While the viral #ThankYouSteveAlbini campaign in Steve Albini's remembrance (on what would have been the musician and recording engineer's 62nd birthday on July 22) made its presence known here in Canada at Guelph's Hillside Festival and beyond, a somewhat mysterious event called Steve Albini: The Gathering called many of his friends, family and fans to Chicago — the city he moved to to attend Northwestern University and never left.
Albini's presence and legacy will now remain all the more potent in his adopted home, as the City of Chicago has announced that a street will be named in the late producer's honour.
The news was shared at the end of the event's Day 3 livestream, where hosts revealed that, the following morning, the office of Alderman Carlos Ramirez-Rosa would be making an appearance to make the proclamation that Belmont Avenue — where Albini's custom-built, self-financed studio, Electrical Audio, is located — would henceforth be called Steve Albini Way.
"I'd like to thank you guys for coming down here, because only an asshole would ask the City to honour their husband and then make them drive to Zion," Albini's widow, Heather Whinna, told representatives during the Day 4 livestream to follow. Whinna was presented with the honorary resolution, which was officially adopted by Mayor Brandon Johnson at the July 19 city council meeting.