Sound check: Stay home and enjoy Nathaniel Rateliff, Shemekia Copeland and more
With indoor music venues still shuttered under COVID-19 restrictions and the weather leaning heavily into fall's cold and damp territory, artists are taking to webcams for livestreaming performances.
Here are a few upcoming shows you should check out this week.
Beyond Hunger benefit concert with Nathaniel Rateliff and Shemekia Copeland: Join the fun with FitzGerald's and Thalia Hall as the venues sponsor this livestreaming benefit for Beyond Hunger, an Oak Park-based organization that provides hunger relief to parts of Chicago and the surrounding Western suburbs. Nathaniel Rateliff (of Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats) will be joined by opening act Shemekia Copeland accompanied by Ronnie Baker Brooks. To enhance the "show night" experience, Oak Park's One Lake Brewing is offering three to-go cocktail packages you can pick up ahead of show night: The event special is the Spiced Cranberry Mule Kit ($60), but One Lake also offers their signature Notorious BBG ($60) and the Guava Get Away ($50) kits, too, complete with everything you need for showtime sippers. See the event at classy.org for full details, and be sure to order in advance. 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 21; $50 for general admission (includes a $40 donation to Beyond Hunger), $100 for VIP backstage with a post-show Q&A with Rateliff ($80 donation) and $200 for a Friends of the Concert ticket, post-show Q&A and acknowledgment during the broadcast ($180 donation) at classy.org.
Local H: Alt-rock duo Local H joins Audiotree Presents STAGED for a streaming performance from Chicago's Lincoln Hall stage. The iconic area pair - Scott Lucas and Ryan Harding - have been setting high standards under this year's limitations, selling out drive-in shows most of the summer and into the fall, many in the Chicago region. Friday they bring it back home so you can see the show safely from your own home. A portion of the ticket sales will benefit CIVL (Chicago Independent Venue League) to support venues struggling through these times. 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 20; $15 at audiotree.tv.
Pete Yorn: Earlier this year, folk-rock singer-songwriter Pete Yorn played an online show to revisit the release that became a classic, his 2001 "musicforthemorningafter." Yorn's back this weekend for an all-request, acoustic livestream performance. Yorn also will join guests who purchase access to additional Q&As on Zoom for pre- and post-show discussions. 5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 21; general admission starts at $15, $60 for pre- or post-show discussions at peteyorn.veeps.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). Brian also keeps tabs on the local music scene at chicagosoundcheck.com.