Summer is coming up pretty quickly. And with summer comes the annual gorge-yourself-until-you-can’t-move street festival, the Taste of Chicago, which will be held June 25th through July 4th.  Every year, I tell myself I’m not going to go, and every year, I’m lured in by the food and the rainbow cones and the food. Did I mention the food?
But Taste of Chicago isn’t just about eating until you don’t think you can move anymore. There’s also always a fantastically eclectic mix of live bands playing, and it’s all free. This year’s lineup is no exception. The main stage features early evening shows from such artists as Salt-n-Pepa, Gavin Rossdale, Los Lobos, Los Lonely Boys, Mat Kearney, Brett Dennen, Rob Thomas, and the  Steve Miller Band, with the July 4th headliner still to be announced.
Big national acts aren’t all, though, as there’s a side stage which features a large number of local acts all day long (which means that I’ll be missing pretty much every group I actually want to see; thanks a lot, day job). Each day at the side stage has a theme: Americana (which should probably be renamed as Chicago Roots Collective Day), dance, world music, covers, etc. Bands appearing include Derek Nelson, Will Phalen & the Stereo Addicts, The Shams Band, The Yolks, White Mystery, Sons of the Never Wrong, Occidental Brothers Dance Band International, JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound, Katie Quick, and Jason & the Haymakers.
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