The beaches are soon to officially open, Major League baseball is here, and to no surprise, music will be everywhere this summer. If you are avoiding the massive touring shows, here are alternative choices — both free and ticketed — that will keep you busy through Labor Day. Toronzo Cannon.
Mike White 1245 Chicago Ave. Evanston; tickets $16+ As Buddy Guy nears retirement, Chicago’s Toronzo Cannon has emerged as the city’s next great ambassador of electric blues. Rather than mine the genre’s past, the South Side native draws from his decades of experience as a CTA bus driver to write songs about struggles in everyday life.
His guitar playing and stage persona are both wildly entertaining, and his music feels overly modern, more than most contemporary blues players. This show is an album release party for “Shut Up and Play!,” his latest on Chicago’s Alligator Records. Lincoln Avenue and Pine Street in downtown Winnetka; tickets $49+ This is the eighth year for this North Shore indie music festival.
This year, it features Seattle rock band Band of Horses, German rock duo Milky Chance, British soul singer Yola, the Rebirth Brass Band from New Orleans, singer-songwriter Rayland Baxter and Austin garage rockers Heartless Bastards. Yola performs at Bridgestone Arena in 2023 in Nashville, Tennessee. The artist is among the lineup for this summer’s Winnetka Music Festival.
Jason Kempin/Getty Images 3420 W. Armitage Ave.; tickets $15+ The self-described “Soulkeeper�.
