chicago music venues

alive one
music: pre-recorded live music out front, hip hop/house dj in back
ambiance: low lighting: romantic & fun
drink prices: average
admission: varies, not more than $10 when there's a cover

aragon ballroom
music: saw guster here (should be self-explanatory)
ambiance: interesting; looks like an old castle inside.
drink prices: undgodly. $10 for a bud light, not cool.
admission: typical ticket master bullshit

auditorium theater
music: saw wilco here on halloween, fantastic show.
ambiance: gigantic, beautiful, great sound.
drink prices: average.
admission: expensive. scalped better seats w/ kevdek.

beat kitchen
music: indie/weird/wonderful. saw dave dondero here.
ambiance: small & smokey
drink prices: average.
admission: cheap; sometimes there's a cover, but no more than $12

chicago theater
music: saw bela fleck & the flecktones here, well worth the high ticket price.
ambiance: historic & beautiful, great sound--even the shitty seats are ok.
drink prices: ?
admission: expensive.

cubby bear
music: various assorted crap. some cool hippie shit, but not worth it.
ambiance: hell. yuppie hell.
drink prices: it's across the street from wriggley field, what do you think?
admission: who cares, wouldn't go even if it was free.

double door
music: badass: jay bennet, mucca pazza, dave vandervelde, russian circles, etc.
ambiance: old, run-down, & perfect. hipster heaven.
drink prices: highway robbery. $4 for a can of old style.
admission: varies, but it's always been worth it, i love this venue to death.

empty bottle
music: great, saw mucca pazza here as well, missed nico case, unfortunately.
ambiance: exposed brick walls covered with stickers and drunk musings. old school photo booth. 50 bikes parked out front. what more do you want?
drink prices: extremely reasonable. $2 pbr!
admission: average. worth the trek, this place is dope.

gallery cabaret
music: small local bands, pretty cool stuff.
ambiance: dive bar with a tiny stage (right up my alley)
drink prices: cheap.
admission: n/a, i think? this tiny joint it worth reckoning with, dekkinga introduced me. love it, but don't love $15 cab rides.

gentry
music: piano bar. alma rocks my world.
ambiance: small, intimate, gay.
drink prices: boarderline expensive.
admission: n/a, by far my favorite place in boystown.

green mill
music: unbelievably fantastic jazz. get there early so you can see.
ambiance: gorgeous original interior. crowded for good reason.
drink prices: meh, it's a semi-fancy place, you'll pay $5 for a cocktail.
admission: $15 before midnight on weekends. sometimes free after midnight, but you'll definitely compromize your view. if you can get a table, it's ideal otherwise you won't be able to see or get a drink.

griffins (rip)
music: jams & bluegrass.
ambiance: hippi as fuck. long hairs, tie dye, narcotics, etc.
drink prices: so-so. (when you could find a waitress that wasn't too drunk)
admission: who cares, this place was literally demolished last spring. rest in peace you fun little bar.

kingston mines
music: live blues every night, until 5 am on weekends!
ambiance: hard to describe: it's kind of like being at a drunk bbq, in a good way.
drink prices: average. don't order shots unless you just won the lottery.
admission: $15 on weekends, $10 with a student discount. they also have a student night when it's free. i should also note that they are also known for their dank soul food, which i haven't tried yet, but it's on my to do list.

le passage
music: live djs, top 40 mtv shit. (emphasis on "shit")
ambiance: ritzy as hell. we were told this is a celebrity hot-spot.
drink prices: you tell me: i was charged $48 for 3 WELL vodka sodas.
admission: we were on the list the night i went, but i know it's at least $20. this place is only on the list so i could rant about how unbelieably ridiculous it is. i can guarantee i will never go here again as long as i live.

riviera
music: saw bob weir and rat dog here; really fun chill show. hippies were behavin themselves as well.
ambiance: run-down, but the sound is good
drink prices: very reasonable. $3 beers at a sold out show is fine by me.
admission: $15-30, depending on who you go see.

schubas
music: fun indie shit. "saw" dave vandervelde here & tried to see 2 other bands.
ambiance: crowded as balls. smokey. pretentious.
drink prices: expensive (& necessary for that matter)
admission: $10-15 dollars.

subterranean
music: indie & local shit. saw aloha here; tried to see the appleseed cast.
ambiance: dark, badass interior. we watched the show from the 2nd floor balcony & had a great view.
drink prices: not bad, but not great either.
admission: $12-18 dollars.

united center
music: anything or anyone who is or was big enough to make it on vh1. saw paul mc cartney here.
ambiance: it's a giant arena, what do you want me to say.
drink prices: ?
admission: you better be rich; shows here are outrageous. my ticket was over $150 i think.

vic
music: haven't seen a show here yet, just went for brew & view.
ambiance: decrepit & beautiful. the balcony is frighteningly steep, ask jeannette.
drink prices: pretty darn cheap.
admission: $5 for a double feature, not sure for shows though.

just one girl's opinion, by the way. i hope you find this helpful (or at least interesting)