Belmont Kuragin — With the planned music festival at Leith Park just two weeks away, ticket holders and neighbors still don’t know if the concert will actually take place.
The Chicago Park District will not make a final decision on Wednesday whether to grant AEG Presents permission to host Chicago performances of The Re:SET concert series June 23-25 at Reese Park (W. Fullerton Ave. 6100). announced no.
AEG has been promoting the event, which features LCD Soundsystem, Steve Lacy and Boygenui, for months, and started selling tickets in February. Some nights have already sold out, with promoters previously saying more than 20,000 tickets had been sold for the three-day event.
The park district’s chief administrative officer, Juliet Azimi, said last month that while the AEG’s permit was “conditionally approved,” the promoters still need final approval from various city officials and authorities.
Park officials told Block Club this week that the permitting process was still underway, but did not respond to questions about when a final decision would be made.
“The park district may approve permits if all requirements are met, including additional approvals from other agencies, depending on the nature of the event,” spokeswoman Michelle Lemons said. “Organizers can actively promote and prepare for their events, but they must meet all the conditions of the permit in order to hold the event.”
Park district officials did not say what requirements the AEG would have to meet or whether other city officials would still need to approve.
Aldo. Ruth Cruz (No. 30), who took office last month, withdrew her agency’s support for the festival after a backlash from the community.
The lack of clarity has fans like Dominic Busta and husband Dan Marquez scrambling to come up with alternative plans.
Basta said that her husband and her best friend in Brazil were big fans of the LCD Soundsystem, so she bought the tickets when they went on sale in February as a surprise. The couple reportedly spent thousands of dollars bringing a friend from Brazil to celebrate her and Marquez’s birthdays, giving her friend a break after a grueling workout.
“These tickets were a big and wonderful thing my husband did for us,” Marquez said. “We wanted her to come with us on this show and let her be a little bit more normal.”
The couple have followed the uncertainty around the festival and the efforts of neighbors to stop it. They sent messages to AEG, the Park District and even LCD Soundsystem to get a clear answer.
If the Chicago show is cancelled, the group is considering going to Re:SET in Columbus, Ohio.
“Re:SET promoters keep saying the event will take place, but there has been no official announcement from anyone else,” Basta said. “Maybe we can get a ticket and go there.” [the] It’s a Columbus show, right? …but less than ideal in terms of logistics and expenses like a hotel. I just don’t think this is good business. It feels like false advertising to me. ”
credit: Alex V. Hernandez/Block Club ChicagoCruz announced his opposition to the event in late May. Her predecessor, longtime Aldo. Ariel Leboiras gave promoters a letter of support for the event in January.
Cruz told The Block Club on Wednesday that he is trying to get park officials to meet with neighbors and announce a permit decision as soon as possible.
“I’m trying to get those answers too,” Cruz said. “But it’s very frustrating. Please let me know. Say yes or no. No one will waste time and can plan their life.” ”
According to the permit application, festival organizers will be in the park from June 19 to 29, including set-up and tear-down. The rest of the park’s spaces and amenities will be free for neighbors to use for the duration of the festival, and the top of the hill will remain accessible until 10 a.m. on June 22, organizers previously said.
Despite the uncertainty, concert promoters told Block Club last month that the festival would go ahead as planned.
“We’re looking forward to bringing great music to our neighborhoods over the next three days,” Re:SET Concert Series spokesperson Jen Appel previously said.
Neighbors in Belmont Kuragin have been circulating a petition for months, and it now has more than 750 signatures from neighbors opposed to the festival.
Fabian Cisneros of the Northwest Side Regional Development Authority is one of the leading organizers pushing to block the festival, citing lack of transparency from promoters and park districts. He said he hopes Park District CEO Rosa Escareno will meet with neighbors as soon as possible to help them understand the urgency of the festival’s decision. rice field.
“We emailed her [Escareño]. We’ve tried all these measures and still got nothing. we are still annoyed. Could you please contact one of us? ‘ he said.
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