Kevin Bacon, the star of “Footloose”, wanted to be one of us for one day. It was not for him.

Bacon, who was dressed up like his character in the new horror film “MaXXXine,” was shocked to find out that people were rude and that no one said “I love you” when he was looked at as a nobody. He said, “People were kind of pushing past me, not being nice,” he recalled. “Nobody said, ‘I love you.’ I had to wait in line to, I don’t know, buy a f––ing coffee or whatever.” 

“I want to go back to being famous,’” said Bacon.

There’s more trouble in Dolton. During a board meeting on Monday, more issues arose when community members, including the local firefighters union president, took part in public comments to start the night, expressing anger and frustration at the village and Mayor Tiffany Henyard.

Henyard’s empire continues to crumble around her with this recent news.

What does Matt Groening know that we don’t? For decades now, The Simpsons have been predicting presidential elections, technology, and various pop culture events. Joining the pantheon of things The Simpsons have prediction is The Hawk Tuah Girl, otherwise known as Hailey Welch.

Bart got his thang spit on, and the rest was history.

With extreme temperatures returning to the forecast, we want to remind everyone of where the cooling centers are in the city. The cooling centers are open Monday-Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Centers are open to anyone who needs them.

• Englewood Center – 1140 W. 79th Street
• Garfield Center – 10 S. Kedzie Ave.
• King Center – 4314 S. Cottage Grove
• North Area Center – 845 W. Wilson Ave.
• South Chicago Center – 8650 S. Commercial Ave.
• Trina Davila Center – 4312 W. North Ave.

During hours of operation, residents can also find relief in one of the City’s Chicago Public Library locations and more than Chicago Park District fieldhouses as well as splash pads located throughout the city.

More than one dozen Pizza Hut’s have gone away in Northwest Indiana. As of Friday night, Pizza Hut’s website showed the following 15 locations as “closed:” Portage, Chesterton, Valparaiso, Hobart, Winfield, Crown Point, Schererville, Griffith, Hammond, Merrillville, LaPorte, Michigan City, Lowell, Cedar Lake and Munster.

A Pizza Hut spokesperson provided the following statement to NBC Chicago Friday afternoon:

“While some local franchisee-operated restaurants have temporarily closed, Pizza Hut remains committed to providing outstanding service and products to our valued customers. The company is working to transition these locations and expects many of them will reopen soon. To find a Pizza Hut location nearest you, please visit https://locations.pizzahut.com.”

We would like to humbly pour one out for all of the Pizza Hut’s that we lost over the weekend.

For the last four years, I’ve served as your Expert In Bands At The Bottom Of The Poster. That role has since spiraled into A Case For, an interview series that began at Riot Fest 2023 that highlights bands that are embedded in the alternative community, but don’t find their music being played on Q101. As Riot Fest moves to RiotLand, I am happy to report that once again, I’ll be highlighting acts on this year’s festival that could wind up being your next favorite band. Join me in exploring 9 bands that are playing Riot Fest this year that you don’t know, but that you need to. -Case the Producer

Basement

Basement is a funny band. They played Riot Fest in 2015 and they’re objectively a bigger deal than they were nine years ago. Two records have followed, neither of which were as explosive as 2012’s Colourmeinkindness, but both were strong. The band has become big by simply pausing their activity. Much like Deftones and contemporaries Superheaven, their shoegaze-adjacent sound has exploded on TikTok and has ushered Basement back into the spotlight. Riot Fest 2024 marks their return to Chicago for the first time in five years.

Drug Church

Drug Church are a machine. They play fast, they play loud, and they play mean. Fronted by loudmouth Patrick Kindlon, the band has plowed through lesser bands to reach their current status as a must-see touring act. Most recently, the five-piece punk act opened for Chicago’s own Alkaline Trio. Kindlon has promised new music by the end of 2024, which we’ll surely hear some of at Riot Fest this year. Before you’re bombarded with what will surely be an Album Of The Year Contender, familiarize yourself with both Cheer and Hygiene, both of which are some of the finest punk records of the 21st century.

Fiddlehead

Fiddlehead is my favorite active band, full stop. They rival only The Smiths when it comes to minutes spent listening over my lifetime. Fronted by ex-Have Heart frontman / current high school teacher Pat Flynn, Fiddlehead is one of the many melodic hardcore acts that have surged in popularity post-COVID. Pulling from the raw intensity of bands like Minor Threat and Mental while also borrowing melodic approaches from Arches Of Loaf or Samiam, this band brings forth a truly unique and original sound. You will not want to miss Fiddlehead.

Gel

Gel’s popularity always catches me by surprise. It’s not that they don’t rip, because they absolutely do, but it’s a little bit like Knocked Loose in which I instinctually feel like their sound isn’t accessible. Their white-hot audience says otherwise. Gel continue to tour hard and play even harder. Each time they hit the road and leave a city in the dust, the city left behind feels the undeniable impact of what Gel did on stage. This feels like a band that could steal the entire weekend.

Heart Attack Man

While Riot Fest alumni The Menzingers still sit atop my “Why Isn’t This Band Bigger?” pantheon, Heart Attack Man are quickly nipping at their heels. Seriously, why isn’t Heart Attack Man bigger? I blame the sad decline of MTV2. This band would be huge if the ecosystem was different and frontman Eric Egan had an easier path to scaring Middle America. When 2023’s Freak of Nature dropped, I played “Like A Kennedy” for Brian after the morning show because I thought he would appreciate what they were going for. He was stunned at how abrasive the lyrics were. That seems to be the ongoing goal for Heart Attack Man – not to receive a good reaction or a bad reaction, but merely to receive a reaction.

Home Front

I honestly feel like more bands should try to be like Home Front. They don’t need to copy their look or their sound, but they do need to copy the innovative spirit that this Canadian outfit has to offer. Having just seen them at Cobra Lounge with The Chisel, I cannot express just how much fun Home Front were to see live, especially given that their primary influences are The Cure and Echo & the Bunnymen, a far cry from the no-nonsense street-punk approach that The Chisel brings to the table. They were odd-men-out, yet they felt right at home. I get so excited when I see bands go for it, unapologetically, and Home Front is absolutely going for it.

Slaughter Beach, Dog

While Modern Baseball remains one of the most sought after Riot Fest reunion bookings, Jake Ewald’s post-MOBO project Slaughter Beach, Dog is live and in living color at Riot Fest 2024. While still as emotionally rich as MOBO’s teenage angst hits, SBD offers an alt-country approach to yearning and despair. If you are looking for an escape from the pit, Slaughter Beach, Dog will be an excellent exit ramp.

Spiritual Cramp

What if The Clash had a baby with The Hives? That would be Spiritual Cramp. In fact, let me be incredibly clear when I say this: if you’re going to go see The Hives at Riot Fest, you need to also go see Spiritual Cramp. I’ve had the pleasure of seeing Spiritual Cramp a handful of times over the last few years – first with Angel Du$t, then with The Metz, then as a headliner, and then one last time with Militarie Gun on the Life Under the Gun Tour, and each and every time I was simply in awe by the raw, unforgiving stage presence of this band. I wish nothing but success for this band going forward. If I were going to earmark any single band as “must see” for this year’s Riot Fest, it would be this band.

Waxahatchee

As it stands at publishing time, Waxahatchee has 2024’s Album Of The Year. Tigers Blood, which dropped in March, has been on steady repeat ever since. Admittedly, I’m a little surprised to see Waxahatchee on this year’s bill given how folky and chill Tigers Blood is, but this is nothing short of a delightful addition to what is already a spectacular festival lineup.