The Foo Fighters perform on day four of Lollapalooza in Grant Park, Sunday, Aug. 1, 2021. | Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
For fans of any genre, live music isn’t hard to come by in Chicago. Check out our highlights for concerts, festivals and live performances in and around the city.
Welcome to our highlights for concerts, festivals and live music in Chicago. From free shows at Millennium Park to large festivals like Ravinia and Lollapalooza, and intimate shows at small local venues, our guide has all the latest music entertainment. Bookmark this page and check back for updates on concerts and events.
Leon Bridges
Pavielle Garcia
Leon Bridges
WHAT: In 2015 Leon Bridges released “Coming Home,” an album that echoed the Southern soul of Sam Cooke and Otis Redding. On his sophomore release, “Good Thing,” Bridges tapped ’80s and ’90s R&B for inspiration. Now, his third album, “Gold-Diggers Sound,” comes out of a residency he played at the Gold-Diggers hotel/studio in East Hollywood. It shows the singer-songwriter confronting the ideas and issues Black artists are facing in today’s climate. Take a trip through the three phases of Bridges career. Abraham Alexander opens the show.
WHEN: 8 p.m. Oct. 1
WHERE: The Vic Theatre, 3145 N. Sheffield
TICKETS: $69.50-$86
VISIT: For tickets and updated information regarding the venue’s COVID-19 vaccination and/or mask policies, visit jamusa.com.
Autumn Equinox (Spring Awakening Festival)
WHAT: The outdoor music festival season ends with Autumn Equinox, a rebranding of Spring Awakening, the largest all-electronic music festival in the Midwest that usually takes place in June. More than 70 artists are expected to perform including Excision, AC Slater, Bear Grillz, Diplo, Galantis, Martin Garrix, Adventure Club B2B Wooli, Atliens, Dillon Francis and Don Diablo.
WHEN: From 1-10 p.m. Oct. 2-3
WHERE: Addams/Medill Park, 1301 W. 14th
TICKETS: $99+
VISIT: For updated information regarding the festival’s COVID-19 vaccination and/or mask policies, visit springawakeningfestival.com.
The New Philharmonic
WHAT: The New Philharmonic opens its season with “Halloween Spooktakular,” a mix of the scariest classical and film score music including The Hungarian March from “The Damnation of Faust” by Hector Berlioz and “Night on Bald Mountain” by Modest Mussorgsky and used to great effect in Walt Disney’s “Fantasia,” plus music from “Psycho,” “The Addams Family,” the Harry Potter movies and more.
WHEN: At 7:30 p.m. Oct. 2 and 3 p.m. Oct. 3
WHERE: McAninch Arts Center, College of DuPage, 425 Fawell, Glen Ellyn
TICKETS: $53.
VISIT: For tickets and updated information regarding the venue’s COVID-19 vaccination and/or mask policies, visit atthemac.org.
Middle Kids
WHAT: Middle Kids, the Australia-based indie rock band, tours behind the recent release,”Today We’re the Greatest.” The album finds lead singer-songwriter Hannah Joy tapping into her most personal set of lyrics yet. The band has also released its haunting take on Olivia Rodrigo’s hit “Drivers License.”
WHEN: At 9 p.m. Oct. 2
WHERE: Metro, 3730 N. Clark
TICKETS: $20, $25.
VISIT: For tickets and updated information regarding the venue’s COVID-19 vaccination and/or mask policies, visit metrochicago.com.
Orion Ensemble
WHAT: The Orion Ensemble opens its 29th season with guest violist Stephen Boe for performances featuring works by Mozart, Faure and Mangani at three concerts: 7 p.m. Oct. 3 at New England Congregational Church, 406 W. Galena, Aurora; 7:30 p.m. Oct. 6 at PianoForte Studios, 1335 S. Michigan, and 7 p.m. Oct. 10 at Lake Street Church, 607 Lake, Evanston. A livestream also is available.
TICKETS: $15-$30.
VISIT: For tickets and updated information regarding the venue’s COVID-19 vaccination and/or mask policies, visit orionensemble.org.
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
(C) Todd Rosenberg Photography
Maestro Riccardo Muti conducts the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in 2017.
WHAT: Ricardo Muti and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra reunite for their first concerts since February 2020 with a series of three performances in a fall residency. The opening program (Sept. 23-25) features music by Joseph Bologne-Chevalier de Saint-George and Florence Price as well as Beethoven’s “Symphony No. 3 (Eroica).” Violinist Leonidas Kavakos joins Muti and the orchestra for Brahms “Violin Concerto in D Major” plus the orchestra performs “Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 (Sept. 30-Oct. 2). The final fall program (Oct. 7-9) features the CSO’s first performance of Missy Mazzoli’s 2006 work “These Worlds in Us” plus pieces by Anatoly Liadov and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.
WHERE: CSO at Symphony Center, 220 S. Michigan.
TICKETS: $38-$260.
VISIT: For updated information regarding the CSO’s Covid 19 vaccination and/or mask policies, visit cso.org.
‘Songs for Nobodies’
Photo by Michael Brosilow
Bethany Thomas in “Songs for Nobodies.”
WHAT: “Songs for Nobodies” is Joanna Murray-Smith’s one-woman tour-de-force that celebrates the iconic work of Judy Garland, Patsy Cline, Billie Holiday, Edith Piaf and Maria Callas. Bethany Thomas stars in the story of the unexpected encounters between these divas and the ordinary women whose lives they changed. Rob Lindley directs.
WHEN: From Sept. 23-Oct. 31
WHERE: Northlight Theatre at North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie.
TICKETS: $30-$89.
VISIT: For updated information regarding the theater’s Covid 19 vaccination and/or mask policies, visit northlight.org.
Ear Taxi Festival
Sally Blood Photo
Matt Ulery
‘Feelin’ Groovy Series’ at The Hideout
WHAT: As part of the city’s Chicago in Tune Festival, The Hideout’s “Feelin’ Groovy” series features conversations with key figures from Chicago independent record labels and live sets of music from musicians that span genres and generations. Upcoming are Cedille Records president Jim Ginsburg with Black Oak Ensemble (Sept. 13), Thrill Jockey founder Bettina Richards with Thalia Zedek Band (Sept. 15), Teklife co-founders of Ashes57 and DJ Spinn with a performance by DJ Spinn (Sept. 16), Sooper Records co-founder Nnamdi with Sen Morimoto, Drag City director of sales Rian Murphy with Lama Lobsang Palden and Jim Becker (Sept. 22) and Sonorama Discos co-founder Marlowe Baca with Dos Santos (Oct. 1).
WHEN/WHERE: All are at 6 p.m. outdoor at The Hideout, 1354 W. Wabansia.
TICKETS: Admission is free. For vaccination and/or mask policies, visit hideoutchicago.com.
World Music Wednesday
Amy Young Photo
Bomba con Buya
WHAT: The Old Town School of Folk Music’s weekly showcase of world music and dance, returns beginning Sept. 1 with Jazz a la Mexicana, a concert featuring traditional and folkloric Mexican music mixed with jazz. A celebration of Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center’s 50th anniversary follows on Sept. 8 with performances of Puerto Rican bomba music by Bomba con Buya and Mancha E’ Platano. The current roster of concerts runs through Dec. 1.
WHERE: Old Town School of Folk Music, 4544 N. Lincoln
Admission is free, a $10 suggested donation is appreciated. For updated information regarding the venue’s COVID-19 vaccination and/or mask policies, visit oldtownschool.org.
Courtesy Origin Records
Chris Foreman
Chris Foreman at the Green Mill
What: The Green Mill has reopened and that means the return of Chris Foreman, a Friday night fixture at the popular jazz club. Foreman, a jazz organist blind since birth, is a master on the Hammond B3 and regarded as Chicago’s best. His playing is a blend of blues-gospel and jazz honed in his professional experience, which has included work with Hank Crawford, Albert Collins, Bernard Purdie, The Deep Blue Organ Trio and The Mighty Blue Kings.
When: 5-7:30 p.m. Fridays
Where: The Green Mill, 4802 N. Broadway
Cost: No cover charge
Visit greenmilljazz.com
