Lollapalooza takes over Grant Park this weekend, drawing hundreds of thousands to downtown Chicago, while being lauded as the festival for other big events to emulate.

The big picture: With other local music and summer festivals having problems with neighborhoods, the city and unfortunate weather patterns, critics point to Lollapalooza as the ideal.

• That wasn't always the case.

Flashback: Lollapalooza ditched the touring model and chose Chicago as its permanent home in 2005. At that time, Grant Park hosted public events like Taste of Chicago but rarely rented out the full park.

• The city touted the deal as a big win, but it wasn't an immediate success story.

Follow the money: The initial contract between Lollapalooza and the city included an exemption for the amusement tax, saving the festival millions of dollars. After several news investigations highlighted the deal, the Park District and Lollapalooza renegotiated.

• Last year, Lollapalooza paid the Chicago Park District a record high of $9.6 million to use Grant Park.

Friction point: Other festivals like Riot Fest have had very public battles with neighbors frustrated with the use of parks as concert venues.

• A recent Harris Poll said that only three in 10 Chicagoans would be affected by Lollapalooza and that the four-day festival audience is mostly tourists.
• But don't tell that to people who live near Grant Park. Street and park closings have sometimes lasted weeks, without notice, while the city fixed damages.

Weather woes: One issue outside the control of festival organizers has been new weather patterns caused by climate change. Cancellations, evacuations and delays have become the norm, rather than the exception. Lolla is touted for having an evacuation and weather-preparedness plan.

Yes, but: That wasn't always the case. In 2012, weather forced the festival to close and move everyone into underground parking garages and train stations. Eyewitnesses said they were just told to leave the park; for months later, the city and the festival refused to share evacuation plans.

The bottom line: Lollapalooza will almost certainly continue to be used as a shining example for other festivals looking to operate in Chicago parks, but let's not forget that it took years for it to get there.

Read more examples

Lollapalooza has long offered beer and meaty Chicago favorites, but vegetarians and teetotalers sometimes faced slim pickins.

What's happening: This year the fest has launched Plant Base, Vibes Village and a House of Dunkin', where I tried some hits and misses.

The food: Kung pao "beef" ($18) and sweet chili gyoza ($10) from Lincoln Park's Vegan Plate Chicago in Plant Base.

The verdict: This fiery, delicious dish could feed two and fool most into thinking it's real beef. Skip the overly sweet gyoza.

The food: Plant-based crab rangoon with a sweet dipping sauce ($13) from Edgewater's Alice & Friends.

The verdict: A creamy, crunchy, tasty delight.

The food: Soy chorizo, cauliflower al pastor and mushroom tacos from Penelope's Vegan Taqueria in Andersonville ($19).

The verdict: Stick with the full-flavored mushroom taco, and skip the other two mushy offerings.

Two more reviews

🗳 Reproductive Rights groups, including Personal PAC, are urging Vice President Kamala Harris to select Gov. JB Pritzker as her running mate in the presidential election. (WTTW)

🏚 The Chicago Housing Authority and fair housing advocates have amended a 2019 agreement, citing progress made by the CHA. The new agreement extended the agency's timeline to redevelop properties such as Altgeld Gardens and the former Stateway Gardens. (Block Club)

🎼 Lyric Opera of Chicago named John Mangum as its new leader after Anthony Freud stepped down in June. Mangum comes to Chicago from the Houston Symphony Orchestra. (Sun-Times)

On Saturday, two legendary Chicago Bears will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.

The big picture: Steve "Mongo" McMichael and Devin Hester thrilled Bears fans for years, and their accomplishments will finally be recognized.

• A third Bear, Julius Peppers, will also be enshrined, but he will go in as a Carolina Panther.

Fun fact: The Bears have the most players of any team inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Zoom in: McMichael, who is fighting ALS and has been in and out of intensive care this year, will not attend the event. Jarrett Payton, Walter Payton's son, will speak for him.

Yes, but: The Hall of Fame will reportedly travel to his suburban Chicago home to personally deliver his jacket and his bust during the televised ceremony. The Hall president will be joined by McMichael's family and his former teammates, Hall of Famers Richard Dent and Jimbo Covert.

How to watch: The ceremony will broadcast tomorrow at 11am on ESPN and NFL Network.

📸 Check out some great archival photos of both players here and here.

Read more about their induction

📆 Upcoming events around the city.

Adult Self-Care Summer Camp online on August 15: Join us for a virtual retreat where you can express yourself creatively, have fun, and make new friends. Take part in various creative activities (coloring affirmations, decorating a journal & silent reading, and creating affirmation art in Canva) from the comfort of your own home.

Hosting an event? Email [email protected].

"The Lord of the Rings" musical has made its U.S. premiere at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater with an ambitious three-hour production.

Why it matters: The show offers yet another way for fans to enjoy J.R.R. Tolkien's 1,149-page novel, but this time it's with songs by Bollywood composer A.R. Rahman and Finnish folk group Värttinä in a show that was first mounted in Toronto in 2006 and reworked in London.

Between the lines: The production has earned mixed reviews with some theatergoers lamenting lost emotional resonance amid the show's fast pace and penchant for spectacle.

• The scope of the show also requires some actors to double as musicians and vice versa, which can test their artistic range.

Yes, but: The production features some fine actors, terrifying puppetry and innovative stagecraft likely to delight Tolkien superfans.

If you go: Tickets cost $41 to $108, and the show runs through Sept. 1.