What was the storied Chicago music club Elbo Room has reopened as Bookclub.
According to an announcement of the new music venue Tuesday, Bookclub quietly opened on Jan. 9 as an independently owned two-level bar and club space; the announcement speculates it may be “the country’s first licensed music venue and bar that is owned by Gen-Z and millennial folks who are Black, Women and Queer.”
The new owners are identified as Kevante Weakley, Cam Stacey, Maren Rosenberg and Nick Heineman. They said in the announcement that they had decided to forgo a grand opening in favor of playing a few emerging bands to try the remodeled space out.
Bookclub, in the ground floor and basement at 2871 N. Lincoln Ave., will host “punk, pop, hip hop, laptops and everything in between,” with an emphasis on local artists.
The Elbo Room, which occupied the same space from 1989 to 2019, was so called for the shape of the triangular Lakeview building that housed it on one of Chicago’s five-point intersections. Music played in the basement, where the tight and odd-shaped quarters became an asset, though the pole in the middle of the stage perhaps never did. Early images provided by Bookclub show that the shape, and the pole, remain.
Bookclub promises concerts and programming seven nights a week, including:
- Dueling pianos, open mic, drag bingo, trivia, matinee concerts, and femmes industry night out on select Mondays and Tuesdays.
- Stand-up comedy and the Sunday Night Speakeasy Club with jazz, blues, soul and fusion on alternating Sundays.
- A Big Gay Da’ Bears Bar with an NFL football-watching experience on a giant screen.
More information, including a schedule of upcoming concerts, at bookclubchi.com
dgeorge@chicagotribune.com
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