Gary Spivack<\/strong>: Chicago is a crowded space\u2014you have Lollapalooza, Pitchfork, outdoor venues, many great venues\u2014Metro, the Vic Theater\u2014and you also have Wrigley Field! So if you\u2019re going to come to Chicago and do a multi-band event, you have to come correct. We felt this year, to bring it back with Tool and System of a Down, that\u2019s the way to swing it in Chicago.<\/p>\n ITL<\/strong>: Great headliners, for sure. How did you go about selecting bands?<\/p>\n GS<\/strong>: We knew we couldn\u2019t half-ass it, and to have two giants like Tool and System Of A Down, two anchors like those headliners, plus Ghost, Meshuggah\u2026unfortunately, we lost Keith earlier this year (Keith Flint of The Prodigy, who passed away in March of this year. – Ed. note) and The Prodigy, but replacing them with The Cult, having Beartooth, and Code Orange\u2026we feel like we have a major-league, A-level weekend of hard rock and metal that I think everybody can be proud of.<\/p>\n ITL:<\/strong> Those are indeed huge anchors! It\u2019s interesting that you bring up Wrigley, as it\u2019s only been about ten years since that became a huge concert house, and since then, it\u2019s been gangbusters.<\/p>\n GS:<\/strong> Without a doubt. When you have Pearl Jam selling out weekends, Foo Fighters, James Taylor, Paul McCartney, it is competition, you are competing with that, as well as other outdoor events like Riot Fest and Lollapalooza.<\/p>\n ITL:<\/strong> Speaking specifically of venues, how did you initially end up selecting Bridgeport for Chicago Open Air, as opposed to a large outdoor space in Chicago proper? It brought a lot of positive attention to that venue and that area, and I think a lot of concertgoers weren\u2019t aware that it even existed.<\/p>\n GS:<\/strong> We\u2019ve had a lot of success in soccer stadiums around the country before, including Columbus, Ohio, of course, and we love the feel of those places. It\u2019s a boring \u2018shed\u2019 (amphitheater) with reserved lawn seating and all that, but it\u2019s also not a football stadium, you can put your arms around it. It\u2019s big, but it\u2019s intimate.<\/p>\n ITL:<\/strong> It\u2019s a perfect size for COA, I have to say.<\/p>\n GS:<\/strong> Exactly\u2014great venue, great parking, things in the area for secondary entertainment\u2014we\u2019re very happy there, and I\u2019m surprised there aren\u2019t more shows there!<\/p>\n ITL<\/strong>: I am, too, to be honest, and hopefully, that will change. With regard to staging a metal fest, it\u2019s interesting that, just this morning, I read an article about TuneCore, and how their analytics have determined that metal is the fastest growing genre in all of music. You\u2019ve been great at really bringing in a lot of independent metal bands to COA in the past\u2014will that trend continue into the future?<\/p>\n GS:<\/strong> I\u2019m not surprised to hear that, and yeah, the thing with Chicago, we have to do it right, and we\u2019re not just going to put on a show to put on a show. Yes, we are absolutely looking into the future, but of course, that will be talent-dependent. We approach it from the standpoint that every slot on the bill matters.<\/p>\n ITL:<\/strong> Metal\u2019s always been such a grassroots genre, and to that end, do you see a difference in the kinds of crowds or fans for something so genre-specific, as opposed to something more open-ended in terms of style, like Rock On the Range or something of that nature?<\/p>\n GS:<\/strong> Not as much as you would think. With Chicago, there are so many different types of festivals, you have to really pick a lane, so curation-wise, we wanted to approach it differently than we\u2019d apply throughout the country for larger fests. With the fans, it does feel like a wider spectrum, and maybe that means we\u2019re turning them on to new things, which is great.<\/p>\n ITL:<\/strong> So, who\u2019s in your wishlist now, for the future?<\/p>\n GS<\/strong>: Rage Against the Machine. Without a doubt, and maybe 2020 will call them back. It\u2019s a shame and crime if Rage isn\u2019t an active band in 2020, for their righteousness.<\/p>\n ITL:<\/strong> And who are you most excited to see this year?<\/p>\n GS:<\/strong> System Of A Down are only doing two shows this year in America, and if there was a roof over this stadium, they\u2019d tear it off. But to close the event with Tool, knowing it will be so majestic, heady, and intense. Two very different bands, but it\u2019ll be beautiful chaos.<\/p>\n ITL:<\/strong> Well, we\u2019re all looking forward to it, and as a big metal fan in Chicago, I just want to say thank you so much for bringing this event here and giving us so much great music over these last few years.<\/p>\n GS:<\/strong> Without you guys, the fans, the media, the whole metal community, we\u2019re nothing, all cliches aside. Thank you for supporting it!<\/p>\n ============================================================================================<\/p>\n For more on Chicago Open Air Presents, including 2019 lineup, tickets and details, click here<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Ministry-live-at-Chicago-Open-Air-Festival-2016-22-1-1024x683.jpg\")
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