There’s nothing like going to a favorite club. The Empty Bottle, Metro and Green Mill are beloved because for years they have offered concertgoers dependability, consistency and familiarity. Yet no venue can be all things to everyone, not to mention that certain Chicago areas are starved for destinations. Which makes the recent opening of six music rooms worth celebrating. The more, the merrier. Here’s your guide to the newbies, and maybe finding a new favorite hangout.
Beauty Bar
Step inside Beauty Bar expecting music, and you might think you’re in the wrong place — or that you’ve been transported to a retro-feeling satire of a suburb. Gaudy dressing mirrors, pictures of women in bouffant hairdos and vintage chairs outfitted with hair dryers provide the ambience. The swanky salon setting is intentional — Beauty Bar’s interior is modeled off the design of Paris Salon of Beauty, a late-1960s shop in Springfield, N.J. As advertised, the hipster outpost really does offer manicures. You’ll need to get your dye job elsewhere, however.
The space opened in March 2010 in partnership with Empty Bottle owner Bruce Finkelman and booking agent Pete Toalson. The Chicago edition of the national chain focuses on martinis, mingling and free deejay events, picking up on the all-night dance vibes left behind by the former tenant, Sonotheque. Local deejays Kevin Smith, Tess Kisner and Timbuck2 often spin at weekly residency gigs. On weekends, live house, electronic and hip-hop artists contribute to an edgy dance atmosphere that’s as colorful as the pastel walls. If you yearn to hang out at Perry’s Stage of Lollapalooza fame year-round, but desire more sophistication, fashionable novelty and a disco ball, welcome home.
1444 W. Chicago Ave.; 312-226-8828 or thebeautybar.com/Chicago. Upcoming: Dance Fools! Featuring The Chaotic Good (Friday), Kool Keith (Thursday)
Mayne Stage
“We want to be known as a great room versus being known as a great jazz or rock room,” says Chris Ritter, general manager of Mayne Stage. So far, so good. Since taking over the former Morse Theatre in May, the 230-seat venue has hosted everything from cabaret to comedy. Music spanning drone (Earth), Afro-Cuban jazz (Omar Sosa’s Afreecanos Quartet) and folk-rock (Johnny Flynn) is slated for late spring and early summer. Better still, the club’s underserved location — Rogers Park — places it amid a developing nucleus of creative arts spots and steps from the Morse stop on the CTA Red Line.
Equipped with a state-of-the-art sound system, gorgeous hardwood accents and phenomenal acoustics, the multipurpose space is striving to become a smaller version of the venerable Park West. A sunken floor, VIP booth and wraparound balcony seating offer close-up views from everywhere. The attached Act One Pub offers pre- and post-show meals and drinks. Patrons dining there on the day of a show can reserve a table for that evening’s performance, depending on availability. The restaurant is closed Mondays, and Ritter prefers to keep the Mayne Stage dark rather than book acts for the sake of keeping the lights on.
1328 W. Morse Ave.; 773-381-4554 or mayne
stage.com. Upcoming: The Greencards (April 14), Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars (April 15)
The Mid
Last month, the Mid hosted Diplo, Ice Cube and Sasha on back-to-back-to-back nights. The multilevel West Loop space isn’t being coy about its aggressive desire to take over as a destination for indie dance and hip-hop. Named for its middle of the city location and identity (the point between a live venue and upscale nightclub), the Mid claims all the accoutrements one would expect from a hybrid urban-centric design: multiple bars, reserved tables and, for those who don’t mind opening their wallets, a VIP room complete with private bar and DJ booth. A wraparound balcony overlooks the stage and puts clubgoers at eye level with a huge disco ball.
Does Chicago need another flashy dance hall? According to the Mid’s owner (who insisted that his name not be used), yes. Management plans on addressing what it believes is a void in Chicago programming — think European techno, funky house, dubstep and big-bass electronica courtesy of international club artists — while emphasizing an intimate, friendly environment. Operational for three months in the former Mannequin space, the verdict is still out on whether the Mid responds to consistent complaints about overbearing security and long lines for those who bought tickets in advance.
306 N. Halsted St.; 312-265-3990 or themid
chicago.com. Upcoming: Black Thought (Friday), Wolfgang Gartner (April 16)
Montrose Room
Occasionally, the best-laid plans don’t work out but evolve into something better. The original concept for the Montrose Room envisioned a showroom tailored for a local entertainer’s permanent residency. Yet the collaboration never happened, and the room opened by hosting comedy instead of music. Several months ago, the space — in the InterContinental Chicago O’Hare Hotel — added a new sound system and began welcoming local groups Friday evenings. Shortly thereafter, the venue branched into luring national acts by offering lodging discounts and giving suburbanites a cozy outlet that puts them almost arm’s length from the performers.
“We’re not competing with downtown,” says Patrick Cook, the venue’s marketing director. “We’re playing off of it. Bands can play a night at SPACE in Evanston, and the second or third night here. They can take a room for the duration and save money. With audiences, we’re going for a higher level of service — drink specials, parking deals and an expanded VIP section. For an extra $5, you get more than your money’s worth.”
The strategy — as well as the rounded stage, ringside cabaret seating and balcony — is catching on. At a recent appearance, ex-Husker Du frontman Bob Mould praised the room. Beginning this month, the 275-capacity venue will host the Second City for an ongoing “Second Saturday for Second City” series. Fridays remain reserved for local bands, but Cook notes that the venue is pursuing indie rock for its Saturday “Up Close @ Montrose” series.
5300 N. River Road, Rosemont; 847-544-5300 or icohare.com/montrose_room. Upcoming: August (April 22), Cathy Richardson and the Macrodots (April 30)
Pancho’s Bar
Even before a band played a note at Pancho’s Bar, indie-music fans viewed the cafe/tavern/venue as a savior. That’s because the Logan Square establishment immediately took over for the beloved hole-in-the-wall Ronny’s. Following an anonymous tip (allegedly called in by another venue), Ronny’s was raided by the city and shut down last fall for lacking the required license. Just a block away, Pancho’s came to the rescue.
Featuring the same DIY pop, garage-rock, punk and metal programming — it’s handled by mP Productions — as Ronny’s, Pancho’s operates as a woodshedding space for bands that aren’t yet vetted, or concerned with playing to more than a few dozen people. The good news? Compared with Ronny’s, the room is bigger, the sound better, the libations improved and the PBR is the same. Hungry? Cuban sandwiches are next door. Most important, the bathroom doesn’t look like Ronny’s grime-infested facility.
If you’re lucky, Pancho will step away from the bar, grab a saxophone and jam with a band.
2200 N. California Ave.; 773-772-7811 or mpshows.com. Upcoming: Mark Mallman (Saturday), White Mystery (April 20)
Viper Alley
Scott David Greenberg is no stranger to the hospitality industry. The creator of downtown’s ballyhooed Wit hotel recently extended his vision to the boutique concert facility Viper Alley, whose staff claims experience at operating restaurants and hotels. According to Greenberg, the Lincolnshire venue is designed to replicate the experience of visiting a five-star eatery or bed and breakfast.
Greenberg waxes eloquent about his room, and if fancy is what you’re after, Greenberg isn’t exaggerating. Juxtaposing the glamour of a Broadway-style cabaret with the grit of an exposed-brick warehouse, the 500-capacity space boasts a movable, LED stage lighting system, as well as no fewer than 17 HD display monitors. The complex also includes a lounge area, complete with bowling alley, dance floor and deejay space. Six seating options — upfront, reserved stage table, premium, reserved bowling table, general admission and standing room only — are available. Just keep in mind that someone has to pay for all the glitz.
275 Parkway Drive, Lincolnshire; 847-499-5000 or viper-alley.com. Upcoming: Freddy Jones Band (April 9), Arturo Sandoval (April 22)
