Gapers Block published from April 22, 2003 to Jan. 1, 2016. The site will remain up in archive form. Please visit Third Coast Review, a new site by several GB alumni.
✶ Thank you for your readership and contributions. ✶
Saturday, April 20
The 34th annual American Music Festival runs July 1-4 at FitzGerald's, 6615 W. Roosevelt Rd. in Berwyn. Hear music on three stages -- including the Waco Brothers, the 24th Street Wailers, Expo '76, Tributosaurus and Paul Thorne -- from 11am to 1am tonight. Tickets for tonight's lineup are $35 (get $5 off at the door before 2pm), or buy a four-day pass for $100. Doors open at 10:30am.
Uptown gets saucy for this weekend-long ode to ribs, which starts today at noon and ends Sunday at 9pm at the corner of Lawrence and Broadway. Admission $5, and a Dave Matthews Band cover band plays Saturday night. USA! USA! USA!
The Gene Siskel Film Center, 164 N. State St., presents "Recently Restored," a festival of restored motion pictures that runs at the Film Center through August 16. Today's premiere title is the 1972 film 1776, which screens at 3:00pm. See the Film Center's site for a complete schedule and advance tickets. Box office: (312) 846-2085.
The Abbey Pub, 3420 W. Grace St., presents Roister and the Zappa Jam Down Weekend July 3-5. The show features Ray White, Tom Fowler, Robert Martin, Ed Mann, Ike Willis, Marty Kondziolka, Mark Kondziolka, Markus Messina and Brian Swislow. Each night, the show is preceded by a big screen live stream of the Grateful Dead's "Fare Thee Well" concert at Soldier Field at 7pm, then the jam starts at 10pm. Tickets are $20 in advance, $25 at the door. 21+
Netherfriends play Cole's Bar, 2338 N. Milwaukee Ave., tonight with Pleasures and Rich Jones opening. Doors are at 10pm. 21+
USA! USA! USA! The Music Box, 3733 N. Southport Ave., celebrates the holiday weekend with martial arts expert (and action film regular) Chuck Norris protecting the nation from terrorists single-handed in Invasion USA. The film screens tonight and Saturday night at midnight. Tickets are $9.