Best bets: Belinda Carlisle, Anime Midwest, Dierks Bentley, STYX and more
Anime convention
Anime Midwest 2023, a family-friendly convention focusing on video gaming, Japanese anime and Japanese manga, takes over the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, 5555 N. River Road, Rosemont, featuring cosplay, concerts, video gaming and tabletop games, dances, contests, escape rooms and panel discussions. Plus, there's an exhibition hall with vendors. $40 Friday and Sunday; $50 Saturday; $70 three-day pass; $150 VIP. animemidwest.com. 10 a.m. Friday through Sunday, July 7-9
Dierks Bentley
Multiplatinum country star Dierks Bentley hits the suburbs with his “Gravel & Gold Tour” at the Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre, 19100 Ridgeland Ave., Tinley Park, with special guests Jordan Davis and Tyler Braden. Tickets are $37-$195 at concerts.livenation.com. 7 p.m. Saturday, July 8
Bike bonanza
In honor of its exhibition “The Bicycle: Two Wheels to Adventure,” Elmhurst History Museum, 120 E. Park Ave., hosts a family-friendly Bike Bonanza featuring games, activities and a 2:30 p.m. performance by BMX bike champion Matt Wilhelm, three-time X Games Medalist and two-time U.S. National Champion. Free. elmhursthistory.org. 1-5 p.m. Sunday, July 9
Belinda
Pop icon Belinda Carlisle brings hits from her newly released “Kismet” EP along with career highlights “Mad About You,” “Heaven Is a Place on Earth” and others when she headlines the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie. Tickets are $75-$110 at northshorecenter.org. 7:30 p.m. Sunday, July 9
WheelFest 2023
Curious about the sport of wheel gymnastics? Wheel Gymnastics USA hosts a training camp and workshops at CirquesExperience, 5944 N Magnolia Ave., Chicago, as part of WheelFest 2023. The weeklong WheelFest concludes with the Wheel Gymnastics World Team Championships at the Broadway Armory, 5917 N. Broadway, Chicago. Training camp is $60; all workshops $75; single workshops $20; $10 for the team championship. usawheelgymnastics.com. Training camps and workshops start at 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, July 10-14. The championship starts at 1 p.m. Saturday, July 15
Classic STYX
STYX, the legendary Chicago hard-rock band behind “Mr. Roboto,” “Come Sail Away,” “Show Me the Way” and more, takes the stage under the stars with rockers SIIN at RiverEdge Park, 360 N. Broadway, Aurora. General admission tickets are $50 at paramountaurora.com. 8 p.m. Tuesday, July 11
Windy City Smokeout
Out on his “Burn Burn Burn” tour celebrating the anniversary of his chart-topping “American Heartbreak” album, Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Zach Bryan pops into town to headline the opening night of Chicago's Windy City Smokeout in the parking lot around the United Center, 1901 W. Madison St. Four-day passes for the country music, barbecue and beer festival are sold out (except for resale options), but Friday single-day tickets are still available to see Darius Rucker. See the schedule at windycitysmokeout.com. 2-10 p.m. Thursday and Friday, July 13-14, and 1-10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, July 15-16