Best live music venues in Chicago

Our Local Expert Says:

This tucked away dive bar draws a varied line up and is generally packed with locals looking for a crazy dance party. Generally you will find plaid-wearing "cool kids."

Description:

This friendly tavern's OLD STYLE BEER sign shines like a beacon, guiding roots-music fans through the grimy industrial neighborhood that surrounds it. The owners' beer-can collection and some "celebrity" memorabilia are on display in the front room. In back, local musicians play country, rock, and bluesy tunes on a small stage backed by an impressive stuffed sailfish. It's no-frills, all right, but the Hideout also books some of the best lineups of folk and "alt country" bands in the city, including Jeff Tweedy (of Wilco), Kelly Hogan, and the New Duncan Imperials.

Description:

The Congress theatre hosts a number of musical acts, ranging from indie-popsters Belle and Sebastian to Mexian singer Alejandra Guzman. The theatre holds 2,890 seats and dates back to the 20's when it was a movie palace. It's also an excellent architectural example of Italian Renaissance and Classical Revival styles. Most shows are open to all ages, but call ahead to check -- sometimes they're 18 and up.

Our Local Expert Says:

This is the place to see great bands before they go big! Great venue to relax, eat, and drink while listening to your favorite bands.

Description:

This tavern is housed in one of the former Schlitz bars, but the Schlitz is gone. Instead, you will find a good collection of beer and a wonderfully eclectic variety of live music on a stage in an adjoining room. You can drink at the bar for no extra charge, but to hear the music, you have to pay a cover fee. Both parts of the tavern, performance and bar areas, tend to host a mix of locals from the Lakeview neighborhood and others from throughout the city who have come to check out this week's jazz, rock or folk act. If you get hungry, you can sneak away to the Harmony Grill, which is owned by the same person and attached to the bar.

Our Local Expert Says:

Great history, great music, great fun!

Description:

This is the absolute best place to see jazz in Chicago! The Green Mill is a former speakeasy from days of Prohibition, where it was the headquarters Chicago gangsters, including the infamous Al Capone. Also famous for being the location where Joe E. Lewis was attacked with a knife. The ornate, sophisticated, and dark atmosphere has not changed much from the old days, and neither has the music. It has definitely upheld its mission to uphold a "mix of down-to-earth friendliness and class." There are different regular acts every night, with Big Band swing on Thursdays, Sabertooth Jazz Qunitet on Saturday and Sunday after 1am, and even a Poetry Slam on Sundays.

Description:

A Chicago institution, this concert hall has staged rock shows with the likes of Nirvana, Santana and The Smashing Pumpkins since the mid-1960s and has featured live entertainment since the 1920s. It earned the nickname of the Ballroom because of the folding chairs that are sent flying during mosh pit formation. Drinks are served in plastic cups and are overpriced like most strictly performance venues. The theater features occasional salsa and blues nights. The Aragon is somewhat run down these days, only a shade of its former, more glittery self. Call for performance schedule.

Description:

This 120 feet tall location is home to some of the largest and most well-known musical performances in United States, accomodating approximately 11,000 people at a time. Named in the fond memory of businessman Jay Pritzker, this pavilion hosts a number of rock as well as classical concerts. Latest state-of-the-art sound system adds to the experience. The Pavilion also organizes annual prestigious shows like the Grant Park Music Festival. Admission to most events is free.

Our Local Expert Says:

While it's maybe best known as a concert venue, The Brew and View is big draw for locals on the weekends. Everyone loves a beer and a bad movie.

Description:

The people who patronize the Vic Theatre do not seem to mind that it is somewhat rundown, dreary, dilapidated, dank and falling apart. It is all part of the charm of a crumbling once-luxurious five-story vaudeville house with floors and stairways of Italian marble. Customers pack in to hear various rock acts like Skinny Puppy, the Black Keys and Jackson Browne. On non-concert nights (which means three to four nights a week), the Vic is home to "Brew & View," an ongoing series of second-run and cult films (during screenings of which, moviegoers can drink cheap booze and smoke pack after pack of Marlboros. It is just like your living room back home, with a bigger screen, better acoustics, a balcony (with wonderful sight lines) - and a funkier smell. The Vic can easily accomodate 1400 people with seating for 1000. See Vic website for concert calendar. See Brew & View website for movie showtimes.

Our Local Expert Says:

This is a small, friendly and cheap dive bar that brings great bands, drawing a "cool hipster" crowd for its dark and gritty atmosphere.

Description:

This alternative-rock club in the Ukrainian Village neighborhood is a haven for young arty scenesters drawn here for camaraderie, obscure bands, and cheap beer. Offerings are diverse, with experimental jazz on Wednesday, and other nights given over to a DJ's underground improvisations.

Description:

Featuring live alternative/rock bands hoping to break into the big time, Metro is the place to see tomorrow's bands today. Metro's self-described mission is to bring a cross-platform of the best local, regional, and national emerging artists, and they have been successful thus far. Names like Liz Phair, the Smashing Pumpkins, Creed, Pete Yorn, Papa Roach, and more have all performed at the venue.

Description:

This nightclub showcases some of the most famous acts in rock music. The venue dates back to the 1940s, and is an eye-catching building, with lush balcony seats and VIP-boxes. Its lower arena is usually filled with grungy teens or punk rockers ready to mosh. The Riviera is not known for its subtle use of the sound system, so bring earplugs if you want to be able to hear when you reach middle age! Ticket prices vary.