The lowdown on the Lollapalooza parties

DJ Jazzy Jeff (left) and MC Yameen The World performing at Lumen (Photo: 312 Dining Diva)


Even I—the self-proclaimed professional party girl—couldn’t keep up with all the pre- and post-soirees surrounding Lollapalooza, so I had to enlist the skills of my intern to help me scope the weekend scene.

Never had I witnessed so many night spots jump on the bandwagon for one single event. Last year it was only a select few venues “hosting” big-name Lolla artists such as Kayne West (by the way have you peeped his new Absolut vodka commercial?!) and Amy Winehouse. This year, however, it seemed like every few minutes I received an email of some bar announcing that they were the “official” after party for artists I’ve never heard of.

So let’s take a look at who was hot—and yes, who was not:

Thursday: Though we missed out on the GALApalooza festivities—which kicked off Lollapalooza and benefited the Parkways Foundation—most of its revelers made their way to GenArt’s party for the dynamic photog duo of Tyler "Tyliner" Curtis and Matt Reeves as darkroomdemons.com. They were celebrated at the W Lakeshore Hotel as the country's hottest party photographers. As guests gazed at their photos ranging from rock concerts to the various celebrity events they've been known to shoot, local spin master Matt Roan cranked out beats from hip-hop to hard rock.



Katy Perry, shown here performing her hit single "I Kissed a Girl" at Manor, also performed at Underground over the weekend. (Photo: Darkroomdemons.com)


After that was hands-down the best deejay event of the weekend: DJ Jazzy Jeff (of the “Fresh Prince” fame) hit up Warehouse District lounge Lumen for an authentic New York-style party. Accompanied by MC Yameen The World—who worked the mic all night—Jazzy Jeff worked grooves ranging from old-school R&B and hip-hop to new soul and funk.

Underground was of course a cluster$@&*# to get in, and after five minutes of waiting we got inside just in time to miss Katy Perry (“I Kissed a Girl”) finish her performance. We hear that the many fashionable females who came out for the show were singing along to her hit summer song, and they didn’t stop there as they danced around to the usual mashups expected at this River North bar.

Friday: The EastSport Cafe at the Hard Rock Hotel, hosted by EastSport and the Ben Jelen Foundation, introduced music and media tastemakers to the next big Indie acts. Particularly spellbounding was Krista, a Brooklyn native coming out soon on J Records. She’s a cross between Alanis Morissette, Alicia Keys and Missy Elliott, with a voice deftly flowing from a soft, sexy lull to an "I Mean Business" rap swagger.



Darkroomdemons.com's Tyler "Tyliner" Curtis at his GenArt party at the W Lakeshore Hotel. (Photo: 312 Dining Diva)


The hyped-up affair at Crimson starring Samantha Ronson also brought out her, ahem, girlfriend b.k.a. Lindsay Lohan as well as her superstar deejay/producer brother Mark Ronson. Samantha wasn’t on her usual game as her mixes were sporadic and her technical skills not as crisp. I’ll give her a pass this time because the entire night she had a crowd of patrons just a few inches from her face as she tried to work. They attempted to snap shots of her and her starlet friend, but security blazed flashlights in folks’ faces all night. Really, who could work under those circumstances?!

Saturday: Another major event—billed as “Moby’s only Chicago performance this summer”—brought out some of his biggest fans to Vision. Most left disappointed, however, as there was no transition from the opening deejay to the main attraction, with no introduction and basically the same beats. This party was filled with mostly folks who were out at Lolla all day, so you’d think that Moby of all people would’ve stepped up his game a bit.

And finally the biggest disappointment of the weekend was the “official” Lollapalooza after-party featuring Perry Farrell, Deadmau5, Steve Smooth, Danny Masterson, Does It Offend You, Yeah and others. The private affair was promoted all over the Internet as being held at Golan Studios in West Town, and then at the last minute changed its location. After panicked attempts to move it to NV, Vision and Sound-Bar, the promoters decided to pull the plug, leaving perplexed partiers all over the city angry as hell.—Additional reporting by Suzy McMillen

Just chill out

It's icky outside, so why not relax at home and order in from these neighborhood favorites:

Berry Chill: If you live in the downtown area (River North, Streeterville, Gold Coast, Loop), you're lucky enough to get the fab froyo delivered to your home. They dry ice pack it so that it's as fresh and frozen as if you ordered it at the store.

Irazu: The cheap Costa Rican restaurant's been around since 1990, but only recently have they started delivery in the West Town area. Order one of the specialty dinners (comes heaving with rice, plantains, meat and beans), burritos, tacos or a number of vegetarian dishes. Cash only.

Penny's Noodle Shop: All four locations (Bucktown/Wicker Park, Lakeview, Lincoln Park, Oak Park) of this Asian neighborhood gem deliver, thankfully, so you're free to load up on carb-i-licious dishes like the spicy basil with chicken, sesame beef noodle or Thai ravioli (with shrimp and pork dumplings).

Oggi Trattoria: Classic Italian cuisine, ranging from thin-crust pizzas to homestyle pastas and panini, is what you'll get at this quiet neighborhood eatery in West Town. The prices are unbelievably cheap, and one of the house specials, Spendi (Sicilian shish kabob made with thinly rolled beef stuffed with seasoned bread crumbs and tomatoes), should not be missed.

Red & White: The owners at this late-night wine shop in Wicker Park will help you pick the best possible vino, then deliver it to your home by bike.

Reza's: Get your kabobs Persian-style from this long-time Mediterranean restaurant in Andersonville. In addition to salmon, chicken and filet mignon, you'll also want to go for the yummy charbroiled quails paired with mounds of dill rice.

Tank Sushi: For sushi in Lincoln Square, this colorful spot cannot be beat. And unlike some popular sushi restaurants, they manage to deliver theirs just as fresh and crisp as though you were dining in.

After all the hype . . .

. . . all week about the "official" Lollapalooza after-party featuring Perry Farrell and a bunch of other celebs happening Saturday, these are the series of emails I received half an hour before the event was supposed to start:

First:

"I am sorry to say the party will not be taking place tonight at Golan Studios. The talent will be playing at Vision Nightclub, Dearborn and Ontario in Chicago, if you want to check out Perry Ferrell, Deadmau5 etc. However, they are not offering comp admission or open bar. Sorry for this unavoidable situation. "

Five minutes later:

"The party has now been moved to Sound Bar, Ontario and Franklin. The first 500 people presenting invites or on guest list including this evite list. there will be an open Belevedere bar. Sorry for all the confusion, promoters are moving the party. The artists Deadmau5 and Perry Ferrell will perform, hope you can stop by."

And then finally not too long after:

"Sorry to report but the promoter has cancelled the event. There is no party at sound bar or anywhere else. Apologies to all."

What really happened with this whole thing?! Does anyone know?!

B.O. in bars?!

Dr. Alan Hirsch testing for "funky" smells in Chicago bars now that they're smoke free. (Photo: Axesmokefreebars.com)


Dr. Alan Hirsch from the Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation uncovers what's really stinking up local bars.

You just gotta see this for yourself!

Obama vs. McCain . . . in cocktails!

Plan B's Ciroc Obama pays homage to the presumptive Democratic presidential candidate. (Photo: Plan B)


Plan B Bar + Kitchen pits the two presidential candidates against one another—this time with cocktails.

Who gets your vote?!

First up is the Ciroc Obama, a dope drink made with Ciroc vodka, splash of Chambord and lemonade, served with a grape sugar rim.



The John McCANE cocktail's rim is dipped in sprinkles. (Photo: Plan B)


Then there's the John McCANE, a sweet sipper composed of crème de coconut rum, Godiva white chocolate liqueur and crème de cassis liqueur with a splash of Frangilco liqueur and 10 Cane rum, served with a Hershey syrup rim dipped in sprinkles.

You cannot go wrong with either!

Before you ever think about being rude to another server again . . .

. . . you might want to pick up this book.

Loco for Lolla . . . and Lohan . . .

There's a big chance we'll see Lindsay Lohan out and about at various parties this weekend.


Lollapalooza—one of the summer's biggest attractions—is here.

And while some will brave the blistering heat this weekend with daylong, outdoor concerts, others will opt for the parties bringing out the stars:

THURSDAY

Lollapalooza founder Perry Farrell is the special guest at GALApalooza, taking place tonight at Petrillo Music Shell (235 S. Columbus Dr.; 312-742-4808). The sneak-peak fundraiser for the Fountain Restoration Project, the event includes a buffet, cocktails, and a performance by Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings. 6pm. $350.

The BlackBerry Luxe Club Series makes a stop in Chicago tonight, and yes you're invited if you RSVP here. Party happens at Lumen, featuring celebrity deejay Jazzy Jeff, who'll be spinning old-school hip-hop, rock and R&B from 11pm-1am. You'll also get comped specialty cocktails if you arrive between 9pm-midnight. Doors open at 9pm. Free admission with that RSVP.

Underground transforms into the MOTOROKR Lounge all weekend with performances from Katy Perry ("I Kissed a Girl") tonight; a deejay set by Million $ Mano on Friday; Fonzworth Bentley, O'Neal McKnight, DJ Cassidy and DJ Momjeans on Saturday; and a live performance by G. Love & Special Sauce with a deejay set by Flosstradamus on Sunday. 9pm-4am Thursday, Friday, Sunday. 9pm-5am Saturday. Cover varies.

FRIDAY

Famed deejay Samantha Ronson returns to Crimson Lounge for her regular residency, but this time look out for some possible celebrity sightings. Her infamous galpal Lindsay Lohan and brother Mark Ronson—who's also a superstar deejay—are both in town for the Rock the Vote concert happening Saturday at Lollapalooza. That party takes off at 9pm. $20.

Graham Elliot Bowles—known for his love of good music—has created a menu he's dubbed Foielapalooza, taking place all weekend, and happening at his chic namesake restaurant. The foie gras and music extravaganza features a nightly changing preparation inspired by and served with music from that evening's headlining act: Friday: Radiohead Foie Gras in Rainbows (grilled foie gras with stewed blackberries, dehydrated raspberries, strawberry puree, blueberry air); Saturday: Wilco
Yankee Hotel Foie Gras (cornnut-crusted foie gras with corn foam, caramel corn, popcorn shoots, candy corn); Sunday: Nine Inch Nails Head Like a Foie (poached foie gras torchon with black olive, black pepper, black licorice, aged balsamic).

It's the first-year anniversary for Smash&Crunch at Liar's Club, and you don't want to miss it as they'll have performances by Does It Offend You, Yeah? and CreamTeam.Tv. Hosted by Chicago Suicide Club, Custom Vibes, URB Magazine, Kilo Kai Rum and Scion. Oh, and there's $2 Kilo Kai drink specials. 8pm-2am. Free.

DJ Kid Kris performs at Manor, but he'll be accompanied by a surprise guest star who hasn't been announced yet. That's 9pm-2am. $20. And Saturday Katy Perry performs with high-profile NYC deejay Mia Moretti. That one goes on from 9pm-3am. Cover varies.

SATURDAY

What's certain to be the hottest deejay showcase of the weekend is happening at Vision. Moby will be in the house, and it's his only Chicago performance this summer. He doesn't get on the tables until 1am, so check out all the other events going on first. 1am-5am. $30-$40.

Hollywood comes to the West Loop as "My Name is Earl" star Jamie Pressly celebrates her birthday at Bon V. Southern Comfort sponsors this party, which also includes Tinseltown mixmaster and on-air personality Eric Cubeechee (who also happens to be her fiance). Midnight-2am. No cover.

OK, so they're calling this a private bash, yet the public can win an invite to the official post-Lolla bash here. Perry Ferrell's set to host this event, with performances by Deadmau5, Steve Smooth, Danny Masterson (That 70's Show), "Does It Offend You, Yeah" and others. Party, which happens at Golan Studios (1501 N. Magnolia Ave.), includes an open bar and starts at 11pm. Free with RSVP.

Update on Jerry Suqi spot(s)

Just got a confirmation that Chick Pea is gonna be the name for Jerry Suqi's new spot in West Town.

But there's more!

He's simultaneously working on another project in Logan Square with well-known designer Frank Adorno (Narcisse, La Pomme Rouge, The Filthy Libertine). The soon-to-be-named contemporary American restaurant will be located at 3059 W. Logan Blvd., scheduled to open fall/winter, and focus on a seasonal menu through local and organic growers. Of course, it will also be very nightlife-oriented with authentic artwork, live music and deejays.