New music fest in Union Park

New music festLabor Day weekend generally signals the unofficial end of summer, and what better way to say goodbye than to enjoy three days of eclectic live music? The inaugural North Coast Music Festival brings together dozens of bands from all corners of the music spectrum - electronic maestros the Chemical Brothers, hip-hop group De La Soul, jam band Umphrey's McGee among them - to Chicago's Union Park. Friday, Sept. 3, through Sunday, Sept 5, at Union Park, 1501 W. Randolph St., Chicago. $35 per day. Go to northcoastfestival.com.Long live KissThe unrelenting hard-rock phenomenon that is Kiss will try to rock 'n' roll all night in the South suburbs this weekend.6:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 3, at the First Midwest Bank Amphitheater, 19100 S. Ridgeland, Tinley Park. $35.50 to $149.50. Go to ticketmaster.comAlt-rock heroesCracker burst onto the scene in the early 1990s with the snarling hit "Teen Angst (What the World Needs Now)," which contained one of my favorite lyrics of the day: "What the world needs now, is another folk singer/Like I need a hole in my head." The band hits the suburbs this weekend, touring behind their record of last year, "Sunrise in the Land of Milk and Honey." 9 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 4, at Cubby Bear North, 21661 N. Milwaukee Ave., Lincolnshire. $15 in advance or $20 at the door. Go to ticketmaster.com or call (847) 541-4700.