JUNE
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Grudge match is hardly the term for the long-awaited showdown between Sergeant Slaughter and Hulk Hogan. It was bad enough that the Sergeant was an outspoken supporter of that dirty dog Saddam Hussein; worse was his response when the Hulkster overwhelmed him in their last meeting in the ring: he snuck back into Hogan’s dressing room and threw hot oil in his face, charring the Hulk’s stony visage. Even in the anything-goes world of all-star wrestling, this was too much: the moment, fortuitously caught on camera, enraged Hulk fans. The pair’s meeting tonight–a championship title match for the World Wrestling Federation–should be accordingly gritty. It’s the main event on a bill that also includes Rowdy Roddy Piper facing “Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase, a tag-team bout between the Legion of Doom and the Nasty Boys, Hacksaw Jim Duggan versus Colonel Mustafa, and more. (The lineup is subject to change.) The whole not-to-be-missed shebang starts at 8 at the Rosemont Horizon, 6920 Mannheim in Rosemont. Tickets are $9-$17. Call 708-635-6600.
Saturday 29
Mayor Daley and 25 other assorted pols will be marching side by side with people who enthusiastically practice sex acts still illegal in many states today at the 22nd annual Gay and Lesbian Pride Parade. It starts at 2 at Halsted and Roscoe: the route is north on Halsted to Broadway, down Broadway to Diversey, and then east to Cannon Drive and into Lincoln Park. It’ll be Richie’s third parade and it’s free to watch. Call 348-8243 for details.
Tuesday 2
When WXRT asked Paul Westerberg, the tattered genius behind the Replacements, to do a free Fourth of July concert in Grant Park, he demurred–until the addition of one of his favorite bands to the bill persuaded him. Now the show–with the super, supersonic bar band NRBQ–is a genuine event. The Replacements started as a grimy thrash band in Minneapolis in the early 80s; but as Westerberg’s songwriting prowess grew they matured into arguably the signal American rock ‘n’ roll band of their time. They’re frequently glorious live. NRBQ (the name stands for New Rhythm and Blues Quartet) is a decades-old act who’ve hardly ever sold a record but whose friends in high places (like Westerberg and R.E.M.) have kept them in the news. Opening the show is Chicago’s Material Issue, whose major-label debut, International Pop Overthrow, has sold more than 200,000 records to date. The show starts at 2 in the Petrillo Music Shell, Jackson and Columbus in Grant Park. Call 777-1700 for more info.
