#chicago humanities festival

[sinceileftyoublog]

Julian Lage Live Show Review: 3/17, Old Town School of Folk Music, Chicago

Julian Lage

BY JORDAN MAINZER

During the middle of his second set of the night on Monday at the Old Town School of Folk Music, guitar wunderkind and composer Julian Lage started lavishing praise on the venue's Resource Center. He told us that before the show, he was casually reading Mel Tormé's My Singing Teachers and holding a physical copy of John Coltrane's Ballads, just two of the purported 17,000 (!) books, videos, and sound recordings housed at the library. Lage specifically mentioned Ballads' version of Jimmy McHugh's "Say It (Over and Over Again)" and then said, "I'd like to play it for you," a welcome surprise to a crowd that was familiar with Lage's catalog and knew that there's no recorded version of him performing that song. While it's not unusual for a jazz musician of Lage's stature to know a classic tune well enough to decide to play it that day or even on the spot, his choice exemplified the spirit of spontaneity that pervaded the concert.

Julian Lage

Listen to Lage's studio albums or watch a Master Class, and you see temporary dives into dynamism. Give him an acoustic guitar and 90 minutes, apparently, and he's a different player altogether. As he performed on Monday, he rocked back and forth, practically jumping out of his chair as if to squeeze every last note from his instrument. At times, wordless expressions escaped his mouth, not quite "yeah!"s but nonetheless affirmative celebrations for nailing lines or simply loving the sounds he was concocting. Lilting, swaying melodies gave way to fast-picked and strummed showmanship, and quiet, wistful instrumentals to spidery controlled chaos. Some audience members literally gasped when he demonstrated the dexterity of his fingers on Americana-imbued set opener "Gardens", alternating long-held notes with lush, twangy sprinkles. Others laughed when Lage playfully paused and continued riffing, filling, and vamping on the jaunty "Day and Age", shrugging his shoulders like he had lost sovereignty to the song itself.

Julian Lage

Though last year, Lage released Speak to Me (Blue Note), he clearly didn't view Monday's set, presented by the Chicago Humanities Festival, as part of a showcase for the album. Before playing Spike Hughes' "Nocturne", Lage, thinking out loud, essentially admitted he was improvising his setlist. I marveled at his ability to read the room and curate a selection of tracks that sounded appropriate in succession, such as the blues freneticism of unreleased "Storyville" into the subtle version of "Say It (Over and Over Again)", or the sneaky, creeping "In Heaven" (a cover of David Lynch and Peter Ivers' "In Heaven (Lady in the Radiator Song) from Eraserhead) into Speak to Me's strutting "Northern Shuffle". The last was the unabashed highlight of the set, a choogling funk bop that seemed to constantly propel itself to higher velocity. Lage's stomps, licks, and minutes-long deviation from the song's main theme more than made up for the absence of the studio version's snappy drums and groovy saxophone honks. By the time he left the stage, I felt like I understood why Lage is so prolific and his output so diverse: After all these years, he still finds thrills in making, bending, breaking, and rebuilding songs, each moment an opportunity for composition or handing the reigns to the musical powers that be.

[nonesuchrecords]

Laurie Anderson is on latest episode of The Pitchfork Review podcast. The episode features her conversation with Pitchfork Editor-in-Chief Puja Patel, Kim Gordon, and writer/editor Sinéad Gleeson from the Chicago Humanities Festival in May 2022. They discuss This Woman’s Work, an essay anthology edited by Gordon and Gleeson, which includes a piece about Anderson, and more. You can hear their conversation here.

[karihighman]

Eric & Tracy at Monte Carlo Day 2 being adorbs

[notbecauseofvictories]

Last post, I promise, but I do think it’s good and important to see local art (defining that term as broadly as possible) but in my experience you have to put up with the little kick of embarrassment you feel witnessing something too earnest, a little clumsy, not polished within an inch of its life or in step with prevailing trends.

I’m thinking of the dance performances I saw this weekend, but also last week’s street festival, where I watched short films and walked through local art exhibits; I’m thinking about Chicago’s outsider art museum, and even the elaborately decorated (ostensibly tacky) yards I see in rural Illinois, but South Carolina and Tennessee before that, and Michigan before that. Maybe I should cast an even broader net: my aunt’s cross stitch, my grand-aunt’s horrible poetry; the art they display at the nearby retirement community and the halfway house too, which comes from the residents.

If you’re not used to leaving space for that little kick, you might turn away or scoff at all this small, fumbling art. But I think there’s value in forcing yourself to look beyond that initial stab of secondhand embarrassment---to actually appreciate the art in front of you as an expression of something deeply human. You don’t have to think it’s objectively good, or even subjectively good. You don’t have to pretend that a local woman with a talent for oils is the next [INSERT FAMOUS ARTIST HERE]. But I do think you have to appreciate it, because otherwise there is no entrance into making art yourself.

And that, more than anything, is worth preserving.

[vague-humanoid]

“We are not going back,” goes the Democrats’ passionate rebuttal to Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” campaign — which is about going back to the “golden days” of America, when white men held all the power and Black folks had “Black jobs.” MAGA is in actuality MAWA: “Make America white again.”

Unfortunately, on at least one issue, the Democrats have gone backward rather than forward, in a move that caught many of us by surprise (thanks to Jessica Schulberg of Huffington Post for breaking this story). As the festivities finished up in Chicago last week, the Democrats quietly removed abolishing the death penalty from the party platform, a move that certainly will not help them distinguish themselves from Trump and win this election.

It’s surprising in part because a recent Gallup poll found 65% of Democrats oppose capital punishment. Even beyond the Democratic Party, public support for the death penalty has been steadily declining, with a majority of Americans now wanting alternatives to execution.

Even though most of the world has abolished the death penalty in my lifetime, the United States is one of the few countries that continues to execute. In fact, the U.S. is usually among the top five countries with the most executions annually and is almost always in the top 10. The other countries with the most executions usually include China, Iran, Saudi Arabia — not the best company when it comes to human rights.

There are promising signs that the death penalty is on its way out in the United States. Executions have been dropping nearly every year, and new death sentences are the lowest they’ve been in decades. There are only a handful of states that continue to carry out executions each year, and one state, Texas, accounts for nearly half of our country’s executions.

Nearly every year or two, a new state abolishes the death penalty, and movements like Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty are now seeing a surge of conservative lawmakers who are done with death.

It is noteworthy that the states that continue to execute are former Confederate states, a reminder that the death penalty is part of our shameful history of racial terror, lynching and slavery. The places lynchings were happening most frequently 100 years ago are those where executions happen the most frequently today. The states that held onto slavery the longest are the same ones that continue to hold on to the death penalty.

But even here, there is hope. In 2021, Virginia became the first former Confederate state to abolish the death penalty, the same year that Joe Biden became president. There is a connection here: As Virginia was turning away from the death penalty, so was Biden, who became the first U.S. president to publicly oppose the death penalty after once being a death penalty supporter.

[fuckyeahcourtneylove]

“Sinéad O'Connor was a sweet, wonderful woman. She came up and said hello to me. We sat in the sun, drank Pepsi-Cola, and told each other secrets. We talked a lot about her childhood and Kurt's childhood and all sorts of childhoods. She takes in the world with huge luminous eyes, the type you rarely see, utterly lunar, laser beams to Ork.

Sinead and I would stay up all night in the bus watching really depressing movies. We watched Ryan's Daughter and two different adaptations of Wuthering Heights. She told me about Heathcliff and Catherine Earnshaw being sexually abused. When we were in Chicago she bought me a beautiful book that I really needed, and then she went down to her room, and when she was all alone she ran away to the airport.

She was pregnant, it was quite hot, and she was depressed. In her note that she left she said, "They can sue me. I don't care. I'II find another line of work," which I thought had a lot of integrity to it, to be honest.

I missed Sinéad.”

Courtney on touring with Sinead in July 1995. Written in 1995. Sinead told festival founder Perry Farrell that the reason she joined Lollapalooza was because of Hole and Courtney. Rest in power you beautiful human.

[hoziernaturalevents]

Hoziernatural Recs: Wincest

Sign-ups for the 2025 round of the Hoziernatural Multi-Ship Bang will open March 1st!, and people will soon be working to create a whole new batch of Hoziernatural content! However, for those of you who would like something to read between now and posting, we have some recs to fill that need ❤️

Everything listed below is Wincest, but if you're a person of varied taste, then stay tuned for our Destiel, Rare Pair, and Gen/Character Study rec lists!

A Life All Our Own by @masoena with art by @i-already-know-im-going-2-hell

Beta: @spnlifer

Hozier Song: To Noise Making (Sing)

Rating: Mature

Word Count: 15,417

Pairing: Dean Winchester/Sam Winchester

Characters: Sam Winchester, Dean Winchester, Arthur Ketch, Lady Toni Bevell, Crowley, Castiel, Mick Davies, Amara (Supernatural), Chuck, Rowena MacLeod

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Additional Tags: Roadtrip, Music Festivals, Self-Discovery, First Kiss, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort

Summary:

Dean was a human explosive, that much he remembers, and then he simply wasn’t after Chuck removed all those souls from his chest in the prettiest of manicured gardens, when he and Amara decided to not kill each other. However, Dean was not fine, was not keeping it together but he felt like the bomb had gone off, his very being breaking at the seams with all the stress, weight of the world and every other piece of responsibility that he had been shouldering all his life. This is the story where Dean breaks down but reaching rock-bottom is the beginning of a wonderful journey that takes the Winchester brothers to finding a life of their own and ultimately to finding what Amara promised Dean canonically; the thing he needed most in life which is decidedly not Mama Winchester. 

Be Good by @samanddean76 with art by @i-already-know-im-going-2-hell

Beta: @jdl71

Hozier Song: It Will Come Back

Rating: Explicit

Word Count: 12,210

Pairing/s: Dean Winchester/Sam Winchester, Rory Gilmore/Sam Winchester

Characters:

Sam Winchester, Dean Winchester, Dean Forester, Rory Gilmore, Bobby Singer, John Winchester, Barbara Forester, Lorelai Gilmore, Original Characters

Warnings:  Rape/Non-Con

Additional Tags: Pre-Series Sam Winchester, Pre-Series Dean Winchester, Emotionally Hurt Sam Winchester, Protective Dean Winchester, Sam Winchester Is Not Okay, Minor Character Death, First Time

Summary:

 John leaves Sam and Dean at a motel to go on a hunt. After spending a week alone, the owner calls CPS and the boys are taken into custody. The last thing Dean tells 8-year-old Sam is to ‘be good’, and once separated Sam does his best to do just that. But once Sam realizes that he won’t be going back to either John or Dean ever again, his stubborn streak kicks in and he will only answer to the name Dean. Sam gets adopted by the Foresters, who move to Chicago and then Stars Hollow. Where he meets Rory Gilmore.

Dean is left to rot in the system, after being deemed too violent, and eventually ages out. He tries to find Sam but fails as Sam Winchester no longer exists. Dean seeks out Bobby, and ends up moving in with the hunter, working as a mechanic in between searching for Sam.

A lucky break results in Dean finding a small-town newspaper that features the MVP of the Stars Hollow High School hockey team, who bears a striking resemblance to Sam. Dean heads out to Connecticut and finds Sam, safe and sound, but thoroughly humiliated by his crush. Before they leave, they seek the revenge that soothes Sam’s soul. And leaves Dean wondering what the hell happened to the innocent little boy he used to know.

Before the Otherness Came by @amypond45 with art by @brothersinablackcar

Beta: @jdl71

Hozier Song: As it Was

Rating: Mature

Word Count: 3,989

Pairing/s: Dean Winchester/Sam Winchester

Additional Tags: Temporary Major Character Death

Summary:

Sam dies at Cold Oak and goes to Heaven…

Follow In Your Form by @withthekeyisking-writer

Hozier Song: Shrike

Rating: Teen and Up

Word Count: 3,235

Pairing/s: Dean Winchester & Sam Winchester, Dean Winchester/Sam Winchester, Lucifer & Sam Winchester

Warnings: Past Rape/Non-con, Past torture, Panic Attacks

Additional Tags: Hallucination Lucifer, Sam Winchester's Demonic Powers, Hurt Sam Winchester, Sam Winchester is Not Okay, Sam Winchester's Cage Trauma, Lucifer Being Lucifer, Gencest, Protective Dean Winchester, Hurt/Comfort

Summary: Sam is hallucinating Lucifer in the wake of Cas bringing his Hell Wall crashing down.

To make matters worse, it seems like this has his dormant powers flaring back to life.

Marvel at Flowers You'll Have Made by @sammichgirl with art by @amberdreams1960

Beta: Judi

Hozier Song: No Plan

Rating: Not Rated

Word Count: 28,811

Pairing/s: Dean Winchester/Sam Winchester

Warnings: Violence, Graphic Depictions of Violence

Additional Tags: Serial killer Dean, Canon Divergent, Happy Ending

Summary: Canon divergent Supernatural where Dean still kills monsters. What's different are the humans he kills, the reason he does it, and how Sam begins to handle the clean up afterwards. Dean is judge, jury and executioner to seeming innocents and Sam finds a way to keep them safe and off the radar with a mixture of law knowledge, an extensive fascination with botany and a bit of learned magic. Their devotion grows deeper and more feral until it's all consuming and burns bright hot, defying anything in their path to happiness.

Never Gonna Be The Same by @sammichgirl with art by @morokollisyo

Beta: @jerzcaligrl

Hozier Song: First Light

Rating: Mature

Word Count: 11096

Pairing/s: Sam/Dean

Characters: Sam Winchester, Dean Winchester, Azazel, Jake Talley, Original Male Demons

Warnings: Show Level Violence

Additional Tags: Wincest, Boy King of Hell Sam Winchester, Canon Divergence, Hurt/Comfort, Protective Dean Winchester 

Summary: Dean’s POV mostly about Sam, the journey through Hell, and Sam not giving in to the utter darkness that was supposed to be his fate. Dean stands by him, fights with him, protects him from being enveloped. Even Hell has a way out - and Dean leads Sam back topside to resume their lives together and even more entwined, although Sam is forever changed and still holds the crown.

The Look of Mischief in Your Eyes by @nonastrega with art by @brothersinablackcar and art by @rauko-creates

Beta: @oolongfog

Hozier Song: Dinner & Diatribes

Rating: Explicit

Word Count: 11,577

Pairing/s: Dean Winchester/Sam Winchester

Warnings: Violent Ghost Death, Explicit Sex

Additional Tags: Established Relationship, Dark Comedy, Almost a Case Fic, Edgar Allen Poe References

Summary: Sam has found a gift for Dean. A once in a lifetime hunt that they can also have a little fun with. You know, if they survive it.

[irishmammonagenda]

Ritualistic-Obey Me x Reader

[picture creds] [dividers by @/riottsrph] Summary: You and your friends get a little too wrapped up in the spooky festivities of Halloween. Satan can't help but watch. ;) Word Count: 3.2k Content Warnings: MC is human and this is a different au. probably fem!MC idk i cant write men women are my default. also MC is stupid, like really fucking stupid icl. blood, rituals, implied animal sacrifice, implied gore and violence.

"This was a stupid idea." You think to yourself as you trudge through the dense forest behind your two best friends, avoiding branches and pausing every time you get caught on one.

Noticing your tension, Derek hums, carrying a rucksack on his back and offering you a sip of cider from the can he was holding. No doubt given to him by his Uncle Sam. "Want some? You seem thirsty."

Parched you accept, "Thanks, Derek."

He nods as his cousin Eric turns around from in front of you both, he grins at you, still carefully carrying that cardboard box that they refuse to tell you the contents of. "It's not much further, [Name], don't worry."

Most young adults would be watching horror movies with their friends, or going to a costume party on Halloween Night. But not you three.

You; [Name] [Last Name], Derek Wisconsin, and Eric Vancouver, had something more disturbing planned.

You were going to summon Satan.

Having freshly turned 19, and with Derek preparing to move back to Illinois and, Eric returning to Canada for college; this was your last hurra before being separated.

You shiver, half from the nerves and half from the cold. You should've worn something other than sweatpants and a tank top.

"C'mon [Name], don't be a scaredy cat. We're almost there." Derek teases, shoving you lightly, before throwing his empty can of cider on the forest floor. You glare at him. Sure, you were more naïve than most, but he didn't need to be rude about it!

Eric looks back once more, and shares a look with his cousin before the three of you continue to walk. Getting ever closer to the clearing the blond Canadian had been raving about.

Getting closer to the place you'd chosen for the ritual.

You gulp as you reach the clearing, taking a moment to collect yourself and avoid looking into the treelines, especially as the sky rapidly darkens. You don't want to see something you shouldn't, after all.

Derek grabs the box from his cousin's hands and sets it down gently on the ground beside the rucksack he’d thrown uncaringly in the leaves before adjusting his baseball cap. The redhead breathes in deeply, watching as his friend grabs a handful of straws of various lengths.

Eric scrunches his nose and nudges towards you. "We gotta see who's doin' it. Pick one." The half-canadian nudges to his closed fist, you nervously do so, pulling out a short, stubby straw.

Eric picks out a short straw, still longer than yours. Derek picks out the longest one, and subsequently starts grinning like a maniac. "Fuck yeah!" He whistles. "Oh Jeez....guess you're doing it, [Name]."

"Guess I am..." You pout, before blinking dumbly for a minute. "Wait, what am I doing'?"

Derek and Eric grin to each other with identical smiles before turning to face you. "The main part of the ritual." They say, before the Canadian gestures to the box.

The ginger grins wider, taking off his chicago cubs baseball cap and setting it down, revealling orange toned hair underneath. "But not yet! We gotta set up the summoning circle first!"

You bite your lip. "Are you guys sure this is a good idea?” You ask, eyeing Eric as he starts to copy out a summoning circle from the frayed, ancient looking spellbook.

Derek nods ambitiously. “Hell yeah. What could go wrong? Worst case scenario nothin’ happens and it’s all a hoax. Best case scenario, we summon Satan, make pacts with him and get rich!”

Eric sticks his tongue out in concentration. “Mhm… and don’t worry about havin’ to sell your soul. That’s where the box comes in handy.”

You shiver. Wrapping your arms around yourself in an attempt to keep warm as you and Derek watch as the blond finishes the summoning circle and places black candles down at integral points of the inner star.

The Canadian claps the chalk off of his hands, as Derek takes out the deck chair from the large rucksack and unfolds it, setting it in the middle of the circle. you and begin lighting the candles,he grabs an expensive looking ceremonial dagger from his backpack. When he notices you staring he smirks. “Got it from Ebay for 20 dollars. Now lets get started!”

Derek grins before the three of you stand over the book he’d just placed in the very middle of the summoning circle, placed on the foldable garden chair serving as an altar.

Your trio chant in Latin, reading out the words on the page of the book. The light breeze stops dead.

“Ready, [Name]?” Eric smiles, holding the dagger up as you nod offering your hand.

“Make it quick.” You look away. Face scrunched up in pain as the boy draws blood, you hiss in agony as he moves onto Derek and then himself.

The three of you let your blood drip onto the ground in the middle of the summoning circle as you invoke the Avatar of Wrath once more.

All the while being unaware of the emerald green eyes watching you from the shadows of the treeline.

After a few repetitions, Derek turns to you, gestering to the dagger. “You picked the shortest straw. You’re up, MC.”

“What do I do with it?” You tilt your head as you shakily grab the dagger. Growing more and more uncomfortable with the uncanny smiles your friends are sporting.

They hand you the cardboard box. “Open it.” Eric whispers.

You do.

Inside you find a small black kitten barely the size of your hand sleeping peacefully. A small pink ribbon as her makeshift collar. Unable to stop yourself, you reach out to shakily pet her. Derek grabs her. She meows as she’s woken up. The redhead hands you the kitten in your free arm.

“Pet store said her name was Inky.” Eric hums as she cuddles into your tanktop, looking for warmth.

You don’t miss the sinister glint in their eyes, yet you do miss the figure in the darkness growing larger, more demonic as he senses what’s about to happen to the kitten before you do.

You feel a sinking feeling in your gut even before Derek orders you in a dark tone. “Say the words in the book. Slit its throat.”

You gulp shakily, as you begin to chant, the wound on your hand aching and beginning to glow green and you swear you can hear a demonic growling sound from the treeline.

You finish chanting, tears welling up in your eyes as you slowly lift the dagger up, preparing to do the unthinkable.

The sky darkens, thunder sounds, a sinister fog begins to form around the ritual circle, reflecting in the pure evil of Derek and Eric’s shared expression.

Satan, who had been watching in the shadows as soon as the ritual began, growls in pure rage. A mere second away from stepping into the circle and gutting the three of you.

You blink away your tears, about the drag the dagger down into the kittens throat, before you meet her tiny amber eyes and she lets out the most pitiful meow. No doubt wanting food.

You break. Throwing the weapon on the ground and breaking off in a sprint. Rushing into the dense woods still cradling the poor kitten as your former friends make chase close behind you.

You wince as branches catch on your skin and leaving you with scratch marks all over. You don’t stop running though, especially after you hear the dagger being thrown at a tree right next to you.

Satan pauses. Shocked out of his growling as he stalks you from the shadows. A small, crooked smile spreads on his face as he watches you make your escape, defenseless kitten in hand.

You manage to get out of view and reach of Derek and Eric as you duck behind a log to catch your breath. Hearing the Canadian shout to his cousin from Illinois to ‘just leave it’ and ‘continue the ritual without the stupid cat’

Derek shouts exploitatives before agreeing and yelling into the woods. “You fucking bitch!- When I find you, [Name]-You’re fucking dead!-”

You hold your breath as their voices grow quieter and quieter. Petting Inky to steel your nerves you peek out and see no one.

Deciding to make your escape you slowly get out, walking dumbly like a baby deer as you slowly trudge further away from where you came.

Satan had been doing nothing in particular before having felt his name being provoked. He sighed, never getting a lot of downtime during Halloween thanks to idiots in the Human Realm summoning him day in and day out.

Allowing himself to be teleported to the area of the ritual. He stalked in the shadows of the treeline, noticing three young adults in the middle of the clearing chanting.

He watched. Prowling around the shadows, rage radiating from him as he hears the meowing of a cat and sees the third of the trio raise a dagger. Yet still, he watches.

His eyes grow green. Already in his demon form, his claws protract. Ready to maul those motherfuckers.

Only to stop when you throw the dagger and make a run for it. Rage simmering down to slight surprise, claws retracting.

You were a smart one, your friends, however, were not. He'd have to find you later, but for now; he stayed in the shadows, waiting, watching as the two boys continue the ritual without the cat they had planned to slaughter.

The ginger, Derek, begins once more, chanting in Latin as he reads from the book, Eric joins in, before a lightbulb goes off into his head.

The Canadian opens his phone and selects a photo of you, placing it on the ground in the centre of the ritual circle.

"A-ave Satanas! This is our sacrifice to you, [Name] [Last Name]!" Eric shouts into the forest, no doubt wanting you to hear in an attempt to punish you for ruining the ritual.

Satan raises an eyebrow. So that was your name? Interesting.

Still in demon form; he steps out of the shadows, revealling himself to the two boys.

He smirks at their shocked gasps, watching in amusement as they scramble to the book, trying to figure out what to do next.

"Where's the cat?" Is all Satan asks.

"T-that bitch-" Derek points to the photo of you on the ground. "She fuckin' ran off with it. Sorry Lord S-Satan....we were tryna sacrifice it for you.-"

Eric nods desperately in agreement.

Satan smirks, "Well then...I suppose I should reward my loyal followers." He says charmingly as his eyes glow a feral green and his claws protract once more.

He'd hang them by their entrails.

No one fucks with cats. Especially not on his watch.

You whimper in the dark woods, shakily bringing your phone out with one hand to use as a flashlight. It was colder now. Inky clung to you for warmth as you did the same to her and held the kitten tighter with one arm.

Having ran blindly from the clearing in random directions, it was safe to say you were lost.

"It's okay buddy…." You whisper to the kitten, whimpering when you hear the tortured screaming of your two friends.

The ritual must've worked.

Like a prey animal, you hunker down behind some bushes just in case. Turning off your phone light, you cradled Inky in your arms and clench your eyes shut in fear, trying not to listen to the screeching and pleading of your former friends.

Tears roll down your cheeks, although you couldn't tell if it was from grieving, anger or fear. Most likely the latter two.

You wait and wait, staying completely still in the dirt, uncaring of the staining in your clothes that would result of it. Leaves rustled softly with your breathing, as you tried to focus on the rise and fall of your chest instead of the nightmarish sounds from God knows how far away.

It keeps going, until it stops, leaving behind it a thick, deathly silence. You hold back a whimper, still much too scared to move, frozen in fear.

Your hair stands on end as a crunching of autumn leaves sounds. Footsteps approach you calmly.

You hold you breath, begging and praying to whatever ancient power out there that whatever that thing was that'd killed your friends wouldn't murder you too. That it would somehow miss your hiding spot.

It was truly a shame for you that the only ancient power in your vicinity was Satan himself.

Speak of the devil, and he shall appear. :)

To which he did. The footsteps get closer, before stopping at the bush you were hiding behind. You bite your lip to keep yourself from whimpering.

You hear a chuckle sound from the darkness, as you will yourself to open your eyes you see a man, as if by magic, he's in front of you.

You hadn't heard him move from the time it took him to approach you from behind.

Strange.

"You don't need to be scared." The handsome man smiles charmingly. He's not much older than you by the looks of it. "[Name], right?"

You nod dumbly, holding Inky as your emotional support. How did this man know your name? Was he stalking you?

He nods to the kitten in your arms, "Cute cat. Mind if I pet her?"

"Sure….Y-yeah that's fine…." You stiffen as his hand reaches towards you, but relax slightly as the man seems gentle with cats. Everyone knows men who are good with cats can be trusted, right? Inky seems to like him.

"Hmm…..you okay?" The blond man asks kindly. His emerald eyes glow an otherworldly green.

"….I'm lost…." You admit, rather tired from the whole idea.

"I see. Well I could always help you get out. I know these woods quite well…."

"Really? You don't sound like you're from here….." You say softly, finding your voice. Maybe you were too naïve and trusting, but nevertheless, you grab his outstretched hand and laugh a little as he shakes it.

You grin, having calmed your nerves slightly. Unknowing that you've just made a deal with the devil.

He helps you up and you begin to walk through the trees, still holding onto Inky. The man coos at her every now and again and the cat preens under his soft gaze.

You walk in a relatively comfortable silence, with the blond asking you questions here and there, and you answering and asking them back.

Realistically you should still be shaking and crying and traumatised. You'd just heard your two former best friends be murdered. Yet, some dark twisted part inside of you whispers that they were doomed the moment they drew that circle and took out that cat.

It scared you that you couldn't bring yourself to care.

"So what about you…? Do you have any siblings?" You ask quietly, as you both use your phones as flashlights through the woods. You don't feel as much like a headless chicken anymore.

"Yep." He smiles. "Six brothers. I'm the fourth oldest."

"Holy shit."

"Nothing holy about it, in my opinion." He laughs, it's contagious. You can't help but let out a chuckle.

"You're quite interesting, [Name]. Smart too. " The familiar stranger hums. "I like that."

You grin, laughing as humility coats your voice. " Oh really....I don't think I'm that smart....."

The handsome man's eye's glow with something for a second as his eyes fix on the kitten safe in your arms. "You should give yourself more credit, [Name], you've made better decisions than you would even believe tonight."

"....Thanks?" You tilt your head slightly. The Devil himself just hums softly in response as the two of you fall back into the rhythm of a comfortable silence, with you leading the way to your home as you got to the main road once more. It doesn't take long before the three of you reach it.

As you reach your home, the blond sees you and your newly acquired kitten to your door. You give him a small smile. "Well this is me...."

He nods, before grabbing your free hand, and speaking a phrase in Latin you almost recognise as he meets your gaze with a glowing green one of his own. He kisses your hand and grins as ink like emeralds form on your skin like a tattoo, swirling and dancing until they find purchase around your wrist in a symbol not unlike the ones in the summoning circle.

Your breath hitches. "Y-you're..."

The demon grins. "I'm Satan, yes." He replies, admiring the pact mark now on your hand. "And you might be one of my favourite devotees."

"....You're not gonna kill me...?" You ask in a small voice, clutching Inky as you open the door you had stupidly forgotten to lock before you went out.

The Avatar of Wrath only laughs in response, a soft look overriding his facial expression. "If I wanted to kill you I would've done so in the woods. Besides. You weren't stupid....like the other imbeciles who try to summon me." He reaches over to pet Inky once more, something he's done a lot within the short space of time you've gotten to know him.

"Huh?" You voice out your confusion, and he grins up at you. For the supposed Avatar of Wrath, he sure is charming. It was easy to trust him.

"Well...most people- actually every group or person who tries to summon me around Halloween time...sometimes even witches but especially inexperienced humans like you and your....friends...always make the fatal mistake of sacrificing cats during the ritual...." His eyes narrow as he thinks about it. A murderous expression creeps onto his face and a deathly aura surrounds him as you realise why he's named the Avatar of Wrath.

Satan takes a deep breath and continues. "But you didn't....I can appreciate and trust someone like you."

You nod, wondering what parenting mistakes your parents made that could've made you attracted to a literal Lord of Hell as you feel your cheeks heat up. "Do you wanna come inside for a bit?"

The corners of his lips twitch, "I'd love to...but Halloween is a busy time for me....summonings and all.....could I come back tomorrow?"

You nod. "Bring some treats for Inky?" You ask light-heartedly.

"Oh of course." He smiles, waving goodbye as you trek inside your home, placing the kitten down gently on the entrance mat of your hall.

"Well....bye for now, Satan..." You nod, at the now not so enigmatic stranger, he gives you another kiss on the back of your hand.

"Goodnight, [Name]." He says before slowly closing the door for you.

He'd come visit you again, after all, he had accepted your ritual and given you his pact mark. As the blond demon thinks to himself whilst traversing to yet another ritual preformed by stupid young adults abusing cats who were about to get mauled, he comes to the realisation that Lucifer said no to cats in the house. but he never said anything about a human and that said human's cat. ;)

🎃🦇samhain shona daoibh 🎃🦇

if you cant tell ive watched a lot of horror movies recently and made the ritual very not very realistic-ified for the sake of dramatic devices gng. (unrelated but im too scared to watch the exorcist)😔✊

real ones realised i reused derek wisconsin and eric vancouver from my summertime shennanigans fic. i am aware the names are horrible that's why i chose them.

can we all appreciate the fact i churned this out in like two days pretty please (oh the joys of getting 8 hours of sleep every night and being off school and not completely exhausted.)

no irish in this post bc halloween is irish enough anyways yipeeee!

anyways 😈

i made a poll yesterday asking if i should give you stinkers (said lovingly) a name like im some 2019 youtuber with a bunch of fans because i yearn for the silliness and nearly everyone said yes so yipeeee! also i need ideas or else you're being called péisteanna or something equally as stupid 😈

[eretzyisrael]

by Gabriel Gaysinsky

In Canada, an open letter by city councilor Susan Kim and provincial parliament member Sarah Jama dismissed accusations of rape by Hamas as misinformation. This letter was endorsed by the head of the University of Alberta Sexual Assault Center. After facing significant backlash, Jama doubled down, blaming the “Zionist lobby” for pressuring the Canadian government into reprimanding her.

At the United Nations, it took eight weeks for an official condemnation of Hamas’ rapes to be released by UN Women. Sarah Douglas, Deputy Chief of Peace and Security at UN Women, has endorsed 153 tweets attacking Israel and Zionists, and attended UN meetings with pro-Palestine posters, violating UN neutrality guidelines. Suffice it to say that a key leader in the UN’s initiative to uplift women is actively working against the very women she is charged with uplifting.

The traditionally progressive Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement, particularly its Chicago chapter, has also faced criticism for endorsing terrorism. Mere hours after the release of the first October 7th footage, BLM Chicago posted a tweet with a hang-glider image, referencing Hamas terrorists who used hang-gliders to attack and kill hundreds of partygoers at the Nova Music Festival. This blatant support for a violent attack on innocent civilians by an organization that has committed itself to the fight for equality is shocking, especially considering the fact that Hamas has held Avera Mengistu, a mentally ill Ethiopian-Israeli man, in captivity since 2014.

On college campuses, the situation is dire. Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at UC Davis, the university I attend, justified the October 7th attack and glorified the attackers. Their rallies have featured slogans like “We don’t want no Jewish state” — which is a call for the eradication of Israel — and “Globalize the Intifada,” which calls for the violence of the intifadas to be repeated against Jewish communities worldwide. Professors also joined in; Jemma Decristo, a university faculty member, tweeted threatening messages against “Zionist journalists.” Another professor stated that “all Israeli residents are legitimate targets,” actively calling for violence against his own Israeli students and colleagues. After UC Davis students began an encampment mimicking those already established on other campuses, several professors reportedly required classes to attend the space, or have given extra credit for doing so, despite the fact that many Jewish and Israeli students are extremely uncomfortable with its messaging.

The aftermath of October 7th revealed that the hatred I experienced at my university is not unique. Higher education, while more radical, mirrors the outside world. The antisemitism and disregard for basic principles of human rights when it comes to Israelis might start on college campuses but can spread throughout society. I see this hate everywhere. Unless progressives worldwide undergo a fundamental shift that includes Jewish and Israeli voices, I will never call myself a progressive again.

[holtzylover]

Kate McKinnon - The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Young Ladies of Mad Science Press Round-Up

Kate is doing a full press tour for her debut novel - let's keep track!

Monday, September 30, 2024

Today Show - here, here and here

92Y Talk w/ Seth Meyers - here

Tonight Show - here and here

Tuesday, October 1, 2024

CBS Mornings - here

The View - here

Late Night w/ Seth - here and here

Wednesday, October 2, 2024

Kelly Clarkson Show - here and here

Chicago Humanities Festival - video to come

Thursday, October 3, 2024

Drew Barrymore Show - here and here

Saturday, October 5, 2024

Live Talks LA - here

I made a youtube playlist here if you're interested

[beardedmrbean]

GRAFTON, Mass. (AP) — When two octogenarian buddies named Nick discovered that ChatGPT might be stealing and repurposing a lifetime of their work, they tapped a son-in-law to sue the companies behind the artificial intelligence chatbot.

Veteran journalists Nicholas Gage, 84, and Nicholas Basbanes, 81, who live near each other in the same Massachusetts town, each devoted decades to reporting, writing and book authorship.

Gage poured his tragic family story and search for the truth about his mother's death into a bestselling memoir that led John Malkovich to play him in the 1985 film “Eleni.” Basbanes transitioned his skills as a daily newspaper reporter into writing widely-read books about literary culture.

Basbanes was the first of the duo to try fiddling with AI chatbots, finding them impressive but prone to falsehoods and lack of attribution. The friends commiserated and filed their lawsuit earlier this year, seeking to represent a class of writers whose copyrighted work they allege “has been systematically pilfered by” OpenAI and its business partner Microsoft.

“It's highway robbery,” Gage said in an interview in his office next to the 18th-century farmhouse where he lives in central Massachusetts.

“It is,” added Basbanes, as the two men perused Gage's book-filled shelves. “We worked too hard on these tomes.”

Now their lawsuit is subsumed into a broader case seeking class-action status led by household names like John Grisham, Jodi Picoult and “Game of Thrones” novelist George R. R. Martin; and proceeding under the same New York federal judge who’s hearing similar copyright claims from media outlets such as The New York Times, Chicago Tribune and Mother Jones.

What links all the cases is the claim that OpenAI — with help from Microsoft's money and computing power — ingested huge troves of human writings to “train” AI chatbots to produce human-like passages of text, without getting permission or compensating the people who wrote the original works.

“If they can get it for nothing, why pay for it?” Gage said. “But it’s grossly unfair and very harmful to the written word.”

OpenAI and Microsoft didn’t return requests for comment this week but have been fighting the allegations in court and in public. So have other AI companies confronting legal challenges not just from writers but visual artists, music labels and other creators who allege that generative AI profits have been built on misappropriation.

The chief executive of Microsoft’s AI division, Mustafa Suleyman, defended AI industry practices at last month’s Aspen Ideas Festival, voicing the theory that training AI systems on content that’s already on the open internet is protected by the “fair use” doctrine of U.S. copyright laws.

“The social contract of that content since the ’90s has been that it is fair use,” Suleyman said. “Anyone can copy it, recreate with it, reproduce with it. That has been freeware, if you like.”

Suleyman said it was more of a “gray area” in situations where some news organizations and others explicitly said they didn’t want tech companies “scraping” content off their websites. “I think that’s going to work its way through the courts,” he said.

The cases are still in the discovery stage and scheduled to drag into 2025. In the meantime, some who believe their professions are threatened by AI business practices have tried to secure private deals to get technology companies to pay a fee to license their archives. Others are fighting back.

“Somebody had to go out and interview real people in the real world and conduct real research by poring over documents and then synthesizing those documents and coming up with a way to render them in clear and simple prose,” said Frank Pine, executive editor of MediaNews Group, publisher of dozens of newspapers including the Denver Post, Orange County Register and St. Paul Pioneer Press. Several of the chain’s newspapers sued OpenAI in April.

“All of that is real work, and it’s work that AI cannot do," Pine said. "An AI app is never going to leave the office and go downtown where there’s a fire and cover that fire.”

Deemed too similar to lawsuits filed late last year, the Massachusetts duo's January complaint has been folded into a consolidated case brought by other nonfiction writers as well as fiction writers represented by the Authors Guild. That means Gage and Basbanes won't likely be witnesses in any upcoming trial in Manhattan's federal court. But in the twilight of their careers, they thought it important to take a stand for the future of their craft.

Gage fled Greece as a 9-year-old, haunted by his mother's 1948 killing by firing squad during the country's civil war. He joined his father in Worcester, Massachusetts, not far from where he lives today. And with a teacher's nudge, he pursued writing and built a reputation as a determined investigative reporter digging into organized crime and political corruption for The New York Times and other newspapers.

Basbanes, as a Greek American journalist, had heard of and admired the elder “hotshot reporter” when he got a surprise telephone call at his desk at Worcester's Evening Gazette in the early 1970s. The voice asked for Mr. Basbanes, using the Greek way of pronouncing the name.

“You were like a talent scout,” Basbanes said. “We established a friendship. I mean, I’ve known him longer than I know my wife, and we’ve been married 49 years.”

Basbanes hasn’t mined his own story like Gage has, but he says it can sometimes take days to craft a great paragraph and confirm all of the facts in it. It took him years of research and travel to archives and auction houses to write his 1995 book “A Gentle Madness” about the art of book collection from ancient Egypt through modern times.

“I love that ‘A Gentle Madness’ is in 1,400 libraries or so,” Basbanes said. “This is what a writer strives for -- to be read. But you also write to earn, to put food on the table, to support your family, to make a living. And as long as that’s your intellectual property, you deserve to be compensated fairly for your efforts.”

Gage took a great professional risk when he quit his job at the Times and went into $160,000 debt to find out who was responsible for his mother's death.

“I tracked down everyone who was in the village when my mother was killed," he said. “And they had been scattered all over Eastern Europe. So it cost a lot of money and a lot of time. I had no assurance that I would get that money back. But when you commit yourself to something as important as my mother’s story was, the risks are tremendous, the effort is tremendous.”

In other words, ChatGPT couldn't do that. But what worries Gage is that ChatGPT could make it harder for others to do that.

“Publications are going to die. Newspapers are going to die. Young people with talent are not going to go into writing,” Gage said. “I'm 84 years old. I don’t know if this is going to be settled while I’m still around. But it’s important that a solution be found.”

[sinceileftyoublog]

Destroyer Live Show Review: 3/3, Old Town School of Folk Music, Chicago

Destroyer's Dan Bejar; Photo courtesy of Merge Records

BY KEITH MILLER

Co-presented with Chicago Humanities Festival, the Old Town School of Folk Music welcomed Destroyer's Dan Bejar for a brief show on Monday night. On stage with just an acoustic guitar, performing songs from his dense discography, Bejar gave an intimate and endearing set. Later this month, Destroyer will be releasing their 15th studio record, Dan’s Boogie, via Merge Records, an album I couldn't be more excited for. Unfortunately, he didn't reveal anything off of his upcoming record--not even “Cataract Time", the eight-minute groovy tune with a saxophone lifting the listener up as it comes to a close, that he would drop at midnight later that night. He did, however, play quite a few of my favorites: “English Music", “Your Blood", “Chinatown", and “Trembling Peacock".

Live, Bejar has been known to get down to business, rarely chatting between songs or interacting with his audience, though on Monday, he did sparsely mention a few words of wisdom throughout the show. When introducing “English Music", a Streethawk: A Seduction cut written towards the end of the 90's and wrapped around discourse hyper-fixated on Y2K, Bejar noted that it focuses on, “the end times.” A crowd member suggested that it still has relevancy today. After Bejar finished taking a sip of water, he mumbled into the microphone, “It’s a song of hope.” The moment reminded me of Destroyer's 2020 record Have We Met, originally concocted as a Y2K album before Bejar scrapped the idea. Ironically, a few months after its release, our world faced an actual global crisis.

Bejar’s solo act is quiet. I love how his songs take on new life in the middle of their runtime. Seeing him with no backing band removes that dynamic element from his records, but it heightens his songwriting skills and his craftsmanship. He's a stellar musician who makes performing look easy. I’ve always found his lyrics to be obtuse, difficult to parse together, but simple to process. I don’t know exactly what he’s talking about, but I understand the emotion and energy that he puts on display, which was present on Monday night.

[mixtapemag]

JULIEN BAKER AT THALIA HALL

Photos by Christopher Hall

Julien Baker kicked off her fall 2024 tour with an unbelievable show full of twists and turns on Monday night in Chicago. Julien walked on stage solo to start the set - launching into "Guthrie." The set saw live debuts of "Conversation Piece" and "Crying Wolf" and the debut of a brand new song named "Middle Children."

Julien introducing "Middle Children" was met with an excited roar from the crowd before the room fell completely silent - each human being in Thalia Hall feeling new Julien music wash over them. The song was beautiful and synthy and full of harmonies. It feels like a big new warm direction for JB.

The rest of the setlist bounced back and forth between Julien backed by her big band and just her and a guitar. There was a funky "Shadowboxing" and a big loud "Turn Out The Lights" which kicked off the encore. A one-two punch of "Ringside" and "Hardline" off of Little Oblivions closed the night.

Monday night was the start of a multi-city North American tour that runs through the end of October. Julien and the band sound spectacular and you should make it a priority to get out to a show ASAP.

Check out everything Julien Baker over here.

Previously on Mixtape:

Photos of Julien Baker at The Kennedy Center.

Photos of boygenius at connect festival.

Photos of boygenius at pryzm.

Photos of boygenius at the piece hall.

Photos of boygenius at way out west 2023.

Photos of boygenius at the idaho botanical garden.

Photos of boygenius at the forest hills stadium.

Photos of boygenius at the fox theater.

Photos of boygenius at the premiere of "the film".

Photos of Julien Baker at Fox Theater.

Photos of Julien Baker at 9:30 Club.

Photos of Julien Baker at Amplify Decatur.

Photos of boygenius at Brooklyn Steel.

Photos of Julien Baker at Shadow of the City.

Photos of Julien Baker in Prospect Park.

Photos of Julien Baker at White Eagle Hall.

Photos of Julien Baker at Union Transfer.

Photos of Julien Baker at Outside Lands.

Photos of Julien Baker at Newport Folk Festival.

Christopher Hall posts over here. Go see Julien & the band.

[lesbiansovereverything]

MOLLY

I’d like to say I came out of the womb knowing I was a lesbian, but growing up Catholic in a small town in Ohio, of course there was a little more nuance than that. As a kid, I always felt like I identified with lesbians. Anytime I came across one on TV or in the wild, I would think “we have something in common”, but I wasn’t able to articulate what. On numerous occasions, I remember having the exact thought “I’m probably a lesbian, but I’ll deal with that later” and then neatly folding that thought up, stuffing it in a box, and hoping it stayed there. I came out when I was 16. The day it all came together in my head, I was on spring break in the Gulf Coast with my mom and I felt like I was going to throw up for 3 days straight. I came out to my family several months later. There was some initial chaos, but I imagine the ordeal ultimately left my family with an “oh duh” reaction, reflecting on my 5 gallon bucket of Hot Wheels and my brother’s hand-me-down basketball shorts that were effectively glued to my body from ages 7 to 12. 

I graduated from Columbia College Chicago with an acting degree and moved to LA (with a brief stint living in the attic of my girlfriend’s grandparent’s house– which is really hot and sexy). I struggled to find where I fit in as an artist in this industry. I found myself frustrated with the projects available to lesbians. They were either too chaste, focused only on the heart-wrenching experiences of struggling to come out, or overtly sexual for male consumption. Not finding the kinds of stories that excited me, I took to the page and began writing my first play, Modern Butchood, which will debut this summer at the Hollywood Fringe Festival. I wanted to write something truthful to my experience as a lesbian. Something complicated and not colored by a need for approval from those outside the community. A piece written by a lesbian for lesbians. When it comes to normalizing the gay lifestyle in our society, the first step is showing that gay people are ‘just like us’, they can be upstanding members of our community, loving parents, and committed partners. What I am interested in as an artist is the step after that: Gay people can be just like us, just as broken and insecure, make the same bad decisions, long for the same approval. We are all human after all. 

In my free time, I find myself indulging in a stereotypical list of gay hobbies: rock climbing, wood working, roller skating, and the newest addition– trying to put together a women’s softball team. If you or someone you know wants to be on my softball team, let me know. 

[aaknopf]

The novelist Michael Ondaatje has been a poet from the beginning. “Lock,” like other poems in new collection A Year of Last Things, speaks swiftly across time, striking at poetry’s core, where a singular memory flares in the dark and illuminates everything.

Lock

Reading the lines he loves he slips them into a pocket, wishes to die with his clothes full of torn-free stanzas and the telephone numbers of his children in far cities

As if these were all we need and want, not the dog or silver bowl not the brag of career or ownership

Unless they can be used —a bowl to beg with, a howl to scent a friend, as those torn lines remind us how to recall

until we reach that horizon and drop, or rise like a canoe within a lock to search the other half of the river,

where you might see your friends as altered by this altitude as you

The fresh summer grass, the smell of the view— dark water, August paint

How I loved that lock when I saw it all those summers ago,                         when we arrived out of a storm into its evening light,

and gave a stranger some wine in a tin cup

Even then I wanted to slip into the wet dark rectangle and swim on barefoot to other depths where nothing could be seen that was a further story

More on this book and author:

Learn more about A Year of Last Things by Michael Ondaatje.

Browse other books by Michael Ondaatje.

Hear Michael Ondaatje read at the Chicago Humanities Spring Festival on Saturday, April 13. Michael will be in California and will read at Green Apple Books in San Francisco on April 15 at 7:00 PM (register here), Dominican University of California in San Rafael on April 17 at 7:00 PM (register here), and Copperfield Books in Petaluma on April 18 at 7:00 PM (register here).

Visit our Tumblr to peruse poems, audio recordings, and broadsides in the Knopf poem-a-day series.

To share the poem-a-day experience with friends, pass along this link.

[louisupdates]

FITFWT23: OUTRO SONGS

NORTH AMERICA

26 May - Mohegan Sun Arena, UNCASVILLE CT: The Best, by Tina Turner

27 May - Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion, GUILFORD NH: This Charming Man, by The Smiths

29 May - Place Bell, LAVAL QC: Downtown, by Petula Clark

30 May - Budweiser Stage, TORONTO ON: Summer of 69, by Bryan Adams

1 Jun - Blossom Music Center, CUYAHOGA FALLS, OH: Bittersweet Symphony, by Verve

2 Jun - Michigan Lottery Amphitheater, STERLING HEIGHTS, MI: Chasing Rainbows, by Shed Seven

3 Jun - The Icon Festival Stage, CINCINNATI: All These Things That I’ve Done, by The Killers

6 Jun - Kemba Live! Outdoor, COLUMBUS OH: The One I Love, by REM

7 Jun - TCU Amphitheater at White River State Park, INDIANAPOLIS: Love Will Tear Us Apart, by Joy Division

9 Jun - Saint Louis Music Park, SAINT LOUIS: Johnny B. Goode, by Chuck Berry

10 Jun - Starlight Theatre, KANSAS CITY MO: Moondance, by Van Morrison

13 Jun - BMO Pavilion, MILWAUKEE: I Can See Clearly Now, by Johnny Nash

15 Jun - Huntington Bank Pavilion, CHICAGO: September, by Earth, Wind, and Fire

16 Jun - The Armory, MINNEAPOLIS: Nothing Compares 2 U, by Sinéad O’Connor

17 Jun - Harrah’s Stir Cove, COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA: Ever Fallen in Love (With Someone You Shouldn't've?) by Buzzcocks

19 Jun - Denny Sanford Premiere Center, SIOUX FALLS, SD: American Pie, by Don McLean

21 Jun - Red Rocks Amphitheatre, MORRISON, CO 😪

24 Jun - Wamu Theater, SEATTLE: There Is A Light That Never Goes Out, by The Smiths

26 Jun - Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Center, VANCOUVER BC: King Of Pain, by The Police

27 Jun - Mcmenamins Edgefield Concerts, TROUTDALE OR: Always On My Mind, by Elvis Presley

29 Jun - The Greek Theatre, BERKELEY CA: Never Tear Us Apart, by INXS

30 Jun - The Hollywood Bowl, LOS ANGELES: California Love by 2Pac ft Dr. Dre & Roger Troutman

1 Jul - The Chelsea at the Cosmopolitan, LAS VEGAS: Human, by The Killers

3 Jul - Arizona Financial Theatre, PHOENIX: Liberator, by Spear of Destiny

6 Jul - The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory, IRVING TX: Hello, I Love You, by The Doors

7 Jul - Moody Amphitheater at Waterloo Park, AUSTIN TX: Teenage Dirtbag, by Wheatus

8 Jul - The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, THE WOODLANDS TX: Walking On The Moon, by The Police

11 Jul - St. Augustine Amphitheatre, ST. AUGUSTINE FL: Every Breath You Take, by The Police

13 Jul - Hard Rock Live at Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood, HOLLYWOOD FL: Your Song, by Elton John

14 Jul - Yuengling Center, TAMPA FL: Hit Me With Your Best Shot, by Pat Benatar

15 Jul - Cadence Bank Amphitheatre at Chastain Park, ATLANTA: You Can’t Always Get What You Want, by The Rolling Stones

18 Jul - Ascend Amphitheater, NASHVILLE: Hold Back The Rain, by Duran Duran

19 Jul - Charlotte Metro Credit Union Amphitheatre, CHARLOTTE NC: Perfect Day, by Lou Reed

21 Jul - Red Hat Amphitheater, RALEIGH NC: Moondance, by Van Morrison

22 Jul - Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia MD: Easy, by The Commodores

24 Jul - MGM Music Hall at Fenway, BOSTON: More Than A Feeling, by Boston

25 Jul - MGM Music Hall at Fenway, BOSTON: Here Comes Your Man, by The Pixies

27 Jul - TD Pavilion at the Mann, PHILADELPHIA: Nothing Compares 2 U, by Sinead O’Connor

28 Jul - Stone Pony Summer Stage, ASBURY PARK NJ: Dancing In The Dark, by Bruce Springsteen

29 Jul - Forrest Hills Stadium, NEW YORK: We Are The Champions, by Queen

Away From Home Festival 2023

19 Aug - Parco BussolaDomani, Lido di Camaiore: We Are The Champions, by Queen

EUROPE

29 Aug - Barclays Arena, HAMBURG: Love Will Tear Us Apart, by Joy Division

31 Aug - Royal Arena, COPENHAGEN: Under Pressure, by Queen and David Bowie

1 Sep - Spektrum, OSLO: Wake Me Up When September Ends, by Green Day

2 Sep - Hovet, STOCKHOLM: Seven Nation Army, by White Stripes

4 Sep - Ice Hall, HELSINKI: Always On My Mind, by Elvis

5 Sep - Saku Arena, TAILLINN: All Star, by Smash Mouth

7 Sep - Arena Riga, RIGA: Thuderstruck, by AC/DC

8 Sep - Zalgiris Arena, KAUNAS: Can’t Help Falling In Love, by Elvis [Zouis this day]

10 Sep - Tauron Arena, KRAKOW: Lust For Life, by Iggy Pop

11 Sep - Atlas Arena, ŁÓDŹ: Blitzkreig Bop, by the Ramones

13 Sep - Wiener Stadhalle D, VIENNA: Supersonic, by Oasis

14 Sep - Stozice Arena, LJUBLJANA: Smile Like You Meant It, by The Killers

15 Sep - Budapest Arena, BUDAPEST: Helicopter, by Bloc Party

17 Sep - Arenele Romane, BUCHAREST: My Hero, by Foo Fighters

18 Sep - Arena Armeets, SOFIA: Bombtrack, by Rage Against The Machine

20 Sep - Petras Theater, ATHENS: Go With The Flow, by Queens of the Stone Age

1 Oct - Bilbao Arena Miribilla, BILBAO (VIZCAYA): Where Is My Mind, by The Pixies

3 Oct - Altice Arena, LISBON: Farewell To The Fairground, by White Lies

5 Oct - Wizink Center, MADRID: Munich, by Editors

6 Oct - Palau Sant Jordi, BARCELONA: One Armed Scissor, by At the Drive-In

8 Oct - Pala Alpitur, TURIN: Are You Gonna Go My Way, by Lenny Kravitz

9 Oct - Unipol Arena, BOLOGNA: Helicopter, by Bloc Party

11 Oct - Rockhal, ESCH-SUR-ALZETTE: Where Is My Mind, by The Pixies

12 Oct - Sportspaleis, ANTWERP: My God Is The Sun, by Queens Of The Stone Age [very self-aware choice]

14 Oct - Accor Arena, PARIS : Bubbles, by Biffy Clyro

15 Oct - Ziggo Dome, AMSTERDAM: Song 2, by Blur

17 Oct - Lanxess Arena, COLOGNE: Can't Stand Me Now, by The Libertines

19 Oct - O2 Arena, PRAGUE: Are You Gonna Be My Girl, by Jet

20 Oct - Mercedes Benz Arena, BERLIN: Friday I’m In Love, by The Cure

22 Oct - Olympiahalle, MUNICH: Praise You, by Fatboy Slim

23 Oct - Hallenstadion, ZURICH: Last Nite, by The Strokes

8 Nov - 3Arena, DUBLIN: These Are The Days, by Inhaler

10 Nov - Utilita Arena, SHEFFIELD: Mr. Brightside, by The Killers

11 Nov - AO Arena, MANCHESTER: This Charming Man, by The Smiths

12 Nov - Ovo Hydro, GLASGOW: Gloria, by The Snuts

14 Nov - Brighton Center, BRIGHTON: I Wanna Be Sedated, by Ramones

15 Nov - International Arena, CARDIFF: 20th Century Boy, by T-Rex

17 Nov - The O2, LONDON: Can’t Stand Me Now, by The Libertines

18 Nov - Resorts World Arena, BIRMINGHAM: Till The End Of The Road, by Boyz II Men

You can also find the list at this Twitter account: ltwtoutros.