Tomorrow Never Knows Continues in Chicago

Last night marked the start of Tomorrow Never Knows, a local music festival in Chicago founded in 2005 by Lincoln Hall and Schuba’s Tavern: two venues in the heart of the Lincoln Park and Lakeview neighborhoods.

This year’s fest is particularly poignant due to the ongoing tension between the city’s in independent music venues and Sterling Bay, a developer who recently pitched a 54-acre project on Chicago’s North Side that would cost $6 billion to build an entertainment district co-owned by LiveNation, according to Crain’s. The project would be “comprised of multiple venues with seating capacities ranging from 3,000 to 6,000. The Entertainment District will be eliminated from a revised plan, and replaced by restaurants, theaters, and smaller venues that will be scattered throughout the site.”

Chicago’s 2nd Ward Alderman Brian Hopkins called to overhaul the project last week. Click the link above to learn more.

TNK continues through Sunday across six venues and boasts an impressive list of local musicians & comedians and up and coming national artists alike. Previous performances include those from the likes of Bon Iver, Father John Misty, Sharon Van Etten and more.

If you moved quickly, you could grab a 5-day pass for $100: that sold out. Most shows are reasonably priced under $20 and include 3-4 artists per show, totaling over 50 performances across the five days.

Venues:

Hideout / 1354 W. Wabansia Ave
Lincoln Hall / 2424 N. Lincoln Ave
Metro / 3730 N. Clark St
Schubas / 3159 N. Southport Ave
Sleeping Village / 3734 W. Belmont Ave
Smart Bar / 3730 N Clark St (Located inside Metro)

Check out the full schedule below including my picks for what sets to see. I’ll be covering Snail Mail, LaLa LaLa and Varsity’s show at the Metro. Super excited for all three of those sets!

January 16
Charly Bliss w/ Active Bird Community, Girl K at Lincoln Hall
Bad Bad Hats w/ Video Age, Con Davison, Pool Holograph at Lincoln Hall
$1 Beer Night w/ Guests at Sleeping Village

January 17
Snail Mail w/ LaLa LaLa, Varsity at Metro (SOLD OUT)
CAVE & WAND w/ Cafe Racer at Lincoln Hall
Still Woozy w/ VICTOR!, Monster Rally and Jordanna (SOLD OUT)
Grails w/ Helen Money, Sleeping Village
Neil Hamburger at Hideout (2 shows are SOLD OUT)

January 18
Sara Shook & The Disarmers w/ H.C. Mcentire, Half Gringa at Lincoln Hall
Petal w/ Great Grandma, Bernice, Sir Babygirl at Schubas
Vacationer w/ Pixel Grip, Couple II at Sleeping Village
It’s A Guy Thing at Hideout (2 shows are SOLD OUT)

January 19
Taylor Bennet w/ Special Guests at Metro
MNDSGN w/ Kiefer, Swarvy at Lincoln Hall
Yoke Lore w/ SONTALK, Shortly, Ester at Schubas (SOLD OUT)
Talkhouse at Sleeping Village (Early Show)
Negative Gemini w/ Fee Lion, Panic Priest at Sleeping Village (Late show)
Clickhole Live at Hideout
Kate Berlant at Hideout (2 shows)

January 20 
Facs w/ Dim at Metro (SOLD OUT)
Sports w/ Arlie, Pavo Pavo at Lincoln Hall
S.Carey w/ Wild Pink, Gold Star, Fran at Schubas
David Bazan w/ Advance Base at Sleeping Village
Ladylike at Hideout (Early Show)
Helltrap Nightmare at Hideout (Late Show)

Chicago Haze’ picks

January 16 – Definitely Charly Bliss at Lincoln Hall. Not only was their 2017 debut album called an “instant classic” but they also released a comic book trilogy with their three song debut EP in 2014.

January 17 – Snail Mail’s debut in 2018 was one of the best albums of the year and it doesn’t hurt that Lindsay Jordan is only 19. She’s performed in Chicago a handful of times over the past year (I saw her at Wicker Park fest over the summer, review here) and with support from Chicago rising artists LaLa LaLa and Varsity, this is destined to be a wonderful show.

January 18 – Vacationer’s electro dream pop is destined to be a show not to miss at Chicago’s most recently opened venue, Sleeping Village. With a large beer selection and complete with a disco ball, this show will definitely be ethereal.

January 19 – I should say go see someone that I haven’t seen before, but Yoke Lore’s return to Schubas just about a year since his debut in January of 2018 is pretty great. He’s about to tour with LP (back in Chicago next month) and just dropped a song with Frenship. Check out my reviews on his live show here and here.

January 20 – Don’t you love being able to recognize an artists’ sound after pulling up their Spotify page when you realized you couldn’t remember their name? That’s exactly what I did with both Sports and Arlie when this lineup dropped, who are coincidentally playing a show together on the last night of TNK. I am not familiar with Pavo Pavo, but I’m sure their contribution will be grand.

Click here to buy your tix to select shows: most are on the brink of selling out if not completely sold out already.

Thanks for reading!

– Kristin