Chicago Music Venues That Anchor Their Neighborhoods
Chicago has Lollapalooza and Pitchfork; jazz bars and piano bars; an opera house and concert halls; Pritzker Pavilion and Northerly Island. Chicagoans know their music and they love it.
Chicago is a Midwestern beacon for music. People travel from the suburbs and from out of state to see shows in the city. The Loop has the Chicago Theatre, and of course you’ll see big-name arena tours at the United Center and Soldier Field, but as you head toward Chicago’s more residential areas you’ll find several neighborhoods that revolve around their beloved music venues.
Beat Kitchen – Roscoe Village
Roscoe Village is a relatively small neighborhood, but don’t let its diminutive size fool you. The major streets of Addison, Belmont, and Western mean there are plenty of things to do. On the southern border of the neighborhood, Beat Kitchen is known as a place for cheap drinks and killer shows. The small venue hosts regular rock shows, and draws laughing crowds for its Chicago Underground Comedy performances.
B.L.U.E.S. and Kingston Mines – Lincoln Park
Lincoln Park is home to two of the best jazz and blues bars in the city. B.L.U.E.S and Kingston Mines, practically across the street from one another on Halsted, are nearly always packed with people willing and eager to stay up late into the night for the love of music.
B.L.U.E.S. keeps its doors open until 2 a.m. Wednesday through Saturday and until midnight on Sundays. If that isn’t enough to satisfy your craving for the blues, Kingston Mines doesn’t close down for the night until 4 a.m. on most nights (5 a.m. on Saturdays).
Buddy Guy’s Legends – South Loop
Chicago’s reputation as a home of the greats of jazz and the blues lives on today in places like B.L.U.E.S. and Kingston Mines, as well as Buddy Guy’s Legends in the South Loop.
This celebrated blues club, right next to Grant Park, caters to the late-night crowds with its doors open until 2 a.m. Wednesday through Saturday. (You can still get the good kind of Sunday blues until midnight at Buddy Guy’s.) Buddy Guy has reached iconic status, but he still plays at the Chicago club that bears his name.
The Empty Bottle – Ukrainian Village
The indie music scene thrives at The Empty Bottle in Ukrainian Village, a versatile neighborhood with single-family homes, condos, and plenty of bars and restaurants. The Empty Bottle opened as a hole-in-the-wall bar in the early 1990s and continues to embrace that vibe, with cheap drinks and regular shows. As you might imagine, the drinks rarely stay empty for long.
The Entertainment District – Uptown
Uptown revolves around not one music venue but a trio of spots that serve as the center of the neighborhood’s entertainment district. The Riviera Theatre, Aragon Ballroom, and the Green Mill are all within walking distance of one another and the CTA’s Lawrence Red Line stop.
The Riv, as it is affectionately known by locals, was built as a movie theater and has evolved into a concert venue for all manner of artists. The Aragon, like the Riv, is easily recognized by its dazzling marquee. Inside, the galactic art on the ceiling adds to the striking look of this music venue. The Green Mill is another Chicago jazz bar staple, this one with ties to notorious gangster Al Capone.
The House of Blues – River North
The House of Blues is right on the river in the downtown neighborhood of River North. Immediately recognizable thanks to its striking exterior, this larger venue keeps up a lively rotation of shows that attracts music fans of all types. While River North has no shortage of pre- or post-show food and drink options, the House of Blues does have its own restaurant and bar.
Subterranean – Wicker Park
Some of the best possible concerts are those held in a smaller space. The Subterranean, right off the Damen Blue Line in Wicker Park, is one of those spots ripe for unforgettable shows.
The venue is two stories, but the dance floor in front of the stage gives you an up-close view of the performers, granted you’ll have to compete with a throng of fellow dancers for the best line of sight. Places like this help give Wicker Park its ultra-cool reputation.
The Metro – Wrigleyville
Wrigley Field hosts its fair share of concerts (Billy Joel!), but it is first and foremost the home of the Chicago Cubs. If you ask a local about the best music venue in Wrigleyville, the answer is almost invariably the Metro.
With an exterior less flashy than much of the party-centric neighborhood, it might be easy to pass it by if you aren’t familiar with the venue’s well-earned prestige. Once inside, the stage and the dance floor are easily enough to convince you to keep coming back.
Thalia Hall – Pilsen
Thalia Hall in Pilsen (a neighborhood rapidly growing in popularity) hosts all different kind of shows, live music and otherwise. The venue first came to life in the 1890s, and it endures today.
In addition to the main hall, people can listen to live music in the Tack Room, a smaller space with a food and drink menu. Punch House, a bar with, unsurprisingly, punch-based drinks, and Dusek’s Board and Beer, a restaurant named for the founder of the space, are also a part of Thalia Hall.