![]() ![]() “Black, Hispanic, queer, Asian - it was all identities kind of united just by the ability to hang out somewhere that was all ages, and people were listening to hip-hop to punk to two-tone ska.” “The scene was very diverse, in terms of all the different students and tweens and teens who are converging on the Fireside,” said Alex White, who plays in the band White Mystery and goes by the stage name “Miss Alex White.” Back then, in middle school and high school, White attended shows and performed at the venue. While many North Side music venues tended to draw a majority-white audience, and the Fireside was no exception, shows there were often a reminder that the punk scene strived to be inclusive. ![]() Two friends sit outside the Fireside in July 2004. Though on paper the venue operated as a hall that could be rented out (similar to a VFW) to bands, in practice it was a punk music destination at a bowling alley that was quickly gaining national recognition. The Fireside was starting to hit its stride. Peterson and Eaves were booking shows several nights a week. “I could always get the vocals up over the band at the Fireside.”īy the summer of 1994, the Fireside started to become known more as a music venue than a bowling alley. “For me, the Fireside was easy because it had that sort of a more dead sound…because it has acoustical tile ceiling… wood paneling walls,” he said. Though a bowling alley might not seem like an ideal spot for a decent sounding live music experience, Elliot Dicks – who oversaw sound at the Fireside – said it wasn’t as bad as you might think. RakstadĪs things started to take off, Peterson realized he needed staff - including live sound engineers and people to work the door - to keep shows running. Just throw in a little building renovation, positive word of mouth and impressive headliners to stir up a local cult following, and the Fireside Bowl could become the hottest ticket in Chicago’s underground music scene once again.‘Sound man extraordinaire’ Elliot Dicks was one of several live sound engineers who kept shows running at the Fireside. ![]() Maybe a punk night held once a week, run by mP and filled to the brim with local music, could breathe life back into a once sacred haunt. The Fireside was great when mP Productions booked shows there. And, with the recent resurgence of punk rockers in the local music scene (like “flower punk” wunderkinds The Orwells, still in high school!) the timing of a Fireside revival couldn’t be more perfect. Here’s a thought: Maybe people will stop complaining about the smell if they’re at a PUNK ROCK show! They’ll be too busy moshing and getting drunk to care about cleanliness or the staff tending to their needs post-haste. Some Yelp reviewers have been particularly unkind, complaining about everything from bad service to the building’s dilapidated condition to the musty “old” smell that fills the air. Now, according to many disgruntled Chicagoans, the magic has soured. Possibly the most exciting thing to happen at Fireside in recent years was Vince Vaughn filming scenes for The Breakup in 2005.Īt one time, the Fireside Bowl was legendary. But Fireside now trails far behind other venues in terms of attendance and acclaim. On rare occasions, bands stop by to pay homage to the good old days, like White Mystery returning to Chicago for their summer tour. ![]()
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