One of the great benefits of living in Chicago in the summer is the free concert series in Millennium Park. Last year I got to see Natalie Prass and Hurray For The Riff Raff play great sets. Tonight I went to see my first show at Pritzker Pavilion this season, with Aimee Mann headlining after an opening set from This Is The Kit.

It was a packed audience with some single seats wedged between a sea of people. The lawn was completely full with picnicking families and wine-drinking friends. I found a slot just behind the “VIP” area, which ended up being a free-for-all once the ushers realized no one with VIP wristbands was bothering to sit there.

Mann delivered a career-spanning set (even some Til’ Tuesday) plus some brand new songs. I was there to hear songs from the Magnolia and Bachelor No. 2 era and was not disappointed. She didn’t play “Driving Sideways,” but she did play “Save Me,” “Wise Up,” and her cover of “One.”

As a special treat, Ted Leo joined Aimee for a few songs. Their duo The Both is now branching out and they’re recording a podcast together called The Process. No word on the release date for that, but their chemistry is still great. They played the Til’ Tuesday song “Voices Carry,” which Mann revealed was the first song she ever wrote.