The long goodbye

More on the Velvet Lounge, from John Litweiler in today's Sun-Times:

Is there hope for the Velvet Lounge? Yes, indeed. The landlord has offered [proprietor Fred] Anderson a new location nearby on Cermak. The Chicago jazz community has pitched in to raise money to help the Velvet make the move. Several other jazz clubs have held fund-raisers, and several Web sites, most notably www.velvetlounge.net [direct link above], are soliciting donations. ...

Anderson said he needs to raise at least $70,000 to move the Velvet; so far, according to the club's Web site, $17,000 has been raised.

For now, he'll still have music at 2128½ S. Indiana, at least until the next Chicago Jazz Festival beginning Sept. 1, when the club will hold late-show fund-raisers. After that, nobody knows how long it will continue to be open there.

Anderson plays at the club at 8:00 tonight (7/29).

More adventurous

The Empty Bottle has unveiled the lineup (and very handsome poster) for the Mach2005 version of its Adventures in Modern Music Festival, a series of shows backed by the Wire and set to throw down 9/21-25.

Here you be (click for the bigness):

Lolla '06?

Greg Kot in today's Trib:

In the next few weeks, Capital Sports and Entertainment executives will be meeting with city officials to review last weekend's events and potentially lay the groundwork for Lollapalooza 2006.
... On Sunday, executive producer Charlie Jones toured the festival site in Hutchinson Field south of Buckingham Fountain and outlined plans to expand Lollapalooza north of the city landmark next year. Earlier in the day, he had discussions with the Dave Matthews Band's management; it's a good bet the headlining slot at next year's festival was a topic.

Wait a second.

Dave motherfreaking Matthews next year?

The professional poo-dumper?

Maybe they could change next year's slogan to "Lollapalooza 2006: And you thought last year was shitty."

Or "Lollapalooza Returns: Chad and Trixie's Excellent Adventure."

If it happens, I will have just three words: Beat. The. Traffic.

The block rockin' beat

The Ninth Annual Hideout Block Party goes down Saturday, Sept. 17.

The big news is the event will host the first reunion of the original dB's lineup since Chris Stamey, Peter Holsapple, Will Rigby and Gene Holder played a one-off show in May 1988 (and just their second gig since parting ways in 1982).

Other acts on the bill so far: The M's, the Redwalls, the Sam Roberts Band and Nomo.

(The dB's will also play downtown at the House of Blues later the same night.)

Chicagopalooza reviews

* Lollapalooza "was just a big concert full of up-and-coming modern-rock acts, with a few older legends, very little hip-hop and no truly edgy sounds or messages. As such, however, it was a smashing success: well-organized, fan-friendly and benefitting from the exquisite setting of Hutchinson Field, with the backdrop of the skyline to the west and the beauty of Lake Michigan to the east." - Jim DeRogatis, Sun-Times

* "[T]he event was a success where it counts: The fans, for the most part, loved it. And so did the bands." - Greg Kot, Tribune

* A Lolla journal by New York Times critic Jon Pareles

* Chicagoist: Photos from Saturday and Sunday

* Metromix: Saturday capsules, photos; Sunday capsules, photos

* "The marquee acts get all of the attention, but a mega-event like Lollapalooza couldn't run without hundreds of unsung workers." - Mark Caro, Tribune

Your thoughts? Hit up the comments.

Update:
*"The most significant dividing line between this year's Lollapalooza and its original self [was] the shaving down or complete removal of its roughest edge. The mosh pit days of Nine Inch Nails, Ice-T and Ministry were gone in favor of mostly New Wave fashionistas, garage rockers in suits and jam bands. Not many bands stepped out of the boundaries of their music, and there was the sense that the festival was designed to be free of controversy. The absence of harsh commentary seemed puzzling, considering the volatility of today's headlines. 'Now there's all these things to be really mad about and everybody's just happy,' Patterson Hood, frontman for Drive-By Truckers, said backstage Sunday." - Mark Guarino, Daily Herald

*"Lollapalooza 2005 went out with a whimper instead of a bang on Sunday. Or, given the festival-closing 2-1/2-hour performance by the absurdly self-indulgent jam band Widespread Panic, I should say 'with a burst of flatulence.'"
- Jim DeRogatis, Sun-Times