Fans of Tucson Weekly Club Crawl will see only one major difference in this year's event compared with last.
Instead of walking along East Congress Street to get to the 25 stages including Club Congress, Rialto Theatre and the newest, Playground Tucson, fans will take a pedestrian corridor that runs against Broadway.
Why the rerouting? In case you haven't been downtown lately, parts of North Fourth Avenue and most of East Congress Street are shut off to traffic while the city builds the SunLink modern streetcar system.
Construction, which began early this month, closes Congress Street between Toole and Stone avenues, and North Fourth Avenue between Sixth Street and University Boulevard for the next four months.
"The traffic flow in terms of cars should be how it is on a regular basis," said Club Crawl producer Jeb Schoonover.
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Club Crawl kicks off at 7 p.m. Saturday with dozens of Tucson and Arizona bands, as well as touring artists including Tucson native and former NFL kicker Steve McLaughlin. McLaughlin's music career goes back to his student athlete days at the University of Arizona, when he formed the pop-rock band Pet the Fish, which went on to open for such national groups as Weezer and the Dave Mathews Band.
The band broke up when McLaughlin's NFL fortunes rose; he was a third-round draft pick in 1995 and went on to play with the St. Louis Rams and five Arena League teams during his 11-year professional football career.
Schoonover said he also is excited to see hip-hop rapper Chali 2na, who is headlining Club Crawl. He plays the Rialto/KRQ Stage off North Fifth Avenue and East Congress Street at 11:30 p.m.
"I love his style of music. It's a combination of funk, soul and hip-hop," Schoonover said of the rapper, who has played with Jurassic 5 and Ozomatli.
The weather forecast for Saturday is gift-wrapped for an outdoor festival. It will be hot during the day, which should make for a warm night.
Schoonover said he expects about 15,000 people will attend this year. Last year it rained, and Club Crawl's attendance was about 10,000.
If you go
• What: Tucson Weekly Club Crawl.
• When: 7 p.m. Saturday.
• Where: Downtown and along East Congress Street and North Fourth Avenue. Venues include Hotel Congress, Rialto Theatre, Playground Tucson, Cushing Street Bar & Grill, Vaudeville, The Hut and O'Malley's on Fourth.
• Cost: All-access wristbands are $8, $20 for VIP in advance at both Zia Records locations. $10 and $25 night of show.
