The bad news is that the glory days of Chicago house are history. There’s no more Shelter, no more warehouse raves, and fewer venues willing to let in under-21s, which has pretty much meant the end of club-kid culture. The good news is that none of this has stopped Chicago from growing a world-class dance-club scene. Pull out Section 3, flip to the “Dance” portion of the music listings, and you’ll find DJs spinning a couple dozen different kinds of music at name-brand clubs, dive bars, and a range of spots between the two.
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If your idea of what a nightclub should be is based solely on the movies–all trance music, hot chicks, and Red-Bull-vodkas–you’re thinking of what’s known cozily as a “megaclub.” On one hand megaclubs are obnoxious, overblown, and overpriced. On the other hand, the spectacle and cheesed-out decadence are exactly what you need. The two that can usually strike a pleasing balance of quality and quantity of experience are Crobar (1543 N. Kingsbury, 312-266-1900) and Sound-Bar (226 W. Ontario, 312-787-4480). You’ll find the same overly hair-gelled hordes as you would at any big club in town, but the talent these places bring in are a step above, mixing a steady stream of the kind of arena-level DJs who in Europe are worshipped as gods with the occasional surprise underground act to bring out hipsters who wouldn’t be caught dead holding a Jager bomb.
