Sacred Rose opens Friday in southwest suburban Bridgeview, a first-of-its-kind music festival for the Chicago area playing out over three days. Musical styles include Americana, psych-rock, jam bands, soul, funk and bluegrass.
The headliners on the first night set the tone for the weekend: Phil Lesh, formerly of the Grateful Dead, will be joined by Jeff Tweedy and Nels Cline of Wilco, with Tweedy taking the place of the late Grateful Dead lead singer Jerry Garcia in Phil Lesh & Friends. Other headliners include Khruangbin, The War On Drugs, Chicago’s own Umphrey’s McGee and Margo Price, playing at large.
It’s a fest “for the hippie-leaning fans,” fest founder Michael Berg said earlier this week. “Let’s say, it’s sort of like if a Grateful Dead show and Pitchfork had a baby.”
Berg, who also co-founded the North Coast Music Festival, said that longer-running event used to have jam bands as part of its mix but switched over to all electronic music in 2018. That left some fans without a festival, he said, and the inaugural Sacred Rose, presented by Chicago-based producers Collectiv Presents, hopes to give them one.
You could be forgiven for looking at the lineup — and the iconic rose imagery on the posters and website — and thinking, OK, so a festival for Deadheads. And you wouldn’t be far wrong. But Berg, who is the festival’s sole music curator, points out that there are also styles like funk and jazz on the bill. “There’s definitely a lot of stuff here that doesn’t live in that bubble,” he said. The notion was, you find your favorite band on the poster and then you find bands that aren’t necessarily yours but that you’d want to hear.
THE MUSIC
Presented on four stages — the Vega, Canopy, Dreamfield and Laser Dome, with the Canopy serving as the mainstage. Some stages some days will be all one musical style, such as bluegrass all day Sunday on the Dreamfield stage, headlined by Greensky Bluegrass.
With the jam-band theme, expect “a lot of collaboration,” Berg said, such as artists joining other artists for their sets.
Other headliners include Goose, STS9, Kamasi Washington and Animal Collective.
“The band Goose is up and coming, they click a lot of the boxes of this kind of music,” he said. “They’re a jam band but also have songs that are more radio-friendly.”
THE VENUE
Sacred Rose is presented on the SeatGeek Stadium campus, and by “campus,” yes, read “parking lot.” But if it’s been a while since you’ve been to this venue, there’s a lot new here, including new artificial turf fields, plus an air-conditioned dome, open for events and music this weekend. Concertgoers will have lots of places to sit and explore, according to Sacred Rose announcements, “all without having to deal with the usual muddy festival floor.” (Though we thought that was part of the whole Grateful Dead experience.)
Sacred Rose ended up in Bridgeview because the stadium also hosts North Coast, which follows the very next weekend Sept. 2-4. (Music styles for North Coast include bass, trance, techno, electronica and house, with headliners Armin van Buuren, Illenium, Porter Robinson, FISHER and Kaytranada; more information at northcoastfestival.com.)
Be warned, there are few good public transportation options; the nearest Chicago CTA Orange Line train at the Midway station is five miles away. Parking is available on-site, both prepaid (from $35) and upon arrival. And the festival is running paid shuttle buses (from $35 round trip) from downtown and partner hotels; more information on all the above at www.sacredrosefest.com/faq.
WHAT ELSE TO KNOW
You’ll be able to shop at several dozen vendors, many of them (Day Tripper Inc., Om Grown Art, Hemp Hats!) fully on board with the theme this weekend. Plus the usual assortment of food vendors, including vegan and vegetarian options. And, of course, there’ll be band merch, including PHILCO sweatshirts, a nod to the Lesh & Friends lineup.
Expect art installations and experiences almost anywhere you turn, Berg said. “Other festivals may have a quote-unquote art area. Whereas we have art scattered literally everywhere, you’ll see it next to the stages.”
Sacred Rose pledges to be fully ADA accessible, with ADA parking and entry lanes at both East and West Entrances. Inside, there are viewing areas and other services. Stop by the Accessibility Services Booth at Guest Services for a wristband.
Taping of music is allowed at Sacred Rose for personal, noncommercial use (though no video). There will be taping sections behind the soundboards at stages.
Chairs, blankets and bags that follow the festival bag policy are allowed. So are vape pens (sealed) and granola bars (sealed). For the full list of allowed and prohibited items, go to www.sacredrosefest.com/faq.
For updates during the festival, follow the Sacred Rose Twitter and other social media accounts, or download their app for iPhone and Android.
Sacred Rose will be Aug. 26-28 at SeatGeek Stadium, 7000 S. Harlem Ave., Bridgeview. Hours are noon to midnight Friday and Saturday, noon to 11 p.m. Sunday. Tickets start at $99 with fees for a single day and are on sale (ages 17+); 3-day passes and VIP tickets are also available (several options are sold out). Children ages 9 and under are free with a ticket-holding adult; children ages 10-16 will be admitted with a ticket-holding adult and a Kids Admission Pass. One re-entry is allowed for your ticket daily before 6 p.m. More at sacredrosefest.com
