Event Guide
Chicago This Week: A CLR Guide for September 28 to October 4
World Music Festival has its own CLR guide. Beyond it, choose from listening rooms, loud guitars, arena and theater nights, and a final route through Chicago's electronic rooms.
Another route through the week
World Music Festival Chicago runs through Sunday, October 4. We already mapped its 13 free sessions in a separate CLR guide, so there is no reason to repeat that schedule here.
READ THE WORLD MUSIC FESTIVAL GUIDE ->
This guide starts outside that program. Its choices move between close-listening rooms, restless guitars, a large-scale pop night, and the late club. These are alternatives, not a seven-night itinerary. Pick the setting that fits the night you actually want.
Monday and Tuesday: Choose your kind of room
Early in the week, the sharpest choice is not how far to travel. It is what kind of attention you want to give a performance.
Mozart's Summit
Monday, September 28 at 7:30 p.m. | Harris Theater, Loop
Music of the Baroque pairs Mozart's final two symphonies with his last piano concerto. Dame Jane Glover conducts, with Dame Imogen Cooper at the piano. Choose this for a seated evening built around the music itself.
A Tribute to A Tribe Called Quest
Monday, September 28 at 7:30 p.m. | City Winery Chicago, West Loop
The J. Grant Experience brings Marqueal Jordan, Mz. Keeta, and D2G together with a live band and synchronized video. It is Monday's other seated choice, with the songs taking on a different physical presence.
Everything Everything: Get to Heaven 10th Anniversary
Tuesday, September 29 at 8 p.m. | Metro, Wrigleyville | 18+
Tuesday at Metro is for art-pop detail and the anniversary of Get to Heaven. The album gives the night a clear center rather than a generic tour stop.
Lambrini Girls with Big Special and Big Girl
Tuesday, September 29 at 8 p.m. | The Vic, Lakeview | 18+
If Tuesday calls for a more confrontational room, take the punk bill at The Vic. The show moved venue and date, and the promoter says previously purchased tickets will be honored. Confirm The Vic before you leave.
Wednesday and Thursday: Turn up the volume
Midweek puts two high-energy band bills on the calendar, from an outdoor Wednesday to an earlier-starting Thursday at Metro.
Knocked Loose & Denzel Curry
Wednesday, September 30 at 6 p.m. | The Salt Shed Outdoors, Goose Island
Knocked Loose and Denzel Curry share a heavy, high-impact bill at the Salt Shed's outdoor Fairgrounds. Doors are listed for 5 p.m., so treat this as an early evening rather than a late club stop.
Militarie Gun with Softcult, Shady Nasty and Dazy
Thursday, October 1 at 7 p.m. | Metro, Wrigleyville | 18+
This four-act bill starts earlier than many club nights. Metro lists 6 p.m. doors and a $20 ticket, making it a direct option if Thursday needs volume without a very late finish.
Friday: Commit to one big move
These two shows ask for different kinds of attention. Give either one the whole evening rather than planning a rushed cross-town double.
LE SSERAFIM
Friday, October 2 at 7:30 p.m. | United Center, Near West Side
The PUREFLOW tour is the week's K-pop arena choice. United Center lists 6 p.m. gates, so plan arrival as part of the night.
Joe Russo's Almost Dead
Friday, October 2 at 8 p.m. | The Salt Shed Indoors, Goose Island
For a band-centered Friday instead, the indoor Salt Shed show offers a very different scale and pace from the arena. This is a choice between two full nights, not a suggested two-stop route.
Saturday: Arena spectacle or a theater album night
Both are major productions, but they will feel nothing alike from your seat.
Doja Cat with Latto
Saturday, October 3 at 7:30 p.m. | United Center, Near West Side
Doja Cat's Tour Ma Vie stop brings Latto to the arena bill. Make this the night's centerpiece if you want a large pop and hip-hop production.
The Chicks: Taking The Long Way 20th Anniversary
Saturday, October 3 at 8:30 p.m. | Auditorium Theatre, Loop
The Chicks are performing Taking The Long Way in full at the Auditorium. If Saturday belongs to another show, the same production returns Sunday at 8:30 p.m.
Sunday: Choose the room that stays with you
Sunday has two concerts worth making a full evening of. Pick the intimate jazz farewell or the Bright Eyes bill; they overlap, so this is a choice, not a two-stop route.
The Bad Plus: Farewell Tour
Sunday, October 4 at 7 p.m. | Old Town School of Folk Music, Lincoln Square
Founding members Reid Anderson and Dave King bring The Bad Plus to Maurer Hall on their farewell tour, joined by guitarist Ben Monder and saxophonist Chris Speed. The chance to hear this lineup in a focused room gives Sunday a distinct alternative to the week's arena-scale shows.
Bright Eyes with Lullaby for the Working Class
Sunday, October 4 at 7:30 p.m. | Metro, Wrigleyville | 18+
Metro lists 6:30 p.m. doors for the Bright Eyes bill. Choose this if a guitar-led concert feels like the right final note. For a later club night instead, the last section has the electronic route.
After Dark: Another Frequency
Electronic music is not one sound, and this week's strongest options do not ask for the same kind of night. Choose a live set, a large-room producer, drum and bass, or a house floor. The Friday and Saturday bills overlap, so treat them as alternatives.
Olof Dreijer (Live) with Ariel Zetina
Wednesday, September 30 at 8 p.m. | Sleeping Village, Avondale | 21+
The live set with Zetina on the bill is the most intimate electronic pick here. Sleeping Village lists 7 p.m. doors and a $20 advance ticket before fees.
Indo Warehouse with Anyasa and Harji
Friday, October 2 at 10 p.m. | Cermak Hall at Radius, Pilsen | 18+
South Asian rhythms meet house and techno in the more culturally specific of Friday's two Radius-area choices. Anyasa and Harji join Indo Warehouse; Radius lists 10 p.m. doors.
Ben Böhmer
Friday, October 2 at 10 p.m. | Radius, Pilsen | 18+
For a larger, melodic electronic set, choose Böhmer's Radius night. It starts at the same time as Indo Warehouse nearby, so plan for one rather than promising yourself both.
Cat Dealers
Friday, October 2 at 10 p.m. | Sound-Bar, River North | 21+
For a Friday club night closer to downtown, Cat Dealers bring a house-focused alternative to the two Radius rooms. Collectiv Presents and Sound-Bar share the bill. Pick this if you want a dance floor rather than a large-room production.
goddard.
Saturday, October 3 at 10 p.m. | Sound-Bar, River North | 21+
goddard. brings drum and bass to the club's larger floor. It is the Saturday pick if the pulse and pace matter more than a house lineage lesson.
Lineage with Colleen 'Cosmo' Murphy and Tony Humphries
Saturday, October 3 at 10 p.m. | smartbar, Wrigleyville | 21+
The other Saturday choice has two deeply rooted house selectors and a phone-free dance-floor request. smartbar lists $20 to $25 advance tickets before fees, with a $30 door price. Pick this for the music and the room rather than a spectacle.
Queen!
Sunday, October 4 at 10 p.m. | smartbar, Wrigleyville | 21+
For a late Chicago house finish, Queen! takes the week past the concert hour. The October 4 listing starts at 10 p.m.; check the current hosts and ticket details before you go.
Schedules, admission, and ticket availability can change. Use each official link as the last check before leaving.