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Sound check: Jason Aldean in Tinley Park; The Venue's Americana Music Fest

Americana under the Aurora stars

The Venue wraps up its summer music season with the three-day Americana Music Festival this weekend. Friday, Chicago Farmer & the Fieldnotes headline the first night, joined by South Side soul singer Nathan Graham, and the harmonies of Nora O'Connor and Casey McDonough of The Flat Five. The Fox Valley-area's Make It A Double (Mark Frystak and Hayley Skreens) kick off Saturday night in bluegrass fashion, followed by modern Americana act Big Sadie, fun and good times with Dick Smith and all the rural charm of "Michigan's Songbird" May Erlewine as the headliner. Sunday, The Venue's album cover series takes on Americana with a salute to Tom Wait's 1999 contemporary folk album "Mule Variations." Blankets, lawn chairs and picnic baskets are allowed for the weekend of outdoor shows; a limited number of chairs will also be available for $5 rental at the venue.

7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 12; 6 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 13; and 7 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 14 (gates open an hour before performance time each night), at The Venue, 21-23 S. Broadway, Aurora. $25 for general admission Friday and Saturday; $15 for Sunday; $65 for a three-day pass (plus an additional $5 if purchased at the door). (331) 212-8490 or themusicvenue.org.

On Saturday, May Erlewine headlines The Venue's three-night Americana Music Festival in Aurora. Courtesy of The Venue

Kaskade at the bat

North Shore native Kaskade follows up his recent Lollapalooza performance by bringing his chart-topping electronic dance music to Guaranteed Rate Field for a large-scale, late-night show following the Chicago White Sox game against the Detroit Tigers. Field Pass Packages are sold out, but all guests with tickets to the game (which are still available) will be able to stay for the show.

Game starts at 6:10 p.m. Friday, Aug. 12, at Guaranteed Rate Field, 333 W. 35th St., Chicago. Tickets run from $9-$275. whitesox.com/concert.

'Georgia' country

Grammy-nominated Jason Aldean makes a Friday night stop near Chicago with his "Rock 'N Roll Cowboy Tour" at the Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre in Tinley Park. Promoting the April release of "Georgia," the second part of his latest double album "Macon, Georgia" (the first part, "Macon," dropped in December 2021), Aldean will be bringing lots of new music to the outdoor venue.

7:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 12, at the Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre, 19100 Ridgeland Ave., Tinley Park. $65 for general admission lawn, pavilion seats start at $60. tinleyparkamphitheatre.com.

'Pop 2000 Tour'

Celebrate the days when boy bands were on the rise and pop was making a comeback from grungy alternative as Joe's Live hosts the return of the "Pop 2000 Tour." Hosted by Chris Kirkpatrick of *NSync, the tour stop includes performances by boy band O-Town, pop singer Ryan Cabrera, season seven "American Idol" winner David Cook and LFO alum Brad Fischetti.

8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 12, at Joe's Live, 5441 Park Place, Rosemont. $30 for general admission, $75 for Fan PIT (immediately in front of the stage). (847) 261-0392 or joesliverosemont.com.

Special blend

Platinum-selling pop-rockers O.A.R. ("Love and Memories," "Shattered") pairs with indie-folk band Dispatch ("The General," "Break Our Fall") for a co-headlining tour stop at Ravinia this weekend. Singer G. Love packs his funk-infused rock and hip-hop blend to open the evening.

6:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 13, at the Ravinia Festival, 200 Ravinia Park Road, Highland Park. General lawn admissions starts at $44; reserved pavilion seating is $85-$130. (847) 266-5100 or ravinia.org.

Meet me in outer space

Metal-influenced alt-rock band Incubus hits Tinley Park Sunday night for a night of electro-funk-flavored favorites. Brandon Boyd and the band will be joined by Sublime with Rome, bringing a reggae-rock vibe to the evening.

7 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 14, at the Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre, 19100 Ridgeland Ave., Tinley Park. $44 for general admission lawn, pavilion seats start at $35. tinleyparkamphitheatre.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.

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