[image]
[title]MAY 17
“MCA Screen: Cauleen Smith”
Artist-filmmaker Smith’s multimedia works examine how music transforms urban settings. Museum of Contemporary Art. $12 suggested admission, seniors and students $7, kids under 12 free. Through Sept 16.
MAY 18
Crosstown Classic
The Cubs host the first of two summer battles between the North and South Sides. Wrigley Field. 1:20pm; $42–$115 (cubs.com). Through May 20.
Battleship
Because naval warfare is so last century, the makers of this board game–inspired movie have added a twist: Transformers-style space invaders.
MAY 21
Dances to Songs I Hate
Creator-curator Tif Bullard won’t say which songs nine contemporary dancers and groups chose for the first of what she hopes will become a series of casual cabarets, but “it’s a wide variety of mostly pop music.” Her choice? “Peg,” by Steely Dan. The band’s fans “are so fucking righteous, it drives me nuts,” Bullard says. Links Hall. 7:30pm; $10.
MAY 25
Beaches open
The city’s 33 lakefront beaches are ready for action through September 3. Ohio Street Beach also gets a new Mediterranean eatery: Caffè Oliva, slated to open Memorial Day weekend. Daily 11am–7pm, unless otherwise posted. Check the swim advisory at chicagoparkdistrict.com.
MAY 26
“Extreme Mammals”
The size of a pencil eraser, the now-extinct mouselike batodonoides weighed less than a dollar bill. See a replica—along with dozens of other models, taxidermied animals and scientific specimens, from bones to fur—at this exhibition organized by New York’s American Museum of Natural History. Field Museum. $22, seniors and students $18, kids ages 3–11 $15. Through Jan 6.
Randolph Street Market
May brings this market’s monthly outdoor shopping portion, held in the Plumbers Hall parking lot. Expect vintage clothes and jewelry, a vinyl swap meet, a fancy-food market and a global-goods bazaar. Plumbers Hall. 10am–6pm; $8 in advance, $10 at the gate (randolphstreetmarket.com). Monthly through Sept 30.
MAY 27
Bike the Drive
At this annual Active Transportation Alliance fund-raiser, pedal pushers coast a carless Lake Shore Drive. After, stop by Butler Field for an all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast ($7). Ride begins at Jackson Blvd and Columbus Dr. 5:30–10:15am; $40–$58, kids under 18 $15 (bikethedrive.org).
MAY 28
Kelly Hogan
The Downtown Sound series (Mondays through Jul 30) opens with local treasure Kelly Hogan, feting her first solo album in more than a decade. I Like to Keep Myself in Pain pairs Hogan’s down-home charm with soul-dripping session work from organ magician Booker T. Jones. Millennium Park, Pritzker Pavilion. 6:30pm; free.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
The Chilis have been at it so long, if they wanted to put socks back on their dicks, they’d need to get a longer size. Since they’ll be serving up hits while headlining Lolla nine weeks later, the L.A. dads will likely dig deeper into the catalog here. Allstate Arena. 7:30pm; $73–$628 (livenation.com).