All right, this is the last calendar of the year. I know everyone’s working hard right now, but maybe you’ve got to let off steam or you’re done early. Anyway, check out the stuff below. Of course, the big event for many people is something called “graduation,” but I don’t think you go to that for entertainment.
Friday, June 4
Danger Mouse with Jemini and J-Roc at the Logan Square Auditorium, 8:30 p.m, $12 advance, $15 at the door. Danger Mouse, of Grey Album fame, stops in Chicago.
Chicago Gospel Music Festival, Grant Park, starts at 4 p.m. (also 11:45 a.m. on Saturday and 12:35 p.m. on Sunday).
“Russian Splendors” at Mandel Hall, 8 p.m. (also 4 p.m. on Saturday), $5 for students. University Symphony Orchestra, University Chorus, and Motet Choir perform a variety of pieces by Stravinsky and Tchaikovsky.
Monster at Doc, 6:30, 11:30 p.m. Charlize Theron won an Oscar for her role as a serial killer in this movie. With all the praise this movie has received, I think it’s worth checking out.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban opens. I figure you should know, if only just to avoid the masses of kids of the theaters today.
Saturday June 5
Belmont-Sheffield Music Festival, at Sheffield Avenue between Belmont Avenue & School Street, noon to 10 p.m. (also on Sunday).
The Lady Killers, 6:15, 9:00, 11:45 p.m. The controversial The Passion of Christ got pulled at the least minute, but Doc has found a good movie to replace it. This latest Cohen brothers film stars Tom Hanks (don’t let that turn you off!), in what looks to be a very funny story of a misfit group of bank robbers.
Wednesday, June 9
Rickie Lee Jones at Park West, 8 p.m., $35. This is for people who want to listen to a singer-songwriter, rather than the usual rocker or hip-hop artist. Incidentally, Park West is a cool venue. Go early if you want to get some place to sit.
Friday, June 11
James Brown at the House of Blues, $70, 21+. With a price like that, you’ve got to be a serious fan to go. That said, it’s James Brown!
The Chronicles of Riddick, The Stepford Wives, and Napoleon Dynamite open. The first two don’t really excite me at all (and what’s Judi Dench doing in a movie with Vin Diesel?), but Napoleon Dynamite looks quite funny.
Saturday , June 12
Linda Ronstadt and Aaron Neville at the Chicago Theater, $43-$84, 8 p.m.