FitzGerald's

We came here on a Sunday to hear the Chicago Grandstand Big Band.  The venue is old and classic.  No food.  Only drinks and music, and that's what we came for.  They allow you to bring in food from local shops which is nice.

I've been hearing about FitzGerald's for years, but have never gotten around to visiting.I finally made the trip and attended Robbie Fulks' annual year in review show there this past weekend. For me, it was not a pleasant experience. I attend quite a few concerts around town, and have come to favor the Old Town School of Folk Music for its pristine sound, comfortable seating and great sight lines. I also like Evanston SPACE for the same reasons, and Lincoln Hall is pretty good, too. FitzGerald's? Not so much.

To start on the plus side, the sound is decent and the staff is courteous. But comfort? No. Sight lines? Ehh. My sense is that there may be two kinds of music fans: 1) those who like to sit comfortably in a good room (maybe with a table on which to set beverages), and 2) those who like to stand for a loooong time with 300 of their very best friends, elbow to elbow, belly to bum, craning their necks to see the stage. I am not in group 2.

There were also some operational issues I didn't much care for. I noticed a seating disclaimer when I bought the tix online, so I called the venue the week before to inquire about the likely seating configuration. I was told that the show would probably be a sellout, so there would be some barstools against the wall around the perimeter of the room, and that if I wanted to try for one, I needed to get there early, say about 7:30 or sooner for the 8:00 show. Fine. I showed up at 7:20, but the stools were long gone. Sigh. So I'd have to stand around for 40 minutes waiting for the show that I would have stand through.

Except that the show didn't start until about 8:55. No announcement as to why (was it a technical issue? Was it a performer problem? Was the venue just selling more drinks?). So I got to stand for 90 minutes waiting for a show I'd have to stand through.

Another nice touch was the coat check with a mandatory fee, which attendees were advised to use because "it will be hot in there," which it would, of course, since there were no chairs upon which to hang coats. Oy.

I really enjoy Robbie -- he's a great writer and performer, and a superb musician. This venue detracted from the performance for me, though. I stuck it out for the first set, but couldn't hang in there for the second. Bummer.

I guess I'm not in the FitzGerald's target demographic. I did check it out, though, and now I don't have to go back.

I had my husband's 50th birthday at Fitzgeralds!  The two rooms, the Sidebar bar and party room were perfect. We had about 50 on a friday night. It was an intimate space with a little rock vibe.  We played our own music with a simple ipod plug into their sound system.  Josie the party planner was amazing. She took care of everything and had great advice.    Very flexible and accommodating.  She was there that night and was very helpful. Oscar and Emma, the bartender and waitress were friendly and fabulous. We got food from Capri next door and it was so GOOD!   Everyone had a blast. Would highly recommend.