Breaking News: July 2008 Archives

Radiohead was set to make an announcement today about a surprise show at the Chicago Theatre Thursday night. It would have been the official launch of the art-rockers' North American tour, and all proceeds would have gone to charity. The band was organizing the show itself, without the assistance of Lollapalooza organizers C3 Presents or any other local promoters.

The group pulled the plug on the show early Tuesday, however, because singer Thom Yorke has been sick, and he wanted to rest up before the band's big headlining gig in Grant Park on Friday night, according to a spokesman for the band.

The famously anti-corporate Yorke isn't likely to feel any better when he does take the AT&T Stage on Friday and sees the ubiquitous branding for the telecom giant covering the platform. The group famously has fought performing under any corporate logos.

Lollapalooza promoters have insisted that none of the bands performing at the festival have made any complaints about corporate sponsorships -- and that if any of them do remark upon it onstage, the comments won't be censored like AT&T's Blue Room Webcast did with Pearl Jam's remarks about President Bush last year.

Crain's Chicago Real Estate Daily.com is reporting that a group including local concert promoters Jam Productions was the only -- hence, the successful -- bidder at today's scheduled foreclosure sale of the Uptown Theatre, winning the property with a bid of $3.2 million.

The sale must still be approved by the foreclosure court -- and Jam has said it will need city assistance to renovate the beautiful but crumbling venue. The city, meanwhile, has given indications that it would prefer that national concert giant Live Nation restore and program the venue. Stay tuned.

A public auction has been scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Tuesday that may -- or may not -- finally decide which of two Chicago concert promoters will play a role in redeveloping the landmark Uptown Theater and steering its future as the jewel pin of a new Uptown music district that also will include the Riviera Theater, the Aragon Ballroom and the Green Mill.

The catch: The sale, which is due to take place at the offices of the Judicial Sales Corporation at 1 South Wacker Drive, has already been scheduled several times in recent months. Each time, it's been postponed at the last minute in what seems to be an effort by the first mortgage holder, real estate investor David Husman and the as-yet largely inactive group Broadway for Uptown, to block the second mortgage holder, a group that includes Jam Productions, from taking control of the building and moving forward with the redevelopment

Why would anyone do this? Well, Jam's arch-competitor, the national concert giant Live Nation, is also eager to control the future of the theater, it's been working with Broadway for Uptown and the city seems to favor this team over the Jam-led group.

Stay tuned -- and in the mean time, for more background, check my earlier column here.

Lollapalooza's promoters are fond of the mantra that the giant music festival, which descends upon Grant Park for its fourth year Friday through Sunday, is a tremendous bargain: "130 bands--a dollar a band," they chant for anyone who'll listen.

In fact, those numbers are a little squirrelly.

This year, there are 139 scheduled performances on eight stages, but if you eliminate the acts that are playing more than once, there really are only 124 bands. With the early-bird special-price tickets long since sold-out, the cost is now $205 for a three-day pass--more like $1.65 per band. But the new math doesn't stop there.

AUSTIN, TX--The conference room at the headquarters of C3 Presents is notable for three fixtures that symbolize the aesthetic of the ambitious promoters who bring Lollapalooza to Grant Park.

There's an oft-used beer keg like you'd find in the basement of a frat house. There's a giant photo mural of Lollapalooza with the Chicago skyline in the background. And there's a huge fish tank.

"Piranhas," C3 co-founder Charlie Jones said as I eyed the murky waters. "I raise them."

As announced a few weeks back, the reunited punk band ALL will be one of the headliners of this year's Riot Fest. Now we can add ska-punk masters (and very natty dressers) the Mighty Mighty Bosstones to the list, among others (read on for the full roster, though there are still some acts to be announced).

The fest takes place in several venues around town, including the Congress Theatre (October 12), the House of Blues (October 10), and Double Door and Cobra Lounge (October 10 and 11).

From the music news Web site the Daily Swarm:

Barack Obama, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, has left a slot open in his schedule during the first weekend of August for an appearance at the Lollapalooza music festival in his hometown of Chicago, according to multiple sources familiar with the ongoing planning and logistics.

No official confirmation from the Obama camp, but the Daily Swarm goes on to highlight several of the senator's connections to artists on the Lollapalooza bill. The festival moves into Grant Park Aug. 1-3.

The reunited but reconfigured Smashing Pumpkins have finally announced a concert date in the Chicago area -- that is, if you consider Hammond, Ind. in the Chicago area.

The group will perform at the Venue at Harrah's Horseshoe Casino in Hammond on Aug. 9. Tickets go on sale Friday at 10 a.m. through Ticketmaster -- no word on the price as yet -- according to the band's Web site and email blasts.

But still can't be bothered to set a Chicago date for a reunited Pumpkins show. What's up with that?

(Don't ask me; I haven't been able to get an answer out of anyone in the band's camp.)

In any event, the release from Fender follows the jump.

Following up on the promise that he'd promote last year's solo album "Music for the Motion Picture Into the Wild" with a handful of shows, Evanston native and moonlighting Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder will wrap up the second leg of his first solo tour with two shows at the Auditorium Theatre on Aug. 21-22.

Tickets go on sale Friday, July 11, at 11 a.m. at the Auditorium box office and through Ticketmaster at $75 each, with a limited number of upper gallery seats at $60. There will also be a special limited ticket pre-sale for active members of Pearl Jam's Ten Club; details at www.pearljam.com.

Liam Finn will open both shows, which start at 7:30 p.m.