In 1918, a deadly strain of influenza killed more people than World War I, and thousands of Chicagoans were among the dead. But it could have been much worse. Geoffrey Baer explains.
Arts & Entertainment
Music has always been a source of comfort for 18-year-old Cameron Chiu. When the coronavirus prompted a stay-at-home order, he and his classmate created a project that would bring people together.
Summer in Chicago is synonymous with neighborhood street festivals, outdoor concerts and art shows. But what will the season bring in 2020? We asked some local organizers for their take on festival season in the COVID-19 era.
As part of an ongoing series on how professional musicians are responding to a changing landscape, we meet a few aspiring young musicians, who tell us the downside – and the upside – of studying music during the pandemic.
The city had declared 2020 as Chicago’s “year of music.” Now with live music all but shut down, we’ve been talking with artists who were set to share their sounds before the coronavirus outbreak – including Donald Lawrence and the Tri-City Singers.
It makes sense that a veteran Chicago blues and jazz musician is on the city’s oldest blues and jazz record label. We visit Dave Specter and Delmark Records for a look back — and forward.
An active community of sewers in Chicago and across the U.S. has stepped up to the challenge of making cloth masks to help combat the spread of the coronavirus.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker called out the hashtag himself during Thursday’s press briefing, saying the daily #SpritzersWithPritzker tweets bring smiles to his office and staff. Meet the Forest Park woman behind it.
The 1918 Spanish flu was not even close to being Chicago’s first bout with fast-spreading disease. Geoffrey Baer looks at how Chicago managed a tidal wave of diseases in its earliest years.
Bus drivers have a tough job these days. And musicians are pretty much out of work. We spoke with one CTA driver who is also a songwriter with a new record. He drives people all over town, but right now he can’t play for the people.
John Prine, the ingenious singer-songwriter who explored the heartbreaks, indignities and absurdities of everyday life in “Angel from Montgomery,” “Sam Stone,” “Hello in There” and scores of other indelible tunes, died Tuesday at the age of 73.
As you work through your list of at-home entertainment options, don’t forget to consider a night of theater. Chicago’s Theater Wit is now livestreaming the play “Teenage Dick.” Here’s how it works.
The Wicker Park resident hula hooped for 100 hours last fall, hoping to set a new world record and raising nearly $5,000 for the nonprofit Mental Health America along the way. “It’s a big relief,” the 29-year-old said.
Missing that chatty CTA conductor from your morning commute? Have a hankering for an old fashioned mixed up by your favorite bartender? So are we. Join us as we pay tribute to the everyday folks who make Chicago great.
Ed Farmer rooted for the White Sox growing up on Chicago’s South Side and went on to become an All-Star reliever for them.
Lyric’s canceled productions of “42nd Street” and “Blue” are now slated to run in 2022 and 2021, respectively. Meanwhile, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra is partnering with WFMT on a series beginning next week.
