Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
the usual bar fare (clearly, the restaurant was not an afterthought to the music).
The live music starts at 9:30pm Wednesday through Sunday, with the Chief
himself making regular appearances on stage.
1566 N. Milwaukee Ave.
&
773/645-
5200.
www.reservation-blues.com. Cover $5-$10. Subway/El: Blue Line to Damen.
Rosa's Lounge
Rosa's is strictly a neighborhood hangout, but it has live blues
every night of the year and all the atmosphere required to fuel its heartfelt lamen-
tations. Mama Rosa and her son, Tony Mangiullo, run a homey, lovable spot
that, despite its somewhat-distant location off the tourist trail, is decidedly one of
the best joints in town for spirited, authentic Chicago blues. Rosa's also sponsors
a blues cruise on Lake Michigan every summer. The doors open at 8pm, and the
show starts around 9:30pm Tuesday through Saturday.
3420 W. Armitage Ave. (at Kim-
ball Ave.).
&
773/342-0452.
www.rosaslounge.com. Cover $10-$15. Subway/El: Blue Line to
Logan Square, then a short cab ride.
Underground Wonder Bar
This intimate club on the Near North Side only
gets better as the night wears on (open until 4am Sun-Fri; until 5am Sat). You'll
hear jazz trios, folk singers, and R&B vocalists playing the quirky, compact, and,
yep, below-street-level room early in the evening. But things really heat up when
co-owner Lonie Walker and her Big Bad Ass Company Band take the stage at
11pm on Friday and Saturday nights, playing a raucous blues-rock mix. Stick
around until the wee hours, which is when the fun really begins—musicians
stop by after gigs at other clubs to improvise a final set. Tex-Mex and other chow
is served late.
10 E. Walton St. (at State St.).
&
312/266-7761.
www.undergroundwonderbar.
com. Cover $3-$6. Subway/El: Red Line to Chicago.
ROCK (BASICALLY)
In the early 1990s, Chicago's burgeoning alternative rock scene, which produced
such names as the Smashing Pumpkins, Liz Phair, Veruca Salt, Urge Overkill,
and Material Issue, attracted the national spotlight. Although the city's moment
of pop hipness quickly faded (as did most of the aforementioned bands), the live
music scene has continued to thrive without all the hoopla. Most Chicago bands
concentrate on keeping it real, happy to perform at small local clubs and not
obsessing (at least openly) about getting a record contract. The city also is a reg-
ular stop for touring bands, from the big stadium acts to smaller up-and-com-
ing bands. Scan the
Reader
or
New City
to see who's playing where.
The biggest rock acts tend to play at the local indoor stadiums:
United Cen-
ter
(
&
312/455-4500
), home of the Bulls and Blackhawks, or
Allstate Arena
(
&
847/635-6601
), in Rosemont near O'Hare Airport. During the summer,
you'll also find the big names at the outdoor
Tweeter Center
(
&
708/614-
1616
), inconveniently located in the suburb of Tinley Park, about an hour out-
side the city (and cursed with pretty bad acoustics).
But you can catch other rock acts at local venues with a lot more character.
The
Riviera Theatre,
4746 N. Racine Ave. (
&
773/275-6800
), is a relic of the
Uptown neighborhood's swinging days in the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s. A for-
mer movie palace, it retains the original ornate ceiling, balcony, and lighting fix-
tures, but it has definitely gotten grimy with age (head upstairs if you want to
avoid the crowd that crushes toward the stage during shows). The
Aragon Ball-
room,
a few blocks away at 1106 W. Lawrence Ave. (
&
773/561-9500;
Sub-
way/El: Red Line to Lawrence), was once an elegant big-band dance hall; the
worn Moorish-castle decor and twinkling-star ceiling now give the place a seedy
charm all its own. A former vaudeville house is now the
Vic Theater,
3145 N.
Sheffield Ave. (
&
773/472-0366;
Subway/El: Red or Brown line to Fullerton),
