One of the first things we do before we travel is checkout the music venues of the cities we will be visiting. First, we look for the historical spots: the old theaters, the music halls, the auditoriums, and any place where musicians have been coming for decades. Usually, with the old joints, smaller is better.
Next, we look for the most happening musical entertainment places attracting performers and fans right now. Sadly, for a few decades now, in many cities, particularly if you are traveling in the summer, these venues consist of mostly amphitheaters. We have been to dozens of shows at amphitheaters and very few create the sort of ambiance that makes for a perfect evening. They are a bit soul-less and are largely constructed the same throughout the country with a few notable exceptions like Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts in Virginia and Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre in Colorado.
Sometimes the performers are just so good, they can override the corporate nature of many of these recently built open air venues. Bruce Springsteen and the Cure come to mind immediately for musicians that can blast the paint and emptiness right off of the Welcome to the Toyota Amphitheater sponsored by LIVE NATION sign in any city. Still, our experience has been, if you can find an old venue with history and character, it almost doesn’t matter who is playing, you will have a good evening. And if you are willing to take a risk in a new city you are visiting, you might just find a cool new band for your Spotify playlist (think Kamasi Washington at The National in Richmond, Virginia).
Every once in awhile though, the stars align and you get the best of all worlds: an old classic venue and a bonafide hit maker. When that happens in a new city you’re visiting, you are set to make a memory of a lifetime. And if it happens to be one of your favorite musicians of all time, that you’ve listened to for your entire life, well, maybe there is such a thing as heaven on Earth.
One of the reasons Chicago ranks so high for me in our travels is because I had one of those unforgettable moments there. My sister and I went to Chicago on this occasion to celebrate simply being alive. Our Dad had recently and suddenly passed away from a massive heart attack and it made the both of us realize that no one is promised tomorrow. We felt like our Dad may have passed with some regrets and some things perhaps left undone and some words left unsaid. We were determined to live life to the fullest today and not wait for tomorrow.
In many of our melancholy moments in high school wondering where our Dad might be, The Smiths and Morrissey provided a lot of comfort to us. After he passed, we said let’s see if Morrissey is touring anywhere cool and go see him. Maybe it will be a way for us to have some closure and our constant questioning and wondering about him.
After looking around the U.S. for Morrissey’s tour stops, there, in the Windy City, a venue jumped out just waiting for us to find it: the Aragon Ballroom. Interestingly, the Aragon Ballroom today is a LIVE Nation venue sponsored by Byline Bank. Olivia Rodrigo is in concert there this weekend and Interpol and Modest Mouse are playing there in the coming weeks. Clearly, the Aragon Ballroom is still playing host to a wide range of up and coming performers and traditionally great bands.
LIVE NATION Current Pictures of the Aragon Ballroom
Historical photo from the Chicago Public Library Archives.
The history of Chicago’s Aragon Ballroom is wonderful and wild. Constructed during the Roaring 20’s, it has been nicknamed the Aragon “Brawlroom” for its reputation as a place for fisticuffs after some hard rocking bands performed there as well as a place for giving and receiving punches after some championship boxing matches. The Aragon was built during the Jazz Age as a place to dance with a wooden floor built on springs and a very distinguishable Moorish architectural design inside and out. From the moment you arrive you feel like you are in a magical, eternal place where thousands and thousands of other people like you for the past 100 years chose to spend their nights dancing their blues away.
The Aragon is a hop, skip, and a jump right off the “L” train so it is easily accessed from almost anywhere in the city. My sister and I stayed at the Palmer House Hotel in Downtown Chicago and easily navigated to the Ballroom and back. We were there in November so it was cold standing in line waiting to enter the Aragon, but once inside we ran towards the front of the stage where we carved out a place to sweat and swoon with other Morrissey fans.
I can remember during the concert looking around and feeling like I was in a foreign land. The interior felt like a town square in Spain or perhaps Northern Africa. As Morrissey sang "I Will See You in Far-Off Places” the night felt complete. Adding “Ganglord” to the setlist in Chicago with Al Capone rumored to have spent some evenings at the Aragon seemed all the more fitting. “Dear God Please Help Me” and “Life is a Pigsty” were perfect selections for my sister and I to relate to in our struggles with our Dad and “In the Future When All’s Well” was a message we took to heart and took home with us.
Sometimes, the right city, the right venue, the right night, and the right performer come together and create paradise. If you are ever in Chicago, make sure you check out who is playing at the Aragon Ballroom. You might get lucky and know the band, but if not, take a risk and go check out the venue anyway. It is worth the trip.