Looking to do something off-campus in one of the largest cities in the U.S.? Luckily, our campus is so close to Chicago. Fortunately, the Windy City is home to many great venues to see artists of various talents perform. There are plenty of performances coming up that would be a fun way to break up our schedules of school and studying.
The Aragon Ballroom, located in the Uptown neighborhood about five miles north of downtown, has big headline names like 6Lack (Nov. 1), Lil Yachty (Nov. 3), and Kesha (Nov. 9). What’s great about this venue is that the shows held there are from basically any genre. For example, the venue has Ivan Cornejo coming on Nov. 16 performing a Latin show, and SLANDER coming on Nov. 24, who is categorized in the dance/electronic genre.
The Chicago Theatre, near the heart of downtown, has many upcoming events which may spark some enthusiasm. They are hosting country singer Brett Eldredge in the first few days of December for his Christmas concert. Until then though, they have several comedians and smaller artists performing throughout November that might peak your interest!
Allstate Arena, home of the Chicago Wolves, a professional minor league hockey team in the American Hockey League, is located in Rosemont, about 30-45 minutes from Chicago, depending on traffic. In addition to being the home stadium to the Chicago Wolves regular season games (which are a blast), they’ve also got some upcoming concerts. Old Dominion, a modern country band, is coming Nov. 17. WWE Smackdown, a wrestling entertainment show, will be present at Allstate Arena on Nov. 24 and 25. They will also be hosting the band Kiss for their “The End of the Road Tour” on Nov. 27.
The United Center, the home of the National Hockey League team, the Chicago Blackhawks, has events that you won’t want to miss! Starting on Nov. 1 and 2, they have Enrique Inglesias, Pitbull and Ricky Martin. In December, the United Center is hosting Mariah Carey (Dec. 3,) Doja Cat (Dec. 13) and Travis Scott (Dec. 15.) You can catch Chicago Bulls and Blackhawks games in between these concerts for all the sports fans out there.
If you’re looking for places that are smaller with a more chill vibe, growing artists and live music there are quite a few unique venues to go to. Look at Bottom Lounge, Schubas Tavern, Lincoln Hall, The Vic Theatre and Metro Chicago. All of these venues offer a concert experience, but a much more personal and private one.
There are many more concert venues to choose from in the Chicagoland area, but unfortunately they’re only open in the summer since they’re outdoors. Nonetheless, taking advantage of living so close to such a big city is sometimes unappreciated. Chicago provides opportunities to have some fun and there is never a shortage of entertainment to find!
Photo Credits: Olivia Brzek
