The Empty Bottle

1035 N Western Ave, Chicago, IL 60622, USA

Address:	1035 N Western Ave, Chicago, IL 60622, USA
Phone:	+1 773-276-3600
Site:	emptybottle.com
Rating:	4.5

Location

Photos 100

Reviews 8

Jeb Hagan

Enough has been said about the gritty, divey feel of the place and the good selection of cheap beers (and a few middlebrow ones). Service is fine too, no problem there. The big problem with Empty Bottle is the sound. Ive been to three different shows in the last couple of months. The first time I went was to see Hide, Gel Set, Hogg, and Spa Moans. I hadnt heard any of them before, but it was a free show, so I went to check it out. I stayed for the first two artists and then left, it was such a terrible show. Both of them just sounded like a muddy mess, nothing like the experimental, ethereal electronic sound described in the promo material. I chalked it up to it being a free Monday show. A few weeks later I went there for Le Tour, Absolutely Not, and Swimsuit Addition. A friend whose taste I trust said it would be a good lineup. I found Swimsuit Addition to be barely listenable, and the others just sounded like an amateurish, thrashy, screaming mess. But I came back to Empty Bottle one more time though because Colleen Green was headlining. I really like her sparse guitar sound and laid-back vocals. My friend was there again, and assured me that one of the openers, Jaill, was really great. I suffered through Jaills performance, where every song sounded the same: like some brain-damaged butt rock played by 5 guitars at once with the gain on 11. But by this time, I was beginning to catch on that something was wrong with the sound. When I went up near the stage to hear Colleen Green, my suspicion was confirmed--the sound in the bar sounded only a little like Greens recordings, her voice was entirely drowned out by the mix. No one could make out a word she was saying. I went home and got online, looked up the Soundcloud page for Spa Moans--haunting, dreamy, and atmospheric, none of which came through live. I looked up Jaill on Spotify, and it wasnt butt rock at all, it was smart jangle pop with keyboards, tambourine, backing vocals, and melodic riffs, all of which got complete brickwalled by EBs sound engineering. Finally, I looked up Swimsuit Additions Bandcamp page, and they have some loud punky songs, but also some delicately layered and arranged songs with sugar-sweet vocals, none of which I would know if I had only heard them getting steamrolled by the loudness war at Empty Bottle. The sign behind the bar says its loud. The problem isnt the volume, though, its loudness in the sense of too much dynamic range compression. Im guessing that whats happening is the music is mixed so guitar and drum drown out everything else, the whole thing is squished flat, and then cranked up again so every song by every artist just sounds like youre being beaten over the head by a 2x4 made of distortion. What a shame.

Dylan C

Ive been right next to this place numerous times because I always visit Bite Cafe when Im in Chicago. Finally had a chance to check out the venue and overall it was great. The place gives off a very intimate underground vibe. Theres a pool table and a couch in the front room, an arcade corner, and the walls are lined with band posters. The stage is right next to the bar and fairly small but good sound quality. My only issue is that sometimes the speakers are way too loud. Ive been to many concerts, standing near massive speaker systems, but this was so bad that I had to put in ear plugs (was lucky enough to bring someone along who had some). I felt like my ear drums were punctured even with them in and had to leave towards the end of the set with a headache.

Sean Boyle

I came here for a concert that I had won a couple of tickets to. The venue is interesting, very much a dive bar. They have a surprisingly decent beer list, some of which is on tap. The drink specials were good, but this place is all about the music. The band I went to see didnt end up going on until about 2 and a half hours after the "start" time of the concert. The opening acts were alright, but mostly just wasted time before the main performance. This place is loud! They even sell earplugs at the bar, which might be necessary if you get up close and personal to the performance. The bathroom was a bit dirty, which is not particularly surprising.

Rob Condy

Saw a few posts on here complaining about the loudness and poor sound quality. Not sure if I just went on a good night, but I had a great experience. Was visiting Chicago from out of town and saw a phenomenal band here called the young empires. And I was very impressed by their music and the overall sound quality, which I find to be rare at dive live music bars like these. Yea, it was loud, but was well balanced. Bass was pretty clean, vocals cut through the mix, etc. Like others have said, they have a solid beer selection. prices are reasonable (10 buck ticket + 5 buck beer). Ill come back next time in Chicago

J Shepard

Maybe my favorite spot for live music in Chicago. Probably my favorite bar. Live music 7 nights a week, usually under $10 cover and cheap drinks ($2-3 cheap beer and daily $6 beer + shot specials). Great sound, incredible booking, and friendly staff as long as you arent asking for anything with more than 2 ingredients, in which case they will probably just tell you no. Cool and relaxed if you want to just sit at the bar or shoot pool during the day, too (weekends only I think). Great food next door at Bite if ya get hungry. Pay attention to their website for free w/RSVP shows at least once a week lately.

E Green

The BEST place to see live music in Chicago. Every time I see a band here, I can get right up front. If I want to. I can hang back and still see. I can quaff $2.50 PBRs. They sell earplugs for a couple of bucks - obviously not making a profit on those, and its a nice touch that tells me they care about their patrons. They have free/cheap nights here, and even big acts like MAN OR ASTRO MAN ticket prices are cheeeep. Just fantastic. I will always be a dirty rock girl in this dirty rock club . . . at least until Im a really old dirty rock chick.

Claudia Herrera

The perfect place to see up and coming acts, or see an established artist in a cozier space. There is ample floor space, and if youre there for the bar you wont be suffocated by the people there for the live music. There is also a back room, complete with pool table and some arcade games, where you can see whats happening onstage via live feed on a monitor in the room. Its a cool, authentic venue, the type where youll find the bathrooms decked out in graffiti, and the walls full of old and new show posters. Check it out any night of the week!

Charlie Graham

Great venue. The staff can be a bit short with you if youre not on the ball, but its stressful to run shows, so I dont really hold it against them. The beer and shots are well priced. Try the mystery shot - its probably going to be gross, but sometimes thats what you need. Check out the Busy Beaver Button Co vending machine and nab some locally made pins! Warning: this venue gets LOUD. Luckily, they sell earplugs. Youre definitely going to want them. Otherwise, a heavy show will leave you deaf by the end of the night.