Windy City Gay Idol is ready to kick off its fourth year of crowning the best amateur gay or lesbian singer in the Chicago area. What began as a fun promotion with Windy City Media Group and Bud Light has became a yearly anticipated event in the gay community. The events are hosted by Windy City Radio's Amy Matheny.
This year, 10 bars are part of the Gay Idol extravaganza, which will set up shop for one night at each bar and sign up as many as 20 participants each night who will sing their hearts out for the chance to advance to the semifinals June 3 at Sidetrack ( a new bar to the competition ) . All of this hard work and votes from friends, family and audience members will hopefully land them on the stage at the finals June 16 at Circuit nightclub.
However, the road to Gay Idol is not easy. All contestants will face local celebrity judges, including cabaret performers Amy Armstrong and Freddy Allen; music critic and DJ Peter Mavrik; Grammy-nominated jazz singer Jeannie Tanner; event producer Julie Mosier; and drag performer Chicago's own Cher, to name a few.
This year, each winner in the preliminary rounds will win $100 cash. Two winners from each bar will advance to the semifinals. Audience members at each bar will also have the chance to win great prizes, such as Bud Light merchandise, Broadway in Chicago tickets and much more.
The finals are where the big prizes come out for audience members as well as the top three contestants, including weekend stays at hotels, Bud Light Guitars, holiday excursions, season passes to theaters and Bud Light Trek Mountain Bikes.
The winner will walk away with $1,000 in cash, the bike, airline tickets from American Airlines and much more—including the coveted title of Gay Idol 2006.
The event is open to all singers age 21 and above. The schedule this year is:
Thursday, March 16—The Closet, 3325 N. Broadway
Tuesday, March 28—Jackhammer, 6406 N. Clark
Friday, April 7—DiChanos, 201-155th St. Cal City
Thursday, April 13—Hydrate, 3458 N. Halsted
Sunday, April 23—Star Gaze, 5419 N. Clark
Wednesday, May 3—Scot's, 1829 W. Montrose
Wednesday, May 10—@mosphere, 5355 N. Clark
Thursday, May 18—SPIN ( Wild Card Night )
Saturday, June 3—Sidetrack ( Semis ) , 3349 N. Halsted
Friday, June 16—Circuit ( Finals ) , 3641 N. Halsted
See www.WindyCityMediaGroup.com for more details. There is a $10 entry fee for singers and a $5 cover for audience members.