Leor Galil

@imleor.bsky.social

49262 Followers 1859 Following

Chicago Reader music writer imleor.carrd.co

Homer reading a novelty newspaper headlined “Bart named world greatest sex machine”
In 2005, Clear Channel spun off its live-entertainment wing into a new company called Live Nation. (Clear Channel itself became the cuddlier-sounding iHeartMedia in 2014.) Live Nation has since grown into the largest such promoter in the world, and its empire includes the largest ticketing platform (Ticketmaster), the largest Chicago festival (Lollapalooza), and more than 265 venues in North America alone. Among the local venues owned by Live Nation is Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre in Tinley Park, which hosts the Summer of ’99 and Beyond Festival. The fest launched two years ago as a one-day gathering in California, functioning as the crown jewel of Creed’s 2023 Summer of ’99 tour. Last year it relocated to Wisconsin’s Alpine Valley Music Theatre and expanded to two days. It also paired Creed with the most suitable coheadliner: Nickelback, whose Clear Channel butt rock rides on muddy four-wheel-drive riffs that ask the question, “What if truck nuts had soul?”
Simpsons episode screenshot of a pig-shaped party invite: come to homer’s bbbq. The extra b is for byobb.
A box of CDs marked Evanescence
CHICAGO — “Tornado Alley” might not be in Kansas anymore, Toto.
Elderbrook IG story of the garrets popcorn at O’Hare with the text “chicago at lakeshore music festival see you soon :)”
Here are the lyrics of Common’s rap (as best as we can tell!):
A poster for the sitcom Teen Angel, which aired from 1997 to 1998 as part of ABC’s TGIFriday block.
Chicago Magazine headline: Chicago’s 50 Best Restaurants With picks that span from tasting menus to food trucks, our critic ranks his favorite places to eat.
Cookie Monster
Email from Slack: Slack from Salesforce Miles in Slack Celebrate 100 years of Miles Davis in Slack We’ve packed Slack with Miles’s greatest hits and original artwork to seriously jazz up your workday.
This year’s Lolla lineup is a bizarre hodgepodge with no coherent character and vanishingly few hip-hop acts, none of whom is headlining. Part of that may be because the Summer Smash draws away big-name rappers (one of the biggest at Lolla is Summer Smash headliner Lil Uzi Vert). But I think the shortage of hip-hop is more likely the outcome of promoters C3 trying to Moneyball their way to a lineup based on streaming numbers and negotiations with major talent agencies. (According to the blog Booking Agent Info, 66 percent of last year’s Lolla acts were represented by three big agencies.) The Lyrical Lemonade Summer Smash, by contrast, feels distinctive even when it shares acts with other fests. Its lineup looks like it was created by people deeply invested in hip-hop as an evolving culture, not just in its potential as part of a business portfolio. That’s enough for me to believe that such phenomena can keep existing on this grand scale.
In Kim Thayil’s upcoming memoir, the guitarist sheds light on a rather “Superunknown” fact about his band Soundgarden and the genesis of Seattle’s grunge scene — it all started in the Chicago suburbs.
The album art for Charli XCX’s new album, Music Fashion Film, which is a black and white photo of John Cale, Marc Jacobs, and Martin Scorsese
Nathan Fielder in a suit and tie looking like he’s just presented an absurd idea as an inventive business plan
Indiana comic convention ad: NICOLAS CAGE, at his first ever u.S. fan convention, will be joining us at Indiana Comic Convention!
Riot Fest 2026 lineup
Wayne Campbell eating a Doritos chip in Wayne’s World
Among the nation’s largest Latin music festivals, Sueños has become an increasingly successful and lucrative Downtown event. It has generated an estimated $675 million since its launch, according to festival organizers.
Earlier in the day, Gov. JB Pritzker made a surprise appearance with Dr. Simi, an iconic mascot of Mexico’s largest pharmaceutical franchise, to hype up Venezuelan singer-songwriter and record producer Danny Ocean before he took to the stage.
“Your music saved me” sign
My shoegaze deep-dive in the Reader’s May issue
Guardian headline: US band Jimmy Eat World look back: ‘I would play The Middle five times in a row if the other guys would let me’
Lede: The “Stranger Things” effect was in full force Sunday night as Maya Hawke, aka Robin Buckley, settled into Thalia Hall to showcase her other character: singer-songwriter.
The existence of the archive was previously reported by The Chicago Reader and The Associated Press.
Homer, caving to a billboard he saw advertising clown college, but edited to say, “you people have stood in my way long enough. I’m going to stream Geese.”
Lyrical Lemonade Summer Smash 2026 lineup, headlined by Lil Uzi Vert and Chief Keef (Friday), Skeillex, Yung Lean x Bladee (Saturday), and Playboi Carti and Lil Baby (Sunday)
Subject: Is Chicago’s rock identity a myth?
Sound & Gravity 2026 Lineup: Grouper · Son Lux · Lee Ranaldo & Leah Singer, Contre Jour · Marc Ribot · Hailu Mergia · The American Analog Set · Alabaster DePlume · Lucrecia Dalt · Natural Information Society & Bitchin Bajas · Mary Halvorson & Sylvie Courvoisier · Yellow Swans · Tyondai Braxton · Jim White Trio with Guy Picciotto & Colleen Burke · Joan Shelley · Tomeka Reid Quartet · Keith Fullerton Whitman · Sir Richard Bishop · Josh Johnson · Joe McPhee, Ken Vandermark & Chris Corsano · Capatosta (Tim Berne, Tom Rainey, Gregg Belisle-Chi) · Resavoir · Uhlmann, Johnson, Wilkes · Gregory Uhlmann Extra Stars · Kassa Overall · Kalia Vandever · My New Band Believe · Eliana Glass · A Hawk and A Hacksaw · Sam Wilkes · Ana Roxanne · Dos Santos · Otto Benson · Patrick Shiroishi · Jon Irabagon & Dan Oestreicher · Russ Johnson · Tomas Fujiwara: 7 Poets Trio · Twin Talk · Water Damage · David Moore · Advance Base · Adam O'Farrill’s Elephant · Ami Dang · Chris Ryan Williams Vibration Trio · Eli Winter Ensemble · Jessica Risker · Leroy the Poet · Walt McClements · Official Claire · Setting · TV Buddha · Uniflora · Microplastique
The cover of the Reader’s April issue, the main image is a painting called Binoculares (2026) by Berenice Vargas Bravo. It’s in an exhibit called “Un Patio Particular” at Andrew Rafacz through 5/23
Come to homers bbbq The extra b is for byobb
The Ok grandma meme
Instagram post from Jandektales captioned “Jandek 0738”: Ready for the House Is not really the first JANDEK album. There is one before it, not released.
Eli is also putting together a Hallogallo scene compilation, which they aim to release on vinyl via Desert Island Comics in New York. The A side will showcase the bands who created the scene, and the B side will focus on the acts that emerged after Horsegirl’s big Thalia Hall show in 2022. It’ll come with a zine and an additional cassette compilation of newer acts. “That’s with all the other bands I want to have featured in it,” Eli says. “There’s only so much space on a single LP.”
Lollapalooza 2026 lineup, I ain’t typing all that
Bart’s class cheers after he says the line
From the Sun-times story on this bad band: “He’s so busy living “the life” that he doesn’t even have how own place in Chicago, opting for Airbnbs any time he’s back in town, which will be in April for two sold-out shows at Thalia Hall. “I kind of enjoy that because I love different neighborhoods,” he said. “I love Logan Square, Lincoln Square, Lincoln Park, and it gives me a chance to be in all of them.”
The messages also referred to the “ancillary” fees concertgoers paid for services like parking and V.I.P. seating upgrades. The two men bragged in sometimes boorish terms about how much they charge customers for those services. For a Kid Rock show at an amphitheater in Tampa, Fla., in 2022, the men posted a pricing chart labeled “VIP Club Admission,” with a top price of $199. “These people are so stupid,” wrote Mr. Baker, who worked for Live Nation in Florida. Mr. Weinhold, whose job involved overseeing ticketing at an amphitheater in Virginia, responded, “I have VIP parking up to $250 lol.” Mr. Baker replied, “I almost feel bad taking advantage of them.” In another exchange from 2022, they discussed a financial table showing the annual growth of “premier parking” at an unspecified venue, topping off at $666,000 in 2021.
Leavins rented a Logan Square apartment upon moving to Chicago in 2023. But he said he is now on the road so much that when he’s back in his new home city, he tries to get an Airbnb in a different neighborhood each time. “I love Lincoln Park, I love Logan Square, Wicker Park obviously, I even love more north,” he said. “I’m in a different neighborhood in Chicago each time I’m there.”
Physical copy of the newest Chicago Reader issue
It has been a long road … I want to share an update, albeit a painful one for our artists and supporters. The opening of Double Door in the Uptown Wilson Theatre location as previously announced is not moving forward. Staying true to what made Double Door Double Door matters. This isn’t an ending — it’s a pivot. We’re actively exploring other locations and opportunities that better align with our vision. And we think we have found one! This is all in an effort to keep the heart and soul of music and the Double Door moving forward. In the meantime, we’re keeping the brand alive through pop-ups, collaborations, and special moments. Our first step is a collaboration with Gallery Cabaret in Bucktown. For almost 40 years Gallery Cabaret has been a haven for artists and musicians looking to showcase their craft in an eclectic neighborhood setting. We are updating the sound, the music calendar, and the overall vibe that made Double Door the best place to see music, but more importantly, to be part of what makes Chicago’s scene the best in the country. We will be reopening the bar on March 1st. Come and see us and check it out. We hope you’ll stay with us, follow along, and be part of what comes next
I appreciate the desire to share information—I mean, it’s my job—and I appreciate the best TikTokers’ ability to make their viewers feel like they’re being confided in. But I’m constantly disappointed by what’s presented to me as a “hidden gem.” That’s mostly just marketing gibberish for the incurious.
The cover of American football’s forthcoming LP4 album, which shows bare tree limbs against a deep red skyline
Screenshot of the “Southern Wrestling by John Carpenter” column
Ross of Enjoy the Ride — who refused to provide his last name — said the company has faced grief from Local H fans following the announcement. “I’d rather not give my full name because some of these fans have been, like, pretty abusive, so I don’t really need people reaching out to me personally,” he said. The release is legal — even though the band is not on board and said Enjoy the Ride didn’t let them know it was happening.
The most immediate change planned for Grant Park is the addition of mobile seating at Buckingham Fountain this spring. The Buckingham Fountain Movable Chair Program, sponsored by Lollapalooza, is intended to encourage social gatherings, longer visits and informal picnics, according to a Park District press release.
Ratboys are closing “The Window” and pulling up a “Chair” on their latest album, signaling they have made themselves at home and are going to stay a while.
I still don’t agree with all of Chance’s career choices. He’s an independent artist strongly associated with community uplift, but he worked with global behemoth Live Nation to produce the Star Line tour and previewed the album in partnership with Airbnb, a company targeted by the BDS movement for its ties to illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
Screenshot of Chance’s IG ad that shows him sitting in front of the letters A and I. The caption says: “Academia. Neuroscience. Genomics. All spaces where AI makes possibilities endless. CoreWeave is the Essential Cloud for AI, built to help pioneers go big. Who’s ready for anything?” (I won’t type out the hashtags, sorry)
GOOSE ISLAND — Pitchfork Music Festival may have exited Chicago a few years ago, but the next best thing could be popping off at the Salt Shed over Memorial Day weekend.
The cover of the newest Chicago Reader, which features a huge photo of an egg that’s cracking open
LOS ANGELES (February 2, 2026) — Last Thursday, a state-county-city public-private partnership in Milwaukee announced a proposal to demolish the 117-year old Miller High Life Theatre, an independent venue operated by independent promoter Pabst Theater Group. A report produced for the Wisconsin Center District argues the theatre should be removed in part because it will face “similarities” and “competition” from a new Live Nation venue being built across the street with taxpayer-backed incentives. The proposal would raze the historic theatre to build a luxury hotel to serve the patrons of Live Nation’s forthcoming venue across the street and the nearby convention center. There are currently a dozen hotels within 1 to 10 minutes walking distance. NIVA urges Milwaukee officials to abandon any plans to get rid of or limit Miller High Life Theatre’s operation or booking in any way.
Screenshot of available seats for a 7:30 pm showing of Melania at AMC River East 21 in a screening room with six rows of seats, three of which have mostly been booked up.
Megyn Kelly post on the musk platform: “The whistles should be banned.”
Top albums of 2026 chart: 1. Darklight by The Sidepieces 2. With Heaven on Top by Zach Bryan
Poster for the 2025 Motern Media film, Evil Puddle
eBay listing: THE FUGS Jan 24 1969 Beloit College tickets X 2 unused original $50
Neon sign that reads “Noah’s Arcade Presents Wayne’s World”