Chicago is the hallowed ground where house music was hatched in the 1980s, so it's no surprise to find that it's also home to several vast, industrial-style dance clubs with pounding music and a mostly under-30 crowd. Some spots specialize in a single type of music, while others offer an ever-changing mix of rhythms and beats that follow the latest DJ-driven trend. Many clubs attract a different clientele on each day of the week (Sun night, for example, is gay-friendly at many of the clubs), so check the club's website to get an idea of each night's vibe. Given the fickle nature of clubgoers, some places listed below might have disappeared by the time you read this, but there is an impressive list of longtime survivors -- clubs that have lasted more than a decade but continue to draw loyal crowds.
Comedy Clubs -- In the mid-1970s, the nation was introduced to Chicago's brand of comedy through the skit-comedy show Saturday Night Live. Back then, John Belushi and Bill Murray were among the latest brood to hatch from the number-one incubator of Chicago-style humor, Second City. Since then, two generations of American comics, from Mike Nichols and Robert Klein to Mike Myers and Tina Fey, have honed their skills in Chicago before making it big in film and TV. Chicago continues to nurture young comics, affording them the chance to learn the tricks of improvisational comedy at Second City, the ImprovOlympic, and numerous other comedy and improv outlets.
Jazz -- In the first great wave of black migration from the South just after World War I, jazz journeyed from the Storyville section of New Orleans to Chicago. Jelly Roll Morton and Louis Armstrong made Chicago a jazz hot spot in the 1920s, and their music lives on in a whole new generation of talent. Chicago jazz is known for its collaborative spirit and a certain degree of risk-taking -- which you can experience at a number of lively clubs.
Blues -- If Chicagoans were asked to pick one musical style to represent their city, most of us would start singing the blues. Thanks in part to the presence of the influential Chess Records, Chicago became a hub of blues activity after World War II, with musicians such as Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, and Buddy Guy recording and performing here. Chicago helped usher in the era of "electric blues" -- low-tech soulful singing melded with the rock sensibility of electric guitars. Blues-influenced rock musicians (the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin, for example) made Chicago a regular pilgrimage spot. Today, the blues has become yet another tourist attraction, especially for international visitors, but the quality and variety of blues acts is still impressive. Hard-core blues fans shouldn't miss the annual (free) Blues Fest, held along the lakefront in Grant Park in early June.
Rock -- In the early 1990s, Chicago's burgeoning alternative-rock scene produced such national names as the Smashing Pumpkins, Liz Phair, Veruca Salt, Urge Overkill, and Material Issue. Although the city's moment of pop hipness quickly faded (as did most of the aforementioned artists), the live music scene has continued to thrive. Most Chicago bands concentrate on keeping it real, happy to perform at small local clubs and not obsessing (at least openly) about getting a record contract. The city is a regular stop for touring bands, from big stadium acts to smaller up-and-coming groups. Scan the Reader, New City, or Time Out Chicago to see who's playing where.
The biggest rock acts tend to play at the local indoor stadiums: The United Center (tel. 312/455-4500; www.unitedcenter.com), home of the Bulls and Blackhawks, and Allstate Arena (tel. 847/635-6601; www.allstatearena.com), in Rosemont near O'Hare Airport. During the summer, you'll also find the big names at the outdoor First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre (tel. 708/614-1616; www.livenation.com/venue/getVenue/venueId/785), inconveniently located in the suburb of Tinley Park, about an hour outside the city, and cursed with pretty bad acoustics.
You can catch rock acts at local venues with a lot more character. The Riviera Theatre, 4746 N. Racine Ave. (tel. 773/275-6800), is a relic of the Uptown neighborhood's swinging days in the 1920s, '30s, and '40s. A former movie palace, it retains the original ornate ceiling, balcony, and lighting fixtures, but it has definitely gotten grimy with age (head upstairs to avoid the crowd that rushes toward the stage during shows). The Aragon Ballroom, a few blocks away at 1106 W. Lawrence Ave. (tel. 773/561-9500; www.aragon.com; subway/El: Red Line to Lawrence), was once an elegant big-band dance hall; the worn Moorish-castle decor and twinkling-star ceiling now give the place a seedy charm. A former vaudeville house is now the Vic Theatre, 3145 N. Sheffield Ave. (tel. 773/472-0366; www.victheatre.com; subway/El: Red or Brown line to Fullerton), a midsize venue that features up-and-coming acts (get there early to snag one of the lower balcony rows).
More sedate audiences love the Park West, 322 W. Armitage Ave. (tel. 773/929-5959; www.parkwestchicago.com; subway/El: Brown Line to Armitage, or bus no. 22 [Clark St.]), both for its excellent sound system and its cabaret-style seating (no mosh pit here). For tickets to most shows at all these venues, you're stuck going through the service-fee-grabbing Ticketmaster (tel. 312/559-1212).
