The Five

Don’t-miss picks for Wednesday, July 30 through Tuesday, August 5

1 The Interview Show

Live Shows: Funny guy Mark Bazer’s (who—full disclosure—is a contributing writer for Chicago magazine) monthly talk show has an intriguing lineup this month: political journalist Rich Perlstein, rapper Saba Pivot, and culinary team Erling Wu-Bower and Cosmo Gloss.
8/1 at 6:30. $10. The Hideout, 1354 W Wabanasia. hideoutchicago.com

2 Fiesta del Sol

Festivals: Organized by the Pilsen Neighbors Community Council, this four day fest offers a plethora of entertainment options—carnival rides, live music, and lots of food.
7/31–8/3. Free. 1400 W Cermak. fiestadelsol.org

3 Patricia Racette

Classical: The sensitive soprano Patricia Racette, famous for her Butterfly, sings the title role in Richard Strauss’s ‘Salome’ for the first time. Disclaimer: An unstaged version probably means no nudity at the end of the “Dance of the Seven Veils”—not to mention that it might cause picnickers to choke on their Merlot.
8/2 at 7:30. $10–$90. Lake Cook and Green Bay, Highland Park. ravinia.org

4 Juba! Masters of Tap and Percussive Dance

Dance: The Chicago Human Rhythm Project’s month-long festival celebrating tap ends with performances featuring both veterans and students.
7/30–8/2. $25–$35. Museum of Contemporary Art, 220 E Chicago. chicagotap.org

5 Lollapalooza

Music: Maybe you’ve heard of this festival? It’s supposed to be kind of a big deal. If you’d rather skip the masses of shrieking teenagers, try hitting up these after shows instead.
8/1–3. Sold out—try StubHub and Craigslist. Lollapalooza, Grant Park, 337 E Randolph. lollapalooza.com

What I’m Doing This Weekend

Bob Palmieri
Bob Palmieri Photo: Courtesy of Bob Palmieri

Up next in our series of weekend plans from notable, in-the-know locals—a.k.a. people we like: Bob Palmieri, artist and musician. His solo exhibition, Lies, opens on Friday, August 1.

“Friday, I have a solo exhibition opening at the Rangefinder Gallery in River North. It’s all black and white photography. We’ll go out to dinner afterwards. There’s a place, Cocello, on Hubbard Street. I’ve only been there once I thought that the food was pretty adventurous; it’s largely Italian but they do a lot of unique combinations of ingredients.

“Saturday, it’s more or less a work day. I have another show in Indiana that I’m going to be tearing down. I’m going to be building some electric guitar pickups. Then if I get back to Chicago in time, I might do one or two things. I’ll see the Jim Trompeter Quintet at the Green Mill. Back in the day, I used to play with them and Jim Trompeter is definitely one of the best piano players around. He’s always great to hear if you like solid hard bop jazz. Or, I might go hear the Fred Simon Trio at Asparagus in Indiana. It’s not too far from Chicago and the restaurant has excellent Thai food.

“Then Sunday, I might go see Eric Schneider and Pat Mallinger at the Jazz Showcase. They are both great saxophone players, very different, but both masters.” —As told to Tomi Obaro

Freebie of the Week


glitchChicago

Art: Expect lots of artfully manipulated GIFs, bent circuits, and static noise at this major retrospective of the homegrown glitch art movement.
8/1–9/28. Free. Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art, 2320 W Chicago. uima-chicago.org