One of the most beloved and notorious venues in Chicago, the infamous Aragon Ballroom hosts a large variety of concerts, sporting events, dance parties and performances, cloistered within a stunning layout unlike any other. While some of the facade may be a bit dated and well-admired, the brilliant scheme within the confines hearkens to a midlevel Spanish courtyard, as its original intention was for formal ballroom dancing.
Upon entering, guests are directed to climb the sweeping dual spiral staircases, leading up to the main level. At that point, early entrants are encouraged to climb one more set of stairs to the mezzanine, where a small amount of seating is usually available within the turrets gazing at the stage below. The imagery is absolutely breath taking, making folks feel as though they are actually standing outdoors on a warm, starlit evening, even in the harsh Chicago winters.
For quite a number of years, Uptown has been known to be a rather seedy part of town and is only now in the beginning of gentrification. Because many people were insecure about traveling to the location, it limited the styles of music that chose to perform at the Aragon. During the 80s especially, the majority of the performances were up and coming rock and metal bands, including METALLICA, ANTHRAX and SLAYER. It is because of those bands' (and others) rowdy audiences the Aragon earned the dubious moniker "The Scaragon Brawlroom", which still holds true today for many heavy acts.
Thanks to the neighborhood changing and the venue's restoration efforts, lots of different styles of music are making a comeback to the Aragon, bringing with it a large variance in audiences. There are a few rules to live by at this venue, no matter what performance people are there to see, so be sure to note the following:
No matter what time of year it is, this place can get HOT when it gets crowded. Use the coat check!
The seating and the mezzanine areas in general are highly coveted, especially later in the evening when folks start to wear down. Save that spot no matter what!
At the end of the show, everyone tends to herd like cattle down those winding stairs, meandering their way to the ground level. Folks who want to leave in a hurry really should skip the encores.
The bathrooms start out clean and shiny but end up filthy and disgusting by night’s end, in spite of the staff‘s best efforts. Just a forewarning.
People go there to see and be seen. It's certainly not for the acoustics!
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