The Unnecessary Rebuildon July 30, 2021 at 3:04 am

World Series Dreaming

The Unnecessary Rebuild

The Unnecessary Rebuildon July 30, 2021 at 3:04 am Read More »

Our Favorite Lollapalooza LooksLynette Smithon July 30, 2021 at 1:54 am

Our Favorite Lollapalooza LooksLynette Smithon July 30, 2021 at 1:54 am Read More »

Everything you need to know about Lollapalooza 2021Satchel Priceon July 30, 2021 at 12:53 am

Lollapalooza officially returns to Grant Park this week for four days of music and good times despite concerns about how bringing together over 100,000 people each day will affect the ongoing pandemic.

The festival, which opens Thursday with vaccination or proof of a negative COVID-19 test required for entry, represents the largest public event to date held in Chicago since the emergence of the coronavirus last March. Despite worries over the virus’ Delta variant and rising caseloads nationally, the show will go on this weekend.

Huge acts will be in town luring giant crowds to the park, including Miley Cyrus, Foo Fighters, Post Malone and Tyler, The Creator. Many surrounding streets will be closed through Sunday night.

The Sun-Times will be there all four days covering the big shows and big crowds. Keep this page bookmarked for updates throughout the festival.

Photo highlights

DAY 1: Sights and sounds from Thursday

Aly & AJ preform Thursday at the T-Mobile stage at Lollapalooza. — Aly & AJ preform at the T-Mobile stage at Lollapalooza, Thursday, July 29, 2021.

Check out more sights and sounds captured by our photographers on the first day of Lolla here.

DAY 1: Musical act reviews

Lollapalooza is bringing live music is back to Chicago in a big way. The Grant Park festival is one of the country’s first large-scale events post-pandemic, and it was ushering in the tunes — and the good feels — from the start on Thursday afternoon.

Here’s how the lineup — from Orville Peck to Miley Cyrus — stacked up.

Read the full reviews here.

Lightfoot takes the stage: ‘Thank you for masking up and vaxing up’

Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who has been outspoken about her decision to keep Lollapalooza as scheduled despite the uptick in cases of COVID-19 and numerous variants spreading around the country, made a not-so-surprise appearance on the festival’s opening day.

Wearing a Black Pumas T-shirt, she introduced the group’s midday set at the T-Mobile Stage and hailed the Pumas as one of the greatest rock bands of today.

“The rate of vaccination in this crowd is off the charts,” she said.

Read the full story here.

First Lolla fans optimistic as 2021 festival kicks off amid COVID-19 precautions

Thousands of fans streamed into Grant Park Thursday marking the return of Lollapalooza after COVID-19 halted last year’s iteration of the 30-year-old music festival. While some fans said they were slightly worried about COVID-19, many expressed confidence in Lollapalooza’s new protocols.

But not everyone knew about the vaccine mandate in order to attend the music festival.

Read the full story here.

Lolla signs warn attendees they assume risk for COVID-19

The thousands of people entering Lollapalooza on Thursday are being greeted by signs explaining something that’s not included on their public health and safety website: By attending the festival, “you voluntarily assume all risks related to exposure to COVID-19,” which they mention “can lead to severe illness and death.”

Read the full story here.

Must-see acts to check out

Some of the names on the Lolla lineup are a lot bigger than others. Selena Fragassi parses through the dozens of bands and artists to break down 10 must-see acts that attendees won’t want to miss this weekend. Here’s what Fragassi says about one of the festival’s earliest performers, Orville Peck:

No one exactly knows who this incognito Canadian country singer is (his trademark look is a long, fringed mask and cowboy hat) but the boudoir-looking John Wayne has heaped tons of due praise in his few years on the scene. Both for crafting a highly contagious psychedelic outlaw sound that refreshes the genre and for being an LGBTQ iconoclast whose work with Trixie Mattel and Gaga will soon put him in a new league.

Check out all of our recommended shows here.

How to watch performances live online

Unlike past years, Hulu is the exclusive live streaming partner for Lollapalooza 2021. All Hulu subscribers will be able to watch live performances for free as part of their subscriptions. Complete streaming schedules for all four days are already up on Hulu’s website, although they warn that set times are subject to change.

How will COVID-19 affect the festival?

With coronavirus case figures rising across the country amid lagging vaccination rates and the emergence of the Delta variant, Lollapalooza put in place security measures to help make the festival safer.

For those attending the festival, a vaccination card or proof of negative COVID-19 test will be required for entry. Get more information on how that’ll work here.

Chicago’s top health official, Dr. Alison Arwady, said Tuesday that the city’s virus situation is in “good control” ahead of the festival. However, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said recently that she would not hesitate to impose measures in Chicago such as face covering requirements if the city’s daily caseload keeps rising — and Arwady said she expects “some cases” of COVID-19 to result from the festival being held.

Lineup and schedule

Complete daily schedules for Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday can be found here.

The after-show lineup includes Modest Mouse, Journey, Jimmy Eat World and Freddie Gibbs. Check out the complete list of official Lolla after-shows here.

Everything you need to know about Lollapalooza 2021Satchel Priceon July 30, 2021 at 12:53 am Read More »

Cheney, Kinzinger should have stood up for the truth soonerMona Charenon July 30, 2021 at 1:00 am

I wish I could be a Cheney fan. I really do. Rep. Liz Cheney has conducted herself honorably for the past nine months. Her courage in telling the truth about the election and the insurrection of Jan. 6 has been punished by the Republican conference, which booted her from leadership and replaced her with the lying, scheming Trumpist, Rep. Elise Stefanik. Former President Donald Trump is apparently working feverishly to unseat Cheney from Congress altogether, and his lickspittle lieutenants are joining the effort.

The invertebrate minority leader, Kevin McCarthy — who, let’s recall, declared on Jan. 13 that “the president bears responsibility for Wednesday’s attack on Congress by mob rioters” — has long since scurried back under Trump’s skirts, whence he issues barbs against the few remaining Republicans who still have some principles. McCarthy sniped that Cheney and Rep. Adam Kinzinger, the other Republican appointed to the Jan. 6 committee over the objections of party leadership, are “Pelosi Republicans.”

In-depth political coverage, sports analysis, entertainment reviews and cultural commentary.

The opening segments of the Jan. 6 committee were another fine moment for Cheney. She began by thanking the police officers who testified about their experiences defending the Capitol that day: “Thank you to each of the witnesses appearing before us today. … You defended the Constitution and our Republic, and every American owes you our undying gratitude. Every American, I hope, will be able to hear your testimony today and will watch the videos. The videos show the unbelievable violence and the inexcusable and intolerable cruelty that you all faced, and people need to know the truth.”

She went on to outline the stakes: “If those responsible are not held accountable, and if Congress does not act responsibly, this will remain a cancer on our Constitutional Republic, undermining the peaceful transfer of power at the heart of our democratic system.”

Those are good words, and as I said above, I respect Cheney’s willingness to pay a price. She understood that by taking on the “Big Lie” and the almost-as-consequential lie about what happened on Jan. 6, she was risking her leadership position, her seat and possibly her own security. Every word of truth that she (and Kinzinger) utters is like a balm of Gilead.

And yet, the voice in the back of my head keeps saying, “Is it too late?”

Both Cheney and Kinzinger, may they live to be 120, had many, many earlier opportunities to extinguish this forest fire before it became a raging inferno. Both supported Trump’s reelection in 2020. Kinzinger said he was “upset” by President Joe Biden’s victory. Cheney appeared on “Fox and Friends” in July 2020, and while she allowed that she disagreed with Trump on some issues, most notably withdrawal from Afghanistan, she emphasized how important it was that Trump be reelected: “Whether or not we have debates and discussions internally — as I’m sure we continue, we will continue to do — we are going to be absolutely united going forward on the big issues, and I’m not going any place.” Both Cheney and Kinzinger voted against the first Trump impeachment. They stuck with their support for his reelection, despite the first debate with Biden, despite the catastrophic handling of COVID-19, despite Trump’s green light to China’s Uyghur camps, despite QAnon, and despite the avalanche of lies and cruelty that corrupted America’s soul — and prepared the ground for the violent insurrection they are now investigating.

Is it welcome that they finally found a line they couldn’t cross? A thousand times, yes. But how might this story have unfolded differently if they, and thousands of other Republicans, had found their uncrossable lines sooner? You can say, “The base is calling the shots, and the elected are just following what the voters demand.” That’s nonsense. The base doesn’t get its ideas from nowhere. It gets them from Tucker Carlson, Laura Ingraham and the rest of the conservative media world. And it gets them from elected officials. To paraphrase what Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn told the Jan. 6 committee: When elected officials give permission, there is no limit to the violence that may ensue.

Opinion This Week

A weekly overview of opinions, analysis and commentary on issues affecting Chicago, Illinois and our nation by outside contributors, Sun-Times readers and the CST Editorial Board.

Trump was the arsonist. But if every time he dropped a match on the dry tinder of American polarization, Republican elected officials and others had leaped to extinguish the small flames, we would not be here.

And where is here? We have seen the end of 160 years of the peaceful transfer of power. We’ve seen the majestic United States Capitol turned into a scene from a dystopian fantasy; an armed mob attempting to subvert an election. They smashed and tortured and caused deaths. They erected a gallows and hunted for the speaker of the House and for the vice president. And Republicans, almost to a man and woman, are excusing, downplaying or whitewashing what happened. An entire political party has abandoned commitment to the rule of law.

To speak up now, well, it’s better than nothing. But it’s a little like saying you’ll take away a drunken driver’s license after he crashed into and killed an 8-year-old. What about all of those times when you saw him get behind the wheel after five drinks and did nothing?

Trump attacked the basics of American democracy. The consequences were foreseeable. There were countless warnings. The great tragedy of this moment is not that Trump attempted what he did, but that so few Republicans tried to stop him when it would have made a difference.

Send letters to [email protected].

Cheney, Kinzinger should have stood up for the truth soonerMona Charenon July 30, 2021 at 1:00 am Read More »

Guest Post: Nick Shepkowski on His Favorite Anthony Rizzo Momenton July 30, 2021 at 1:43 am

World Series Dreaming

Guest Post: Nick Shepkowski on His Favorite Anthony Rizzo Moment

Guest Post: Nick Shepkowski on His Favorite Anthony Rizzo Momenton July 30, 2021 at 1:43 am Read More »

Lightfoot negotiating mandatory vaccination and testing regimen for city employeesFran Spielmanon July 30, 2021 at 12:01 am

Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Thursday hinted strongly that Chicago will follow New York City’s lead by requiring city employees to either show proof that they’ve been fully vaccinated or get tested weekly for the coronavirus.

Already, city employees must wear masks in “common areas” of City Hall and other city workplaces too tight to maintain social distance and wear masks full-time if they’re not vaccinated — not only for their own protection, but also to safeguard their colleagues.

Asked Thursday about the possibility of vaccine and testing mandates, Lightfoot said it’s “been on our radar screen for quite a long time — really going back into the spring.”

She left little doubt vaccine and testing mandates for the city’s 33,000 employees are coming in response to a troubling spike in coronavirus cases tied to the “Delta variant.”

“We’ve had more recent conversations about it. We’re starting the conversations with public unions that represent city workers and we’ll be making an announcement soon,” she said.

Lightfoot doesn’t “have a particular date” for the announcement because negotiations are ongoing. But she plans to announce the new policy “shortly.”

“We’re looking at what’s been done [around the country]. New York was probably the first big city to come out with a mandate there. It’s mandatory vaccines or weekly testing for those who are not vaccinated,” she said.

“The federal government … has or will soon be making a declaration about mandatory vaccine. So we’re looking at what’s happening in other circumstances and crafting a strategy that works for Chicago.”

Chicago Federation of Labor President Bob Reiter was asked about the status of those negotiations.

He issued a statement saying only that the federation is “currently reviewing our affiliates’ positions on workplace vaccinations. … However, we encourage everyone to make the decision to get vaccinated to protect themselves, their co-workers and their families.”

The Chicago Federation of Labor has an ownership stake in Sun-Times Media.

Earlier this week, the mayor and city Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady sent mixed messages about the troubling rise in coronavirus cases.

Lightfoot said she wouldn’t hesitate to return to a mask mandate and other safety mitigations if the daily level of coronavirus cases in Chicago “consistently go over” 200.

Arwady said the she would sound the alarm and tighten the screws if the daily case level tops 400.

Both women expressed no second thoughts about green-lighting Thursday’s start of Lollapalooza, which Lightfoot proudly declared as the “largest music festival in the world” to be held since the pandemic.

Thursday, the mayor was asked about the discrepancy.

“The goalposts haven’t moved. Our metrics have been consistent … certainly over the last year-plus, but we’re concerned about this steady creep up,” she said.

Chicago’s daily rate of coronavirus cases stands at 190. That’s up 63% from 117 cases-a-day just one week ago. Lightfoot acknowledged the city is poised to blow past her benchmark of “200-plus-cases-a-day.”

But she said “other important metrics” the city follows “do give us some reason for optimism.”

“That is, we’re not seeing a huge surge in hospitalizations. That’s important. Or ICU beds or people on ventilators. However, the people who are getting sick with the Delta variant — 97-plus percent of them are unvaccinated. And they’re getting very sick,” the mayor said.

“We need people to get vaccinated to protect themselves against the variant. Without that protection, you’re playing Russian roulette. This variant is real. It is deadly. It is devastating.”

Lightfoot negotiating mandatory vaccination and testing regimen for city employeesFran Spielmanon July 30, 2021 at 12:01 am Read More »

Lightfoot takes Lollapalooza stage: ‘Thank you for masking up and vaxing up’Selena Fragassi – For the Sun-Timeson July 30, 2021 at 12:38 am

Wearing a Black Pumas T-shirt, she introduced the group’s midday set at the T-Mobile Stage and hailed the Pumas as one of the greatest rock bands of today.

She also took a moment to comment on the giant elephant roaming around the park. Pointing out that people were at “the largest music festival anywhere on the globe this year” in the midst of a world pandemic, she also applauded those who have chosen to get the COVID-19 vaccinations that have allowed events like Lollapalooza to proceed.

“The rate of vaccination in this crowd is off the charts,” she said, echoing data that the festival released on Twitter noting that 90% of attendees had shown a vaccination card at the front gates and an additional 8% provided proof of a negative COVID test. “Thank you for masking up and vaxing up.”

Amy Eshleman, the wife of Mayor Lori Lightfoot, dances with Black Pumas singer Eric Burton during the band’s Thursday set at Lollapalooza.

Lightfoot then encouraged fans to take care of one another. “Hate has no home here,” she said, decrying racism and xenophobia in Chicago and echoing the message of the Black Pumas, who gave an overwhelming display of unity and kinship in their set.

Lightfoot’s wife, Amy Eshleman, even danced a few steps on stage with Pumas frontman Eric Burton, but the mayor herself declined to show off her moves.

Selena Fragassi is a Chicago freelance writer.

Lightfoot takes Lollapalooza stage: ‘Thank you for masking up and vaxing up’Selena Fragassi – For the Sun-Timeson July 30, 2021 at 12:38 am Read More »

Lollapalooza 2021: Day 1 photo highlightsSun-Times staffon July 30, 2021 at 12:44 am

It’s officially here: Lollapalooza 2021.

The music extravaganza by the lake kicked off today in Grant Park. More than 100,000 music fans are expected to attend the four-day event.

Though a few things have changed this year — no Kidzapalooza stage and strict new COVID guidelines to be aware of before heading to the park — the stacked four-day lineup is an impressive feat to have pulled off in record time.

Keep in mind there are numerous COVID safety restrictions in place for the fest. You’ll need proof of vaccination or proof a negative COVID-19 test for entry to the festival grounds. Lolla is the largest public event to date held in Chicago since the emergence of the coronavirus last March. Despite worries over the virus’ Delta variant and rising caseloads nationally, the show will go on this weekend.

We’ve got the festival covered from every angle. For a complete guide to all things Lolla, check out our guide here. If you want our tips of the acts to catch, you can find our Top 10 picks here. And keep in mind, there are gobs of street closures in place; you can find the details here.

Here’s a look at some of the sights and sounds from Day 1: