On the site of a former Latin music club, Chicago's newest venue -- Concord Music Hall -- will open up on Milwaukee Avenue tonight with a performance by Adam Ant.
Mr. Ant doesn't get us too excited, but some of the initially announced bookings sure do. And given that the enterprise is being booked by some of the city's independent promoters (including SilverWrapper and Riot Fest), I imagine there will be a lot more to come. Keep your eye out for:
Sure, the bookings also lean heavily on EDM (not exactly our cup of tea), but it seems like there's plenty of reason to celebrate, especially if it means less shows at the decrepit Congress Theater, where these promoters previously had defaulted. The venue will also boast a varying configuration (it will have between 700 and 1600 capacity) depending on how much of the venue is open.
The secret sauce could be the location. One of the venue's founders was quoted in the Tribune.
Mike Petryshyn, one of the founders of Riot Fest, said, "There are enough shows for everyone. With the (musical) niches we bring we will do fine. Some of those niches have been underserved — it's testament to the festivals we started. In the neighborhood we're in, there is no venue of that capacity. There are people in West Town who might not want to go to other parts of town for a show, but if you put a good show in their neighborhood, they'll go out."
