There’s a certain music festival in town (rhymes with, “Lollapalooza“), but this weekend also brings the Reader‘s Made in Chicago Market, a secret spy lunch, and many more events:
Fri 8/4-Sun 8/6: Blood, guts, gore, and [insert scary word] abound during Flashback Weekend Chicago Horror Con at Crowne Plaza Hotel (5440 N. River). During the day, celebrity guests like Freddy Krueger actor Robert Englund scare the crap out of everyone—mostly due to the size of the line to get movie posters signed. Horror films screen at night, and net proceeds benefit the Midway Drive-In, located in Dixon, Illinois. Fri 8/4 2 PM, Sat 8/5 9:30 AM, Sun 8/6 10:30 AM, $30-$65
Fri 8/4: Wet Cash is stand-up with a very big twist. Each week at Dark Tower Comics (4835 N. Western), performers can do anything they want.
(One time, they ran a show where everybody on the bill and in the audience was named Derek.) Plus, all donations benefit the fish bowl they toss the money in—hence the title. Expect, well, anything. 8 PM
Fri 8/4: Showcasing an all-encompassing image of sisterhood, Janice Bond presents Be Careful With Mother: Notes From Beyond the Binary, The multimedia display at Filter Space (1821 W. Hubbard) seeks to demonstrate womanhood’s complexity. Through 9/9: Mon-Sun, 11 AM-5 PM
Fri 8/4: Where would pornography be without story? It’s a question for the ages (specifically 18+), and one Porn Minus Porn is exploring. Each night at Under The Gun (956 W. Newport), members of the ensemble stage readings of pornographic cinema using only the dialogue. No spoilers! Through 8/25: Fri 10:30 PM, $12
Mercer’s idiosyncratic melodies and the way his forlorn, imploring voice shoots into a soaring upper register have remained constants of the Shins’ sound.” 11 PM
Sat 8/5: European artists M-City, FAKE, and Trust.iCON come together for TRIVIUM, a joint exhibition at Vertical Gallery (1016 N. Western). M-City’s mechanical, sci-fi-inspired style contrasts with the clean and colorful work of FAKE, as well as the street artistry of Trust.iCON for an unprecedented show. Through 8/26: Tue-Sat 11 AM-6 PM
Sat 8/5: Celebrate peace and love at Morgan Park’s free House & Soul Music Festival. Located at Ada Park (11250 S. Ada), guests are encouraged to join lively line dancing and snack to their heart’s content. 1-8 PM
Sun 8/6: Moshe Kasher and Natasha Leggero’s Endless Honeymoon Tour exhibits that the comedians have married not only each other, but their iconoclastic, aggressive stand-up styles. Kasher’s rambling and emphatic stories highlight the extreme, while Leggero keeps herself relatively subdued discussing the idiosyncrasies of human behavior she just can’t quite understand. They perform at Park West (322 W. Armitage). 8 PM, $27
Sun 8/6: TV shows Bridge of Spies and The Americans are only the tip of the iceberg for Spy Luncheon at SafeHouse Chicago (60 E. Ontario). Francis Gary Powers Jr., the son of famous CIA U-2 pilot captured by Soviets in 1960, shares material from his father’s journals, and Werner Juretzko, a former war prisoner held captive in a KGB prison, will discuss his firsthand experiences of Cold War espionage, and how fiction sometimes gets it wrong. 11 AM, $25
Sun 8/6: The Reader‘s own Made in Chicago Market is back! Located at Plumbers Hall (1340 W. Washington), it’s a celebration of all things DIY—showcasing some of the best apparel, housewares, and food and drink that Chicago has to offer. Shop local and support neighborhood makers. Free admission! Free parking! Free emphasis! 11 AM-5 PM
For more stuff to do this weekend—and every day—check out our Agenda page.