list.in.to.chicago this week: 07.30.2007

I want to apologize for slacking lately, completely missing things like the Wicker Park and Taste of Lincoln Avenue festivals last week, featuring bands like Dearborn and Little Feat. If you think I've missed something, again, feel free to add your own recommendations in the website comments.

And if you hate Lollapalooza, you may want to skip this one.

Pick of the week
Duh, Lollapalooza. The schedule doesn't look as jam-packed with bands I want to see as last year, but it's probably still worth it. Even more so if you got your tickets early when they were still at least a little cheaper. If you're not inclined to devote your entire weekend to music, the pre-festival shows (Soulive at Double Door and Sparklehorse at Empty Bottle) on Thursday night look pretty decent.

list.in.to.COZ
We just added a Diver show this Friday night at Fado again. And there's always Vaughan's on Tuesday night.

Recap
Something about the Incubus show on Wednesday didn't sit right with me. Maybe it's that well-scrubbed nice guy image. I think I want them to swagger just a little bit. And it was abundantly clear that one of the songs from Light Grenades originated as the band jamming on "Clocks" from Coldplay, and they're better than that.

All I can say about Diver at Fado on Saturday is that there was this woman there with hair somewhat reminiscent of David Coverdale from Whitesnake. Or, given the raccoon-eyes makeup, maybe the drummer from Poison. Maybe it was the drummer from Poison.

7.30   monday
Chris Isaak (House of Blues)
I'm a little surprised that Isaak is only playing one show and that it's not sold out. I seem to recall some well-attended two and three-night stands within the last year or so, but maybe that exhausted the "Wicked Game" crooner's fan base.

7.31   tuesday
Open Jam (Vaughan's)   COZ SINGS!
I guess the obvious theme would be "bands who are playing Lollapalooza," right?

8.01   wednesday
Last Band Standing (Double Door)   FRIENDS OF COZ!
Frequent listee Helicopters are one of five bands fighting for the chance to play at Lollapalooza early in the afternoon before anyone shows up. If the five finalists are any indication, we as a society have moved on from bands that have "the" in their names.

Peter Himmelman with David Singer (Schubas)
The XRT fave has a show this week that has NOTHING TO DO WITH LOLLAPALOOZA!

Tributosaurus (Martyrs')   FRIENDS OF COZ!
As The Eagles. I'm starting to wonder if they've hit all the major bands that I'd want to see, but they probably haven't.

8.02   thursday
Soulive (Double Door)
I don't envy these guys having to play Thursday night and then again bright and early right after noon at Lolla on Friday. Actually, as someone who has at times aspired to play music for a living, I do sorta envy these guys.

Sparklehorse with The Ladybug Transistor (Empty Bottle)
This is being billed as the "official Lollapalooza aftershow party," despite the fact that Lollapalooza hasn't actually started by this point.

Peter Himmelman with David Singer (Schubas)
See Wednesday's listing.

8.03   friday
LOLLAPALOOZA (Grant Park)
Standouts for the first day include The Fratellis, Ted Leo and Pharmacists, The Polyphonic Spree and Femi Kuti. And everyone previewing the festival has to point out how LCD Soundsystem is playing right before Daft Punk, and has a song called "Daft Punk Is Playing At My House."

Diver (Fado)   SEE COZ LIVE!
Missed our Fado show last week? Want to sit down with a good pint of Guinness and some familiar tunes after traipsing around Grant Park all day? We've got you covered with a late addition to the Diver summer schedule.

8.04   saturday
LOLLAPALOOZA (Grant Park)
Day 2 has a lot of tough decisions to be made. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah or The Roots? Yeah Yeah Yeahs or Snow Patrol? Patti Smith or Spoon? Muse or Interpol?

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah with Cold War Kids, Elvis Perkins in Dearland (Metro)   SOLD OUT!
Not unlike last year, these club shows allow you to defuse potential Lollapalooza conflicts, like if you really wanted to see The Roots, but you were upset that you'd miss Clap Your Hands Say Yeah in the process. That is, if you already bought tickets.

Ghostland Observatory with Matt Roan (Schubas)
On the other hand, the preponderance of shows from bands playing in Grant Park could make the value proposition for the festival that much more obvious, in that it would cost you X dollars to go see all of these bands in separate venues, provided you could be two or three places at the same time.

Sound Tribe Sector 9 (House of Blues)   SOLD OUT!
And unless I'm imagining it, there seem to be a lot more of these related shows than there were last year.

Juliette and the Licks with The Start, Suffrajett (The Note)
Seriously, a LOT more of these shows. There's a full list here, which isn't going to help you if you're getting this newsletter reduced to a plain text e-mail.

8.05   sunday
LOLLAPALOOZA (Grant Park)
I think they scheduled Amy Winehouse at 2:15 specifically so she doesn't have as much time to get wasted before her set. Plus, Iggy & The Stooges, Modest Mouse, TV On The Radio and Pearl Jam.

Peter, Bjorn & John with Los Campesinos (Double Door)
This is XRT's "official" Lollapalooza afterparty, to the point where you can only get tickets through XRT.

John Popper Project featuring DJ Logic (House of Blues)
Now I'm so spooked by all these related shows that I'm just assuming John Popper is playing unannounced with somebody at Lollapalooza. Even if that's not the case, this could be interesting if DJ Logic plays a prominent role.