Music festivals staying fresh well into fall
The days may be getting shorter, but the list of music festivals coming up in Chicago and the suburbs is still lengthy.
Evanston music venue SPACE presents its second Out of Space concert series of the year Sept. 1-4 at Temperance Beer Co. (2000 Dempster St., Evanston). The four-night series brings Houndmouth with Ric Wilson Thursday, Car Seat Headrest with La Luz Friday, Neko Case with Courtney Marie Andrews Saturday and Steel Pulse and KRS-One Sunday. Tickets and information are available at outofspaceconcerts.com.
The Naperville Jaycees blanket Labor Day weekend with music, food and a carnival at its annual Last Fling festival Friday through Monday, Sept. 2-5. Headliners for the fest, at Rotary Hill (440 W. Aurora Ave., Naperville), include The Boy Band Night Friday, Too Hype Crew Saturday, Sixteen Candles Sunday and ARRA Monday. The fest also includes a parade at 10 a.m. Monday. Admission is free; ride tickets, food and drinks will be available for sale. See lastfling.org.
If you like to dance, Labor Day weekend is your time to shine with both ARC Fest and North Coast bringing a bevy of hot electronic acts to the Chicago area.
With four stages, the ARC Music Festival brings a blend of global music with down-home house and dance faves to Chicago's Union Park (1501 W. Randolph St.) Friday through Sunday, Sept. 2-4, including Carl Cox, Richie Hawtin, Charlotte De Witte, Nora En Pure and Chris Lake, as well as some local names like Derrick Carter, Gene Farris, GoodSex and the GoodBus, Dangerwayne, Dani Deahl and more. See arcmusicfestival.com for tickets and lineup info.
Those same days, the North Coast Music Festival packs the SeatGeek Stadium grounds (7000 S. Harlem Ave., Bridgeview) with kinetic art and a colorful blend of electronic genres, including Armin van Buuren, Illenium, Porter Robinson, Fisher, Diplo, Kaytranada, and the area's own Bentley Dean, Steve Gerard, Dogma and more. Visit northcoastfestival.com for schedule details and ticket packages.
As the tragic events in Highland Park on the Fourth of July echoed across the suburbs, Nic DeGrazia and the Bitter Jester Music Festival crew found themselves postponing the summer concert/competition's grand finale originally scheduled as part of the festivities for later that day. The season 16 wrapup will now be at Madame Zuzu's (1876 1st St., Highland Park) starting at 4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 4, with this summer's contest finalists - Fightin' Bob, Fluctuation, Keep the Eleven, New Age Americans, Scorched Waves, Summer Drive, Summer League and VENGANZA - along with featured solo performer Linda Therese and special guests Exit 122 (formerly F! REWORKS), Opening Day and Pretoria. The concert is free, but donations and proceeds will benefit the Highland Park Business Relief Fund. Visit facebook.com/BitterJesterBattle for updates.
The long-awaited (and several times postponed) My Chemical Romance reunion is finally hitting Chicago's Riot Fest this September, as the three-day rock, punk and emo festival heads to Douglass Park (1401 S. Sacramento Drive, Chicago) Friday through Sunday, Sept. 16-18. Riot Fest's eclectic lineup gives top billing to some favorites, including The Misfits, Nine Inch Nails, Bleachers, Jimmy Eat World, Yellowcard, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Ice Cube and Bad Religion, but make sure you save some love for our locals and local-natives in Alkaline Trio, Lucky Boys Confusion, Sincere Engineer, The Academy Is ..., Real Friends, Night Spice and Treaty of Paris. Hit riotfest.org for details and tickets.
For those who like their music with a side order of gooey caramel, Long Grove Apple Fest might be just the thing. Set in historic downtown Long Grove (308 Old McHenry Road), the Sept. 23-25 fest includes three days of food and drinks, rides, crafts, shopping and, of course, music, with headliners Hillbilly Rockstars Friday, Terrapin Flyer Saturday and Sixteen Candles on Sunday. Visit longgrove.org for details.
Marking its fifth gathering of local and regional punk, pop-punk and ska acts, Punk the Burbs 5 is a solid close to the area's music festival season. Featuring headliners The Bollweevils, Much the Same, Counterpunch and Kali Masi, along with the founders' acts Bumsy and the Moochers and The Run Around, the two day music festival - Friday and Saturday, Sept. 30-Oct. 1 - at Lisle's BaseCamp Pub (5750 Lakeside Drive) - also sports sets from Bad Planning, Jeff Schaller and the long way home, Counterpunch, Jesus Coyote, Lights Over Bridgeport, Much the Same, Won't Stay Dead and many others. Peep the full lineup at facebook.com/punktheburbs and eventbrite.com.