Booking Ahead | Jay-Z & Justin Timberlake, Chicago Blues Festival, Bruno Mars and Black Flag

Justin Timberlake

Photo: Tom Munro

On the heels of their recent turn at the Grammy Awards, Justin Timberlake and Jay-Z continue their tuxedo-clad bromance with today's announcement that they'll bring their co-headlining tour to Soldier Field July 22 (tickets go on sale Thursday 28 at 10am). This is a treat for Chicago fans, who haven't seen Hova since he and Kanye West passed through town in 2011 on the Watch the Throne tour, and who haven't seen the former 'N Sync singer since a two-night stand at Allstate Arena nearly six years ago. The flip side to all this is that it effectively rules out Jay-Z as a potential headliner at Lollapalooza, which has yet to reveal its lineup. In other fest happenings, the city released a few details this week about the Chicago Blues Festival. Now in its 30th year, the free lakeside fest expands to four days, June 6–9, with a Thursday evening kickoff in Millennium Park featuring Shemekia Copeland, who has inherited the "Queen of the Blues" title from the late Koko Taylor. Consummate bluesman Bobby Rush headlines Friday, June 7, the first day in Blues Fest's traditional Grant Park digs, representing the genre's Southern roots as part of this year's theme, "Rollin' Up the River." Other new calendar additions include aspiring reggae singer Bruno Mars, whose Moonshine Jungle World Tour arrives at the United Center July 13 with support from avid runner and Skrillex ex Ellie Goulding. In non-arena news, Greg Ginn's reconvened, Henry Rollins–less Black Flag stakes out Reggie's Rock Club for two nights in June. Find these and many other new concert announcements below or visit timeoutchicago.com/bookingahead for a more extensive list of upcoming shows.

FEBRUARY
22 SOLD OUT Passion Pit + Matt and Kim + Icona Pop UIC Pavilion.
27 Ezra Furman + The Hounds Below + Future Monarchs Double Door.

MARCH
1 Blue Dream + Loud Loud + Half the Battle + Dreams Come Last + Photon Pistol Bottom Lounge. 17+
1 Many Places + Marko Casso + Project Film Hideout.
2 Bailiff Hideout.
2 UPDATED James Hunter + Jesse Dee Lincoln Hall.
6 Bex Marshall Uncommon Ground Edgewater.
7 DJ Jazzy Jeff The Shrine.
8 Chicago Afrobeat Project + Sugar Blue Double Door.
8 UPDATED French Montana + Chinx Drugz Bottom Lounge. 17+
8 Ky-Mani Marley + Mr. Greenweedz + Gizzae The Shrine.
8 SOLD OUT Vintage Trouble + Leogun Beat Kitchen.
9 UPDATED Cult of Youth + The So So Glos + Lazy + Big Ups Empty Bottle.
9 Xenia Rubinos + Maria Blues + Hannah Frank + Amateur Hour MultiKulti.
11 Wild Belle Hideout. SOLD OUT
12 Galactic Inmate + Innkeepers + The Warmbloods Empty Bottle.
13 Scott Miller Schubas.
14 UPDATED Kat Edmonson + Milow Schubas.
16 Larry Carlton The Montrose Room.
16 Los Temerarios + Ramón Ayala + Grupo Bryndis + Cardenales de Nuevo León Aragon.
17 UPDATED Ash + California Wives Lincoln Hall.
17 DJ Yoda + Vapor Eyes + Shazam Bangles Mayne Stage.
17 Japan Nite: Four Minutes Til Midnight + Josy + Jake Stone Garage + Pirates Canoe Double Door.
17 Jeru the Damaja The House of Culture.
17 La Chiva Gantiva Old Town School of Folk Music, Maurer Hall.
18 UPDATED Mount Moriah + Blessed Feathers + Matthew Hale Clark Schubas.
19 Vattnet Viskar Ultra Lounge.
20 Downtown Seder: David Broza + Daniel Kahn & The Painted Bird + Corky Siegel + Jewmongous City Winery.
20 Super Happy Fun Club + The Secret State + The Ivorys + Mighty Fox Double Door.
21 GLC + Tree + Que B.I.L.L.A.H. + Dreezy Reggie's Rock Club. 18+
21 Daniel Kahn & The Painted Bird Mayne Stage. 18+
21 The Unswept + Tijuana Hercules + Jon and Carly Hideout.
22 Panda Riot + Blackstone Rangers + Videotape + Hormones Township.
22 UPDATED The Saw Doctors + So Cow Vic Theatre. 18+
22 Gerald Walker + Roy Kinsey Abbey Pub.
23 Rickolus + Cars & Trains Township. AA
25 Bajofondo Old Town School of Folk Music, Maurer Hall. Two shows.
25 God Module + Ludovico Technique + Mordacious Mortem + Ten Cent Toys + Jilt Cobra Lounge.
27 Herculaneum Hideout.
27 Lucy Rose + Jennifer Hall + Anna Soltys Tonic Room.
28 SOLD OUT Alt-J + Hundred Waters Metro.
28, 29 Erykah Badu House of Blues. 17+
28 Forgetters Empty Bottle.
28 CANCELED I:Scintilla + Go Fight + Goodnight Criminals Double Door.
29 Chester Brown + The People Brothers Band Reggie's Music Joint.
29 The Future Laureates + Jackpot Donnie + Molehill + The Scissors Metro. 18+
29 Jucifer Reggie's Rock Club. 17+
29 Ty Maxon + Small Houses + Sean Hoots Hideout.
30 Making Movies + The Noise FM Township. 18+
30 Michael McDermott Red Line Tap.
31 UPDATED Little Green Cars + The Hudson Branch Lincoln Hall. Moved from Schubas. 18+

APRIL
1 Peach Kelli Pop + Summer Girlfriends + Palmflower The Burlington.
2 Dylan Ryan Sand Bar DeVille.
2 UPDATED Sigur Rós + Oneohtrix Point Never UIC Pavilion.
3 UPDATED JEFF the Brotherhood + Cy Barkley Subterranean. 17+
3 Guy Mendilow Ensemble + Sofia Tosello Mayne Stage. 18+
3 UPDATED Mika Lincoln Hall. SOLD OUT
3 Benoît Pioulard + Victor Villarreal + Ken Camden Empty Bottle.
4 UPDATED Wayne Hancock + Patrick Sweany City Winery.
4 Psychostick + Polkadot Cadaver + Downtown Brown + Flood Damage Reggie's Rock Club. 17+
4 Luke Winslow-King + Alexis & the Samurai FitzGerald's.
4 Twenty One Pilots + Five Knives Bottom Lounge. AA
5 The Blisters + Fletcher Subterranean. AA
5 You Me & Apollo + Miracles of Modern Science Schubas. 18+
8 Matt Costa + The Blank Tapes SPACE.
9 C2C Metro. 18+
9 Turquoise Jeep Lincoln Hall. 18+
10 Dwight Yoakam + The Lone Bellow Paramount Theatre.
11 Joey Bada$$ + Pro Era + Flatbush Zombies + The Underachievers + DJ Statik Selektah Reggie's Rock Club. AA
11 The Devin Hoff Bastet + James Falzone's Renga Ensemble Chicago Cultural Center.
12 Guilty Simpson + MC ADaD The Shrine.
12 Iron Lung + Pillage + Violent End + Broken Prayer Ultra Lounge.
12 Tristan Prettyman Lincoln Hall.
13 Keyshia Cole + Chrisette Michele Star Plaza Theatre.
13 Andy Grammer + Parachute Logan Square Auditorium.
14 Kathy Kallick Band SPACE.
14 Mansions on the Moon Bottom Lounge. 17+
14 Meek Mill House of Blues. 17+
15 Bomba Estéreo Mayne Stage. 18+
15 Otis Heat + Roy Ivy Abbey Pub.
15 Purling Hiss + Teepee + AXIS:SOVA Empty Bottle.
16 Butterclock Reggie's Rock Club. 17+
18 Antony & The Tramps + Kelley McRae + Brad Cole Martyrs'.
18 Easton Corbin + Jana Kramer Congress Theater. AA
18 Disappears + Pinebender + The Cairo Gang Lincoln Hall. 18+
18 Phutureprimitive + ill-esha Schubas. 18+
19 Funky Meters + The Greyboy Allstars Congress Theater. 18+
19 UPDATED Pickwick + Basia Bulat + The Local Strangers Schubas.
20 Luke Winslow-King SPACE.
22 H RV RD + Daylight Beat Kitchen. AA
23 Kaiser Cartel + Lisa Germano + Freedy Johnston Schubas.
25 Johnny Marr Metro. 18+
25 WhiteWater Ramble Martyrs'.
26 Stanley Clarke SPACE. Two shows.
26 Fareed Haque's Hymn of the Ancients Mayne Stage. 18+
27 John Oates SPACE.
27 UPDATED Josh Ritter & The Royal City Band + Sea Wolf Vic Theatre. AA
27 Rosco Bandana + Eleven Dollar Bills Martyrs'.
28 Scott H. Biram Hideout.
30 Raw Power + Wartorn + I Attack + Decay After Death Reggie's Rock Club. 17+

MAY
1 Joe Buck Yourself + Sean Wheeler & Zander Schloss + Rachel Brooke + Viva Le Vox Reggie's Music Joint.
2 Colin Gilmore + Julia Klee SPACE.
3 Chappo + The Lonely Wild Schubas. 18+
3 The Gospel Whiskey Runners SPACE.
3 Trixie Whitley SPACE.
4 Captured! by Robots Martyrs'.
6 SOLD OUT Patti Smith & Her Band Vic Theatre.
7 Black Pus Empty Bottle.
8 The Dillinger Escape Plan Reggie's Rock Club. AA
8 HIM House of Blues. AA
10 UPDATED SOJA + Los Rakas + Air Dubai House of Blues. 17+
13 The UV Race + Daylight Robbery + Cülo Empty Bottle.
16 Grant-Lee Phillips SPACE.
18 Jeffrey Foucault & Cold Satellite + The Pines Schubas.
22 SOLD OUT Of Monsters and Men + Half Moon Run Aragon.
30, 31 Alkaline Trio + Bayside Metro. May 30 AA, May 31 18+

JUNE
1, 2 UPDATED Bolt Thrower + Benediction Reggie's Rock Club. June 1 sold out, June 2 added. 17+
1 Paper Route Schubas.
3 Calexico City Winery.
6–9 Chicago Blues Festival: Shemekia Copeland + Bobby Rush Millennium Park and Grant Park.
7 Son Volt Park West. 18+
8, 9 Black Flag + Good for You Reggie's Rock Club. June 8 18+, June 9 AA
8 The Woggles Reggie's Music Joint.
9 Glen Hansard Metro. 18+
14 Crystal Fighters Lincoln Hall. 18+
17, 18 Leon Russell City Winery.
28 Rush First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre.

JULY
5, 6 Dave Matthews Band Alpine Valley Music Theatre.
12–14 Square Roots Festival Lincoln Square.
13 Bruno Mars + Ellie Goulding United Center.
22 Jay-Z + Justin Timberlake Soldier Field.
23 Bob Schneider Lincoln Hall.
27 Dave Arcari + Meantooth Grin Reggie's Music Joint.