The Daily Swarm

Barack Obama, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, has left a slot open in his schedule during the first weekend of August for an appearance at the Lollapalooza music festival in his hometown of Chicago, according to multiple sources familiar with the ongoing planning and logistics.

The candidate, whose national campaign headquarters is located less than a mile from the festival site in Chicago’s downtown Grant Park, would make a brief appearance onstage to introduce one of the headlining acts that share his hometown. Chicago-based artists Kanye West and Wilco have two of the top six slots at Lollapalooza and both are known Obama supporters. Obama has already met with Kanye West to enlist his active support in the campaign, and the rapper is reportedly scheduled to perform at an event during the Democratic National Convention in Denver. Wilco and lead singer Jeff Tweedy are long-time Obama supporters, and just last week the candidate made an appearance at a Chicago fundraising event headlined by Tweedy and blues musician Otis Clay, proclaiming on stage “I love Wilco.”

The sources all insist that Obama’s Lollapalooza appearance will remain unconfirmed right up until the last minute, as his schedule is always subject to change, political events remain fluid, and security arrangements for such a large scale public appearance are challenging.

Lollapalooza takes place in Chicago’s Grant Park August 1–3.