Some favorite summer hangouts for music lovers:
FitzGerald’s: It’s hard to beat this Texas-style roadhouse in Berwyn any time of year, but it’s especially inviting when it sets up tents and a Creole kitchen for its annual American Music Festival on 4th of July weekend.
Grant Park: Not nearly as polite as Ravinia and considerably more eclectic in the audience it attracts, this vast green expanse sandwiched between a spectacular lakefront and the awe-inspiring downtown skyline brings Chicagoans together in the name of outdoor music like no other place for the likes of the Blues Festival, the Jazz Festival, Taste of Chicago and WXRT’s annual 4th of July concert.
Smart Bar: The basement disco at Metro offers a dark, air-conditioned respite from the heat, with cutting-edge dance music as the soundtrack.
Alpine Valley Music Theatre: Tucked into the southern hills of East Troy, Wis., this is one of the last survivors of the ’70s “shed” explosion, and though traffic jams can make for a long day, the vibe inside is warmer and more acoustically pleasing than that of the stark and forbidding New World Music Theatre.
The Navy Pier ballroom: Acoustics are less than favorable, but this hall at the far east end of the pier tops the Skyline Stage in terms of ambience with its majestic view of Lake Michigan.
