Chicago Music Travelogue Vol.1
Toshiya Oguma | Rolling Stone Japan (October 25, 2024)
[Chicago Music Travelogue Vol.1] A live music venue that inherits history and culture, a long-established blues and jazz venue that lights up the night
Toshiya Oguma ｜2024/10/25 18:01
A series of travel reports on Chicago Music Travelogue(4 articles in total) that explore the hidden charms of Chicago, one of the world's leading music cities. The first article is a trip around live houses/venues. We visited the rock hub beloved by famous bands and the long-established jazz and blues nightclubs where young people also dance. What is behind the "richness" of this city's music scene?
"Chicago has open arms and is like, 'Everyone is welcome!' There's an atmosphere of enjoying music and getting excited, so it's easy to get involved," Bailey Minzenberger of Friko, a new generation Chicago band with a mutual love for Japan, in an interview with this magazine . As she said, all the venues in this city are tolerant, and I was reminded of what it means when they say that "live music is integrated into everyday life."
The abundance of live venues is astonishing. From small DIY venues like Schubas Tavern, Empty Bottle, Beat Kitchen, Sleeping Village, and Subterranean, to the historic Vic Theatre and Thalia Hall, which have been renovated from old buildings, to the glamorous Chicago Theatre, which has become a city landmark with its bright neon signs, there are plenty of venues to explore. From researching performance schedules before traveling, the excitement is non-stop, with popular artists performing somewhere every day, and I can hardly wait to hop around local establishments.
In October 2024, MASS OF THE FERMENTING DREGS from Japan performed at The Vic Theatre, and the welcoming atmosphere of Chicago and the venue's vibe can be felt through the video.
A Sanctuary of Alternative and Club Culture Since the '80s
In this edition, I had the chance to tour Metro, a representative live house of Chicago. It's within walking distance of Wrigley Field, home to MLB's Chicago Cubs, where players like Seiya Suzuki and Shota Imanaga play. The building, completed in 1927, features high ceilings and motifs around the stage that evoke an opera house.
The main floor and the second-floor balcony combined have a capacity of 1,100 people. The white sign is also famous; when Steve Albini, who has his studio "Electrical Audio" in Chicago, passed away, they honored him by writing his name here.
Exterior of Metro (Photo by Shiho Sasaki)
Interior decorated with historical posters. The front displays local acts Alkaline Trio, St. Vincent, TV on the Radio, and Run The Jewels (Photo by Shiho Sasaki)
Concert posters displayed in Metro's merch store (Photo by Shiho Sasaki)
Smart Bar's entrance is right next to Metro. The late-night vibe is different (Photo by Shiho Sasaki)
A stage during rehearsal. Spoon, 20-year veteran of US alternative rock, performed that day (Photo by Shiho Sasaki)
From left: Bob Dylan (1997 performance), Cheap Trick (1998 performance) (Photo by Shiho Sasaki)
DJ Hyperactive performing during my visit (Photo by Shiho Sasaki)
The Armed - Live at The Metro
The performance of The Armed at Metro, which I witnessed later at Riot Fest (see Vol.2 of this series), had an extraordinary energy. The layout of the venue was also quite impressive.
Since opening with an R.E.M. show in 1982, Metro has been a sanctuary for discovering talent in Chicago and across the US, remaining a holy ground for the alternative music scene. In the early '90s, it actively booked grunge bands like Nirvana. UK and international bands like Oasis and Radiohead used it as a launchpad for their US careers, and Japanese acts such as Shonen Knife, Pizzicato Five, BOOM BOOM SATELLITES, Cornelius, DIR EN GREY, BORIS, and recently Shintaro Sakamoto have performed here as well.
For local Chicago artists, it's a home ground that quickly supported the likes of Liz Phair, Fall Out Boy, and Chance the Rapper, and has been cherished by legends like Cheap Trick and Wilco. Notably, it has a deep connection with the Smashing Pumpkins, who have performed here about 40 times, including their first show in October 1988 and farewell concert in December 2000. The performance in 1993 when they released their seminal work "Siamese Dream" is still talked about today.
Oasis performed in 1994, and Radiohead in 1996, just before their worldwide breakthrough.
Legendary Metro performance by the Smashing Pumpkins in 1993.
Chance the Rapper appeared in 2013, just a month after the release of his breakout album "Acid Rap."
The history accumulated by Metro is conveyed through the posters displayed inside the venue, many of which are signed by the performers, creating an irresistible sight for music fans. Sharing such a legacy seems to nurture the appreciation and love for music among both performers and audiences.
Furthermore, in the basement of Metro, Smart Bar has been supporting Chicago's club culture since the '80s, hosting DJs from around the world to energize the weekend nights. Known as the "godfather of house," Frankie Knuckles loved it, and notable residents such as Derrick Carter and The Blessed Madonna have made it a "sound box." When I visited, excellent beats were playing (see the video from that time). It’s perfect to stop by after a live show and dance until morning.
Pubs Rooted in Labor History and Modern Venues
Before moving to the next venue, I stopped by Goose Island Salt Shed Pub, a brewpub and restaurant featuring the brewery of Goose Island, a pioneer of American craft beer founded in Chicago in 1988. The brand, marked by its goose logo, grows its hops on its own farm and was the first in the world to introduce a maturation method using wine barrels, continuously producing the highest quality beer while pursuing innovation.
The pub has both indoor and outdoor seating, and if you sit outside, you can enjoy a meal while overlooking the Chicago River skyline. The beer named "312," after the city’s area code, has a refreshing yet rich flavor. The food pairs excellently with the beer, making it a perfect choice for a drink before or after a live show.
Exterior of Goose Island Salt Shed Pub (Photo by Shiho Sasaki)
Beer taps also feature a goose (Photo by Shiho Sasaki)
Outdoor seating that captures the essence of Chicago. A wedding party was happening at a distant table (Photo by Shiho Sasaki)
On the left is a limited-time saison beer with added blackberries called "VINYL." Next to it is Goose Island's standard "312." The chips are the very essence of pub food.
Promotional video of The Salt Shed (music produced by Makaya McCraven). It has been transformed into a venue where you can enjoy dining, shopping, and scenery while preserving the roof of Morton Salt, a symbol of the city.
Just a minute's walk from the pub is the emerging venue The Salt Shed, which opened in 2022 after being renovated from a warehouse owned by Morton Salt, a local symbol. The complex features two concert spaces: the indoor "THE SHED," which holds 3,600 people, and the outdoor "FAIRGROUNDS," which accommodates 5,000. Recently, PJ Harvey and Ginger Root have performed there, and it seems to be utilized as a large venue for dance music events as well.
Chicago has many facilities like Metro that have been renovated from historic buildings. Instead of demolishing and building new ones, they preserve and repurpose the legacies left by predecessors, building future cultures on the foundation of the past. I witnessed this richness multiple times during my stay.
An Ideal Live House with an "Audience First" Philosophy
Next, I visited Lincoln Hall, another live house born from "adaptive reuse" of cultural heritage. Originally established as a small venue supporting grassroots artists, Lincoln Hall is a sister establishment of Schubas Tavern, both currently operated by the music/video streaming platform Audiotree. It has a capacity of 500. Last year, tickets sold out quickly when the new school leaders performed there.
Having been repurposed from a movie theater built in 1912, the first-floor area features slopes and levels, allowing for a good view of the stage from the back, and the sound quality is powerful. There are three bars on the first floor lobby and floor, and the second-floor balcony with seating offers a great view. Its establishment and scale are somewhat similar to Shibuya's WWW, but the layout, with its spacious feel and "escape routes," prevents any sense of crampedness. The carefully designed "audience-first" approach made me feel the depth of the music culture.
The performer that night was M. Ward. Born in 1973, he is a singer-songwriter who is also known for his duo with Zooey Deschanel, She & Him, and just released his best album, For Beginners, in September. His voice is both mature and naive, and his folky playing has reached a state of maturity. He is by no means a flashy type, but it was a luxurious experience to see such a talented performer at Lincoln Hall, surrounded by an audience of long-time indie rock fans. To be honest, I wish there was a live house like this in Japan.
