Our cover this week was born out of a sense of uncertainty, something most of us have been feeling for about 22 months now.
Tag: COVID-19
Posted inArts & Culture
‘We would like to help’
We started with a bang. In January, a mob of supporters of the last presidential administration attacked the United States Capitol building in D.C., grabbing lecterns, posting selfies, and leaving a trail of confusion and “released on own recognizance” privilege in their wake. And it’s possible 2021 will end with a whimper. The new Omicron […]
Posted inMusic
COVID kept on complicating our relationship with music in 2021
In September, a local collective of house DJs threw a party at Podlasie Club, an Avondale Polish bar with a distinctive L-shaped neon sign out front. The members of the Humboldt Arboreal Society usually spin under a tent in Humboldt Park, but for that one-off with veteran local DJ Rahaan, they’d made an exception—in part […]
![[Chicago Reader Nonprofit Guide cover detail]](https://i0.wp.com/chicagoreader.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/nonprofit-guide-cover-teaser.jpg?resize=1200%2C900&quality=89&ssl=1)
Posted inStaff notes
Changing Directions
Thanks to a tremendous staff, support from our owners and donors, and generous readers and foundations, we were able to make it to our 50th anniversary this year. But the future for all media is still tenuous. Our pivots have worked, but we need to continue to be nimble, and responsive to changes.
Posted inCity Life
Comfort in the face of the unknown
The numbers boggle the mind. More deaths than AIDS in 40 years, the most recent epidemic in recent memory. More deaths than the 1918 influenza pandemic, previously the deadliest disease event in American history. More deaths than the U.S. Civil War, the deadliest conflict in our nation’s history. More deaths. More. More. More. The COVID-19 […]
Posted inOpinion
Vaxxing our kids
Publisher’s note, June 27, 2022: Because the below column deals with a public health issue, we realize it should have been more rigorously edited by the Reader before publication. We apologize that it was not. We encourage readers interested in the topic of COVID-19 treatment and vaccinations to use these links to current information and […]
Posted inOn Culture
‘Misinformation in listicle format’
I was spending a day in bed with a laptop when I got an e-mail from a reader linking to an article titled “20 Essential Studies that Raise Grave Doubts about COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates.” It got my attention. After a Moderna booster the day before and a restless night, I’d awakened that morning woozy and […]
Posted inOn Politics
The lying game
Just about the only good thing to come out of the Aaron Rodgers fiasco is that it gives us a textbook example of how MAGA finagles its way out of a jam. Almost as though the Green Bay Packers quarterback’s behavior was orchestrated by Donald Trump himself. First—they lie. Then—deny. Then prevaricate. Then obfuscate. Or […]
Posted inOn Politics
The “fuckton” twins . . .
I was fired up to excoriate Mayor Lightfoot for her recent “fuckton” comments, when . . . John Catanzara released a video of himself holding a sign that read: “John Catanzara for mayor 2023.” And immediately I was overwhelmed with an urge to excoriate him. As Johnny C has come to Lightfoot’s rescue with his […]
Posted inMusic
Spooky season begins with another Bandcamp Friday
Since the pandemic arrived in the U.S. in March 2020, Bandcamp has declared 15 Bandcamp Fridays, so forgive me if I truncate my usual spiel. If you’ve somehow found this post without being aware of Bandcamp Friday, I’ll just say this: for 24 hours, the digital retailer passes along its usual share of revenue to […]
Posted inMusic
Meat Wave cram a lot of noisy energy and emotion into six songs on Volcano Park
Chicago punk trio Meat Wave were planning on touring for much of 2020 to push a new LP, but COVID cleared their calendar and delayed their album (as it did for so many working bands). Rather than sit around and wait, the band hunkered down to write, record, and self-release an EP of new material […]
Posted inMusic
Chicago’s Wingtips bring a little light to the dark synth-pop of Cutting Room Floor
In 2021, the idea of editing yourself can sound cynical—it’s been tainted by social-media influencers who manufacture images and videos of a blemish-free life of luxury while struggling to make ends meet offline. But on their brand-new second album, Cutting Room Floor, dark Chicago synth-pop duo Wingtips suggest that self-editing can be part of a […]
Posted inPerforming Arts Feature
Live theater is back—but COVID questions remain
Spring began so hopefully this past year, with COVID-19 vaccines ramping up and my inbox filling up with announcements of live performances returning in the fall. Back in May, I talked to Deb Clapp, executive director of the League of Chicago Theatres, about what she felt the major concerns facing their members might be as […]
Posted inMusic
How live music looks during COVID
Live music is back, though it looks different today than when it went away in March 2020. For 16 months we carried on without the collaborative magic of artist and audience. We’ve watched musicians find creative ways to keep gigging and be safe, whether delivering livestreams from their homes or playing on porches. Our favorite […]