Joe's Bar on Weed St.

On Sunday night I took my Mom to the Eli Young Band concert at Eli Young band. The concert was sold out and very crowded. Joe's Bar is in Chicago but in a very empty area. It was sort of off by it's own. We did not have a problem getting a cab back into the city though. The actual bar is a very large venue. They have one room set up with TVs, a bar, and several tables. There is a separate space for the concert area. The venue was decorated nicely, it felt very chic. Also, all of the employees from the bartenders to the ladies working in the coat check were very friendly. I was very impressed by that. As for the actual concert, it started late and because it's not assigned seating, actually because there's no seating at all (you just stand in front of the stage) I wasn't a fan. I don't like that setup because I don't like to be engulfed in a crowd like that. I now know what to expect for next time. If you like to be a part of a crowd at a concert I'd recommend Joe's Bar. The tickets are really cheap and they host a lot of pretty popular bands. The drinks were fairly priced and the food smelled really good too. Don't let the empty area around the bar fool you, Joe's Bar is full of life!

Eli Young Band

I'm going to see Eli Young Band tomorrow night at Joe's Bar on Weed St. They're an upcoming country band famous for their song "Always the Love Songs". They are country sounding with a little bit of pop mixed in. Joe's Bar on Weed St. is famous for hosting many country artists. The tickets are relatively fair priced. They host a few large names as well as a few local bands. Click here for more information about Joe's Bar on Weed St.
Take a look at the video below to see Eli Young Band!

I'll be sure to update you all with my experience and hopefully some great photos!

Upcoming Concerts/ Events

Here's a few upcoming concerts and events you might want to  check out! Including JERRY SEINFELD!

1. Jerry Seinfeld- March 3rd at 5400 North River Road Chicago, IL 
2. Tyga- March 15th at 3730 North Clark Street Chicago, IL 
3. The Black Keys- March 19th at 1901 West Madison Street Chicago, IL

Click here for tickets!

Opening Day

For all of you baseball fans out there Opening Day is an exciting part of baseball season! Especially for Chicago fans. I am personally a Sox fan, but if I had the money I'd buy opening day tickets for the Cubs. Wrigley Field is so historic and beautiful. The Cubs will play their first home game this year on April 5th.  This game will surely be an exciting game filled with plenty of  Cubbie blue. There's a special website dedicated to ticket sales for opening day! Click here for those tickets!

Mega Ticket.. worth it?

Every year US 99.5 a Chicago based country radio station puts out a special promotion called the Mega Ticket. They host a series of concerts over the summer. To go to these concerts you have to buy  the "Mega Ticket" which includes tickets for 4 concerts over the summer from June to August. This year the line up features Sugarland, Rascal Flatts, Jason Aldean, and Toby Keith. The concerts are at First Midwest Bank Amphitheater in Tinley Park, Il. The tickets are broken up into 3 different categories: Lawn- $115, Silver- $225, Platinum- $500. The ticket includes admission to each of the 4 concerts. Tickets go on sale Friday (tomorrow) at 10 am. Click her for more information about US 99.5 Mega Ticket!. Do you think it's worth it this year with this lineup? I want to hear from you!

Upcoming Events

Here's a few upcoming events in Chicago that I thought were worth noting!

Sports

  Chicago Bulls-- They're on fire right now. The United Center is a great venue.

• Tuesday February 14th-- vs. the Kings at 7pm
• Thursday February 16th--- vs. the Celtics at 7pm
• Saturday February 18th--- vs. the Nets at 3pm

Click here for tickets  

Tavern at the Park

This last weekend my boyfriend took me out to dinner for Valentine's day. We went to Tavern at the Park located at 130 East Randolph Street in Chicago. The menu included many fancy dishes. They had quite a few options in the beef, chicken, seafood, and pasta sections. Each item sounding more decadent than the last. I ordered the brick chicken. It was a a piece of chicken with some veggies. It was very tasty because it was served in a light sauce. Click here for the menu and more! 

The decor of the restaurant was pretty basic, but the overall feel of the environment was classy. I wore a dress and heels for the occasion and did not feel over or under dressed. The best part of our visit there was the dessert. We ordered the strawberry shortcake. It was not short at all! It was a towering cake made up of layers of shortcake, whipped cream, and fresh strawberries. We weren't able to eat it all, but if I could have made more room in my stomach I would have. It was THAT good!!

The Strawberry Short Cake at the Tavern at the Park.

Show Boat

Hello everyone! From the poll it seemed that some of you were interested in hearing about some plays and  musicals. The production Show Boat is currently going on at the Lyric Opera downtown. Click here for tickets . It's a love story filled with beautiful music and timeless lessons about racial prejudice. This musical features Nathan Gunn, Ashley Brown, Alyson Cambridge, and Morris Robinson. Take a look at the video below for more information.

Montgomery Gentry Concert

I went to the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates Friday night to see the Professional Championship Bull Riders tour with a concert from Montgomery Gentry aftewards. The show went on for two nights, Friday and Saturday.

 Here's a video of Montgomery Gentry performing "Back When I Knew it All".

The Professional Bull Riding show was sponsored in part by the country station US 99.5.  It featured 35 of the best professional bull riders in the country. There was plenty of action from start to finish. Click here for tickets and information about the Professional Bull Riders circuit. In between the sets of bull riders, there were additional sets of entertainment. A few of these included traditional Spanish show of beautiful horses, barrel racing, and goofy skits put on by the rodeo clown.

After the Bull Riding was over, Montgomery Gentry took the stage. They played a total of 8 songs Friday night. They included some songs off of their newest album, Rebels on the Run. They had the crowd on their feet from the first song until the amazing finale. They performed my favorite song, Something to be Proud of, in the middle of the show.

One of my favorite parts of seeing country singers live is that they usually sound just like they do on the radio. This was totally true with Montgomery Gentry, they sounded just as powerful and smooth as they do on the radio. They brought their full band with them including 2 back up guitarists, a piano player, and a drummer. I would recommend seeing them live if you have the chance. Their tickets are relatively cheap too. Click here for more information about Montgomery Gentry!

US 99.5 was a sponsor Friday night. Radio personality Lisa Dente was at the show.

I want to hear from you!

What restaurants do you like? What concerts are you planning on going to? What sporting events have you been to recently? Where are some of your favorite tourism spots in Chicago? Do you follow any blogs about cool spots in Chicago?

Grand Lux Cafe

I enjoyed a strawberry iced tea at Grand Lux Cafe.

A part of the Magnificent Mile, Grand Lux Cafe is nothing short of magnificent. The restaurant itself is beautifully decorated with very high ceilings and long windows featuring a breath taking view of the city. The menu is nothing short of grand as well. It contains a wide variety of dishes to satisfy many different types of pallets. Each item on the menu contains savory flavors that will surprise and delight you. My favorite dessert, the molten chocolate cake, is prepared carefully and thoroughly. If you plan to have this tasty treat for dessert you have to order it before you order your meal. It takes about 30 minutes to make. It is surely worth the wait! Click here for the menu and more!

One of the many beautiful ceiling decorations at Grand Lux Cafe.

The famous Chocolate Molten Cake served with a scoop of ice cream and a strawberry.

Expanding my Ideas

So I've decided to expand the idea behind this blog to be about the sights and sounds of Chicago. I hope to include reviews about not only concerts, but about restaurants, shows, and sporting events. I think each of these parts add to Chicago's allure as a tourism spot. 

Welcome!

Thanks for stopping by! I'm really new to this so please be patient. The idea behind this blog comes from my love for live music. I'm in the process of creating this for a class and it is supposed to be based on recreation, sports, or tourism. It's safe to say that many people travel to Chicago for live music throughout the year. I have only been to a hand full of concerts so far, but it seems where ever I go, or whoever I see I always have a good time. I've already bought tickets for a few concerts in the next month, so I'll update this blog with pictures and a few notes about my experience. I also hope to add some dates and locations for upcoming concerts, shows, and festivals in the Chicagoland area so this blog can be useful in addition to entertaining. As I've said before, I'm really new to this so please be patient! I'll try my best to make this worth reading!