Chicago has an extremely vibrant musical scene.
Small and large venues accomodate national, regional, and local acts. Venues exist for every type of music and every level of popularity. Represented styles are Blues, Classical Folk, Jazz, and Rock Music. For a complete list of venues, see Chicago Musical Venue Directory
Below is a list of venues. The seating capacity gives an idea of the popularity of the types of music. There was no information available on the blues and jazz clubs. To understand the diversity of music, visit the venue web sites. This will tell much more than can be explained on this page.
| Style | Venue | Seating | Address | Web Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pop | United Center | 22.000 | 1901 West Madison St | United Center |
| Pop | UIC Pavilion | 10.000 | 525 South Racine Avenue | UIC Pavilion |
| Pop | Ravinia Music Festival | outdoor | Highland Park, Illinois | Ravinia |
| Rock | Aragon Ballroom | 5.000 | 1106 W. Lawrence | Aragon Ballroom |
| Pop | Allstate Arena | 4.300 | Rosemont, Illinois | Rosemont Theatre |
| Pop | Auditorium Theatre | 3.661 | 50 East Congress Parkway | Roosevelt Univ Auditorium |
| Opera | Civic Opera House | 3.563 | 220 South Michigan Avenue | Chicago Lyric Opera |
| Classical | Symphony Hall | 2.500 | 220 South Michigan Avenue | Chicago Symphony Orchestra |
| Pop | Navy Pier | 2.000 | 600 East Grand Avenue | Navy Pier |
| Rock | Vic Theater | 1.400 | 3145 North Sheffield | Vic Theater |
| Rock | House of Blues | 1.100 | 329 North Dearborn | House of Blues |
| Rock | Metro | 1.100 | 3730 North Clark | Cabaret Metro |
| Pop | Park West | 1.000 | 322 West Armitage Avenue | Park West |
| Rock | Abbey Pub | 500 | 3420 West Grace | Abbey Pub |
| Alt | Double Door | 500 | 1572 North Milwaukee | Double Door |
| Folk | Old Town School | 350 | 4544 North Lincoln | Old Town Folk Music |
| Alt | Empty Bottle | 275 | 1035 North Western | Empty Bottle |
| Alt | Subterranean | 250 | 2011 West North Avenue | Old Town Folk Music |
| Alt | Beat Kitchen | 225 | 2100 East Belmont | |
| Alt | Schubas | 225 | 3159 North Southport | |
| Blues | B.L.U.E.S. | ??? | 2519 North Halsted | |
| Blues | Buddy Guy's Legends | ??? | 754 South Wabash | |
| Blues | Checkerboard Lounge | ??? | 423 East 43rd Street | |
| Blues | Kingston Mines | ??? | 2548 North Halsted | |
| Jazz | Green Dolphin | ??? | 2200 N Ashland Ave | |
| Jazz | Green Mill | ??? | 4802 North Broadway St | |
My recollection is that BLUES seats about 50 and holds 150. Kingston Mines has two rooms with 200 in one and 300 in the other room. I have not been to Green Dolphin in a long-time, but I think that the capacity is a few hundred, including the dining room. The Green Mill can hold 200-300 including standing room. | ||||