Real American
If you lost out on the Grateful Dead "Fare Thee Well" festival raffle tickets, the folks at
FitzGerald's in Berwyn have your consolation prize (or maybe it's the other way around). The
34th Annual American Music Festival commences on July 1 (thru July 4th) on Roosevelt Road.
With 3 and a half decades under its belt it's arguably the most 'American' and family friendly festival in the Midwest. Hosts Bill and Kate FitzGerald and family have this celebration down to a
science, and AMF has become an essential part of 4th of July week for Chicago-area music fans.
This year's Fest features Marcia Ball Band, Terrance Simien & the Zydeco Experience,
Tributosaurus as Bob Dylan, Pokey
LaFarge, A Muscle Shoals Music Revue
with Amy Black and Sarah Borges, The
Zimmerman with Cathy Richardson,
Curtis McMurtry, and Joe Ely Band.
With 3 stages going both indoors and
in the club (and the SideBar) and outdoors in the tent, plus Festival Tom's
It flies in the face of the DIY ethic of the punk era, but nothing's been sacred
Cajun/American BBQ and a full bar,
to us since Ministry made an Old Style commercial 25 years ago.
AMF is going nearly 4 days non-stop.
Thirty eight years after the Sex Pistols first signed with Virgin Records (it
For details and tickets visit their website
wasn't a happy marriage), Virgin Money (in the UK) has announced an exclufitzgeraldsnightclub.com/fest2015
sive line of Sex Pistols credit cards, "including an eye-catching vertical design,
Joe Ely Band
with new technology allowing all customer personalization (name, card number, expiry date) to be moved to the back of the card preserving the integrity of
the Sex Pistols artwork and allowing it to be reproduced in full, as shown
below," according to the mega-corporation.
Michele Greene, Director of Cards at Virgin Money said "For a long time
now, UK banks have all been the same. They have the same products, the same
services and the same attitude towards customers. At Virgin Money, we are
aiming to change that. In launching these cards, we wanted to celebrate Virgin’s
heritage and difference. The Sex Pistols challenged convention and the established ways of thinking - just as we are doing today in our quest to shake up UK
Most blues fans recognize Chicago's Maxwell Street and Bronzeville has the birthplace of banking."
Richard Branson, Virgin Group Founder said:"The Sex Pistols are an iconic
Chicago Blues, but suburban Westmont also has its place as the home of Muddy Waters durband and an important part of Virgin’s history. Virgin Money is a bank that can
ing his twilight years. For our money, Waters was the greatest bluesman ever. In celebration
be proud of its past, and I love the fact that the team have chosen to celebrate it
of Muddy's 100th birthday, the Village will recognize the godfather of the Blues with a blues in this way.
jam dedicated to Muddy's centennial. Taste Of Westmont is held July 10-12, featuring
We're waiting for the "Should I Pay, Or Should I Go?" Clash card ourselves.
dozens of bands, food, games, crafts and a full array of carnival rides. The Muddy Waters
Blues jam takes place on Sunday July 12 at 6pm. For details visit www.westmontevents.com.
In addition to the July tribute, Muddy's suburban hometown offers tours hosted by the
Westmont Special Events Corporation and the Westmont Historical Society featuring artifacts including rare photos, classic album sleeves, nostalgic memorabilia and one of
Muddy's Grammy Awards. For details visit www.westmontevents.com.
The Great Swindle?
07•2015
Muddy From Westmont
Hello, My Name Is Nate
Muddy Waters, circa 1958
Nate Parienti, Live Alliance
T
A Star is Re-Born
L
L.A. Guns appears July 11th
ong-time talent buyer and promoter Tony "Shark" Labarbera
has taken over suburban Chicago Ridge venue Bobby McGees
with his partners (Jackie Duleba, Rich Conboy, and Alisa
Conboy) and re-christined it Star Bar. "Having managed and promoted the club on and off for years, it was a natural progression for
me to completely take over the day-to-day responsibilities," Shark
told IE. In addition to its makeover, Frederick Entertainment and
Shark Entertainment will host a grand opening party Saturday, July
11, featuring national recording artists L.A. Guns, plus Chicago
headliner Veilside, Slick, and Vicious Circle on the main stage.
Fatal Havoc, Little Angry Mob, and to openers will be performing
on the Shark Tank beer garden stage sponsored by Land Shark.
6 illinoisentertainer.com july 2015
he summer’s hottest concert ticket (Fare Thee Well) bares the name of a
band that has been in existence for 50 years yet hasn’t played a note in
almost two decades. So when the Grateful Dead announce a meager 3
reunion shows (2 additional nights would eventually be added on the West
Coast) in Chicago, the response was an avalanche of interest. 200,000 or so tickets for the band’s performances disappeared in the blink of an eye, and left those
stranded outside the gates scrambling for options. Enter Nate Parienti, the 'big
cheese' (President) at Live Alliance, a company that produces live Pay-Per-View
broadcasts of concerts around the globe. But for this run of shows, his company
embarked on an unprecedented long, strange trip in broadcasting the Dead's July
shows on PPV. IE Editor Curt Baran took him down to Shakedown Street for this
month's File Q & A. (What follows is an edited version of that conversation).
IE: To the best of your knowledge, has anyone attempted something of this
nature before?
Nate: You know, outside of the major boxing events, I don’t think so. And this
may be a little different in scope just in terms of the movie theaters and music
venues and bars and restaurants it will be shown in. Plus streaming, cable, and
satellite television, so it’s a pretty epic in scope.
IE: So just for clarification, people subscribe to the simulcast, and, is there any
sort of media where they will NOT be able to get it? I mean, w