A new festival comes into full bloom this weekend in Chicago. Sacred Rose, held Aug. 26-28 at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, promises to be a “choose your own” musical adventure with dedicated stages for fans of jam bands, Americana, psych rock and other experimental styles.

The lineup includes Phil Lesh & Friends, Khruangbin, The War on Drugs, Umphrey’s McGee, STS9, Goose and Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, and Margo Price will also be the artist-at-large appearing in surprise sets throughout the weekend. (Black Pumas were slated to appear as well but recently canceled all tour dates.)

Sacred Rose was the brainchild of Chicago-based festival and event producer Collectiv Presents after witnessing a shift in the audience engagement for North Coast, its perennial Labor Day weekend festival. Though North Coast also started in 2010 as a hippie playground combining funk, America, jam and electronic, it has changed in recent years to focus fully on EDM, which left a big opening for Sacred Rose to fill.

“In the early days of North Coast, it was a multi-genre festival, but over the course of time, as that fanbase grew older, the Venn Diagram of these music genres [we offered] started to shift outward and the common space in the middle started to shrink,” explains Collectiv Presents co-founder Michael Berg. By 2019, Collectiv Presents had shifted North Coast to an all-electronic format. But, says Berg, “From that point, we started thinking of how we can service this other part of our community being the jam band/indie rock/psych rock/Americana/funk side of things that all had a presence at North Coast and were a big part of our ecosystem, too.”

Thus, Sacred Rose was born — the name a combination of the Grateful Dead’s iconic art and imagery and Berg’s late grandfather Bert Rose, once a professional piano player in Chicago that turned him onto music at a young age.

Developing two niche events, Berg says, has paid off. With other events, “People might see a lineup poster with less names that they know and may start to see less and less value. By redefining it, now we are giving people more of what they want.” Berg also adds that not since the one-year Dave Matthews Band Caravan in 2011 has there been a jam band event of this scale in the area. “We feel like this is checking a box that hasn’t been checked for the Chicagoland area.”

Held one week before the Sept. 2-4 North Coast weekend at the same venue allows the team to purposefully use the space over two weekends with special build-outs that capitalize on a true festival experience. In addition to copious art installations, there will be chill areas like the Rainbow Lounge with colorful hammock seating, and the Collectiv Presents team will be turning SeatGeek Stadium’s sports dome into a “laser dome” with lighting and DJ sets akin to a Pink Floyd laser light show, Berg says.

Food options will also be plenty including vegetarian and vegan options. Vendors will include locals like Harold’s Chicken and Lou Malnati’s as well as Island Noodles and the very fitting Cosmic Charlie’s Grateful Grill. As of publication, VIP tickets are close to selling out and General Admission tickets are still available.

Here’s a look at five of the acts not to miss this weekend:

St. Paul & The Broken Bones

One of the best in the modern neo-soul movement, this eight-piece ensemble from Birmingham, Alabama is nothing short of a spiritual orchestra. Led by charismatic singer Paul Janeway (a mix of Cee Lo Green, Al Green and Otis Redding) and a horn section, 90 minutes with them will make you a believer. (8:15 p.m. Friday, The Dreamfield Stage)

Phil Lesh & Friends

It wouldn’t be right to have an inaugural year of a jam band fest without one member of the Grateful Dead. Sacred Rose tapped renowned bassist Phil Lesh, though he’s not coming alone. The “friends” part includes Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy and Nels Cline, among others, with fans now dubbing the once-in-a-lifetime set “Philco.” (sets at 9 and 10:45 p.m. Friday, The Canopy Stage)

Kitchen Dwellers

The event also has a few off-the-cuff surprises too like this bluegrass-folk-rock fusion act who are inspired, as they say, by “American West wanderlust.” Having frequently worked with Leftover Salmon’s Andy Thorn, they’re fully vetted for this event. (2:15 p.m. Sunday, The Dreamfield Stage)

Hiatus Kaiyote

Jazz, funk and experimental R&B all combine in beautiful harmony with this Grammy-nominated Australian quartet who have fans in Erykah Badu, Questlove and Drake (who featured enigmatic singer Nai Palm on his album “Scorpion”). Hiatus Kaiyote’s latest release, “Mood Valiant” is the band’s triumphant return after Palm recovered from breast cancer, with songs inspired by the journey. (5:15 p.m. Sunday, The Vega Stage)

Kamasi Washington

The Los Angeles jazz savant is turning the genre on its head with big energy and a playful attitude in regards to arrangements and collaborations — the most recent being a cover of “My Friend Of Misery” for Metallica’s “Blacklist” charity/anniversary album. Washington’s calculated takes on the saxophone are a real mood setter to wrap things up. (7:15 p.m. Sunday, The Vega Stage)

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Football previews are built around returning starters. There aren’t preseason games, scrimmages or much else to go on. It looks good when a lot of kids are back.

But that’s not a guarantee of success. A group of juniors that has trouble scoring often turns into a group of seniors that has trouble scoring.

Lincoln-Way East is a different beast. Rob Zvonar’s teams are consistently excellent and this year’s group should benefit tremendously from last season’s growing pains.

The No. 2 Griffins return 16 starters from a group that lost 3-0 on the road to Loyola in the Class 8A state quarterfinals.

“We had the ball and a chance to win that game at the end,” Zvonar said. “To go through that experience with a bunch of young kids gives us some cautious optimism.”

The Lincoln-Way East defense is always strong. Linebacker Jake Scianna, a three-year starter, leads the group. His two older brothers won state titles at Lincoln-Way East and his father, Randy, played at Notre Dame.

“Our confidence is a lot higher this season,” Scianna said. “We are so much more experienced and that is everything in high school football.”

Senior Hank Ravetto should be the standout defensive lineman and keep an eye on promising sophomore Caden O’Rourke.

The defensive backfield is anchored by DJ Ritter and Zac Welker at safety and corners Jordan Braithwaite and JT Poynton.

Zvonar believes the Griffins’ success this season will be determined by the offense. So the quarterback situation may be a concern.

Senior Chase Arthur, who took over in the playoffs last year, is competing with junior Braden Tischer.

“They are both doing a tremendous job,” Zvonar said. “Whoever ends up playing will get the job because they played well and not because the other one played badly.”

Either quarterback will benefit from an experienced offensive line and two capable running backs, James Kwiecinski (5-11, 180 pounds) and Petey Olaleye (5-8, 195 pounds). Kwiecinski ran for more than 1,000 yards last season. Olaleye missed most of the season with an injury.

“The offense is a lot more versatile now,” Olaleye said. “Everything is running smoother, so we can open up the playbook a bit more.”

Three-year starters Brad Abbot and Will Heitner return on the offensive line and junior Josh Janowski (6-3, 270) already has several scholarship offers.

“The running game is where it will all start,” Zvonar said. “I’m really excited about the offensive line and it’s great to have two running backs because that is a spot where you can get dinged up.”

When Zvonar’s teams have a standout offensive talent they are nearly unbeatable. Senior wide receiver Jayden Cook could be that guy this season. He’s playing all over the field.

“[Cook] is a tremendous athlete and an amazing student,” Zvonar said.

Zvonar, the only football coach in Lincoln-Way East’s 22 years, has built something special in Frankfort. Scianna has some insight into how he’s managed it.

“It’s preparation and work ethic,” Scianna said. “The culture is built on working harder than any other team and I really believe we do. We don’t always have big-time recruits but we always make a deep run in the playoffs. We don’t just practice out there. It’s the sophistication of the practices that really separates us.”

Lincoln-Way East schedule

Aug. 26 at Crete-MoneeSept. 2 vs. BataviaSept. 9 at StaggSept. 16 vs. AndrewSept. 23 vs. BolingbrookSept. 30 at SandburgOct. 7 at Homewood-FlossmoorOct. 14 vs. LockportOct. 21 at Bradley-Bourbonnais

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The Bears are waiving receiver Dazz Newsome, per NFL Network, as they begin to trim their roster from 85 to 80 players by the deadline at the end of the day.

Newsome is a notable name to be cut this early in training camp. The former sixth-round pick out of North Carolina was the only returning Bears wide receiver beside Darnell Mooney to have logged a catch for the franchise last year.

Newsome, though, struggled with catching the ball at times during training camp. He muffed a punt return in each of the Bears’ two exhibition games. He caught a 13-yard touchdown pass in the opener.

He had an opportunity, as a thin Bears receivers’ room became even more of a question mark during camp. N’Keal Harry hurt his ankle, had surgery and won’t be ready until October. Byron Pringle has missed much of this month’s practices with a quad injury. Rookie Velus Jones missed the first preseason game with an injury, while Tajae Sharpe, who was impressive against the Chiefs, sat out the second.

The Bears are likely to further trim their roster before starting mid-afternoon practice.

The Bears play their final preseason game Saturday in Cleveland. They must cut their roster down to 53 players in one week.

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Go Bears!

Or whoa … maybe not?

Sneed has learned a new poll is set to be released Tuesday that could complicate potential plans by the Chicago Bears to build a new stadium in Arlington Heights.

The poll, commissioned by the Illinois chapter of Americans for Prosperity (AFP), a conservative political advocacy group, found Arlington Heights voters overwhelmingly support a new Bears stadium — but strongly reject any taxpayer financing of the project.

“Our organization supports the Chicago Bears moving to Arlington Heights,” said Brian Costin, head ofthe Illinois chapter of the advocacy group, which promotes lower taxes and smaller government.

“But we are against using taxpayer handouts or subsidies to lure business to the community,” he said.

Conducted by the national firm ARW Strategies, the poll comes in the wake of a recentpetition drive by the advocacy group proposing the village board pass an “Anti-Corporate Welfare Tax Ordinance,” aimed at preventing taxpayer-funded subsidies such as tax increment financing (TIF) proposals from being used to lure the Chicago-based Bears to the suburbs.

o The UPshot: The poll shows 72% of polled Arlington Heights voters approved of the Chicago Bears plans to build a stadium in Arlington Heights, versus 18% who are opposed.

o The DOWNshot: The survey also showed 68% of voters disapproved of the project being supported by taxpayer dollars … compared to only 22% of the voters showing support.

“Our polling shows Arlington Heights voters strongly believe they shouldn’t be forced to foot the bill as taxpayers,” added Costin, who tells Sneed the ARW survey was a phone poll of 300 voters living in the village — population 77,000 — with a margin of error of 5.6 percentage points.

“I have a special reason for being a huge Bears fan,” said Costin. “My mother taught me to read by creating a book starring Chicago Bears quarterback Jim McMahon.”

The book, he recalled, included this line:”See Jim run. See Jim pass. See Jim score,” he chuckled.

Costin also emphasized that the poll showed opposition to using taxpayer money widening to 73% when voters “were informed the NFL is the most profitable sports league in the world and that it recently signed a $110 billion, 11-year multi-media deal last year.”

Cue the flip side/headache: Arlington Heights Mayor Tom Hayes told the media earlier this month he is opposed to the ordinance the American for Prosperity group is advocatingfor, which he believes is not in the village’s best interest. The mayor favors maintaining the village’s ability to offer financial incentives to the Chicago Bears and other entities wanting to locate there.

But Costin said the poll found strong support for his proposed Anti-Corporate Welfare Tax Ordinance prohibiting the village of Arlington Heights from using taxpayer funds to help build a stadium, with 55% in favor, and 30% opposed.

And suburban pols might want to tread carefully on the matter, according to the poll.

The survey found just over 62% of voters said they would be less likely to vote for a mayoral or village boardcandidate who voted “to give taxpayer dollars to the Chicago Bears to help them pay for their new stadium at the expense of education, public services, and infrastructure funding.” A little less than 16% said such a vote would make them more likely to support such a candidate and 22% said it would make no difference.

“Soldier Field is a great example of a failed stadium deal supported by taxpayer subsidies. This poll sends a message to the village to end the continued flirtation with corporate welfare programs,” Costin said.

“Our objective is to make sure all businesses are treated equally before the law, and no one gets special treatment,” he said. “The continued flirtation with corporate welfare programs such as the creation of TIF districts, which raises everyone’s taxes when special corporations are given exclusive benefits, is untenable.”

Stay tuned for the next version of Da Bears pigskin play.

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Inside Hawthorn Mall in suburban Vernon Hills, the stakes are high as teenagers and young adults play video games at the BHOP Esports Gaming Community Center.

The gaming facility is a training ground for a group of internet athletes who are dominating electronic sports, a form of multiplayer video gaming that originated in the 1970s. They are vying for laurels such as college scholarships, prize money in the millions and even professional careers.

Jake Younan, 29, is among them. When Younan was 14, he watched his uncle play Counter-Strike, a first-person shooter video game series, which later led him to pick up a controller and turn this fervor into a career. So did a recent Vernon Hills High School graduate, Pablo Kinderman, 18, who began playing Call of Duty Black Ops 1 at age 9.

“Their mix of experience and talent makes them stand out from other players,” said gaming center owner Joseph Ho, who chose to name his business “BHOP” because it is short for bunny-hopping, a technique gamers use to move faster in a game.

Younan and Kinderman, who started gaming as a hobby and have transitioned into professional-level play, are among the next generation of players who aim to dominate electronic sports — and along the way, earn more respect for the field. This could be their year: Kinderman’s team will compete in a Toronto Valorant tournament on Sept. 23 for a chance to win $10,000. Younan’s team is currently ranked 9th in America and 42nd in the world.

“It’s really hard to view these players as athletes when they’re sitting in a chair,” said Sam Oanta, the owner of Ignite Gaming Lounge in Skokie. “There’s still a stigma with playing video games; definitely so in America. Less so in Southeast Asia where gaming culture is much more mainstream.”

Kinderman, who in high school played for an esports team that went on to rank among the top four in the nation, said he found it challenging to maintain a healthy balance between school and esports. Now, he wants to develop his professional gaming career while pursuing a job with the Vernon Hills Police Department.

“As long as I can have a good balance of both, that’s pretty much my main concern,” he said.

Kinderman tries to maintain a consistent sleep routine but, as a prolific gamer, must adjust to accommodate a packed schedule of matches and tournaments. Most days, he practices with his team. “The game is always changing; you have to always adapt to the game,” he said.

Younan started his professional career in his early 20s with a Canadian esports organization called eRa Eternity, making $800 monthly on a contract. He earned an esports scholarship to Robert Morris University in Chicago (now part of Roosevelt University) and retired from professional play for two-and-a-half years to focus on computer science studies but has come back to the game.

“I hadn’t taken anything seriously in terms of schooling,” he said. “I kind of just focused only on playing, and that was a big downfall on my end. But luckily enough, [Robert Morris] was able to give me a scholarship for what I was doing. That kind of helped put me back on track.”

The Maine East High School graduate starts his day with a 90-minute gym workout and spends hours a day practicing his aim on his first-person shooter game. He practices with his team for up to five hours a day, making a point to spend time afterward talking about mistakes and what the team can fix.

Like Kinderman, Younan has had to develop a regimen. The key to his routine? Healthy eating.

“When I would eat unhealthy, I felt like I would play 10 times worse,” he said. “So, I ended up switching my diet and how I maintain my body, which I felt like it helped me a lot.”

The esports industry is valued at $1 billion, with significant growth since 2020.

Professional athletes on traditional sports teams generate earnings through salaries and lucrative add-ons such as sponsorships and lending their name to well-established brands. Because esports can be live-streamed on platforms such as YouTube and Twitch, players can also take on brand sponsorships from companies like Xfinity who want the exposure. That helps supplement contract revenue and prize money.

But there’s a lack of structure in the industry and that makes it difficult to be a seasoned esports athlete, said Ho.

“There are esports athletes who do receive the credit they deserve and others that do not,” Ho said. “Many don’t receive more credit than they should because esports do not have an overarching organization like the NCAA, NFL, MLB or NBA.”

Overall, Younan said the sport’s image is starting to change.

“It’s been getting more and more respect and recognition which is good,” he said. “I just want to continue to see it grow.”

Isi Frank Ativie is a freelance journalist for WBEZ.

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If you were to go solely by the artwork for the FX series “Welcome to Wrexham,” with the American actor-writer Rob McElhenney of “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” Fame” and the Canadian actor-mogul Ryan Reynolds of Ryan Reynolds fame in track suits while posing in front of an Association Football Club, you couldn’t help but think we’ve already been Ted Lasso’d into this scenario, right?

Ah, but this isn’t a copycat, fish-out-of-water work of fiction, but a documentary series chronicling the most improbable but true-life story of two Hollywood hotshots who decide to purchase the third-oldest professional football team in the world at one of the lowest points in its 150-year history and try to turn it around in “Rocky” style fashion, despite knowing almost nothing about the game we call soccer. Aware they could come across as a couple of Hollywood “a——s” as they put it, Reynolds and McElhenney make it clear from the start this isn’t some condescending, cynical whim, and they wisely cede great stretches of screen time to the players, the support staff and the long-suffering yet fiercely loyal fans in Wrexham who live and die with their beloved football team. The result is one of the most fascinating, endearing, sometimes hilarious and eminently watchable docuseries of the year.

As we learn in the premiere episode, McElhenney grew up in Philadelphia as an Eagles fan and only started getting interested in non-American football around 2019, when the British comedian and writer Humphrey Ker (who has worked with McElhenney on “Sunny” and “Mythic Quest”) would watch matches during breaks. McElhenney got hooked on the sport and this led to him pursuing the idea of purchasing a football club — if he could find just the right team and circumstances.

He discovered such a club in Wrexham, a Welsh football team in a working-class town that had fallen on tough times and for the last 14 years had been relegated to the National League, the fifth and absolute bottom rung of professional football. But even a lowly club such as Wrexham would require an investment in the millions — so McElhenney reached out to Ryan Reynolds, a social media buddy he had never even met in person.

“As I gathered more and more information,” says McElhenney, “I realized how expensive it was going to be. I have TV money, but … I needed movie star money. More than that, I needed superhero movie star money. … I would need alcohol baron money and mobile phone services money and what other companies does this bitch have? Cybersecurity money.”

Reynolds agreed to partner up with McElhenney, and their offer was accepted by the 2,000-strong members of the Wrexham Supporters Trust, who seemed equal parts baffled, skeptical and yet thrilled about their new celebrity owners, who made it clear they were going to do everything in their power to improve the fortunes of the club.

The series alternates between scenes of Reynolds and McElhenney in Los Angeles, on studio lots or in trailers or in McElhenney’s spacious and sun-filled home, and segments in the drab and gray Wrexham, where we begin to understand just how much the football club means to the entire town. We meet the likes of Wayne Jones, who owns the Turf Pub in the shadow of the stadium; Paul Rutherford, a midfielder who is 33 years old and is married with children and barely makes enough to support his family, and Kerry Evans, who was a full-time volunteer as the Disability Liaison Officer for Wrexham AFC and is in a wheelchair, and is overwhelmed and admittedly scared but also excited when she’s offered the opportunity to basically perform the same duties — but for a salaried position.

Go Bears!

Or whoa … maybe not?

Sneed has learned a new poll is set to be released Tuesday that could complicate potential plans by the Chicago Bears to build a new stadium in Arlington Heights.

The poll, commissioned by the Illinois chapter of Americans for Prosperity (AFP), a conservative political advocacy group, found Arlington Heights voters overwhelmingly support a new Bears stadium — but strongly reject any taxpayer financing of the project.

“Our organization supports the Chicago Bears moving to Arlington Heights,” said Brian Costin, head ofthe Illinois chapter of the advocacy group, which promotes lower taxes and smaller government.

“But we are against using taxpayer handouts or subsidies to lure business to the community,” he said.

Conducted by the national firm ARW Strategies, the poll comes in the wake of a recentpetition drive by the advocacy group proposing the village board pass an “Anti-Corporate Welfare Tax Ordinance,” aimed at preventing taxpayer-funded subsidies such as tax increment financing (TIF) proposals from being used to lure the Chicago-based Bears to the suburbs.

o The UPshot: The poll shows 72% of polled Arlington Heights voters approved of the Chicago Bears plans to build a stadium in Arlington Heights, versus 18% who are opposed.

o The DOWNshot: The survey also showed 68% of voters disapproved of the project being supported by taxpayer dollars … compared to only 22% of the voters showing support.

“Our polling shows Arlington Heights voters strongly believe they shouldn’t be forced to foot the bill as taxpayers,” added Costin, who tells Sneed the ARW survey was a phone poll of 300 voters living in the village — population 77,000 — with a margin of error of 5.6 percentage points.

“I have a special reason for being a huge Bears fan,” said Costin. “My mother taught me to read by creating a book starring Chicago Bears quarterback Jim McMahon.”

The book, he recalled, included this line:”See Jim run. See Jim pass. See Jim score,” he chuckled.

Costin also emphasized that the poll showed opposition to using taxpayer money widening to 73% when voters “were informed the NFL is the most profitable sports league in the world and that it recently signed a $110 billion, 11-year multi-media deal last year.”

Cue the flip side/headache: Arlington Heights Mayor Tom Hayes told the media earlier this month he is opposed to the ordinance the American for Prosperity group is advocatingfor, which he believes is not in the village’s best interest. The mayor favors maintaining the village’s ability to offer financial incentives to the Chicago Bears and other entities wanting to locate there.

But Costin said the poll found strong support for his proposed Anti-Corporate Welfare Tax Ordinance prohibiting the village of Arlington Heights from using taxpayer funds to help build a stadium, with 55% in favor, and 30% opposed.

And suburban pols might want to tread carefully on the matter, according to the poll.

The survey found just over 62% of voters said they would be less likely to vote for a mayoral or village boardcandidate who voted “to give taxpayer dollars to the Chicago Bears to help them pay for their new stadium at the expense of education, public services, and infrastructure funding.” A little less than 16% said such a vote would make them more likely to support such a candidate and 22% said it would make no difference.

“Soldier Field is a great example of a failed stadium deal supported by taxpayer subsidies. This poll sends a message to the village to end the continued flirtation with corporate welfare programs,” Costin said.

“Our objective is to make sure all businesses are treated equally before the law, and no one gets special treatment,” he said. “The continued flirtation with corporate welfare programs such as the creation of TIF districts, which raises everyone’s taxes when special corporations are given exclusive benefits, is untenable.”

Stay tuned for the next version of Da Bears pigskin play.

Read More