Summerfest Preview: July 4, 2017

Check out what's happening at Summerfest on July 4, 2017. Scroll down for the full lineup.

TheChainsmokers
American Family Insurance Amphitheater
7:30 p.m.

The ascent of The Chainsmokers to global pop star status represents theconquest of electronic dance music DJ culture to a heretofore unheard height.The duo of Andrew Taggert and Alex Pall have built their brand from their2014 novelty hit, “#Selfie,” to a string of multi-million selling and streamingsingles that have made them nigh omnipresent in certain cultural circles.

Easily accessible melodies and vocals shared or led by mostly female guestsingers have merited the twosome more time in the top ten of Billboard’sHot 100 singles chart than any act in a long while. They have accomplished thiswith hits such as “Closer” and “Roses” by marrying the sonic signifiers of EDMsubgenres such as techno and dubstep to ear-worming melodies serving lyricsthat often speak to the relational and sexual realities and options of manyMillennials. The combination hasn’t always sat well with critics of TheChainsmokers’ music and media imaging, but that shouldn’t stop the group’s manyfans from enjoying the twosome's mixture of hooks, hedonism and, every sooften, sensitivity when they headline at Summerfest this year. (Jamie Lee Rake)

Death From Above 1979
Uline Warehouse
10 p.m.

It’s fitting that the high-octane, dance-metal duo Death from Above 1979experienced such a wild lifespan. Their debut album, 2004’s You’re a Woman, I’m a Machine, is abattering ram of brash, noisy dance music that’s visceral, intense and carnal,like a Kesha cover of a Cro-Mags song. The record launched the two-man team ofSebastien Grainger and Jesse F. Keeler as indie rock’s next big thing—thanks toa “Best New Music” billing from Pitchfork Media, back when one favorable reviewcould ostensibly make a band’s career. The same, sadly, remained true for theinverse. And shortly after receiving a brutal pan on the following year’s remixalbum—scoring a rare 0.5—the band broke up.

The twowent on to pursue separate musical projects (Grainger went solo and Keelerformed MSTRKRFT), but when the insatiable appetite of summer festivals forreunions came calling in 2011, Death From Above 1979 picked up the phone. At asurprise reunion show during South By Southwest, fans literally stormed thevenue, breaking down chain-link fences and clashing with police. The band’ssecond act, however, has failed to capture that same energy from the previousdecade. The post-reunion album, 2014’s ThePhysical World, reaches for bigger pop moments than the muscle that definedits supercharged sound. (Kevin Mueller)

Jamila Woods
Briggs & Stratton Big Backyard
5 p.m.

What a wonderful thing Chicago has going for it right now. The rise of Chancethe Rapper from cult favorite into legitimate superstar over the last couple ofyears has been a boon for his entire circle of Windy City collaborators,including Jamila Woods, the soul singer whose crystalline voice has adorned acouple of his most joyous songs, including “Sunday Candy” and “Blessings.” Ifthose tracks showed that Woods could sing her heart out, it was her 2016 album,HEAVN, which proved her as astand-alone artist with her own distinct vision.

HEAVN featurescontributions from a host of Chicagoans, including Saba, Kweku Collins, Peter Cottontale, Noname and,of course, Chance, but they all work in the service of Woods’ politicizedsongs, which frequently touch on the themes related to the Black Lives Mattermovement. On “Blk Grl Soldier,” she highlights the hypocrisy of a society thattells black women to keep their mouths closed. “They want us in the kitchen,”she sings, “Kill our sons with lynchin’s / We get loud about it / Oh, now we’rethe bitches.” This spring, the label Jagjaguwar announced that it’s partneredwith Woods’ Chicago label Closed Sessions to give the record an even widerrelease, which could further help it find the audience it deserves. (EvanRytlewski)