 lineup that included Megan Thee Stallion, Post Malone, Limp Bizkit, Freddie Gibbs, 1970s pop-rockers Journey, and singer-songwriter Joy Oladokun in one of the day’s most heartfelt, powerful and timely sets.
And following the latest COVID safety protocols put forth by festival organizers late Friday, attendees donned masks for a visit to the fest’s indoor merchandise shop.
Here’s a look at some of the sounds of Day 3:
Post Malone
Knowing how big of a music fan Post Malone is, it’s probably a good bet he really missed seeing Journey, too. Still, he filled his competing hour-plus set with tons of substance that made it as much of a watch to close out Saturday night at Lollapalooza — especially for the overwhelmingly young denizens who showed up in droves to the T-Mobile Stage.
Post admitted a few times he was rusty having been away from the stage, like everyone else, for the past year and a half, and though he never faltered, his set was a big warmup for his own upcoming Posty Fest in Dallas over Halloween weekend that he slyly took time to plug during his Lolla performance.
Walking a bare stage gallow setup, Post opened his set confidently with “Wow” as a procession of fireworks added to the percussion. The pyro show would return later for “Take What You Want,” his track featuring Ozzy Osbourne that was a great show of force, even sans the Prince of Darkness. Post did, however, bring out Tyla Yaweh for their song “Tommy Lee.”
Post wears his mixed bag of influences more obviously than even his tattoos, his music spanning the spectrum of rap, hip-hop, R&B, pop and rock, and his vocals shapeshifting from melodic singing to rhythmic flow.
Other songs that made the night included “Better Now,” “Too Young,” “Sunflower” “I Fall Apart” (against a field full of lighters) and “Stay,” the latter of which he delivered on acoustic guitar, telling the crowd it would be the most boring part of the set if they wanted to take a bathroom break.
Boring is one word Malone is not, ever engaging as he is, a sole person on stage able to command a crowd through sheer vulnerability.
Megan Thee Stallion
Megan Thee Stallion performs on Day 3 of the Lollapalooza music festival on Saturday in Grant Park.Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
Lollapalooza has done well this year with attempting to bring more representation to the festival — in musical genre, in cultural makeup and with a good number of women-led acts who still, sadly, have to fight for their presence on many festival stages.
Megan Thee Stallion was one of the fest’s most representative of this needed diversity — living proof that women have a lot to say in the boys’ club of hip-hop, and who has, in short order, become a Joan of Arc in the genre, paving the way for many female fans to get membership, too.
Megan played on that dynamic during her set, repeatedly calling on her “hot girls” (her collective term for the dames in the crowd and also her flygirls who catapulted into physical dance moves that many times don’t seem physically possible). The men in the crowd were of course just as into it — but in a set as sexually suggestive as Stallion’s, it’s not about exploitation but liberation.
Her beat-blaring song “Body,” one of the highlights of the set, set that tone early on. As did “W.A.P.” later — because regardless of all the controversy that song has had, the message lies in giving ownership back to a woman and her body, which has been the muse of many a song in the history of music.
In between the moments of twerking and the unbelievably unnecessary air horns, though, Megan also had some wise words, encouraging the crowd to take mental health seriously as well as their education — the rapper proudly declared she will be graduating this fall from Texas Southern University.
Other performance highlights included “Savage” and “Sex Talk,” and her custom-made unitard made out of band T-shirts of Guns N Roses, AC/DC, The Ramones and Led Zeppelin. Fitting since Megan Thee Stallion is a modern-day show pony of the “sex, drugs and rock n roll” vibe.
Freddie Gibbs
Freddie Gibbs performs Saturday night at Lollapalooza.Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
Saturday night at Lollapalooza felt like something out of “West Side Story” — either you were on the side of the park with Machine Gun Kelly and Limp Bizkit or you were on the side of the park with Freddie Gibbs and Megan Thee Stallion.
Though MGK was the pretty caliber surprise guest at the Bud Light Seltzer Sessions area at the same time as Freddie Gibbs’ set, it was clear the love for the “Something To Rap About” talent in this city remains palpable (and it was no contest for Megan, either, who drew the largest crowd yet at Lolla).
Hailing from the Chicago hip-hop-adjacent town of Gary, Indiana, Gibbs didn’t need a hype man to warm up his set — though the delayed intro might have been to allow the rapper time to save his breath as he may very well hold the record for the quickest flow. (Or it could have been the drugs he said he did prior to the performance, admitting how nervous he was to be back out on stage after a two-year pause.)
That led him to get the crowd going in a chant of “F*** COVID.” Gibbs doesn’t mince words, which is what makes so many followers praise him, and also nabbed him a best rap album nomination for his latest album, “Alfredo,” which came out in 2020. Gibbs made up for lost time at the festival, unleashing many of the tracks, the most noteworthy being “Scottie Beam.” During his set, Gibbs also announced he’s at work on a new album, proving he’s clearly quick at everything he does.
Cannons
Fate has treated Cannons well in the past year. After their saucy hit “Fire For You” landed on the Netflix teen drama “Never Have I Ever,” the L.A. trio was signed to Columbia Records and had a #1 hit on the Billboard alternative charts.
Keeping the crowd on bated breath, the act ended their dreamy early set with that number, as singer Michelle Joy commenting on how the track “changed their lives” after working on their craft for seven years, with bandmates Ryan Clapham (guitar) and Paul Davis (keyboards) finding Joy through a Craigslist ad.
It’s a story told a thousand times, but only a few bands like Cannons make it to a main stage at Lollapalooza — and they clearly have the je ne sais quoi to back it up.
It was also the band’s first time ever playing Chicago and the trio, accompanied by a live drummer, came dressed for the occasion.
Joy looked like a mix between Cher and She-Ra with a gold jumpsuit that hinted at her pop star career in the making. Her bandmates were wearing equally vibrant Midas shades, looking like they just got off the set of “Miami Vice.”
It makes sense since that seems to be their decade of choice. The band effortlessly floats in the ’80s post-disco electro-rock clouds, with a fresh pop veneer on songs like “Bad Dream,” “Talk Talk” and “Hurricance,” the latter debuting on Saturday, from their forthcoming album, out this fall.
Although Joy struggled at times to find her vocal footing, the set showed great promise for these up-and-comers.
Michigander performs on day three of Lollapalooza in Grant Park, Saturday afternoon, July 31, 2021.Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
Michigander
Michigander’s Jason Singer swore he thought he’d only see about 20 people at his set, but there was easily a hundred times that amount of revelers taking in the easy-like-Saturday-afternoon performance delivering perfectly crafted indie pop.
Of course hailing from Michigan (Detroit, to be specific), Singer and crew imbued that laidback Midwest attitude in both their music and their exultation for being tapped for a spot at Lollapalooza.
The frontman commented several times it was a “dream come true” and something he could only pine for as a high schooler when he first began writing music, like the song “Fears.” But with his talent, it was really only a matter of time until people started listening — and they have.
The band hit a high note with material from the recently released EP, “Everything Will Be Ok Eventually,” a figurative place it feels like we’re getting back to, Singer said.
Later, they began with a cover of Radiohead’s “Karma Police” morphing it into their storyteller song “East Chicago, IN.”
The addition of a trombone player in the ensemble gave the band another layer to peel away and one that has many wanting to know more.
Thankfully, they were scheduled at the same time as Madrid indie rock band Hinds whose issues with visas prevented them from making an appearance at Lollapalooza, with Michigander filling in the gaps.
Festival-goers flock to Grant Park for day three of Lollapalooza, Saturday afternoon, July 31, 2021.Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
Joy Oladokun
It’s really a wonder the BMI Stage at Lollapalooza is not the most crowded of the day, every day, with its track record of producing the next gen starts — and after seeing Joy Oladokun’s heartfelt, powerful, deep, timely and important set on Saturday, it’s clear she is next to launch.
Singer-songwriters with both universal appeal and resonating perspective like Oladokun don’t come around often, but when they do, they make their permanent mark. The songs she chose for this set touched on a range of themes — heartbreak and love (“Sorry Isn’t Good Enough”), the crossroads of religion and coming out (“Jordan”) and the current socio-political complex (“I See America”). The latter she interspersed with a house-toppling cover of Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” the intersection of the two songs giving its own moment of pause.
Born in ’92, “I See America” is her reflection about being born in the year of the Rodney King Riots and, almost 30 years later, witnessing a similar uproar of the death of George Floyd: “It’s exhausting to have to do this all the time … this song is about the tension between what a country can be and what it shows itself to be.”
To close out the set, Oladokun (switching between electric and acoustic guitars) chose another interesting medley — pairing her latest imprint “Sunday” with Prince’s “The Cross,” bubbling into a musical baptism with its amount of spirit. “I would love for you to forever associate me with Prince, how he can make you think and dance at the same time,” she said.
Oladokun doesn’t give herself nearly enough credit for being able to do so already. She may come off carefree with her jeans and Jimi Hendrix T-shirt ensemble and a sing-a-long coffeehouse vibe, but she has a fire inside we will continue to see rise over time.
Following revised COVID safety protocols imposed by festival organizers on the previous night, festival-goers donned masks to shop for merchandise at the indoor Lolla Shop on Day 3 of Lollapalooza on Saturday in Grant Park. Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
Lollapalooza 2021 continued on Saturday with a high-profile and eclectic Day 3 lineup that included Megan Thee Stallion, Post Malone, Limp Bizkit, Freddie Gibbs, 1970s pop-rockers Journey, and singer-songwriter Joy Oladokun in one of the day’s most heartfelt, powerful and timely sets.
Here’s a look at some of the sounds of Day 3:
Megan Thee Stallion
Lollapalooza has done well this year with attempting to bring more representation to the festival — in musical genre, in cultural makeup and with a good number of women-led acts who still, sadly, have to fight for their presence on many festival stages.
Megan Thee Stallion was one of the fest’s most representative of this needed diversity — living proof that women have a lot to say in the boys’ club of hip-hop, and who has, in short order, become a Joan of Arc in the genre, paving the way for many female fans to get membership, too.
Megan played on that dynamic during her set, repeatedly calling on her “hot girls” (her collective term for the dames in the crowd and also her flygirls who catapulted into physical dance moves that many times don’t seem physically possible). The men in the crowd were of course just as into it — but in a set as sexually suggestive as Stallion’s, it’s not about exploitation but liberation.
Her beat-blaring song “Body,” one of the highlights of the set, set that tone early on. As did “W.A.P.” later — because regardless of all the controversy that song has had, the message lies in giving ownership back to a woman and her body, which has been the muse of many a song in the history of music.
In between the moments of twerking and the unbelievably unnecessary air horns, though, Megan also had some wise words, encouraging the crowd to take mental health seriously as well as their education — the rapper proudly declared she will be graduating this fall from Texas Southern University.
Other performance highlights included “Savage” and “Sex Talk,” and her custom-made unitard made out of band T-shirts of Guns N Roses, AC/DC, The Ramones and Led Zeppelin. Fitting since Megan Thee Stallion is a modern-day show pony of the “sex, drugs and rock n roll” vibe.
Freddie Gibbs
Freddie Gibbs performs Saturday night at Lollapalooza.Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
Saturday night at Lollapalooza felt like something out of “West Side Story” — either you were on the side of the park with Machine Gun Kelly and Limp Bizkit or you were on the side of the park with Freddie Gibbs and Megan Thee Stallion.
Though MGK was the pretty caliber surprise guest at the Bud Light Seltzer Sessions area at the same time as Freddie Gibbs’ set, it was clear the love for the “Something To Rap About” talent in this city remains palpable (and it was no contest for Megan, either, who drew the largest crowd yet at Lolla).
Hailing from the Chicago hip-hop-adjacent town of Gary, Indiana, Gibbs didn’t need a hype man to warm up his set — though the delayed intro might have been to allow the rapper time to save his breath as he may very well hold the record for the quickest flow. (Or it could have been all the drugs he said he did prior to the performance, admitting how nervous he was to be back out on stage after a two-year pause.)
That led him to get the crowd going in a chant of “F*** COVID,” warning he’d “get to the police later” — which he definitely did. Gibbs doesn’t mince words, which is what makes so many followers praise him, and also nabbed him a best rap album nomination for his latest album, “Alfredo,” which came out in 2020. Gibbs made up for lost time at the festival, unleashing many of the tracks, the most noteworthy being “Scottie Beam.” During his set, Gibbs also announced he’s at work on a new album, proving he’s clearly quick at everything he does.
Cannons
Fate has treated Cannons well in the past year. After their saucy hit “Fire For You” landed on the Netflix teen drama “Never Have I Ever,” the L.A. trio was signed to Columbia Records and had a #1 hit on the Billboard alternative charts.
Keeping the crowd on bated breath, the act ended their dreamy early set with that number, as singer Michelle Joy commenting on how the track “changed their lives” after working on their craft for seven years, with bandmates Ryan Clapham (guitar) and Paul Davis (keyboards) finding Joy through a Craigslist ad.
It’s a story told a thousand times, but only a few bands like Cannons make it to a main stage at Lollapalooza — and they clearly have the je ne sais quoi to back it up.
It was also the band’s first time ever playing Chicago and the trio, accompanied by a live drummer, came dressed for the occasion.
Joy looked like a mix between Cher and She-Ra with a gold jumpsuit that hinted at her pop star career in the making. Her bandmates were wearing equally vibrant Midas shades, looking like they just got off the set of “Miami Vice.”
It makes sense since that seems to be their decade of choice. The band effortlessly floats in the ’80s post-disco electro-rock clouds, with a fresh pop veneer on songs like “Bad Dream,” “Talk Talk” and “Hurricance,” the latter debuting on Saturday, from their forthcoming album, out this fall.
Although Joy struggled at times to find her vocal footing, the set showed great promise for these up-and-comers.
Michigander performs on day three of Lollapalooza in Grant Park, Saturday afternoon, July 31, 2021.Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
Michigander
Michigander’s Jason Singer swore he thought he’d only see about 20 people at his set, but there was easily a hundred times that amount of revelers taking in the easy-like-Saturday-afternoon performance delivering perfectly crafted indie pop.
Of course hailing from Michigan (Detroit, to be specific), Singer and crew imbued that laidback Midwest attitude in both their music and their exultation for being tapped for a spot at Lollapalooza.
The frontman commented several times it was a “dream come true” and something he could only pine for as a high schooler when he first began writing music, like the song “Fears.” But with his talent, it was really only a matter of time until people started listening — and they have.
The band hit a high note with material from the recently released EP, “Everything Will Be Ok Eventually,” a figurative place it feels like we’re getting back to, Singer said.
Later, they began with a cover of Radiohead’s “Karma Police” morphing it into their storyteller song “East Chicago, IN.”
The addition of a trombone player in the ensemble gave the band another layer to peel away and one that has many wanting to know more.
Thankfully, they were scheduled at the same time as Madrid indie rock band Hinds whose issues with visas prevented them from making an appearance at Lollapalooza, with Michigander filling in the gaps.
Festival-goers flock to Grant Park for day three of Lollapalooza, Saturday afternoon, July 31, 2021.Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
Joy Oladokun
It’s really a wonder the BMI Stage at Lollapalooza is not the most crowded of the day, every day, with its track record of producing the next gen starts — and after seeing Joy Oladokun’s heartfelt, powerful, deep, timely and important set on Saturday, it’s clear she is next to launch.
Singer-songwriters with both universal appeal and resonating perspective like Oladokun don’t come around often, but when they do, they make their permanent mark. The songs she chose for this set touched on a range of themes — heartbreak and love (“Sorry Isn’t Good Enough”), the crossroads of religion and coming out (“Jordan”) and the current socio-political complex (“I See America”). The latter she interspersed with a house-toppling cover of Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” the intersection of the two songs giving its own moment of pause.
Born in ’92, “I See America” is her reflection about being born in the year of the Rodney King Riots and, almost 30 years later, witnessing a similar uproar of the death of George Floyd: “It’s exhausting to have to do this all the time … this song is about the tension between what a country can be and what it shows itself to be.”
To close out the set, Oladokun (switching between electric and acoustic guitars) chose another interesting medley — pairing her latest imprint “Sunday” with Prince’s “The Cross,” bubbling into a musical baptism with its amount of spirit. “I would love for you to forever associate me with Prince, how he can make you think and dance at the same time,” she said.
Oladokun doesn’t give herself nearly enough credit for being able to do so already. She may come off carefree with her jeans and Jimi Hendrix T-shirt ensemble and a sing-a-long coffeehouse vibe, but she has a fire inside we will continue to see rise over time.
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