Sound check: Lollapalooza shuts down, but patios open up

So long for now, Lolla

Well, pack away your festival gear. On Tuesday, the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events announced further COVID-related cancellations, including many of the summer's big events. (Yeah, I know. I'm as disappointed as you are.) Added to the list of already announced big neighborhood festivals falling to the coronavirus crisis are Lollapalooza, Taste of Chicago, the Chicago Jazz Festival, the Air and Water Show and the Maxwell Street Market, among others. However, organizers are planning to re-imagine some of the events, including a virtual celebration of Lollapalooza performances the weekend of the event, July 30-Aug. 2. See chicago.gov for more details.

But on the bright side ...

Patios across the suburbs are opening up, and musicians are dusting the cobwebs off their performance gear. If you're looking to get some fresh air, some live music and maybe dinner and drinks (properly socially distanced, of course), here are some suburban venues busting out the outdoor stages this weekend:

BaseCamp Pub: 5750 Lakeside Drive, Lisle; (331) 777-4712 or basecamppub.com

• Ricky Liontones: 8 p.m. Friday, June 12

• Aaron Williams: 8 p.m. Saturday, June 13

BrauerHouse: 1000 N. Rohlwing Road, Lombard; (630) 495-2141 or brauerhouse.com

• Broken Robots, Muttered Stories: 7 p.m. Friday, June 12

Hey Nonny: 10 S. Vail Ave, Arlington Heights; sign up for dining seating time at (224) 202-0750 or heynonny.com

• Eric Quigley: 4 p.m.-close Friday, June 12

• Burnt Biscuits followed by Emi Tanabe and Gabriel Dactu: brunch starts at 11 a.m., dinner at 4 p.m. Saturday, June 13

• Brian Allison: 5 p.m.-close Wednesday, June 17

• Paolo Apuli: 5 p.m.-close Thursday, June 18

Penny Road Pub: 545 Penny Road, Barrington; (847) 428-0562 or pennyroadpub.com

• Gallery: 7:30 p.m. Friday, June 12

• What's Our Age Again, SLDG: 3 p.m. Saturday, June 13

• Blind Reality: 1 p.m. Sunday, June 14

Two Brothers Roundhouse: 205 N. Broadway, Aurora; (630) 264-2739 or twobrothersbrewing.com

• Jake Mack: 6:45 p.m. Friday, June 12

• Santos & Danny: 6:45 p.m. Saturday, June 13

Blues & Roots Festival

The Venue in Aurora is spreading the blues with its livestreaming Blues & Roots Weekend, featuring two days of acts broadcast straight to your home. From 7 to 10 p.m. Friday, June 12, catch folk-rock band Good Morning Bedlam followed by indie-folk from Dawson Hollow. On Saturday, Bill Grady and John Primer bring the blues from 8 to 11 p.m. The shows are free and will be streaming on the venue's Facebook page at Facebook.com/thevenueaurora. For more information, call (331) 212-8490 or visit themusicvenue.org.

Bitter Jester Song Competition

For this summer, Highland Park's Bitter Jester tackled a new approach to its annual music celebration and competition. Instead of weekly judged performances, the organization took to the internet with a virtual song competition. Each week, the Bitter Jester Original Song Competition posts a roster of new songs on Facebook.com/BitterJesterBattle and the IGTV posts on Instagram.com/bitterjester_musicfestival. Your votes throughout the week, as well as the decision of a panel of judges, will determine who moves on to the final round June 29. Check out this week's new tunes by Venganza, Summer Drive, Monsoon, Blue Springs, F.L.A.M.E., Vinyl Courier, Casey Hippel, Peter Corasis, Fluctuation, Shipwreck Kelly, Gabriel Severn, Quite Frankly the Band, Through the Kitchen Hole and Synesthesia.

Congratulations to Ian Robleza and Watchtower, who won week 1 of the competition!

Side Street's virtual battle

Congratulations to Swimshirt, last week's winner of the Side Street Studio Arts' virtual Battle of the Bands. This Saturday, June 13, check out songs from The Secret Lives, 3 Posers and Soaking Up Sandcastles and cast your ballot. The weekly winner gets $100 and a slot in the Aug. 8 Final Round. Hear the songs and place your vote between 5 and 9 p.m. Saturday at sidestreetstudioarts.com/battleofthebands. Visit the site for more information.

Tunes to go

Paul Cebar's show as part of FitzGerald's weekly Stay-At-Home Concert Series was postponed until this Saturday, June 13, where the celebration will go on twice as long in two different locations. At 2 p.m., Cebar will perform on the pickup truck stage somewhere around Forest Park; at 4 p.m. the show will start in Riverside. Exact locations will be disclosed the day of the show; see if it's in your neighborhood, where you can watch from your front lawn or porch. Everybody else can tune in on the FitzGerald's site. The shows are free, but donations to support the artists and FitzGerald's staff can be made through Venmo @fitzgeraldsnightclub or PayPal at paypal.me/fitzgeraldsnightclub.

Sound Check Presents ...

The next Chicago Sound Check Presents livestream concert/interview event will feature the punk-influenced rock of Til Morning. Brothers Devin and Patrick Parker of Chicago's South side Hegewisch community will play some songs and talk about what's up with the band at 7 p.m. Thursday, June 18, on Instagram.com/chicagosoundcheck.

• 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). Brian also keeps tabs on the Chicago-area music scene at chicagosoundcheck.com.