71 MORE THINGS WE WANT TO DO THIS SUMMER
MAY 31–JUNE 2 | FESTIVAL
Do Division Street Fest
• Division Street may no longer resemble its depiction in The Man With the Golden Arm, but the thoroughfare still manages to put on this annual quasi-free fest with serious indie cred. In addition to street food and sidewalk sales, there are performances from R&B singer–slash–Hamilton actress Brittany Campbell, local jazz drummer Makaya McCraven, and storied punk-country band the Meat Puppets.
Details West Town. Division from Damen to Leavitt. $10 donation. do-divisionstreetfest.com
MAY 31–JUNE 9 | FESTIVAL
Pivot Arts Festival
• For 10 days each summer, Edgewater and Uptown teem with theater, dance, and music at artsy staples like Colvin House and the Edge Theater. This year’s lineup includes performances by three prolific choreographers: Brittany Harlin, Ayako Kato, and Fly Honey Show founder Erin Kilmurray. The festival ends, per tradition, with improv comedy and custard at Lickity Split.
Details Various locations. $10–$25. pivotarts.org
JUNE 1–JUNE 20 | ART
Yunhee Min: Keeping Things Whole
• There’s something amiss about each sculpture by this recent School of the Art Institute grad: A frying pan doesn’t have a base; a doorless knocker hangs above a welcome mat. Min assembles such curious domestic objects in her first-ever solo show, attempting to manipulate the familiar in order to channel a sense of everyday dread and burnout.
Details Rogers Park. Roman Susan. Free. romansusan.org
JUNE 1–AUG. 24 | ART
Inka Essenhigh: Uchronia
• The New York–based painter, known for fantastical pieces that exist somewhere between the realms of dreams and nightmares, takes on the notion of an idealized posthuman realm in her newest body of work. These richly colored scenes show technology in harmony with exaggerated human forms, such as a luminous person whipping up dinner without touching a single utensil.
Details West Loop. Kavi Gupta, Washington Boulevard. Free. kavigupta.com
JUNE 4 | HIP-HOP
Anderson Paak, Noname, Thundercat
• Any member of this lineup of soulful heavy hitters would be worth seeing on their own. Paak’s a singing, rapping, and drumming triple threat on the cutting edge of Los Angeles’s music scene. Thundercat cranks the trippiness up a notch, dicing left-field funk with his virtuosic bass playing. And then there’s Noname, the ex-Chicago star who came up in the same open mic scenes as Chance the Rapper.
Details Near South Side. Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island. 7:30 p.m. $40–$251. livenation.com
JUNE 4–5 | POP
Ariana Grande
• Even though high-profile romances with Mac Miller and Pete Davidson have put her through the wringer, the current second-most-followed person on Instagram has emerged at the height of her musical powers. Last year’s Sweetener was a breakthrough, bolstered by experimental Pharrell collaborations and anthems for overcoming anxiety. And on this year’s followup, Thank U, Next, Grande interpolates both The Sound of Music and 2 Chainz.
Details Near West Side. United Center. $126–$818. ticketmaster.com
JUNE 7–9 | FESTIVAL
Chicago Blues Festival
• This year’s gathering of boomers and blues hounds has distinguished headliners — Bobby Rush on Friday, Bettye Lavette on Saturday, and Ruthie Foster on Sunday
