Live Entertainment in Chicago

Auditorium Theatre is one of America's greatest architectural achievements in performing arts — an 1889 Adler & Sullivan masterpiece with extraordinary acoustics serving as the home of the Joffrey Ballet. The building's innovative use of cantilever steel and acoustic engineering, designed by Louis Sullivan and Dankmar Adler, represented the pinnacle of 19th-century architectural ingenuity and remains one of the finest concert hall acoustics in the world.

Buddy Guy's Legends in the South Loop is a blues club owned by the legendary guitarist, presenting touring and resident blues acts as one of the most historically important blues venues in America.

Aragon Ballroom is one of Chicago's most magnificent historic music venues — a 1926 Uptown ballroom whose Moorish-Spanish architectural splendor creates an extraordinary backdrop for major concerts. The Aragon's remarkable architectural preservation and its extraordinary history (it has hosted every major musical act from big band to rock) create a concert venue of genuine Chicago entertainment historical significance.

Orchestra Hall at Symphony Center is the home of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra — a 2,522-seat concert hall where the CSO, consistently ranked among the world's top five orchestras, has performed under conductors from Theodore Thomas to Georg Solti to Riccardo Muti. The Chicago Symphony's extraordinary artistic tradition, 60+ Grammy Awards (more than any other classical ensemble), and connection to American orchestral excellence make Orchestra Hall one of the world's most significant concert halls.

Chicago Symphony Orchestra is universally ranked among the world's five greatest orchestras — a Michigan Avenue institution whose magnificent Orchestra Hall presents performances of extraordinary musical quality. The CSO's extraordinary brass section (considered the finest in the world), its remarkable recording legacy, and the consistent presence of the world's greatest conductors and soloists create a classical music experience of genuine world-class musical significance.

Chicago Theatre is a 3,600-seat historic performance venue in The Loop — the iconic State Street landmark whose glowing vertical marquee is one of Chicago's most recognizable images. Open since 1921, the venue hosts Broadway productions, stand-up comedy specials, and headline concerts in an ornate French Baroque interior adjacent to the Loop's growing entertainment scene.

The Chicago Theatre is one of America's most magnificent entertainment palaces — a 1921 French Baroque-inspired venue whose sign is the most recognizable symbol of Chicago's entertainment identity. The theater's 3,600-seat capacity and extraordinary interior (often called "The Palace of the Middle West") make it one of the most architecturally significant performing arts venues in the United States, hosting everything from comedy specials to major concerts in an atmosphere of historic grandeur.

Chop Shop in Wicker Park presents touring indie, hip-hop, and electronic acts alongside a butcher-shop restaurant in a converted industrial building.

Civic Opera House on the Chicago River is home to the Lyric Opera of Chicago, a 3,563-seat Art Deco skyscraper theater that is one of the largest opera houses in North America.

Constellation in North Center presents experimental jazz and new music concerts, an intimate listening room central to Chicago's avant-garde music scene.

Epiphany Center for the Arts in the West Loop presents concerts and events in a converted 1885 church, one of Chicago's most striking adaptive-reuse entertainment venues.

Goodman Theatre is Chicago's most important producing theater — a Loop institution presenting world premieres, major revivals, and important classics in one of America's finest regional theater facilities. Chicago's extraordinary theater culture (it produces more important American plays than any city except New York) and the Goodman's consistent presentation of nationally significant theatrical work create a theater of genuine American performing arts historical significance.

Grant Park Music Festival is the only free, municipally supported outdoor classical music festival in the United States — a Chicago lakefront summer series presenting world-class orchestral performances in the Jay Pritzker Pavilion (designed by Frank Gehry) to audiences of 10,000+. The festival's extraordinary combination of world-class music, the free admission policy (a remarkable Chicago civic gift), and Gehry's iconic pavilion create a performing arts experience of unique American democratic cultural significance.

Harold Washington Cultural Center in Bronzeville presents jazz, blues, and gospel concerts honoring Chicago's first Black mayor and the neighborhood's musical heritage.

House of Blues Chicago is the most elaborate House of Blues location worldwide — a 1,400-capacity club inside the iconic Marina City complex on the Chicago River that features a stunning Gothic-Revival-meets-Mississippi-Delta design aesthetic and an unbeatable location steps from Michigan Avenue. The Sunday Gospel Brunch here is considered the finest in the chain, and the music booking covers rock, R&B, hip-hop, and blues year-round for Chicago's dense entertainment market.

Jay Pritzker Pavilion is Frank Gehry's spectacular outdoor concert venue in Millennium Park — a 4,000-seat covered pavilion with a 7,000-person lawn and Gehry's distinctive stainless steel ribbons framing the Chicago skyline backdrop for Chicago Symphony Orchestra summer performances, Lollapalooza, and free concerts. Millennium Park's extraordinary success as both a community gathering space and world-class entertainment venue has made it the most influential urban park design of the 21st century.

Kingston Mines in Lincoln Park is Chicago's oldest and largest blues club, presenting live blues on two stages nightly since 1968, a defining venue of the city's blues heritage.

Laugh Factory Chicago in Lakeview presents national touring stand-up comedians, part of the famous LA-based comedy club chain.

Logan Theatre in Logan Square is a restored vintage movie house presenting film screenings and events, anchoring the neighborhood's entertainment corridor along Milwaukee Avenue.

Lyric Opera of Chicago is one of the three great American opera companies — a Civic Opera Building institution presenting world-class opera in one of the most magnificent opera houses in the world. The Civic Opera Building's extraordinary Art Deco architecture (the building was nicknamed "Insull's Throne" after the utility magnate who funded it), the Lyric's consistently outstanding productions, and Chicago's remarkable cultural ambition create an opera experience of genuine world-class significance.

Lyric Opera of Chicago at the Civic Opera House presents one of the world's most ambitious opera seasons — a 3,563-seat venue presenting the most fully staged productions in North America with extraordinary international casts. The Civic Opera House's extraordinary Art Deco exterior and the Lyric Opera's 70-year tradition of presenting operatic masterpieces with uncompromising artistic standards have established Chicago as one of the world's great opera cities.

Metro in Wrigleyville is a legendary Chicago rock club that has presented touring alternative and indie acts since 1982, launching Smashing Pumpkins and countless Chicago bands in a converted Swedish social hall.

Old Town School of Folk Music in Lincoln Square presents touring folk, roots, and world music concerts, one of the largest community music schools in the United States.

Chicago's lakefront music venues include the spectacular Pritzker Pavilion and the surrounding outdoor concert spaces — one of America's most extraordinary urban concert environments where Lake Michigan provides the world's most dramatic natural backdrop for live music. Chicago's remarkable lakefront (23 miles of public parks along Lake Michigan, accessible to all Chicagoans regardless of income) and its extraordinary music tradition create outdoor concert experiences of unique American civic significance.

The Riviera Theatre is a 2,500-capacity venue in Chicago's Uptown neighbourhood — a converted historic movie palace that has been a major live music destination since the 1980s. Renowned for booking mid-size touring acts across rock, hip-hop, electronic, and metal genres, the Riv offers standing-room concert energy in a room with strong acoustics and a long Chicago music history.

The Second City is the most important comedy institution in America — an Old Town Chicago theater that has launched the careers of Bill Murray, Tina Fey, Stephen Colbert, Steve Carell, and literally hundreds of Saturday Night Live cast members. Chicago's extraordinary comedy culture (it produces more professional comedians than any city in the world) and The Second City's unparalleled training program create a performing arts institution of genuine American comedy historical significance.

Steppenwolf Theatre is the most influential American theater company of the past 50 years — a Lincoln Park ensemble founded by Gary Sinise, John Malkovich, and Joan Allen that reinvented American acting with its raw, physical performance style. Steppenwolf's extraordinary acting ensemble, its consistent production of important new American plays, and its remarkable influence on global theater create a company of genuine international theatrical significance.

Subterranean in Wicker Park presents touring indie, hip-hop, and punk acts across two floors, a key venue in Chicago's independent music scene.

Thalia Hall in Pilsen is a restored 1892 opera house presenting touring indie and rock acts, one of Chicago's most architecturally striking mid-size venues.

The Hideout in an industrial pocket near Lincoln Park presents touring Americana, indie, and literary events in a converted 1890s tavern beloved by Chicago's music and writing scenes.