Widow's peak

After disappearing from the recording scene for more than a decade, the widow of the legendary John Lennon finally returned to the music scene in March 1997 when I interviewed her during her Chicago visit to promote her new album "Rising," a joint project with the band IMA that featured then 21-year-old son Sean Ono Lennon on guitar.

It's once again a decade later and Yoko Ono and son are back in Chicago, this time for the summer and not performing together.

Ono will headline the Pitchfork Music Festival in Union Park, 1501 W. Randolph, in Chicago on Saturday, July 14. Single day weekend tickets to the festival are $25 and available at www.pitchforkmusicfestival.com.

As for 31-year-old Sean, he's one of many names playing this year's Lollapalooza in Grant Park Aug. 3 to 5 in Chicago.

Both Sean and his mother are low key. And 74-year-old Ono is definitely no longer a fan of the media these days.

However, to plug the "Rising" album after it was first unveiled in November, 1997, Ono made a rare appearance on the NBC hit sitcom of the day "Mad About You" with Helen Hunt and Paul Reiser to perform the song "Talking To The Universe" from that album.

Preaching the importance of peace and love continues to be the mission of Ono, who began her efforts with the late Lennon, who was fatally shot in 1980. Together, the couple invented their own form of peace protest by staying in bed while being filmed and interviewed by the media to speak out against the Vietnam War. And the song the duo performed in 1969 called "Give Peace a Chance" became "the national anthem of pacifists."

Ono's biggest hit was a holiday tune in 1972, also performed as a duet with her late husband, called "Happy Christmas." It was at No. 2 on the charts after just one week, and remained there for seven weeks. By mid-January 1973, it had sold more than 2 million copies.

And though Ono's vocal talents have been the topic of comedians' jokes over the years (Joan Rivers: "When Satan plays records backwards, he hears Yoko Ono. He says - Yoko! Oh No!"), the Japanese artist has earned a reputation during the last two decades as a pop culture icon.

A classically trained pianist, Ono dropped out of Sarah Lawrence College in 1957. She then traveled to New York to experiment with music and painting.

Ono says writing her last album provoked memories of her youth in war-torn Tokyo.

Her birthday bidding

"Spider-Man" actress Kirsten Dunst celebrated her 25th birthday Monday in New York waking up early to film a live segment on NBC's "Today" show, along with her film costars Tobey Maguire, Topher Grace, James Franco and Thomas Hayden Church. Even New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg was on hand to welcome the cast and plug the film's U.S. opening Monday night in Queens.

Summer concert update

For the readers who e-mailed requesting the latest summer concert schedule for the Tinley Park, Ill., outdoor theater space, now named the First Midwest Bank Amphitheater, here's what I have, along with ticket price ranges:

Alan Jackson with Brooks and Dunn at 8 p.m. June 2 ($50-$670); Gwen Stefani 8 p.m. June 8 ($33-$640); Def Leppard 7 p.m. June 30 ($56-$570); Jimmy Buffett 7 p.m. July 21($80-$1025); Kenny Chesney 7 p.m. Aug. 11 ($58-$950); Brad Paisley 8 p.m. Aug.26 ($54-$575) and Toby Keith 8 p.m. Sept. 15 ($54-$640).

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer. He can be reached at ppotempa@nwitimes.com or 219.852.4327.

celebBirthdays

Country singer Sonny James is 78. Actor Mark Slade (Billy Blue Cannon on "The High Chaparral," "The Wackiest Ship in the Army") is 69. Singer Judy Collins is 68. Actor Stephen Macht (Joe Cooper on "Knots Landing") is 65. Singer Rita Coolidge is 62. Bassist Nick Fortune of The Buckinghams and actress Joanna Lumley ("Absolutely Fabulous") are 61. Actor Douglas Barr (Howie Munson on "The Fall Guy") is 58. Actor John Diehl (Det. Zito on "Miami Vice", "The Shield") is 57.Actor Dann Florek ("Law and Order: SVU") is 56. Singer-songwriter Ray Parker Jr. is 53. Actress Maia Morgenstern ("The Passion of the Christ") is 45. Country singer Wayne Hancock is 42. Bassist Johnny Colt (Black Crowes) and actor Charlie Schlatter ("Diagnosis Murder") are 41. Country singer Tim McGraw is 40. Bassist D'Arcy Wretzky (Smashing Pumpkins) is 39. Actor Darius McCrary ("Family Matters")

is 31.