Jeremy Jay / Black Umbrella / Sam Vicari

Empty Bottle

Well known for its extreme devotion to the local and indie scene, the Empty Bottle is one of the best venues in town for a personal concert. The stage is a full stage, some three feet high, and faces the bar from the back corner. Rooms extend in two directions from the stage, and hallways connect them. A front room serves as the entry and has a pool table, where only casual games are played, surrounded by couches that enable either lounging or coming down. Continually booking well-known and/or well-critiqued underground acts, the Empty Bottle sustains its place atop the short list of bars in Chicago that consistently give an audience to good bands. It out-classes the Double Door, which often books over-rated yet popular acts, and even the Metro due to the intimate nature of the stage. Shows are fairly priced, betwen ten and twenty dollars, as is the bar (some bottles are as cheap as $1). Filled with hipsters and Wicker-Types, it's certainly not for everybody. The Empty Bottle is one of those dark dungeonic hip-spots where a swinger's status is usually upheld or advanced, where the self-proclaimed cool scene hangs out. It is a great place, nevertheless, and anyone looking for a lively night out or an original show can usually count on the Empty Bottle. Phone: (773) 276-3600

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