[Update 7/1 pm] We just received this comment on our Facebook link to this post. I am out of words.
Original Post:
Happy ending? Melancholy ending? You decide.
I thought we closed the book on the July 4th Merry Prankster festival that sounded too good to be true (and was), but then turned just as ugly as could be.
The Pranksters seemed resolved to chill in Oregon over Independence Day, but seem to have had a change of heart and a burning ambition to do something in Chicago, no matter what the scale or location.
Enter The Olympic Theater, an independent venue in Cicero, primarily serving it's Mexican-American neighbors with Spanish language cultural and community events.
From July 2-5, The Pranksters will set up shop with live entertainment and general goodwill for a few dozen of their troupe and anyone in the public who'd like to join them. On a Facebook page promoting the event, they invite attendees to "create the synchronicity and flow of positive vibes that rock Chicago! Audience participation is encouraged."
It's not terribly far from Soldier Field, but certainly "off-the-beaten-path."
Many of the bands originally promised at the Acid Test That Shall Not Be Named, are named performers at this event. Though no promise of streaming anything from anywhere is being made.
Bands Performing Include:
Jay's Happy Sunshine Burger Joint
Rumpke Mountain Boys
David Gans
Sunshine Garcia Band
Bonnie Bowers and the Shotgun Reggae Band
Adam's Ale
Still Hand String Band
Jojo Stella
Flow Poetry
Smilin' Joe
Not From Concentrate
Prankster Family Band
Three bands on the original list of confirmed performers have already expressed regrets. The original pre-sale ticket link leads to a dead event (not a pun). If you trust the Pranksters, go ahead and bring $20 to Cicero. Seems a little suspect, but I'd still bank on this over that fiasco in Yorkville. Do you believe in happy endings?
The Olympic Theatre
2137 S. Lombard Ave
Cicero, IL 60804
When: July 2-5, 2015
Time: 4:00 pm to 4 am
Cost: $20 per day
