Chicago Cubs welcome Out at Wrigley to the Friendly Confines this Saturday
Wed. July 31, 2013 10:32 AM by Anthony Morgano
event organizer bill gubrud (right) at oaw 2012
photo credit // out at wrigley
National Gay and Lesbian Sports Hall of Fame induction this Friday
Chicago, IL -
It's time to break out the peanuts and Cracker Jack, not to mention your cutest baseball T, because Out at Wrigley, the nation's largest LGBT sporting event, returns to Chicago's Wrigley Field this Sat., Aug. 3, when the Cubs are set to take on the Los Angeles Dodgers underneath the gay pride flag.
Out at Wrigley has continued to grow since its inception in 2001, this year adding the induction of the new National Gay and Lesbian Sports Hall of Fame the previous night as well as a new special prize for a finalist of the annual national anthem contest: a recording contract with world renowned house producer and recording artist Georgie Porgie.
"Bill [Gubrud] and I had spoken in the past about doing a singing competition," the Chicago native, best known for hits like "Love's Gonna Save the Day" (2002), "Sunshine" (2005) and "I Believe" (2007), told ChicagoPride.com. "In preparing this year for Out at Wrigley, Bill reached out to see if Music Plant Group would be a sponsor of the event. The twist to our sponsorship would be to give the winner a recording contract. I decided not only to give a recording contract, but also to personally produce the winners record."
The added excitement drew a total of 80 contestants this year, who competed in gay bars across the city over the last three months. Of those 80, 20 semi finalists were selected to compete at Sidetrack and 11 of those singers were chosen as finalists. The final round, held July 17 at Roscoe's, could have gone one of two ways: either a single contestant would be chosen to both sing the national anthem and receive the recording contract with Georgie Porgie's Music Plant Group, or one contestant could be chosen for each.
This year, two winners were selected by a panel of four judges, which included Georgie Porgie, Jackie Weinberg, Matt Delance and Out at Wrigley event organizer Bill Gubrud.
Singing the national anthem on Saturday will be Adam LeBlanc, best known in Chicago as the lead singer of festival-favorite 80s cover band 16 Candles. A native of Duluth (which he calls "the San Francisco of the Midwest"), LeBlanc moved to Lakeview with his brother back in 2003.
"When I first moved here, I responded to an ad in The Reader that said 'sing 80's music, make money, have fun," LeBlanc told ChicagoPride.com. "It sounded like a no-brainer to me and almost 10 years later, we are still thriving and spreading the 80's love through the tri-state. Those guys are my brothers and I am so fortunate to have them in my life."
In addition to fronting 16 Candles, LeBlanc also records his own music (soundcloud.com/adamshmaddam) and, along with his brother, DJs at Berlin for their GLO: Euro Dance Party and is also set to DJ at Double Door for their new upcoming LGBTQA art/music/dance extravaganza, FABITAT. LeBlanc, who has competed in Out At Wrigley's national anthem contest twice before, wowed the final round with an impromptu version of Elton John's "Bennie and the Jets" after his prepared Jamiroquai single wasn't offered in Roscoe's karaoke books.
As a previous employee of Crew, who witnessed the excitement of Cubs game days firsthand, and a resident of Lakeview proximate to Wrigley Field for the last 10 years, LeBlanc is thrilled to be singing the national anthem at one of the country's classic ballparks.
"I truly love this song. What the lyrics represent and the picture they paint of triumph over oppression and the ideals of hope really resonate with me," LeBlanc said. "I am excited to be a representative of my community and a part of a rich tradition in the neighborhood that helped me grow into who I am today. My heart belongs to Lakeview."
You can catch 16 Candles across the street at The Cubby Bear, 1059. W Addison, later Saturday night for a show that starts at 10 p.m.
The second winner is Ryan Browning, who Georgie Porgie himself chose as the recipient of a recording contract with Music Plant Group, the longest running dance label in America. His record will be produced by the legendary Georgie Porgie and have worldwide distribution, promotion and marketing to the masses -- in short, it's a change to be heard around the world.
"He was the complete package!" Georgie Porgie said of Browning. "He sung with ease and had unbelievable voice control. He is one that I believe I could record a single with in the morning. Most of all, I loved that he was a humble human being with such a great gift!"
Chicago Cubs to fly gay pride flag during Out at Wrigley
On Saturday, the Cubs are hanging two rainbow gay pride flags from the upper deck, making them the second-ever professional sports team to hang the pride flag at their game (the first being the Seattle Mariners on June 30). This is only the most recent in a long line of open support by the Cubs for the LGBT community, which started with the first Out at Wrigley over a decade ago. This history has earned them a place in the National Gay and Lesbian Sports Hall of Fame, which inducts its inaugural class of 26 this Fri., Aug. 2, at the Center on Halsted.
"The Chicago Cubs are without a doubt the most LGBT friendly sports organization," Gubrud said of their decision to hang the gay pride flag. "This is very noteworthy because the Cubs are one of the most popular sports franchises and I think once other teams see this occur, it will start a trend in other cities."
Cubs owners Tom Ricketts and sister Laura Ricketts, who became the first openly gay MLB owner when the Ricketts family took over ownership of the Cubs from the Tribune Company in 2009, will also attend Saturday's event.
Tickets still available for Out at Wrigley, Sat. Aug. 3, 2013
Two tiers of tickets are available for Out at Wrigley: for $54 a piece, fans can purchase one of 300 seats in right field terrace (section 239-240), but for $130, 150 fans get VIP tickets for the recently-built Budweiser Patio, which includes all you can eat food, beer and wine as well as a complimentary gift bag. Gubrud is also offering a deal to make it a sports-filled weekend: if you buy a Budweiser Patio Deck ticket to Out at Wrigley, you will receive a free ticket to Friday night's induction ceremony for National Gay and Lesbian Sports Hall of Fame. That's two days of sports greatness, not to mention open bar, in a row.
This year's sponsors include Anheuser Busch, ChicagoPride.com, Gay Chicago TV, Grab Magazine, Windy City Media Group, The L Stop, Crew, DS Tequila, Music Plant Group and Best Gay Chicago, with the Center on Halsted and the newly-formed National Gay and Lesbian Sports Hall of Fame being named as the beneficiaries of Out at Wrigley 2013.
The host committee includes Gubrud, Weinberg, Steve Milford, Brian Wells, John Dalton, Phil DaBeatz and Lizzy Bristow.
More information and tickets are available at www.outatwrigley.com.
Out at Wrigley has continued to grow since its inception in 2001, this year adding the induction of the new National Gay and Lesbian Sports Hall of Fame the previous night as well as a new special prize for a finalist of the annual national anthem contest: a recording contract with world renowned house producer and recording artist Georgie Porgie.
"Bill [Gubrud] and I had spoken in the past about doing a singing competition," the Chicago native, best known for hits like "Love's Gonna Save the Day" (2002), "Sunshine" (2005) and "I Believe" (2007), told ChicagoPride.com. "In preparing this year for Out at Wrigley, Bill reached out to see if Music Plant Group would be a sponsor of the event. The twist to our sponsorship would be to give the winner a recording contract. I decided not only to give a recording contract, but also to personally produce the winners record."
The added excitement drew a total of 80 contestants this year, who competed in gay bars across the city over the last three months. Of those 80, 20 semi finalists were selected to compete at Sidetrack and 11 of those singers were chosen as finalists. The final round, held July 17 at Roscoe's, could have gone one of two ways: either a single contestant would be chosen to both sing the national anthem and receive the recording contract with Georgie Porgie's Music Plant Group, or one contestant could be chosen for each.
This year, two winners were selected by a panel of four judges, which included Georgie Porgie, Jackie Weinberg, Matt Delance and Out at Wrigley event organizer Bill Gubrud.
Singing the national anthem on Saturday will be Adam LeBlanc, best known in Chicago as the lead singer of festival-favorite 80s cover band 16 Candles. A native of Duluth (which he calls "the San Francisco of the Midwest"), LeBlanc moved to Lakeview with his brother back in 2003.
"When I first moved here, I responded to an ad in The Reader that said 'sing 80's music, make money, have fun," LeBlanc told ChicagoPride.com. "It sounded like a no-brainer to me and almost 10 years later, we are still thriving and spreading the 80's love through the tri-state. Those guys are my brothers and I am so fortunate to have them in my life."
In addition to fronting 16 Candles, LeBlanc also records his own music (soundcloud.com/adamshmaddam) and, along with his brother, DJs at Berlin for their GLO: Euro Dance Party and is also set to DJ at Double Door for their new upcoming LGBTQA art/music/dance extravaganza, FABITAT. LeBlanc, who has competed in Out At Wrigley's national anthem contest twice before, wowed the final round with an impromptu version of Elton John's "Bennie and the Jets" after his prepared Jamiroquai single wasn't offered in Roscoe's karaoke books.
As a previous employee of Crew, who witnessed the excitement of Cubs game days firsthand, and a resident of Lakeview proximate to Wrigley Field for the last 10 years, LeBlanc is thrilled to be singing the national anthem at one of the country's classic ballparks.
"I truly love this song. What the lyrics represent and the picture they paint of triumph over oppression and the ideals of hope really resonate with me," LeBlanc said. "I am excited to be a representative of my community and a part of a rich tradition in the neighborhood that helped me grow into who I am today. My heart belongs to Lakeview."
You can catch 16 Candles across the street at The Cubby Bear, 1059. W Addison, later Saturday night for a show that starts at 10 p.m.
The second winner is Ryan Browning, who Georgie Porgie himself chose as the recipient of a recording contract with Music Plant Group, the longest running dance label in America. His record will be produced by the legendary Georgie Porgie and have worldwide distribution, promotion and marketing to the masses -- in short, it's a change to be heard around the world.
"He was the complete package!" Georgie Porgie said of Browning. "He sung with ease and had unbelievable voice control. He is one that I believe I could record a single with in the morning. Most of all, I loved that he was a humble human being with such a great gift!"
Chicago Cubs to fly gay pride flag during Out at Wrigley
On Saturday, the Cubs are hanging two rainbow gay pride flags from the upper deck, making them the second-ever professional sports team to hang the pride flag at their game (the first being the Seattle Mariners on June 30). This is only the most recent in a long line of open support by the Cubs for the LGBT community, which started with the first Out at Wrigley over a decade ago. This history has earned them a place in the National Gay and Lesbian Sports Hall of Fame, which inducts its inaugural class of 26 this Fri., Aug. 2, at the Center on Halsted.
"The Chicago Cubs are without a doubt the most LGBT friendly sports organization," Gubrud said of their decision to hang the gay pride flag. "This is very noteworthy because the Cubs are one of the most popular sports franchises and I think once other teams see this occur, it will start a trend in other cities."
Cubs owners Tom Ricketts and sister Laura Ricketts, who became the first openly gay MLB owner when the Ricketts family took over ownership of the Cubs from the Tribune Company in 2009, will also attend Saturday's event.
Tickets still available for Out at Wrigley, Sat. Aug. 3, 2013
Two tiers of tickets are available for Out at Wrigley: for $54 a piece, fans can purchase one of 300 seats in right field terrace (section 239-240), but for $130, 150 fans get VIP tickets for the recently-built Budweiser Patio, which includes all you can eat food, beer and wine as well as a complimentary gift bag. Gubrud is also offering a deal to make it a sports-filled weekend: if you buy a Budweiser Patio Deck ticket to Out at Wrigley, you will receive a free ticket to Friday night's induction ceremony for National Gay and Lesbian Sports Hall of Fame. That's two days of sports greatness, not to mention open bar, in a row.
This year's sponsors include Anheuser Busch, ChicagoPride.com, Gay Chicago TV, Grab Magazine, Windy City Media Group, The L Stop, Crew, DS Tequila, Music Plant Group and Best Gay Chicago, with the Center on Halsted and the newly-formed National Gay and Lesbian Sports Hall of Fame being named as the beneficiaries of Out at Wrigley 2013.
The host committee includes Gubrud, Weinberg, Steve Milford, Brian Wells, John Dalton, Phil DaBeatz and Lizzy Bristow.
More information and tickets are available at www.outatwrigley.com.