Heavy Chicago Festival arrives this Fall
Trouble
hicago ’ s Avondale Music Hall will be hosting a brand-new metal festival , Heavy Chicago , over two weekends this fall .
CBeginning on Saturday , October 28 , Chicago ’ s beloved Trouble will be kicking things off
with its first local show in five years . “ It has been far too long since our last Chicago show , but as we all know , the world dealt with health challenges on an unprecedented level , which
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affected all of us and directly impacted the performing arts industry ,” Trouble guitarist Rick Wartell explains through email . “ Music venues were shuttered , and travel became extremely complicated , making shows and tours tenuous at best . We are extremely excited to kick off the first inaugural Heavy Chicago Fest . Chicago is our hometown , so it ' s always great to play here and we know the fans will come out to support the scene . We ' re really encouraging everyone to participate in all three days to make the festival as successful as possible .”
Performances by San Francisco doom / stoner metal band Acid King , Madison , Wisconsin ’ s stoner rock band Bongzilla , and Chicago doomsters November ' s Doom are also slated for opening night . As the appropriately titled Heavy Chicago implies , Chicago area bands are well-represented in the festival ’ s lineup . “ The bill is incredible , and the promoters have put a lot of work into curating an amazing experience for the fans and bands alike ,” Wartell says . “ Knowing some of the bands personally , we know it ' s going to be a lot of fun , and we ' re looking forward to seeing some bands we haven ' t had the chance to perform yet . We ' re also looking forward to seeing our fans and friends and putting on a really great performance .”
The following weekend , Saturday , November 4 , North Carolina sludge metal veterans Corrosion Of Conformity will be headlining , preceded by California space rockers Nebula and Milwaukee ’ s The Crosses – featuring die Kreuzen singer Dan Kubinski for an “ all die Kreuzen ” set .
The following day , Sunday , November 5 , concludes the festival as the legendary DRI will grace the stage with a headlining set celebrating 40 years of Crossover , while grindcore legends Repulsion ( their only show of 2023 ), Chicago ’ s “ murder metal ” maestros Macabre , and The Suffering open the day ’ s festivities . More acts will be announced soon .
In addition to the music , the acclaimed metal-friendly eatery Kuma ’ s Corner will be onsite selling hand-crafted , metal-themed burgers . Pabst Blue Ribbon will be on-hand offering drink specials , and a one-of-a-kind atmosphere will be present at the inaugural Heavy Chicago festival . For more information , including ticket prices , please visit www . heavychicago . com .
-Kelley Simms