CHICAGO — Chance the Rapper will headline a festival at U.S. Cellular Field, according to advertisements for the event.
The festival, dubbed "Magnificent Coloring Day," after the Chicago rapper's latest mixtape, "Coloring Book," also features Skrillex, John Legend, Lil Wayne amd Alica Keys among others.
Tickets for the Sept. 24, 2016 show will be available at chanceraps.com. No prices are listed. (Update: a time clock on the site indicates that more info may be available at 5 p.m. Monday.)
Born Chancellor Bennett in Chatham, the 23-year-old Chance the Rapper's latest effort has been released to critical acclaim. Pitchfork called it "one of the strongest rap albums released this year" and described the artist as "one of the biggest independent rappers of the moment."
Concerts are rare at U.S. Cellular Field, the 25-year-old government-owned home of the Chicago White Sox. Chance has a close relationship with the team, appearing in commercials and designing some special hats for the Sox this year.
The Illinois Sports Facilities Authority has been criticized for not using the stadium enough for events outside the White Sox games. A July 1, 2016 Tribune editorial urging the stadium authority to find more ways to use Sox Park noted there hasn't been a concert there in a decade. (Bruce Springsteen performed in 2003; the Rolling Stones in 2002.)
There have been religious meetings — Joel Osteen rented it in 2011 — and boxing matches in recent years. In a college gridiron matchup, Northern Illinois University will play Toledo Nov. 9 there, the first football game in the park's history.
In an examination of The Cell's finances a quarter century after the stadium was built to prevent the White Sox from moving to St. Petersburg, Florida, the Tribune estimated the stadium authority has "nearly $430 million in debt related to renovations at the ballpark and a major overhaul of Soldier Field, including $36 million in payments owed this year."
The authority relies primarily on hotel taxes though the state and city also required to pay $5 million each year. The White Sox paid $1.6 million last year, the Tribune said.
There is no word on how much the stadium authority might make on the Magnificent Coloring Day festival but Crain's Chicago Business said that the NIU football game contract calls for the government owners of the park to keep all parking and concessions revenue plus a portion of the ticket sales.
According to the stadium authority's website, Osteen's religious gathering netted the authority $177,000. For the Springsteen concert and Rolling Stones performance "revenues exceeded $1 million," the agency said.
Chance has been vocal about Chicago politics, especially after the release of the Laquan McDonald shooting video. In an appearance on "Saturday Night Live," the rapper referenced Officer Jason Van Dyke, who fatally shot the teen 16 times in 2014.
He criticized Mayor Rahm Emanuel in an interview in May, saying "we need a new mayor for sure." Ken Bennett, Chance's father, was named Emanuel's deputy chief of staff and director of the Mayor's Office of Public Engagement in 2014.
CHICAGO!! Me, The Rapper w @Skrillex @LilTunechi @fucktyler @youngthug @LILUZIVERT @aliciakeys @johnlegend @2chainz pic.twitter.com/YLizL0eHnd
— Lil Chano From 79th (@chancetherapper) July 25, 2016
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