Why Are Wrigley Field Concerts So Bland?
The Chicago Cubs are a pretty conservative organization. A lot of people, including some of their own fans, feel making money is a higher priority than winning.
Since 2005, the Cubs have had concerts at Wrigley Field. Is their philosphy for musicial entertainment the same as for their baseball business?
The ownership groups of the Cubs during this time has consisted of The Tribune Company and The Ricketts Family.
The Trib is so conservative that Barack Obama was the first Democrat they ever endorsed for President. The Ricketts took heat for the fundraising efforts on behalf of Republican candidates. These aren't people who will be bringing Pitchfork Festival performers St. Vincent or Nenah Chery to their ballpark.
The names of the Wrigley performers are familiar. From Jimmy Buffett to Paul McCartney and Bruce Springsteen, all were selected with the idea of filling the place.
The two acts that were the closest to be considered edgy were The Police and Pearl Jam. Both were considered trendsetters at one time...of course that was decades ago.
Concerts at Wrigley are never going to be like Pitchfork or Lollapolooza. They're more like Ravinia. I'm surprised we haven't seen James Taylor or The Beach Boys at the Shrine...yet.Yikes! I probably gave them some ideas.
Maybe it can get closer to the Taste of Chicago lineup. I don't expect to see St. Paul & The Broken Bones (look them up on YouTube. They'll be at Metro in October) but Jeff Tweedy was scheduled to be at Taste before being cancelled because of rain. What would you rather see, Wilco at Wrigley or the third appearance of Billy Joel?
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