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Chicago Best Weekend Bets
RIP, Carrie Fisher. Here’s a non-Star Wars themed Carrie Fisher Best Weekend Bets.
Also, tell all your friends to subscribe to the Chicago mailing list. We give away stuff.
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We write stuff. Here’s some of that stuff from the last week that may be applicable to your preferences!
- The best BYT photos of 2016.
- The year in comedy 2016.
- This is the best album art of 2016.
- This is the worst album art of 2016.
- Variety show The Gumbo, presented by up-and-coming comedy collective The MLK’s of Comedy, brings standup, music, dance, and more to the Laugh Factory. This thing looks rad.
- Local indie rock institution Hemmingbirds is calling it a day, but only after one final show at Lincoln Hall, with guests Mutts, Archie Powell & The Exports, and Jesse W. Johnson.
- Today’s the final day of the Music Box’s celebration of all things Indy, catch a screening of the first three Indiana Jones flicks
- Progressive jazz and experimental jams takes over The Hideout, featuring Jaimie Branch, the Josh Berman Trio, and Bucket Brigade.
- The Empty Bottle hosts Post Animal, Lucille Furs, and Jude Shuma.
- Punch House has a Prince Tribute DJ night happening down in Pilsen.
- At one point Billy Crystal was considered a valuable and charming presence as the leading man in a romantic comedy. The ‘90s were weird and you can go see for yourself at a screening of When Harry Met Sally at the Logan Theatre.
- The Promontory hosts Brian Fresco, Smoke Ono, and Kay Karma for some pre-NYE partying.
- Liquor and Latkes at Young Chicago Authors is a live variety show and inter-religious celebration of Hanukkah!
- Winter has Come to the Fountainhead, and they’re celebrating by tapping three rare Game of Thrones-themed brews from Ommegang.
- The Therapy Sessions is a nice show at the Hungry Brain all about feelings. Each week, artists from across different disciplines join host Seth Vanek to discuss their work through the lens of a different theme. This week’s theme is disappointment and features guests Ryan Joseph Anderson and Peter Margasak.
- Booze Box in the West Loop celebrates all thing Sade for one night only at a very chilled out DJ night.
- Head out to Rosemont for day one of React NYE, with sets from very good acts like Danny Brown, Anderson Paak, and Noname.
- Diane Coffee kicks off a two night run at Schubas starting tonight, night one’s special guests are Modern Vices.
- High on Fire and Oozing Wound play a heavy ass show at the Empty Bottle tonight, with DJ Mike Lust playing the hits between sets.
- Go to the Music Box and see Mean Streets at either 2 or 7:15 today, it’s happening as a part of their Martin Scorsese screening.
- The Wandering Boys play an early evening show at The Hideout.
- And then Makaya McCraven plays the Hideout’s late show, joined by a bevy of special guests, I bet!
- Beat Kitchen hosts some quality rock music from Bear Claw, Mint Mile, Rented Rooms, and Nonagon. Good stuff!
- Chris Brown, Trey Songz, Desiigner, and more celebs are slated to appear at Alhambra Palace in the West Loop for a special pre-NYE bash.
- Lincoln Hall has a “nearly new year’s eve” show from I Fight Dragons, Jennifer Hall, and Boy Meets Robot.
- Smartbar’s got sets from Gene Hunt, DIZ, Jevon Jackson, and Noleian Reusse.
- King jammers Umphrey’s McGee play the Aragon Ballroom alongside The Motet.
- Do some daytime stuff:
- Get up early for one last 5k for 2016, it’s the Chi-Town Rise & Shine 5k. Wow! Ok!
- Catch an afternoon screening of underrated Scorsese flick Bringing Out The Dead at the mighty Music Box Theatre.
- Or show up even earlier in the day for a pre-noon showing of Gold Diggers of 1933, a pre-code musical Hollywood romp.
- Millennium Park hosts a fun afternoon celebration of NYE all around the world, with a family-friendly “countdown” at the bedtime-accomodating time of 6pm.
- The Logan’s showing Elf, for those looking to preserve those holiday feelings for a few more days.
- The Green Mill’s weekly “live magazine” event The Paper Machete kisses 2016 goodbye with one last show.
- The Chicago Symphony Orchestra offers a special Salute to Vienna for their final concert of the year, featuring hugely talented ballet and ballroom dancers from around the world!
- Then, night stuff:
- Reaction New Year’s Eve brings the bloops, blips, and bruuuuuuuumpssss to Rosemont for a very EDM (with a touch of hip hop) NYE party, with sets from Zedd’s Dead, Tchami, Gucci Mane, and more!
- Diane Coffee, Yoko & The Oh Nos, and The Voluptuals say bye bye to 2016 at Schubas.
- High on Fire, Sweet Cobra, Moral Void, and DJ Adam Luksetich help you have a very heavy new years at the Empty Bottle.
- MFK in Lakeview is a real good seafood place and they’re helping you to say Good Riddance to 2016 with a really excellent five course meal.
- Lincoln Hall’s got a fire NYE show from The Hood Internet, Air Credits, and Celine Neon.
- Head to the Logan Square Auditorium for the Windy City Soul Club’s annual takeover of the space for another NYE kissoff.
- Head to the Metro for Freakeasy’s Badass New Years Eve, featuring Detroit techno architect Kevin Saunderson and plenty of special guests and live art installations.
- Ada Street is one of the most underrated spots for real nice foods in the city. Check out their NYE dinner packages, two different seatings of good lookin stuff.
- Houndmouth and The Kernal help you say farewell to 2016 at Thalia Hall.
- Umphrey’s McGee plays three damn sets throughout the night at the Aragon. What a way to jam into the new year.
- Smartbar’s Interstellar New Year’s Eve 2016 has guests like Garrett David, DJ Heather, Jeff Derringer, Justin Long, Olin, Sassmouth, Savile, Sevron and more!
- The Chicago Theatre hosts a NYE Comedy Jam, featuring comics like Nephew Tommy, Bill Bellamy, Capone, and Melanie Comarcho.
- Flynt Flossy and the rest of the Turquoise Jeep crew roll thru Subterranean for their NYE party, with guests Handsome Naked and Sophagus.
- Ben Miller Band and Charlie Parr play Beat Kitchen for the New Year.
- Big Freedia and Har Mar Superstar help you have a real freaky and wyld new years party if that’s what you’re looking for.
- Cafe Mustache has a very ridiculous looking NYE dance party, hosted by local comedy ghoul Sarah Squirm and other Chicago-based comics who are here to help you danse your worries away.
- The Empty Bottle’s Everyone’s Hungover party is the stuff of legends at this point, with DJ sets from local icons from open til close, helping you start 2017 with a boozy bang.
- New Year, New Queen is the name of the game tonight at Smartbar, with DJ sets from Chez Damier, Michael Serafini, and Garret David.
- Maybe go see The King of Comedy, a wildly demented and terrifying Scorsese movie at the Music Box today, to help set an unsettling tone to what will surely be a weird year.
- Head to Sidetrack for a onesie day party and get afternoon drunk in some footie pajamas!
- Catch Die Hard at the Logan tonight at 11pm if you’re into living dangerously.
- Character Assassination, Chicago’s #1 collective of roasters of abstract concepts and fictional characters welcomes 2017 with a look back at the terrible year of 2016.
- Nurse your hangover with a nice brunch and some unamplified tunes at Schubas weekly Acoustic Brunch, featuring Matt Brown and Vidar Skrede.
- If you show up to Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba before 3pm in your pajamas, you’ll get a gift card good for the full value of the brunch you just ate to spend the next time you come by. Unreal.
- For those of you not hungover (or looking to run off your hangover), there’s the New Year’s Day 5k in Lincoln Park. You are a different kind of person than me!
- The Neo-Futurarium in Andersonville pays tribute to the 28 years of work their collective has pushed out, nearly 10,000 plays in total before taking on a new approach in 2017.
- Dance to Taking Back Sunday or whoever at Beauty Bar, which hosts their weekly Emo vs. Pop Punk night with a special guest DJ set from local legends Lucky Boys Confusion.
