Sound check: Two nights with Shemekia Copeland; Riot Fest weekend; Splash Into Country with Brad Paisley
Riot Fest
Hopefully distracting music fans from the fact that it's officially the last weekend of summer, Riot Fest packs Douglass Park with all the punk, industrial, hip-hop and rock fans can handle for three days. Headliners My Chemical Romance, The Misfits and Nine Inch Nails will definitely draw fans, but the undercard acts also hold magic, with faves Bad Religion, Jimmy Eat World, Bleachers, Ice Cube, the bonkers antics of Gogol Bordello, the return of annual favorites GWAR and a warm welcome to Riot Fest newcomers Karen O and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. The lineup also includes a load of talent in bands with local ties present and past, including Lucky Boys Confusion, Alkaline Trio, The Academy Is…, Real Friends, Sincere Engineer, Night Spice and Treaty of Paris.
11 a.m. Friday through Sunday, Sept. 16-18, at Douglass Park, 1401 S. Sacramento Drive, Chicago. Three-day passes are sold out, but two-day combos (starting at $189.98) and single-day tickets (starting at $114.98) are still available; VIP, Deluxe and Ultimate passes can still be purchased. riotfest.org.
Splash Into Country
The McHenry-based R.I.S.E. Up Foundation hosts the Splash Into Country music festival this weekend, bringing Dustin Lynch (with Dylan Scott and Zach Miller) on Friday and Brad Paisley, joined by Chris Lane and Ernest, on Saturday to Petersen Park on the banks of McCullom Lake. Local business vendors, food trucks and a beer tent will be on hand for purchases. Proceeds from the music fest will benefit the foundation's goals of enhancing life for McHenry residents through park and downtown improvements.
Gates open at 5 p.m. with music at 6:15 p.m. Friday, Sept. 16, and 6:50 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 17, at Petersen Park, 4300 Peterson Park Road, McHenry. Friday general admission is $40, Saturday is $60, with reserved seating and VIP pit packages also available at riseupfoundationmchenry.org.
John Primer release party
Set aside Friday night for a special CD-release party with renowned and Grammy-nominated Chicago bluesman John Primer & The Real Deal Blues Band. Catch the show and pick up a copy of the new “Hard Times” at The Venue in Aurora.
8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 16, at The Venue, 21 S. Broadway Ave., Aurora. $17 for general admission, $20 for premium seating; ticket prices increase by $5 at the door the day of the show. (331) 212-8490 or themusicvenue.org.
Metro party with Queen!
Metro and Smartbar team up with Ravinia for a celebration that will knock your crown off. Queen! — Chicago's premiere disco party hosts — provide the entertainment courtesy of hometown house music stars Derrick Carter, Michael Serafini and Garrett David for the legendary Chicago venues' 40th anniversary bash, set at Ravinia's outdoor Carousel Stage on the north and far north lawns.
4 p.m. (gates open at 3:30) Saturday, Sept. 17, at Ravinia Festival, 200 Ravinia Park Road, Highland Park. Lawn admission starts at $30. ravinia.org.
Shemekia Copeland
Award-winning Chicago blues singer Shemekia Copeland starts a two-night run performing with country star Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit Thursday and Friday, Sept. 22-23, at one of Chicago's newest outdoor venues, The Salt Shed. Check out the new digs while Copeland shares songs from her recent album, “Done Come Too Far,” a passionate and powerful collection of gospel- and soul-inflected Americana she unleashed in August.
7 p.m. Thursday and Friday, Sept. 22-23, at The Salt Shed, 1357 N. Elston Ave., Chicago. $59.50-$125. saltshedchicago.com.
• Brian Shamie is a Daily Herald multiplatform editor and local music junkie. Email him at bshamie@dailyherald.com, find him on Facebook or follow him on Twitter (@thatshamieguy) or Instagram (@chicagosoundcheck). He also keeps tabs on the Chicago music scene at chicagosoundcheck.com.