Aragon Ballroom
Facade in 2019
Former namesAragon Ballroom (1926-66; 1968-2014)
Cheetah Club (1966-68)
Aragon Entertainment Center (2014-19)
Byline Bank Aragon (2019-present)
Address1106 W Lawrence Ave
Chicago, IL 60640-5026
LocationUptown
Coordinates41°58′10.03″N 87°39′29.28″W / 41.9694528°N 87.6581333°W / 41.9694528; -87.6581333
Owner
  • Luis Rossi † Ivan Fernandez Alma Rossi
OperatorLive Nation
Capacity5,000
Construction
OpenedJuly 15, 1926 (1926-07-15)
Construction cost$2 million
($33.4 million in 2022 dollars[1])
Architect
BuilderPlotke & Grosby

The Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom[2] is a ballroom turned event space located in Chicago in the Uptown neighborhood, approximately 5 miles (8 km) north of Downtown.

History

Ballroom interior in 2009

The Aragon Ballroom was built by brothers Andrew and William Karzas, who turned to ballrooms after making their early fortunes in nickelodeons and movie theaters.[3] Their first dance hall project was the 1922 Trianon Ballroom in Chicago designed by renowned theater architects Rapp & Rapp. With hopes of duplicating the success of the Trianon, the brothers opened the Aragon on July 15, 1926, once again turning to movie theater experts for building design. Architects Huszagh & Hill designed the Aragon’s stucco exterior in Spanish Baroque style while movie palace designer John Eberson decorated the interior to resemble the courtyard of a Moorish castle.[4][5][6]

Named for a region of Spain, the Aragon was an immediate success and has remained a popular Chicago music attraction for many decades. The Aragon's proximity to the Chicago 'L' train provided patrons with easy access, and often crowds in excess of 18,000 would attend during each six-day business week. Each night, powerhouse radio station WGN broadcast an hour-long program from the hall to audiences throughout the United States and Canada. Some reports indicate the broadcast was heard overseas in Britain.

According to legend, the secret tunnels under the nearby Green Mill bar, a Prohibition-era hangout of Al Capone, lead to the Aragon's basement.

A fire at an adjacent cocktail lounge in 1958 forced the Aragon to close for several months. After the reopening, crowds declined significantly, to the point that regular dancing ended in 1964. A succession of new owners used the Aragon as a roller skating rink, a boxing venue, and a discothèque,[7][8] among other uses. There were also occasional efforts to revive it as a traditional ballroom.

The Aragon hosted nearly all of the top names of the big band era. Shows were radio broadcast nationally and even heard in Europe. During the 1970s, the Aragon was home to "monster rock" shows which were marathons of rock music acts often lasting six hours or more.

In 1973, Latin promoters Willy Miranda and Jose Palomar, who had promoted Hispanic dances and concerts in Chicago for years, became owners of the Aragon. They soon teamed up with rock promoters Arny Granat and Jerry Mickelson (owners of Chicago-based Jam Productions, which by 2017 claimed to be the "largest independent producer of live entertainment in the United States"), who used the hall for their rock concerts.[9][10][11]

World championship boxing made its way to the Aragon Ballroom on December 15, 1982, when the World Boxing Association's world Cruiserweight champion, Puerto Rican Ossie Ocasio, successfully defended his title by beating challenger Eddie Taylor by a 15 rounds decision.[12]

In the late 1990s, Luis Rossi (former owner of La Raza newspaper), Ivan Fernandez, and Mercedes Fernandez purchased the Aragon. In September 2014, Mercedes Fernandez sold all her interests in the Aragon. Under the name "Aragon Entertainment Center", the hall continued to host a variety of Spanish language and Vietnamese language shows as well as English language rock concerts. It still hosts occasional boxing events.

In 2015, the theatre was used in the filming of Zack Snyder's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, doubling as the theatre where Thomas (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and Martha Wayne (Lauren Cohan) get shot.[13] The sign for the venue and the marquee was temporarily reconstructed, and removed once the filming had been completed.[14]

As of late 2017, Live Nation owns the Aragon Ballroom, and produces a variety of English language and Spanish language pop and rock concerts there.[15][16]

Exterior of venue (c.2018)

The Aragon has hosted the following Chicago bands: In 1968, it had Shadows of Knight. In 1969, it separately hosted Howlin' Wolf, Buddy Guy, The Buckinghams, and The Five Stairsteps. In 1973, it hosted Muddy Waters, in 1975 it had Styx, and in 1976 it had REO Speedwagon (from Champaign). In 1978 Van Halen kicked off their first World Tour here. In 1979 it hosted the Clash, Bo Diddley and the Undertones on the same bill. In 1982 it hosted the Jam and the Professionals, then—over two consecutive nights—the Clash, the Elvis Brothers and Defunkt. In 1983, it had Cheap Trick (from Rockford), and in 1984 it had Ministry. In 1997, it had Smashing Pumpkins and Local H (from Zion) separately. In 2004 and 2021 it had Chevelle. In 2005 it had Twista with Ludacris (raised in Illinois), (and separately) Fall Out Boy (from Wilmette), Plain White T's (from DuPage County), Disturbed (from the Southwest Side), and Wilco. In 2007, it had OK Go. In 2009, it had jam band Umphrey's McGee (from South Bend). In 2011, it had Rise Against, and in 2013 had Alkaline Trio. In 2013, it had EDM group Krewella (from Northbrook) and rapper Lupe Fiasco. In 2015, K. Flay (from Wilmette) performed there. DJ Kaskade (also from Northbrook) performed there in 2017. Juice Wrld from Homewood performed there in 2019.

The Aragon has hosted the following bands from Wisconsin: Steve Miller Band in 1969, BoDeans in 1994, and Garbage in 1998. Tommy James & the Shondells from Niles, MI played there in 1968.

Selected Performances

2023

  • Maggie Rogers/Del Water Gap - February 17, 2023
  • Smino/31D - March 21, 2023
  • 100 Gecs/Machine Girl - April 20, 2023
  • Janelle Monae - September 14, 2023
  • The Front Bottoms/Vundabar - September 22, 2023
  • All Time Low/Gym Class Heroes/Grayscale - September 23, 2023
  • REVENTOL TOTAL - November 04, 2023 - Raymix, Willie Gonzalez, Los Yaguaru, Sonido Condor, Grupo G, MekiColombia, and Sonido Senorial
  • Hot Mulligan/Spanish Love Songs - December 15, 2023

2022

  • The 1975 - December 09, 2022
  • Jack White/Wet Leg/Starcrawler - December 08, 2022
  • Deadmau5 - September 23, 2022
  • Lil Nas X - September 11, 2022
  • The Psychadelic Furs/X - July 23, 2022
  • Kraftwerk - June 02, 2022
  • Weezer - May 03, 2022
  • Olivia Rodrigo/Gracie Abrams - April 15 & 16, 2022

2021

  • Journey - July 29, 2021 This was the first concert at the Aragon Ballroom following the COVID-19 Pandemic.

2020

  • Cash Cash/R3hab/Align/The Birthday Party - January 18, 2020

2019

  • 311/Highly Suspect/Glorious Sons - December 15, 2019
  • Mumford and Sons/Local Natives - December 14, 2019
  • Twenty One Pilots - December 13, 2019
  • The 1975 - December 12, 2019
  • Stone Temple Pilots/Rival Sons - September 25, 2019
  • Billie Eilish/Denzel Curry - June 09, 2019
  • Wu-Tang Clan - June 01, 2019
  • CHVRCHES - May 02, 2019
  • Erykah Badu - January 19, 2019

2018

  • Greta Van Fleet - December 14 & 15, 2018
  • Smashing Pumpkins - November 30, 2018
  • Houndmouth/Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats - November 29, 2018
  • Ghost - November 01, 2018
  • Ween - October 31, 2018
  • Sting/Shaggy - October 02, 2018
  • Leon Bridges - September 24, 2018
  • Muse - September 12, 2018

2016

  • Weezer - December 16, 2016
  • Cage The Elephant - November 30, 2016
  • Morrissey - November 27, 2016
  • Band of Horses - November 16, 2016
  • The 1975 - November 13, 2016
  • Green Day - October 23, 2016
  • CHVRCHES - October 13, 2016
  • Alabama Shakes - July 20, 2016

2012

  • Deftones - October 23, 2012
  • New Order - October 21, 2012
  • Dispatch - October 03, 2012
  • Tenacious D - July 07, 2012
  • Ed Sheeran - April 21, 2012
  • Matisyahu - February 12, 2012
  • O. A. R. - February 09, 2012
  • Ellie Goulding - January 29, 2012

2009

  • Dashboard Confessional - December 11, 2009
  • Weezer - December 01, 2009
  • The Pixies - November 21, 2009
  • Kottonmouth Kings/311 - November 18, 2009
  • Bob Dylan - October 29, 30, & 31, 2009
  • Thievery Corporation - February 20, 2009

Mastodon- October 17, 2009

2006

  • Los Lobos - December 30, 2006
  • Fall Out Boy - December 18, 2006
  • Primus - November 17, 2006
  • Evanescence/The Fray - October 17, 2006
  • The Mars Volta - September 22, 2006
  • Muse - July 27, 2006
  • Black Eyed Peas/Pussycat Dolls - May 06, 2006
  • Death Cab for Cutie -April 19, 2006
  • The Strokes - April 07, 2006
  • Dave Matthews Band - February 20, 2006

2003

  • The Flaming Lips/The White Stripes - December 31, 2003
  • Korn/Limp Bizkit - November 18, 2003
  • Slayer - October 29, 2003
  • Guster - October 24, 2003
  • The Strokes - October 19, 2003
  • Marilyn Manson - October 17, 2003
  • Good Charlotte - September 23 & 24, 2003
  • Reverend Horton Heat/Sex Pistols/Dropkick Murphys - April 29, 2003
  • Depeche Mode - August 01, 2003
  • The White Stripes - July 02, 2003

2002

  • No Doubt - November 24, 2002
  • The Rolling Stones/Dr. John - September 16, 2002
  • 311/Hoobastank - April 04, 2002
  • Gorillaz - March 03, 2002
  • System of a Down - February 21, 2002

2001

  • Slayer - November 21, 2001
  • Phil Lesh & Friends - November 08, 2001
  • Oysterhead - November 02, 2001
  • The Black Crowes - October 05, 2001
  • Coldplay - June 08, 2001
  • Fatboy Slim - May 04, 2001
  • Outkast - March 18, 2001
  • Weezer/Get Up Kids - March 06, 2001

2000

  • Deftones/Incubus - November 08, 2000
  • Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals - November 04, 2000
  • Moby - October 06, 2000
  • No Doubt - July 08, 2000
  • The Smashing Pumpkins - April 15 & 16, 2000
  • Smash Mouth - February 20, 2000
  • Beck - January 31, 2000
  • Counting Crows - January 20, 2000

1999

  • Counting Crows - November 24, 1999
  • Megadeth - October 24, 1999
  • Kid Rock - October 22, 1999
  • Creed/Our Lady Peace - October 14, 1999
  • Chemical Brothers/Fatboy - July 19, 1999

1998

  • Leftover Salmon/Blues Traveler - December 30 & 31, 1998
  • Widespread Panic - November 27, 1998
  • Metallica - November 26, 1998
  • Motley Crue - November 14, 1998
  • Red Hot Chili Peppers - August 24 & 25, 1998
  • Prince - April 24, 1998
  • Third Eye Blind - March 26, 1998

1997

  • Angel Mendez/Poi Dog Pondering - December 31, 1997
  • Jonny Lang/Blues Traveler - November 22, 1997
  • Jane's Addiction/The Smashing Pumpkins - November 03, 1997
  • David Bowie - October 17, 1997
  • The Offspring - October 10, 1997
  • Counting Crows - March 10 & 11, 1997

1996

  • The Tragically Hip - November 22, 1996
  • Rusted Root - November 07, 1996
  • ZZ Topp - November 02, 1996
  • Widespread Panic - October 31, 1996
  • The Black Crowes - October 06, 1996
  • Ministry - April 09, 1996
  • Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers - March 09, 1996
  • Oasis - February 27, 1996
  • Lenny Kravitz - February 02, 1996

1995

  • Blues Traveler - October 20 & 21, 1995
  • Weezer - August 8, 1995
  • Pantera - July 13, 1995
  • Reverend Horton Heat/The Melvins/White Zombie - May 19 & 20, 1995
  • Toad the Wet Sprocket/Hootie & The Blowfish - March 24, 1995
  • Big Head Todd & The Monsters/Dave Matthews Band - March 17, 1995
  • Dave Matthews Band - March 16, 1995

1994

  • The BoDeans - November 23, 1994
  • Green Day - November 18, 1994
  • Candlebox/The Flaming Lips - October 24, 1994
  • Blues Traveler/Sheryl Crow - October 14, 1994

1993

  • The Smashing Pumpkins - December 10, 1993
  • INXS - November 25, 1993
  • Nirvana - October 23 & 25, 1993
  • House of Pain/Cypress Hill - September 24, 1993
  • Phish - April 10, 1993
  • Juliana Hatfield/The B-52's - February 06, 1993
  • Keith Richards/Soul Asylum - February 04, 1993

1992

  • The Ramones - October 31, 1992
  • Faith No More - September 19, 1992
  • Beastie Boys - August 14, 1992
  • Black Sabbath/Danzig - August 01, 1992
  • Skid Row/Soundgarden - February 14, 1992
  • Public Enemy - January 17, 1992

1991

  • Red Hot Chili Peppers/Smashing Pumpkins/Pearl Jam - November 29, 1991
  • Ozzy Osbourne - November 26, 1991
  • Morrissey - November 08, 1991
  • Anthrax/Public Enemy/Primus - October 05, 1991
  • Damn Yankees/Bad Company - February 15, 1991
  • The Replacements - February 02, 1991

1990

  • Sonic Youth/Public Enemy - December 29, 1990
  • Jane's Addiction - November 30, 1990
  • Joe Satriani - March 16, 1990
  • The Cult - January 19, 1990

1989

  • Squeeze - November 18, 1989
  • David Byrne - October 23, 1989
  • The Pixies - September 15, 1989
  • The Replacements - June 10, 1989

1986

  • New Order - November 21, 1986
  • The Smiths - August 15, 1986
  • Metallica - May 25, 1986
  • Echo & The Bunnymen/The Church -April 09, 1986

1985

  • Stevie Ray Vaughan - December 06, 1985
  • INXS - November 24, 1985
  • Adam Ant - November 09, 1985
  • The Cure - October 18, 1985
  • Depeche Mode - March 22, 1985
  • Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes - March 08, 1985

1984

  • R.E.M./Dream Syndicate - July 07, 1984
  • Simple Minds - June 09, 1984
  • The Clash - May 17, 1984
  • The Pretenders - April 14, 1984
  • Depeche Mode - March 22, 1984
  • Billy Idol - February 18, 1984

1983

  • U2/Dream Syndicate - May 21, 1983

1981

  • Grand Funk Railroad - December 11, 1981
  • Devo - October 16, 1981
  • The Pretenders - August 22, 1981
  • The J. Geils Band - April 11, 1981
  • Nazereth/April Wine - February 20, 1981

1980

  • The Babys - December 06, 1980
  • Molly Hatchet - November 28, 1980
  • The Police - November 22, 1980
  • Scorpions/Def Leppard - July 25 & 26, 1980
  • Devo - July 12, 1980
  • ZZ Topp - March 16, 1980

1970

  • Ten Years After - June 26, 1970
  • Traffic - June 19, 1970
  • Jethro Tull/Sha-Na-Na - June 05, 1970
  • Bonnie & Delaney - May 15, 1970

1969

  • Herbie Mann/Four Tops - December 20, 1969
  • Jethro Tull/Vanilla Fudge - December 14, 1969
  • The Beach Boys - November 24 & 26, 1969
  • Jerry Lee Lewis - August 29 & 30, 1969
  • Joan Baez - August 27, 1969
  • The Moody Blues - August 22, 1969
  • Tim Buckley/Linda Ronstadt - August 15 & 16, 1969
  • Ike & Tina Turner - June 13, 1969
  • Iron Butterfly/Steve Miller Band - April 11, 1969
  • Steppenwolf/Three Dog Night - March 21, 1969
  • Stevie Wonder/Motown Sound Review/Soul Machine - January 25, 1969

1968

  • Jefferson Airplane - November 22, 1968
  • Big Brother and the Holding Company/Janis Joplin - August 16 & 17, 1968
  • Howlin' Wolf/The Grass Roots - May 18 & 19, 1968
  • The Loved Ones/The Circus/Traffic - April 19 & 21, 1968

1966

  • The Yardbirds - January 22, 1966

Live recordings

On April 19, 1975, electronic band Kraftwerk played at the Aragon Ballroom to an audience of 3000 spectators.

In March 1978, classic rock band Aerosmith played at the Aragon Ballroom, later releasing the recordings of "Sweet Emotion" and "Lord of the Thighs" on their 1978 Live! Bootleg album.

The 2009 Deluxe Edition of R.E.M.'s Reckoning album includes a live concert taped at the Aragon Ballroom on July 7, 1984, and broadcast on WXRT in Chicago. The opening act was the California band The Dream Syndicate.

On May 25, 1986, thrash metal band Metallica played here for their Damage, Inc. Tour. They used the live recording in the 2017 remaster box set of their 1986 studio album Master of Puppets.

On October 23 and 25, 1993, grunge band Nirvana played at the Aragon for their final two shows in Chicago. During the show on the 23rd the band played the song "You Know You're Right" for the first and only time live. A recording of the song from this show was bootlegged for nine years until they decided to release the studio version on October 8, 2002, as part of the greatest hits album Nirvana.

On November 18, 1994, punk rock band Green Day's performance to a sold-out crowd at the Aragon was recorded for MTV as "MTV Jaded in Chicago".[17]

On August 22, 1995, a Soul Asylum concert was recorded at the Aragon for the Album Network and two songs were released on the "Promises Broken" CD single.

On June 26, 2004, funk metal band Primus filmed their first concert DVD, Hallucino-Genetics, at the Aragon.

During a performance on October 17, 2009, sludge metal band Mastodon recorded a live album and concert DVD at the venue. Live at the Aragon was released on March 15, 2011.

In June 2013, Third Man Records released a live album of The White Stripes' performance at the venue from July 2, 2003, as part of their From the Vault series.

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  2. ↑ Roti, Jessi (August 14, 2019). "Aragon Ballroom to become Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Publishing. Archived from the original on December 27, 2019. Retrieved December 27, 2019.
  3. ↑ "Aragon Ballroom". 21 April 2015.
  4. ↑ "Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom".
  5. ↑ "An Uptown Favorite: The Aragon Ballroom".
  6. ↑ "Aragon Ballroom | Louis Grell Foundation".
  7. ↑ "Chicago Cheetah Club Opener". Jet. 3 November 1966. Retrieved 12 June 2010.
  8. ↑ Behrens, Jack (2006). Big Bands and Great Ballrooms: America is Dancing Again. AuthorHouse. p. 204. ISBN 978-1425969776. Retrieved 12 June 2010.
  9. ↑ Connors, Joe (April 17, 2017). "INTERVIEW: Jerry Mickelson – founder of Jam Productions". Chicago Music Magazine. Archived from the original on September 18, 2017. Retrieved September 18, 2016.
  10. ↑ McGhee, Josh (October 20, 2016). "Fired Stagehands File Unfair Labor Charges Against Riviera, Jam Productions". DNAinfo. Archived from the original on 2017-09-18. Retrieved 2016-09-18.
  11. ↑ "Who We Are..." Jam Productions. Retrieved 2016-09-18.
  12. ↑ "Ossie Ocasio vs. Young Joe Louis". boxrec.com. Retrieved 2018-02-22.
  13. ↑ "Proof Batman v Superman Will Kill Off Bruce Wayne's Parents". www.cinemablend.com. November 12, 2014. Retrieved 2016-02-28.
  14. ↑ "Aragon Ballroom Sign Returns to Dilapidated Look After 'Batman' Makeover". DNAinfo Chicago. Archived from the original on 2016-05-08. Retrieved 2016-04-21.
  15. ↑ "What's On". Aragon Ballroom: An Independent Guide. Retrieved 2016-09-18.
  16. ↑ "Aragon Ballroom". Live Nation. Retrieved 2016-09-18.
  17. ↑ "Green Day - Jaded in Chicago MTV 1994 Full Concert (High Quality)". Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved December 9, 2020 – via YouTube.
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