Summer arts 2025: All you need to know for movies, concerts, food festivals and more

Here are all of the Tribune's guides and critics' picks for summer 2025. Our writers and critics make their Top 10 lists and recommendations for this season's TV, movies, music, theater, books, dance events, concerts, food festivals and more.
What's on Chicago stages this summer? Our list also includes 'Billie Jean' at Chicago Shakespeare and a new play by Kristofer Diaz. Read more from Chris Jones here.
Experiences, not exhibitions, are coaxing folks off their couches and into cultural institutions. Read more from Hannah Edgar here.
The Art Institute has a big summer show on Gustave Caillebotte, the Intuit Art Museum has reopened and 'The First Homosexuals' at Wrightwood 659 is not to be missed. That's just for starters. Read more from Lori Waxman here.
A look at 15 shows on tap in the summer months, when streaming is your best bet for new and returning series. Read more from Nina Metz here.
A new 'Superman,' a new 'Jurassic Park' sequel, plus a few genuinely new un-franchised hopefuls fill the summer 2025 movie calendar. Read more from Michael Phillips here.
Chicago summer looks to be as busy as ever, with classical and jazz programming packed with blockbusters. Read more from Hannah Edgar here.
There's also Cerqua Rivera, a weekend for emerging choreographers and the annual Dance for Life gala. Most of our selections are indoors, though you can find dance in the open air. Read more from Lauren Warnecke here.
'Someday, when I open a bookstore and the big bucks roll in, I'll display titles in narrow categories, ensuring no one finds anything and has to wander,' Christopher Borrelli writes. 'This summer survey will be my trial run.' Read more here.
Our picks for live music have the boldface names — Beyoncé, AC/DC, Lady Gaga and Oasis — as well as club dates and music festivals. Read the full list here.
Festivals are one of the best parts of summer in Chicago, ranging from blowout concerts to small neighborhood parties. Read more from Samantha Nelson here.
The Tribune Food team dives into patios across the city that are worth exploring, from recently opened spots to patios featuring pizza under sparkling lights. Read the full list here.

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Chicago Tribune

14 hours ago

• Chicago Tribune

Column: Remembering the ‘Sammy Wars' and other tales from Sosa's long and storied Chicago Cubs career

Closure is something we all crave, whether it's the perfect ending to a favorite TV series or a resolution of a real-life relationship. The closure of the long-running Sammy Sosa saga felt like a little of both, part 'Breaking Bad' finale and part end of a nearly three-decade story I've covered off and on at the Tribune. Now that Sosa is back at Wrigley Field, the story is complete. But how it ever got to this point was somehow overlooked in the Cubs' 'Welcome back, Sammy' production, which ignored his feud with ownership over an admission that was not forthcoming. For most Cubs fans, Sosa was a star of a long-running series they had watched for years, with some episodes — the corked bat, the great home run race, the sneeze, the final walkout and the destroyed boom box mystery — more memorable than others. For reporters covering the Cubs, Sosa was almost a separate beat, and competition for scoops — on contract extensions, his true feelings about the manager or whatever — was fierce. The Sammy Wars were a daily thing between the Tribune and Sun-Times for many years, and as much as he helped enrich the Cubs, he also sold a lot of newspapers in this sports-crazed town. Sosa's mid-career trajectory from serviceable slugger to superstar was dramatic, and by baseball standards, happened almost overnight. Sosa had a combined 22.4 bWAR over his first nine seasons, from 1989-97, with one All-Star appearance in 1995. Atlanta Braves manager Bobby Cox snubbed him when picking the 1996 and '97 National League reserves, and Sosa begged out of the '98 game with a shoulder bruise after being selected as a reserve despite hitting 20 home runs in June. On the final weekend of the 1997 season, manager Jim Riggleman alluded to Sosa in a rant to the media about a 'me-first' culture in the Cubs clubhouse. One the final weekend of a lost season, he berated Sosa in the dugout in St. Louis, in front of teammates such as Mark Grace and Ryne Sandberg, for ignoring a sign and getting thrown out on a steal attempt. That was also the weekend that bulked-up Cardinals slugger Mark McGwire went for Roger Maris' seemingly unbreakable home run mark, hitting three off Cubs pitching to finish with 58, three shy of the record. Sosa was paying attention. A bulked-up Sosa 2.0 showed up for spring training in 1998, and the great home run race with McGwire was about to begin. From 1998-2004, Sosa posted a 37.1 WAR, setting franchise records for home runs and becoming the Sammy Sosa that was feted Friday afternoon at Wrigley Field, ending his 20-year exile with the organization. It was a different Sosa than I remembered covering as a player. Still cocky enough to say he would be able to hit as many home runs onto Waveland Avenue despite the giant video board blocking his power zone but humble enough to act gracious for a chance from Chairman Tom Ricketts to return to what he called his 'home.' I spoke with Sosa a few weeks ago about his impending visit and told him he should go sit in the right-field bleachers behind Pete Crow-Armstrong, sharing time with his 'people,' the right-field bleacher bums. He laughed and ignored my unsolicited advice. Some things never change. There was no chance for spontaneity Friday anyway. The Cubs made no announcement of Sosa's return for fans, only to see the news leaked in the morning. This would be a Cubs production, directed by the Cubs for the sole purpose of promoting the Cubs. There was no time for anything that could not be scripted, from the bro hug with Ricketts to the in-game visit to the radio and TV booths to the postgame interview on Marquee Sports Network. Manager Craig Council gladly trumpeted Sosa's legendary status while reducing the steroids era to two words: 'History happens.' I thought perhaps Sosa could talk to the players, maybe give them a pregame pep talk before their game against the Seattle Mariners. 'He's not here to talk to the team,' Counsell said. 'He's here to … none of the guys that come in talk to the team.' Here to what? Why was Sosa here? 'Because we bring Hall of Famers back to Wrigley, and for the fans,' he said. 'You're not aware of that? You should probably do some work.' The Tribune regrets the error. Friday also provided closure for Ricketts, who for years demanded an apology/admission from Sosa and thought he had it in 2014 when radio co-hosts David Haugh and David Kaplan were dispatched to Miami for an interview with the former Cub star, who would 'acknowledge malfeasance.' But Sosa abruptly canceled and later told Sports Illustrated in a statement: 'When the time came, I felt like I was being swept up in a PR machine that was moving way too fast and not adhering to the spirit of our agreement, so I pulled out.' Ten years later, Sosa's people issued a semi-apology statement for making 'mistakes' by doing things to 'recover from injuries in an effort to keep my strength up to perform over 162 games.' He was then invited to the Cubs Convention and elected into the Cubs Hall of Fame. But at the convention he told the media he wasn't apologizing for any PED stuff but for depriving Cubs fans of his presence during the separation. The Cubs regret the error. It was a classic bat-and-switch. But Ricketts, at that point, didn't seem to care. He just wanted it over, like everyone else. 'We kind of inherited this Sammy situation from 2004, and it's always been a goal to put it behind us,' Ricketts told Tribune Cubs writer Meghan Montemurro at the convention. 'And I think that this year, the timing was right, and I think Sammy was in the right place, and it all worked out so I'm just happy.' Sosa repeated the narrative Friday, saying it was all just a matter of timing. 'I'm here now,' he said. It was nice to see Sosa back, adding some closure to our relationship, which was hot and cold, depending on whatever controversy was unfolding that day. During the height of the Sammy Wars, he was considered a Sun-Times guy, which the paper smartly used to its advantage, particularly whenever Sosa's contract was up for discussion. 'We're certainly the pro-Sammy newspaper,' former Sun-Time sports editor Bill Adee told the Chicago Reader in 2000. 'Sammy lives in my building. At the end of the night we ride up the elevator together.' Facetiously asked whether Sosa thought the paper was party to a 'corporate conspiracy' by Tribune Co. against him, Adee replied: 'Yeah, I think he does. Sure — which is to our advantage. As you well know, conflicts of interest — perceived or real, it doesn't really matter. When Sammy thinks Tribune Company, he thinks of the newspaper, the whole deal. He doesn't make a distinction.' Sosa continued to sell newspapers when Adee later moved to the dark side and joined the Tribune as sports editor. Good, bad or ugly, people have always been interested in the Sosa saga. Someday it'll make a great Netflix series.

Geek Tyrant

2 days ago

• Geek Tyrant

Scarlett Johansson Says Jurassic World Rebirth Is a 'Love Letter' to Spielberg: 'Fans Will Feel the DNA of the Original' — GeekTyrant

At the world premiere of Jurassic World: Rebirth in London's Leicester Square, Scarlett Johansson took a moment to speak directly to fans of the original Jurassic Park , promising the latest chapter captures the soul of what made Spielberg's 1993 classic so iconic. 'So I think it really is a love letter to Steven's work. Fans of the Jurassic universe can expect to really feel the DNA of the original Jurassic Park in this film.' As a huige fan of the original film, that's great to hear! The film is directed by Rogue One 's Gareth Edwards, who Johansson described as an 'enormous fan' of Spielberg, and it's also written by David Koepp, the screenwriter who helped launch the franchise with Jurassic Park . This connection to the original creative team is what's giving fans hope that Rebirth is more than just another sequel, it's a return to form. Jonathan Bailey, also in attendance, described the experience as surreal. 'It's beyond a dream. Jurassic Park was the first film I saw with my family when I was five years old, and they're all inside so we're going to sit and watch it today.' Bailey revealed he also contributed musically, performing on the soundtrack with a full 105-piece orchestra. 'Going to Abbey Road… playing the John Williams score but also Alexandre Desplat's score was incredible, it was completely out of body.' Meanwhile, Edwards recalled how the project came to him not through industry buzz but via a text from his girlfriend. 'She sent me a text which was a news article about Universal looking for a director for Jurassic and as I carried on the call I just copied and pasted it and sent it to my agent and wrote 'Is this stupid?' And we're going to find out the answer tonight.' Set five years after the events of Jurassic World: Dominion , Rebirth explores a planet still adjusting to the aftermath of dinosaurs re-entering the ecosystem. With most of the surviving creatures isolated in tropical zones, the plot follows a breakthrough involving three genetically unique dinosaurs whose DNA might be the key to a world-changing cure. With the creative team leaning hard into Spielberg-era nostalgia, Jurassic World: Rebirth looks ready to claw its way back into the hearts of fans. The film hits theaters July 2.

Yahoo

2 days ago

• Yahoo

Jurassic World Rebirth Reactions Compare Scarlett Johansson Movie to Original Jurassic Park

Following its world premiere in London, the first reactions have finally dropped online. This comes ahead of the movie's U.S. theatrical release on July 2, 2025. Jurassic World Rebirth is directed by Gareth Edwards from a screenplay written by David Koepp, based on the characters created by Michael Crichton. The ensemble cast is led by Marvel Cinematic Universe vet Scarlett Johansson, Bridgerton breakout star Jonathan Bailey as Dr. Henry Loomis, and Oscar winner Mahershala Ali as Duncan Kincaid. Joining them are Rupert Friend (Homeland), Manuel Garcia-Rulfo (The Lincoln Lawyer), Luna Blaise (Manifest), David Iacono (The Summer I Turned Pretty), and Audrina Miranda (Lopez vs. Lopez), Philippine Velge (Station Eleven), Bechir Sylvain (BMF), and Ed Skrein (Deadpool). The movie is executive produced by Steven Spielberg, Denis L. Stewart, and Jim Spencer, with Frank Marshall and Patrick Crowley serving as producers. It is a production by Amblin Entertainment and Universal Pictures. Most of the reactions praised Universal Pictures' Jurassic World Rebirth for its cinematic visuals, with some even calling it as the 'most beautiful Jurassic film ever.' Edwards is also being recognized for perfectly delivering some of the franchise's most intense and terrifying action sequences. Critics have also likened the new installment to the original Jurassic Park trilogy, teasing how it gave them the same vibes as Steven Spielberg's 1997 movie. However, other critics did felt that the overall story was 'silly' and lacking. The post Jurassic World Rebirth Reactions Compare Scarlett Johansson Movie to Original Jurassic Park appeared first on - Movie Trailers, TV & Streaming News, and More.