Local bluesman Buddy Guy brings top local and national acts to his club for some hard-core fret bending. Mr Guy himself usually takes the stage during a series of shows throughout January. The club hosts free, all-ages acoustic lunchtime performances from noon to 2 pm Wednesday through Sunday. Hear the tunes while having lunch (Buddy’s also serves Cajun food) or...
The Empty Bottle is Chicago’s leading club for cool-cat bands, be they indie rock, jazz and other types. Flannel-clad fans galore pile in to see the taste-making bands nightly. Monday’s show is often free, usually by a couple of up-and-coming groups. Cheap cans of beer, a photo booth and abundant graffiti enhance the dive bar ambience. The venue is attached...
SummerDance rocks! Every Friday through Sunday in summer, bands play rumba, samba, and other world music preceded by hour-long dance lessons in the matching style. It’s always a crazy, integrated mix of people boogying in Grant Park’s Spirit of Music Garden. SummerDance holds additional events in Ping Tom Park, Humboldt Park, Jackson Park and other parks around the city on...
Local indie bands and DJs rock this arty bar most nights. There’s never a cover charge, but there are trendy, reasonably priced cocktails for sale. Buy one and you keep the cool-cat music scene going. Whistler’s front window is also an art gallery of sorts. Check Facebook and Twitter for news and updates on who’s playing. Yelp reviews
Grab your partner in crime (or go solo) and head to Al Capone’s old speakeasy, The Green Mill. If you arrive early enough on a Sunday night for the legendary Slam Papi’s Uptown Poetry Slam, you can sit in the same booth as Al (it’s the one facing the front door. He liked to keep his eye on the patrons...
The Hideout is a very special place, transformative in the physical and metaphysical sense. During the summer everyone takes it outside, and the small alley-like street turns into a jamfest. Inside, decorative lights create a cozy atmostphere, lending good vibes to this truly midwestern hideout, tucked between 90/94 and the Chicago River. You’d never end up here if you weren’t...
The greatness of Schubas consists of three parts: one part music venue, one part bar, and one part restaurant. You either come for the acts, the brunch, or their baked mac ‘n’ cheese*. Check the calendar for who’s coming to town as well as their sister venue, Lincoln Hall. *Half-priced mac ‘n’ cheese on Wednesdays.