Eat. Watch. Do. — 88 outdoor concerts, Chicago’s best barbecue, plus new food reads

It’s Thursday, Chicago.

Even if the shockingly warm and pleasant weather caught you off guard — spring wardrobe struggles, anyone? — we hope you found a way to get outdoors and active this week.

Speaking of warmer weather, we’ve found 88 outdoor concerts across Chicagoland for you to plan your next groove to. Or, if the springtime sun has you hankering for the taste of smoked meats, food critic Nick Kindelsperger has ranked his favorite barbecue joints in the city.

And if you think there’s no better way to spend a spare sunny afternoon than with a book in hand in a hammock by the water, we also have some food-inspired reads to choose from.

Have a great weekend, we’ll see you here next week.

— Lauryn Azu, deputy senior content editor

Have a summer reading list to stack? Food critic Louisa Chu has a few picks for foodies with Chicago ties, including a bestselling title that explores this city’s greatest dishes by local food journalists Monica Eng and David Hammond. Read more here.

“The Last Thing He Told Me,” out now on Apple TV+, is a new mystery-thriller series adapted from the 2021 novel by Laura Dave.

“In terms of reasonably entertaining intrigue that doesn’t involve guns being waved in everyone’s faces, ‘The Last Thing He Told Me’ gets the job done,” critic Nina Metz writes, “And there’s a good chance you’ll have your laundry folded by the end.” Read more here.

Eat. Watch. Do.

Weekly

What to eat. What to watch. What you need to live your best life … now.

With roots in South Side Black-owned operations where pitmasters use aquarium-style smokers, Chicago’s barbecue style generally evades national shortlists for best in the country. Yet critic Nick Kindelsperger thinks the city’s pitmasters deserve the acclaim and more. Read his roundup of the best barbecue in Chicago here.

It will be a booming summer for Chicago concerts. Major headliners like Beyonce, Taylor Swift, Bruce Springsteen and Drake have announced stops here, and venues and promoters are full speed ahead after two years of major interruptions to most tours. Check out the full list here.

For theater critic Chris Jones, Goodman Theatre artistic director Robert Falls’ final show “The Cherry Orchard” is everything he hoped it would be. Read his thoughts on Falls’ direction of the play by Anton Chekhov here.

Violins of Hope, a touring collection of instruments that passed through Jewish families during and after World War II, will be in Chicagoland for the next five months for its biggest stop to date. But you won’t just be able to see these instruments in libraries, in classrooms, in Jewish community centers and synagogues — you’ll also hear them in the hands of local ensembles. Learn more about the collection here.

The work of Robert Zemeckis, who gave us “Back to the Future,” “Forrest Gump” and “Flight,” will be reexamined in a near-complete retrospective of the Chicago native’s filmmaking career through April 19 at the Music Box Theatre. Read about how two movie-loving podcast hosts put the idea into action here.

More swanky resorts are turning “full-family” to meet rising demand from parents looking to tow the kids along when traveling. Even party destinations like Mykonos are adjusting to the interest. Get inspired for your next family vacation here.

If the springtime blooms in your yard need to be addressed, consult this roundup of 113 tips from gardening experts. Learn how you can battle pests, what tools you should have on hand and which plants are better suited for our region here.