Subterranean

Thanks for making going to a live performance of one of my favorite bands such a long, boring, and arduous experience. Waiting for 30 minutes for you all to sound check equipment that was already set up on stage before the opening act (and wasn’t in use either), is just kind of a big fuck you. Your sound board is programmable, so why not make use of that feature and do all your drum tests while the room is filling up. It’s not worth it to stand around for two hours while the crowd gets stupid and rowdy.

The last of the great Wicker Park bars. Sub T is the place to be if you love Hip Hop and music. The upstairs regularly books local and national bands. Great sound and casual atmosphere. Downstairs every Tues has open mic for freestyle Hip Hop. It’s billed as the longest open mic for rappers in the country. Word to the wise if you go in there to rap and you are no good you will be promptly booted off the mic. Bring your skills and check you feelings at the door. Wed night is billed as «Hello Hip Hop» with the host MC Visual. This night is more of a feature night. You will see acts from all over Chicago and abroad. Although it is billed as a Hip Hop night you can also see diverse acts that cover Soul, top 40 and alternative as well. The Dj’s for both nights are top notch and keep the nights moving quite well. Speaking of Dj’s if you wanna change things up visit on a Thursday night for DJ Papa G. He spins all the Reggae and Dancehall hits. This night gets crowded fast so get there early or you will be in a corner trying to get a drink. Fridays are great as well for an older crowd. They do «Flashback Friday» where the DJs spin 70’s. 80’s and 90’s for the fans of throwback tunes. Yea the bathrooms are not «pristine» but that’s pretty much all the bars in Wicker Park that have been there for a while. The staff at Sub-​t are always friendly and fair. If you’re cool they’re cool. If you’re a jerk you’ll get tossed. If you’re in wicker park and don’t want that same old same crowd. Hit up Sub-​t and pay them a visit. You’ll enjoy.

Tall black dreadlocked doorman told me «If you don’t get your bitch off my sidewalk, Ima beat both your bitchasses!!»
This was our first time (and last time) there, just checking it out. My newlywed coworker invited me and my beautiful girlfriend to come by and meet his wife. It was reggae night and I’m a huge fan, so we accepted his invite. We danced and drank until barclose, and really didn’t mind being ushered out by the staff as we waited for our friends to get their coats from coatcheck. Once we got outside, this unskilled doorman screamed that he wanted the sidewalk cleared «or there would be trouble on this sidewalk!» So i helped my somewhat tipsy girlfriend down the way to a recessed storefront and posted up there to wait on our friends. The doorman totally singled us out and followed us down to the starbucks screaming and totally threatened first, my girl, then me when i defended her. We only appeases the situation after stepping off the curb (buzzed) into traffic. He seemed finally satisfied I let him know i planned on writing a review and he said i «could take my Unilocal and fuck myself with it.

This place was really cool, and looked quite charming in that «old building» kind of way. I saw Jesse Malin and a couple of great opening acts here (so mad I forgot their names… one was a local band called Mono In Stereo I believe).

When visiting Chicago, I always tried to see a concert. Every trip. Most trips involved multiple concerts. One December, I remember walking far too long from Empty Bottle to Subterranean, after I wasn’t on the guest list. I remember taking one look at the venue from the sidewalk and squinting with disdain. I gave up and and took my disappointed heart back to my friend’s place in Lakeview.
Obviously, I have changed my mind about the venue now that I live in the wonderful city of Chicago. The sound can be ridiculously loud at one show to uneven at the next show. Their calendar is always great. Capacity is around 400 and their sister venue, Beat Kitchen, is around 300. I’ve discovered some new favorites while eagerly awaiting headlining options here.
The free water cooler by the fan always makes me feel fabulous when my hair flies all over the place as I try to hydrate.
I can never get a good idea about how crowded a show is going to be ‘upstairs’. While most venues you can manage to sneak to the sides of the stage to get a good view… this doesn’t work here. The right side of the stage (stage left) is for unloading for openers and gets pretty annoying making way. Upstairs there’s a pretty steep view. I actually hate the balcony view. It’s not very comfortable for my neck to be angled like that. Unless you’re a fan of vertigo inducing views.
Bathrooms aren’t horrible. Going up and down the stairs while trying to balance a drink, and froggering between people is a mess, though. So try to limit that noise.
I’ve had surprisingly good luck finding free street parking within half a mile of the venue, and the Damen Blue Line stop is oh-​so-​close.

GREAT night spot. I love reggae thursdays! Great Music, Phenomenal bands, Affordable drinks, and always always ALWAYS a exciting crowd. I have met three great friends at this venue. Ill always return!

Really cool place to see a show. Dinosaur Jr was loud enough to make your ears ring for 2 days afterwards and it was awesome.
The 3^rd level (2^nd of the venue) is the coolest part with a balcony that looks right down on the stage and provides are really good view of everything but spots along this are taken up quick and you should plan on getting there early if you want them.

Was there last night. I wasn’t really feeling it. The reggae night is held in a tiny area so you can only imagine how hot it gets. I wasn’t dressed right for the occasion so I’ll try again next Thursday to give it a fair chance.
The sweet tea shot was amazing. Skip the mixed drinks and only get that shot! It was great.

Got to see Viet Cong here during Pitchfork and it was pretty cool. The venue itself is a typical small spot for shows with a main stage downstairs and an upstairs railing you can look over at the crowd and audience. Bar service here wasn’t the best, but the drinks were so strong that I wasn’t even upset about it. We hung around for a bit after the show and drank upstairs. This place can feel a little claustrophobic with the lights/​crowds, so take note of that if you’re someone who doesn’t handle that well. Overall it’s a pretty neat place.

Sub-​T seems to put on an abundance of great shows. Not so great for my wallet. Unlike some of the reviews I looked over I have not had a bad experience with any of the bartenders. There’s usually a longish wait at the bar so I tend to avoid that whole scene anyways because I am one of those crazy folk who come to a show to see the performers verse getting wasted. They have a pretty solid selection of beer I will add.
I like that they have the downstairs area and an upstairs balcony that gives you a perfect view of the stage, if you can snag a spot before it gets too crowded. Anything that helps a short person experience the concert better gets a thumbs up from me.
Bathrooms look pretty haggard but what do you expect?
No complaints on the sound front either. All in all I enjoy coming here and will be doing so for many years to come.

Upstairs concert space has the worst sounds. So if you’re going to see a musician you be prepared for muffled noise.
Downstairs random DJs. Most nights are boring to lame. Crowd is low key plotting how to swipe your coat. Eyes wide open. Yo they could spin that jam you like and all is gravy, but maintain that eye on the coat!

The concert I went to here reminded me what it is I love about both Chicago and concerts.
This place reminds me of the dingy, divey underage-​friendly clubs that I used to hang out in growing up. Places like this are so valuable to a local music scene.
I saw William Control here the other night. The show was great. The staff was friendly. The crowd was even pretty un-​douchey. I know these are all things that can vary radically from night to night, but in my experience with other clubs the experience one night will tell you a lot about what things will be like at other shows at the same place.
The sound was decent. It wasn’t the most acoustically inviting venue I’ve seen a band, but it was far from the worst.
Beer prices were very reasonable by concert venue standards.
Parking is okay for patrons. You’ll have a short walk from whatever side street you find a space on, but it’s not like you’re going to have to pay $ 20 in parking for the night. Performers kinda get the shaft here because they don’t have a loading zone out front.
I’d come back, definitely.

I strongly urge you all not to attend this venue! If you care about your safety this is not the place for you. This past Thursday I was viciously beat by the bouncers (door thugs) after I told them they were being homophobic. Not only did they beat the crap out of me, they had the audacity to steal my phone. I tried to contact management through various avenues and have yet to receive a reply. I would urge you to actually scroll through the reviews. this isn’t the first time someone mentioned getting mugged by the bouncers. for wicker park to be such a progressive neighborhood I find this place beyond tacky.

THIEVES.
The white female bartender tending the first floor of the venue was extremely rude and disrespectful. Never have I experienced such unprofessional customer service.
Besides the horrible attitude she had, she also was short on my change. She kept an extra $ 2. I didn’t notice till after leaving
These people are THIEVES.

Tried to see Jarabe de Palo play here tonight. Advertised start time at 8:30pm on a Wednesday night. Finally left after waiting 2.5 hours requesting a refund and a rude production guy could only point to some generic sign saying they would go on at 11pm. NEVER would have bought a ticket for a concert to start at 11pm on a week night. Marketing/​correct adverting would help avoid frustrated people who are now out $ 70. On a side note, I would watch who you you are selling alcohol to because 18 year olds were allowed in and were definitely drinking and being obnoxious.

Be careful. The bartenders here are shady and will try to cheat you out of your correct change. Got a drink and gave the bartender a 20 and he only gave me change for a 10.

A pleasure to play. A pleasure to frequent. The sound crew consistently does a great job for the bands as well as the crowd. I’ve been to some of my favorite shows of all time here including one of Make Believe’s final sets. Such a good time.

I came here seeking respite from the cold weather after a concert./Halloween night. We had plans to go to Estelle’s, which is right next door, but the rest of the group wasn’t here yet and we were already halfway inside, so why not?
It wasn’t packed by any means. The music was good considering I thought it would be hip hop/​rap the entire time. My friends come all the time for their hip hop nights, so I was wary to listen to one genre of music all night. The bartender got us a pitcher of water with our drinks and someone left a band-​aid in the pitcher. We were a little confused because since it was Halloween, maybe it was a prop? But either way, the bartender was disgusted, apologized profusely and got us a brand new pitcher. Thank you.
SubT’s was a great start for the night. I only wish they were open longer and didn’t have cover on the nights I want to go out.

Came here to see The Futurebirds who put on an amazing show. Small venue but I liked how it was set up. Loved the bartender downstairs, she was super friendly and sweet.
The one upstairs was a different story. She was very rude and abrasive for no reason. Not sure what was with the attitude that night. All my friends had the same experience with her. Also, I was waiting for a friend downstairs since the upstairs wasn’t open yet. She went up there when it was open and asked the same bartender if there was another area to to the venue. She lied and said Subterranean only had the upstairs. Not sure what that was about. May or may not come back here.

Came here with a few people for a show this past Friday night. The people working the door were not super friendly, but everyone upstairs was great. The bartender was fun, and as it turns out later in the night, also very honest. (He overcharged on accident and ended up giving a refund and the tip out of his tip jar back. Yes, we gave the tip back: o))
They bring great new bands here and the following is a pretty good size. We stood upstairs looking down onto the stage and crowd. Very cool place with a nice dirty hipster vibe.
Downside: Bathrooms were gross and the line was long for the two single women’s only bathrooms.
Upside: Coat check for those that love to dance and don’t want to hold your jacket.