Night after night, we hit events in rooms big and small. We cackle at comedy shows, make devil horns at rock shows and finger-snap along with the music of acoustic singer-songwriters. Theater troupes move us, and operas make us weep, never mind those classical orchestras and jazz cats.
Our critics weigh in on the performances, or we tell you about something cool that’s coming up.
What we rarely tell you is how the room is. And come to think of it, this strikes us as weird, because the space can make or break an entertainment experience. We would go to hear a guy reading from the telephone book, as long as it was at the most excellent Old Town School of Folk Music. Conversely, the Second Coming can be ruined by a rotten, bad-sounding room.
So this week we kick off a monthly series of venue reviews, in which we’ll give you the lowdown on everything from parking to where you can eat in the neighborhood. Are there shady characters hanging around? And what about those bathrooms? Most important, we’ll let you know how the room looks, feels and sounds.
This week, we look at four city stalwarts: The Aragon, Jazz Showcase, Orchestra Hall at Symphony Center and Second City. Next month, we hit the suburbs.
– – –
An Uptown gem: The Aragon
Appearance: The Aragon Ballroom (1106 W. Lawrence Ave.), is like a dowager who has seen better days but still offers glimpses of her beauty. Look at the building’s details, from the beautiful filigreed balconies to the archways that lead to areas just off the concert floor, where you can catch a breath. Amazing.
Hear: Put a boombox in a drain pipe, crank the volume, then put your head inside. There ya go.
See: The Aragon has great sightlines from almost anywhere in the joint, because the stage is high enough so that even in the back of the room, you can still see.
Sit: Everyone is standing on the venue floor. There are seats in the balconies, that are usually limited access.
People: It depends on the show, but it can range from young thrashers to Latin lovers.
Ideal spot: Farther back is better at the Aragon, if you can resist the urge to see your heroes up close and personal. The sound is more coherent.
Eat/drink: You can get beer, soda and snacks such as popcorn or nachos.
Go or hold it: Hold it, or rig up a catheter. The bathrooms (men’s anyhow) are nasty. Even for a guy.
Temperature: The Aragon temperature is never right. It’s piping hot with sweating walls and floors in the summer, and uncomfortably warm in the winter.
Perks: None.
Parking: If you arrive hours before a show, you might be able to snag a metered spot on Broadway. We’d take the CTA.
Access: The Aragon is so close to the Lawrence Avenue Red Line stop, you can hear the train rolling past as you rock out. Brilliant. You can easily ride your bicycle there.
‘Hood: The best part about going to a show at the Aragon is Thai Pastry (4925 N. Broadway, 773-784-5399), where you can get an excellent meal for not a lot of money. Just make sure they haven’t been written about recently, as a small wait staff and fresh cooking can make a preshow meal seem interminable.
Finally: Having said all that, nothing screams rock ‘n’ roll like the Aragon. Yes, it’s a place where you can faint and people will step over you. I once saw a fight break out in which a guy was beaten bloody and left there, lying on the floor as people went back to moshing. But the legacy of great shows in that venue stretches from here to eternity.
— Kevin Williams
– – –
Great band, weak room: Orchestra Hall
Appearance: The historic home of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (220 S. Michigan Ave.) combines early 20th Century concert hall elegance with generic contemporaneity.
Hear: Has impact and clarity but little bloom or warmth. Varies virtually from location to location — muffled in some places, harsh in others, weirdly skewed in the terrace.
See: Good, since none of the hall’s 2,310 seats is all that far from the stage.
Sit: Comfy enough, but chairs could be roomier and leg room more plentiful.
People: Longtime subscribers. Younger newbies. Silver-haired bluebloods. Middle-age professionals. Coughers. Talkers. Oh, yes: serious music lovers too.
Ideal spot: Front half of the lower balcony, rear rows of the gallery.
Eat/drink: Rhapsody restaurant (65 E. Adams St., 312-786-9911) offers an American menu with global flavors, large wine list too. Prices moderate to expensive. Valet parking.
Go or hold it: Well-maintained bathrooms, some quite small, on every level.
Temperature: Generally OK, though some patrons complain of overheating.
Perks: Cash bars/concession stands and coffee/tea urns on several levels; big-bucks contributors have their own restaurant, The Club (312-294-3585).
Parking: Several parking facilities nearby, including Grant Park garages (enter on Michigan Avenue).
Access: CTA buses stop at Michigan Avenue and Jackson Boulevard.
‘Hood: Busy and safe. Additional recommended dining: Corner Bakery (224 S. Michigan Ave., 312-431-7600); Russian Tea Time (77 E. Adams St., 312-360-0000); Miller’s Pub & Restaurant (134 S. Wabash Ave., 312-645-5377); Italian Village (71 W. Monroe St., 312-332-7005).
Finally: Orchestra Hall has been my home away from home for the nearly 32 years that I have been covering classical music for the Tribune. I found it a wonderful place the first time I heard the CSO there, and my fondness remains undimmed, much as I deplore many of the “improvements” brought about in the 1997 renovation and expansion. The acoustics are nowhere near as inviting as those of Boston Symphony Hall or Carnegie in New York. But the great music made on the Orchestra Hall stage, week after week, goes a long, long way to easing my disappointment that Chicago as yet lacks a concert hall truly worthy of its world-supremo orchestra.
— John von Rhein
jvonrhein@tribune.com
– – –
Easy to digest: Second City
Appearance: The company has been around for 50 years, and this location (1616 N. Wells St.) has been around for 40. Fortunately, it doesn’t show its age too much. The place is clean, contemporary enough and, for the most part, comfortable.
Hear: Crystal clear and not too loud.
See: If you’re front and center — or even back and center, on small risers — you’re golden. Seats along the walls however, promote neck-craning.
Sit: Wooden chairs, some of which are more wobbly than others.
People: On a recent Monday, we spotted regulars, walk-ins, Germans and Norwegians on holiday and everyone in between.
Ideal spot: Center of the room on the first tier of risers: perfect sightlines, great sound and leg room to boot. Keep in mind that seating is totally random — meaning, you sit where the usher seats you — but early arrivals generally get better seats.
Eat/drink: The in-house bar serves slightly overpriced drinks — and way overpriced food. Still, it’s a nice option.
Go or hold it: Avoid the crowded bathrooms adjacent to the bar and use the newer, cleaner ones one flight up in the adjoining Piper’s Alley building.
Temperature: It’s kept pretty cool to accommodate a room full of warm, happy bodies, so when things aren’t sold out, it can feel a bit chilly.
Perks: It’s smaller than you’d think, for a venue this reputable. Which means comedy is always up close and personal.
Parking: Finding a meter on the Old Town side streets is a gamble, but Piper’s Alley has its own garage.
Access: A half-dozen CTA buses stop within two blocks, and the CTA Sedgwick Brown/Purple Line stop is five blocks west.
‘Hood: Old Town is bustling, but not too crowded, which means grabbing a quick meal before or after the show isn’t a huge hassle. Recommended: Adobo Grill for moderately priced Mexican (1610 N. Wells St., 312-266-7999); Wells on Wells for a pub upgrade (1617 N. Wells St., 312-944-1617); or, for a nightcap, Old Town Ale House (219 W. North Ave., 312-944-7020).
Finally: Having recently made my maiden voyage to Second City, it exceeded expectations, in that it was smaller than I’d expected. The last thing you want out of a comedy venue is to feel lost in the crowd. The main stage’s wide, shallow size means more face time with the players and more opportunity for audience interaction. Nothing was overamplified; nothing was poorly lit. The food? Passable — so I passed. The entertainment? Enjoyable — and, thanks to the venue, easy to digest.
— Lauren Viera
lviera@tribune.com
– – –
The best one yet: Jazz Showcase
Appearance: The new home of the Jazz Showcase (806 S. Plymouth Ct., 312-360-0234) gleams like a jewel box. Soft lighting casts an amber glow on the room. The wall-to-wall photos of Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Duke Ellington and other icons (and near-icons) remind you that you’re in a temple of jazz. One caveat: Musicians shouldn’t be allowed to leave their instrument covers and jackets onstage — it diminishes the elegance of the place.
Hear: The Showcase can be an ideal listening room — when the dials are turned just right. Alas, when musicians wish to make refinements in the midst of a set, they can’t always find someone at the controls.
See: Impeccable. Unlike previous locations, this newest Jazz Showcase has no columns to obstruct views.
Sit: Considering the visual opulence of the place, the room’s rickety chairs seem out of place.
People: Noisy chatter is not tolerated by fellow patrons. You’ll see gray-hairs and college kids swaying to the same music.
Ideal spot: Because there’s not a bad seat in the house, the best spot depends entirely on personal preference.
Eat/drink. Don’t come hungry — there’s no food, just liquid.
Go or hold it: The bathrooms (at least the men’s room) are state of the art — urinal and toilet both flush, and there’s room to turn around (not always the case in jazz-club water closets).
Temperature: Feels fine.
Perks: Just the reassuring sight of octogenarian impresario Joe Segal sitting behind the desk, collecting admissions, as he has done for an astonishing 62 years.
Parking: The lot directly south of the Showcase could not be more convenient; and it’s relatively easy to find metered street parking nearby (bring quarters).
Access: Bus and “L” lines cruise within walking distance, and cabs are easy to catch on nearly Polk Street, Dearborn and State Streets.
‘Hood: Top choice for dinner: Chicago Curry House, an Indian-Nepalese spot just down the street at 899 S. Plymouth Ct.; the tandoori salmon stands out.
Finally: I’ve been going to the Jazz Showcase, in its various homes, since 1970. No previous location — not even the fabled spot at the Blackstone Hotel — came close to this one for aesthetic allure. Perhaps only Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, at Jazz Lincoln Center in New York, looks spiffier.
— Howard Reich
hreich@tribune.com
