Rock on! A look at suburban music venues in 2015
The city of Chicago may be king when it comes to live-music venues, but that doesn't mean local rock/pop fans can't find a good show closer to home.
Music venues located right here in the suburbs book all kinds of acts, from A-list talent to up-and-coming indie bands. As suburbanites look forward to the new year, the Daily Herald spotlights a number of prominent local venues and some key shows they'll host in 2015.
Allstate Arena
The biggest suburban venue is the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, one of several major arenas that pop's biggest stars play when they visit the Chicago area.
The Allstate Arena hosts artists in a variety of genres - pop, country, hip-hop, rock. The first part of 2015 reflects that diversity. On the calendar so far are concerts by classic rock band Fleetwood Mac (Feb. 14), Latin stars Enrique Iglesias and Pitbull (Feb. 20), pop starlet Ariana Grande (March 3) and iconic rock band The Who (May 13).
The Allstate Arena is located at 6920 N. Mannheim Road in Rosemont. A full calendar of concerts can be found at allstatearena.com.
Arcada Theatre
The Arcada Theatre is a former vaudeville house in downtown St. Charles that now specializes in music and comedy shows. A 900-seat venue with plenty of old-school charm, the Arcada books a number of bands from the '60s, '70s and '80s in a variety of genres.
Among the notable shows set for early 2015 are the quirky New Wave/pop group the B-52s (Feb. 12), singer-songwriter Billy Ocean (Feb. 21), country legend Loretta Lynn (March 27) and garage-rockers the Smithereens (April 3).
The Arcada is located at 105 E. Main St. in St. Charles. A full listing of shows can be found at oshows.com.
Durty Nellie's
Located in downtown Palatine, Durty Nellie's is a neighborhood pub with a strong commitment to live rock 'n' roll. Concerts are held every weekend, and they feature a mix of cover/tribute bands and national touring acts.
Coming up in 2015 are shows by local country act Derringer and Rye, part of the Thursday-night country series at Durty Nellie's (Jan. 8), Rod Tuffcurls & the Benchpress, one of the area's most popular cover bands (Jan. 23), and acclaimed indie-Americana act Ha Ha Tonka, sharing the bill with punk/rockabilly favorite the Reverend Horton Heat (March 7).
Durty Nellie's is located at 180 N. Smith St., Palatine. A full listing of shows can be found at durtynellies.com.
Austin's Fuel Room
This spot gives Lake County residents a chance to hear some quality live rock without driving too far from home. Austin's books a number of the area's popular cover/tribute bands, along with some national acts. (Bret Michaels and Shooter Jennings have both appeared there.)
Performing early in 2015 are popular classic-rock cover band 97 Nine (Jan. 30) and modern-rock maestros Mike and Joes (Feb. 7).
Austin's is located at 481 Peterson Road, Libertyville. Go to fuelroom.com.
Ravinia
Ravinia Festival in Highland Park is the oldest outdoor music festival in the U.S. (Ravinia opened in 1904.) Each spring and summer, Ravinia hosts an eclectic mix of nationally known acts, which fans can enjoy in the pavilion seats or while having a picnic meal on Ravinia's trademark lawn.
A full schedule for 2015 won't be released until late winter-early spring. One show that has been announced already is the pairing of legendary crooner Tony Bennet and pop diva Lada Gaga (June 26-27). Ravinia is located at 200 Ravinia Park Road in Highland Park. Go to ravinia.org.
Other spots
There are others venues to check out, too, when you're in the mood for live music.
• The Penny Road Pub in Barrington has live bands every weekend. 545 Penny Road, pennyroadpub.com.
• Brauerhouse in Lombard has booked a number of prominent and influential punk and metal bands. 1000 N. Rohlwing Road, brauerhouse.com.
• The Prairie Center for the Arts in Schaumburg boasts a wide variety of musical acts each year. 201 Schaumburg Ct., prairiecenter.org.