Luckily, Chicagoans, just like the Daley machine on which they rely, are known for getting things done. In the absence of an official Chicago Ball (though to be fair, Obama?s Home States Ball did feature the South Side?s other favorite son, Common), the Hideout, a renowned hipster dive, partnered with community organizers Interchange and
D.C. think tank the Future of Music Coalition (full disclosure: I briefly wrote for their blog) to bring a busload of Chicago musicians to D.C.?s Black Cat on the eve of the inauguration.