Jessica Roti

Review of heavy rock band Deftones at United Center March 31, 2025

Currently on the first leg of a North American arena tour, the band ripped through a tight, 75-minute set at the United Center Monday night, following sets by Boston-based Fleshwater and The Mars Volta. (The latter played only new material from an upcoming, unreleased album.)

We spoke to a handful of people across the country to hear their thoughts on drinking alcoholic beverages.

For Bon Appetit.

The annual punk rock music festival actually happened—and these were the best sets.

We thought it almost wouldn’t happen, but Riot Fest 2024 pulled itself together to deliver a weekend of noise, carnival chaos, a crowd-surf wedding during Something Corporate, three consecutive nights of NoFX nobody asked for and some mud for posterity (Chicago’s weather gods had been too kind earlier this festival season, I guess).

Lollapalooza 2024 celebrates 20 years in Chicago with much more, but not much better—you know? But there was Chappell Roan.

Lollapalooza returned to Chicago August 1-4 to celebrate 20 years calling Grant Park home. While the mega-spectacle is not every music fan’s favorite way to take in the sounds and sights, it’s clearly not going anywhere. These days, the festival does more to pack the park with things that ultimately distract from said music, but there is always something about Lolla; a magic that can only be conjured by spending 10 hours a day baking in 90-degree heat with total stranger

For thousands of music fans, the third weekend in July belongs to Pitchfork Music Festival, which returned to its Union Park home on the near West Side this year with headliners Black Pumas, Jamie xx, and Alanis Morissette amongst a slew of other critical darlings and exciting upstarts.

A complete review of the weekend for Time Out Chicago.

Summer Smash marked drill artist Chief Keef’s much-hyped homecoming on the Lyrical Lemonade mainstage after 12 years of being effectively banned from performing in the Chicagoland area due to alleged threats of violence, outstanding warrants, and lingering tensions with elected officials.

It was history-making for a subgenre and figurehead unfairly maligned for over a decade; now harnessing the power of a devoted fan base that underscores the shift in how to break new ground and influence a stagnant industry through social media and independent releases.

Now in its sixth year, Lyrical Lemonade's Summer Smash music festival–billed as the world’s largest, independent hip-hop festival–returned to suburban Bridgeview's SeatGeek Stadium for the second time with big impact--and a few big delays.

Presented by hip-hop blog-turned-creative entrepreneurial empire Lyrical Lemonade and production company SPKRBX, this year's headliners include Cactus Jack (the neo-supergroup of Travis Scott, Don Toliver, Sheck Wes, Sofaygo, and DJ Chase B named for Scott’s record label to which they’re all signed), Playboi Carti, and Chief Keef.

Longtime musician Martin Atkins (drummer for Public Image Ltd., Nine Inch Nails, Pigface, Killing Joke, and others) didn't set out to create the first museum dedicated to post-punk and industrial music on Chicago's South Side--but his collection of memorabilia, trinkets, and donated pieces were too much to simply keep in storage.

This feature explores Atkins' mission behind the Museum of Post-Punk and Industrial Music in Bridgeport and what it's meant to the niche genre's fanbase.

Bad Bunny continues his global domination with three, sold-out nights at Chicago’s United Center on his Most Wanted Tour.

How Chicago-based UpElevated Cocktails is fostering community and advocating for cannabis justice and equity through THC-infused mocktails served with a dose of education.

What’s it like to attend a listening event for the album “Vultures” by Ye, the artist formerly known as Kanye West, in 2024?

Bizarre. At times, admittedly exhilarating. Deeply challenging.

Ye (his legally-changed name since 2021) and collaborator Ty Dolla $ign announced the event on Instagram Feb. 5 and tickets sold out the next day. By the time they arrived at United Center Thursday night, they appeared primed to unveil the first of three joint efforts (the full title of the joint studio album is “Vultures, Volume One,” with volumes two and three announced for release later this year).

For culinary creator and blogger Samantha Mui, food has always been “the center of everything.”

It’s one of the reasons the second-generation Cantonese American launched Thirsty Dumpling, an at-home dumpling-making kit that marries tradition with modern ease.

Every first and third Sunday of the month at the Lincoln Lodge in Logan Square, two pairs of comedians go head-to-head in a battle that asks not only if they’re funny — but can they cook?

The comedy-cooking competition, Sautéed Standup, is a marriage of joke-telling and food television tropes that aims to set audiences on fire without literally burning the place down.

Discover the top hotels in Chicago handpicked by local expert Jessi Roti.

From the ultimate vacation splurges to more affordable luxury, Chicago has hotels across the city that provide their own spins on comfort and Midwestern hospitality, in addition to offering unique, in-house experiences just blocks away from some of the city’s best sites and sounds.

While most travelers tend to stick to the Magnificent Mile when they come to town, this list embraces stays tucked away in neighborhoods to push the bounds of what folks imagine their Chicago visit can include.

Interview with comedian and Arlington Heights native Matteo Lane about what to expect from his sold-out Al Dente Tour stop at the Chicago Theatre