Interesting venue.
It certainly seems to have outgrown some of the issues that were raised in early reviews. Â I went to a show here with a GA ticket for standing room only, which was fine - even if I'd had a table or a both, I would have ended up standing - it just wasn't sit-down music. Â And other than the booths right along the standing area, I'm not sure why you would want to sit. Â
The screens... Â In some ways, I really liked the large screens everywhere that showed what was going on onstage. Â I'm short, I often can't see everything. Â But sometimes the screens distracted from the fact that it was a live show and took away some of that energy. Â Still undecided there.
Finally, given the location (Lincolnshire), drink prices were definitely on the high side. Â $6 for well vodka + soda - really? Â
In all though, it was really nice to have a good venue that doesn't require the hassles of being downtown but delivers good acts and a fun experience.
A group of 7 of us attended last Saturday night to see Sister Hazel perform and celebrate a couple of birthdays in the group. Â It was our first time at this venue and I'm happy to say we'll definitely be back. Â This was my first time attending a concert at Viper Alley and I was impressed. Â We booked one of the 3 VIP booths (the middle one). Â Our server was very attentive and constantly kept our glasses full, making sure we weren't missing anything.
Acoustically, the venue was great. Â We had awesome sight lines from our seats to the stage. Â A venue this small provides fans with a very intimate setting in which to experience the concert. Â That was probably the coolest aspect of the experience. Â After the concert, Jon (the GM) came around and asked if we'd enjoyed the show, what our experience had been like, etc. Â That was a nice personal touch!
We will definitely be back and can't wait to see Sister Hazel there again next spring.
A group of friends got tickets from LivingSocial to see Anne Hampton and Liz Calloway.
We all live on Chicago's Northside, so venturing to Lincolnshire at 10 pm on Saturday night was a stretch, but the tickets were cheap and the performers were interesting so we went. Note on LivingSocial, read everything you can before you buy as these tickets were marked standing room only, which was silly as I'll explain later.
When we got there, typical suburbia, chains and bars trying hard to be hip. There were two large bouncers at the door, trying to look tough, but we could see the place was pretty well deserted. As far as the staff went, the woman at the ticket booth, which you had to pass to get upstairs, was the nicest person we encountered. She was doing her thing, but the wrist bands like we were at a festival show were a bit silly, as the crowd including us, for the entertainment was well into there 40s and up.
Once we got upstairs, no one was at the door, so we walked in and found a pretty nice venue, but with a lot of empty tables and booths all marked reserved. We go over to the bar and this little bouncer dude with an overwrought sense of importance comes up to us needs to see our wrist bands. From these he knows we're supposed to remain standing so I say to him, any chance we can grab a table or a booth, since over 2/3rds of the place is empty and he says, wait until after the show starts and I'll see what I can do.
After ordering four drinks for 36 dollars, including one draft beer, one of us decides to go over to an empty booth and sit down. We're there for about five minutes and he comes the little bouncer again...sorry management says you gotta go.
Our other friends were at a table in the back by the bar, which were apparently OK to sit at and we had our drinks and waited for the show to start, when a cocktailer comes up to us and says if you take care of me I'll move you to a booth. Then the little bouncer trys to back up her scam trying to shake us down for tips to get a better seat for a venue that's empty. I look over and see the manager, who looks like a parody of a bad movie nightclub manager, trying to look self important and watching the whole thing. We politely said we'll stay were we are, and no one came to our table again throughout the show and that was the only round of drinks we had.
The Calloway's were fun, if a bit like a Nora Dunn skit from Saturday Night Live, but fun. The venue however, has a presumptuous vibe and is trying really hard to be cool but it's really dumb. The sign above the stage indicates the club opened in 2011...running the place like this, they will be lucky to see the end of 2013 if they continue to treat paying customers it like this.
I went to see the Smithereens here, we debated over which tickets to buy. Â It didn't make any sense to buy the reserved ones in the center because it's right behind the dance floor and who wants to look at someone's butt all night? Â The mid price seats over to the side have a bad sight line unless you get there really early and get a table in front. Â We got there over an hour before the show started and all of those tables were gone except one reserved one that no one sat at. Â The standing room tickets are in the back next to the bar but as far as I can tell you can go stand on the dance floor at the front (Goldstar had them for 1/2 price) regardless of the color of your wristband. Â What you probably can't do with standing room tickets is sit or eat although there were some bar tables at the back.
So we bought the mid price tickets, ate some dinner and when the band came on we went and stood on the dance floor. Â At first there was only a handful of people but more got up as the show progressed. Â A lot of people remained seated, maybe the fan base can't stand anymore.
The food menu is limited but it wasn't bad, I had a buffalo chicken pizza and we got the slider appetizer which made a nice full meal. Â Drinks weren't Chicago expensive, a martini was $10, a vodka cranberry $6, beer $5. Â We had a very pleasant server, no complaints with the service.
Next time I'll probably eat elsewhere and get the standing room tickets, seems kind of silly to pay an extra $20 per person so that I can sit and eat dinner and then standup for the show.
I'm not sure why this venue doesn't have a great rating.
I visited Viper Alley for a benefit concert for a camp that I am a counselor at and not only were they beyond accommodating, the venue itself is great.
Upstairs where the bands were playing is set up very nicely. On one side there are tables, and standing room near the stage. The bar faces this side and it is very well stocked. Once you cross the ramp at the back of the room, there are more 4 top as opposed to high top tables, as well as couches, which I thought was a nice touch for groups
Their bar menu as I said is more or less unlimited and the bartenders can make you a concoction all your own if you just tell them which liquor you're partial to. I was also pleasantly surprised by the prices of their drinks! That's always a huge plus in my book!
Their menu isn't huge but everything on it is fantastic, I obviously didnt eat everything on it, but we had a big crowd that night and I heard great things about every item that had been ordered. I really enjoyed their calamari, and you have to do it well for that to happen.
I really liked the acoustics when they bands were playing, the sound gets around but isn't deafening and you can still have conversations, especially on the side with the couches.
I would definitely come back for a concert or just for a fun night out. Viper Alley is a great place for live music!
*When I say dressy, again I mean cute bar outfits, not a suit and tie or cocktail dress, although why not if it suits you! (no pun intended)
It's been tough getting the chance to catch Ronnie Baker Brooks in Chicago so when I saw he was playing somewhere in the vicinity I jumped at the chance. Overall, I was pretty impressed with the venue. Whoever was running their soundboard that night was right on the money - fantastic sound mix and levels the whole night. Even though we were placed at a table right up by the stage, it was loud but not painful.... which I was thankful for because I forgot my ear plugs at home. I still probably did some decent damage lest you think I'm a big baby for wearing ear plugs... (10 years singing in bands... I do ear plugs).
Lighting and stage were really nice. I mean you look at a legendary blues joint like Kingston Mines and put it up against Viper Alley... Viper Alley is one swank ass place to play. Good sized stage, tricked out lighting, great sound.... and from what I can tell a decent green room off the stage.
Seating is first come, first serve but there is still a tiered ticket price for better location. We did the VIP Cabaret seating which put us in the first few rows of tables by the stage. Chairs were pretty comfortable though the tables were quite close together.
First star off - Beer selection... totally meh. The only Goose Island selection offered was Green Line and I'm just not into IPA's. The rest was your run of the mill Miller and Bud type stuff... and Guinness but this isn't exactly the place you go for a rockin' Guinness pour. When in Rome though, right? I don't know what  Miller Light cost (I don't drink piss beer) but my Guinness was $6... so that seemed about right....but I live in Chicago proper.
Second star off - Women's restrooms.... Rather than 1 big restroom, there are 4 doors into your own little individual female sanctuary. It's impossible to tell if someone is in one of them or if the light is on and because you have to wash your hands before you can walk out the door, you feel like you're holding up the line. Add in the fact that there are lots of women who feel the need to reapply their lipstick and eyeliner every time they see a mirror .. And did I mention there's only 4 of these little wonder rooms? Seriously, bad freakin' planning....
The one thing I didn't take off a star for (but really wanted to) were the Baby Boomer suburban white people who wanted to dance to the blues. Seriously. Sit your asses down. Embarrassing.
All in all - I would probably go out & catch a show here again if it was someone worth the drive from the city.
I stumbled upon Viper Alley on accident and now I am a regular here. Â I ended up at Viper Alley after a friend and I went to Kona Grill across the street for reverse happy hour. Â Kona was closing and we were not ready to go home so we decided to check out Viper Alley. Â It was a slow Friday night, so the manager let us in for free to check the place out. Â It was pretty dead, but the band playing was good! Â We stuck around for a while and had a drink. Â Drinks are not as expensive as people say in their reviews. Â It was $6 for a well drink and they make them pretty strong!
I decided to give Viper Alley a couple more chances and went back for some shows that were more crowded. Â I have have great time every time I come to Viper Alley. Â Everything is super clean (including the bathrooms) which is rare for live music venues. Â All of the staff is really friendly as well.
I already bought tickets to two more shows and I cannot wait to go to a karaoke night some time soon!
I have to say that its nice to have a concert venue in the neighborhood. To be able to see live music in a quaint setting like Viper Alley is great. I went for my 2nd time on 1/7 to see 8 Miles South which was a great show. I had called early in the day to see if I could get a table in the main room where the stage is but I was told that the room was standing room only and I could get a table where the bowling lanes were. Well I didn't want to sit in the other room and have to possibly watch the show on the big screens so we decided to go and stand. Well to my surprise when I show up they had tables set up in the main room which of course were already all reserved. I guess if you don't like the answer you get the first time call again and maybe you will talk to someone else and get a different answer or someone that knows what's going on. As far as the drinks go I don't mind paying $6.00 for a cocktail when you're paying $10 to get into a show but at least put some alcohol in the drink. The same thing happened the first time I was there.  As far as the staff goes  they walk around like they have a stick up their ass. They seem like they're just miserable. It's a concert venue try to smile and pretend you like people. It's not like this is some high end place. I will go back depending on who is playing but I will have my drinks somewhere else in the mall.
Review Source:I've been here for a couple local bands - interesting mix of people, cool looking venue. Â I think it's a great addition to the NW suburbs. Â Heading back again for New Year's Eve. Â I'm not sure I would attend a sit down concert here, but as a place to head out with friends to knock back a few and dance, great place.
Review Source:Nice little venue, a bit too loud for the size...i can see the volume being what it is if the room was as large as Joe's on Weed in the city. Speaking of the City, Viper Alley needs to realize they are not in the city so their prices shouldn't reflect city prices. This is Lincolnshire, not Lincoln Park...drop your alcohol prices a bit, and lower the volume just a bit so one can actually have a conversation with the person next to them without yelling.
Review Source:I recently sent an email inquiry regarding my daughter's Bat Mitzvah. It is not for a few years, but we wanted to lock down our location and date. I went onto Viper Alley's website and filled out some information. Once I filled this out, I received an email that said they got my email inquiry and someone will be back with me within 48 hours.....This was 2 months ago and still no response via phone or email!! That is terrible. Very disappointing and not good with the clientele that is in the area with people looking to book Bar/Bat Mitzvah parties.
Review Source:Cozy and intimate!
We came to Chicago just for a concert at Viper Alley. Â
I was surprised when we pulled up and it seemed very "Lifestyle Mall" to me. Â I was surprised it was in something very similar to a strip mall.
The 2 of us were seated as soon as the doors opened at a table for 4. Â There were plenty of other tables with open seats so when we had 2 others we did not know join us, we were surprised. Â
The concert itself was fine, but I really enjoyed the atmosphere. Â I was told this was Cabaret Style and I liked it. Â It was a little bit older crowd, which makes it even better.
We started with the calamari, which my dining companion enjoyed. Â We also shared a hummus platter and a sausage and red onion pizza. Â The hummus was good, but it could have used more hearty vegetables - celery and cauliflower and less peppers. Â The pizza was also delicious.
I have no complaints about the drink choices, since Limon was available. Â
What I did not care for are the restrooms. Â This is a personal preference, I don't like single stalls and sink restrooms. Â I think 4 women's restrooms for a place that size is not enough.
The service was good, the food decent and the drinks came quickly. Â I would recommend a concert here to anyone looking for a cool and kind of different venue.
The sound was decent, venue was good-looking. However, the walls disintegrated into my drink, so I ingested some brick and grout before realizing what it was. Lovely.
Beers are very expensive, the crowd was mixed (from hookers to mullets), and security didn't let people dance.
Did I mention the walls fell apart into my drink?!?!?! I will not return.
Went tonight to see an amazing group, Roomful of Blues. They were terrific, but I wasn't all that impressed by the venue. The staff is pushing food and drinks that were pretty overpriced; and in order to get our cafe seating we had to be there over an hour before the performance. For $30 per ticket and a $5.78 service charge for each ticket, we should have had a reserved table. About half way into the performance, a blower started shooting out cold air right at us from the ceiling. We had to put on our coats, we were freezing, as were two other tables nearby. I asked a bartender and our server if anything could be done and both told us they would check into it. The blower continued to shoot cold air at us. It was actually so strong that our hair was getting windblown. That pretty much ruined it for us. Also, the lack of a dance floor is unfortunate. If people wanted to dance they were ruining the site lines of other patrons.
Review Source:Venue: superb lighting and sound
Management: way over their heads
We went to see Three Dog Night last Sunday, the first of two shows at Viper Alley. Â That is the first mistake: like most great groups, Three Dog Night does not play two shows in one night. Â The reasons are two-fold: first, the concertgoers are cheated, as the band necessarily has to hold back a bit in order to have something to give for the second set. Â Not this band, in particular, but all bands. Â Second, for a legendary group such as this to self-limit to one half of their normal set is frustrating for the fans and I assume the band as well. Â We paid to see the normal 23-song set which cannot be accomplished by squeezing the time such as is done here. Â Artists cannot be free to express themselves; pure greed does make for great art.
The owner fails to understand the basics of this business. Â Friends of ours had been on a guest list of the bands -- but they were told to wait at the end of the line like everyone else. Â Eventually they were seated in a pre-reserved spot, but what was the point of not communicating to the door that VIPs should be allowed entry early?
The owner attempst to be all things to all people instead of focussing on a few things at a time. Â The seating arrangements are impossible to comprehend. Â Arriving over two hours ahead of the show, 40 people were already in line ahead of us. Â We were ushered in 10 at a time, but led upstairs to a rather unorganized group of seaters. Â No one could pick their seats -- which makes waiting in line a lesson in futility. Â After one group was set, others were led in and sometimes given seats up front where others had just been refused. Â None of these tables I noted were reserved; just before show time some seats were added in front of the stage tables and that got some people mighty steamed. Â
After the seating chaos came the drink implosion. Â The women next to me ordered drinks and waited 45 minutes for them (I would not have waited but they were more suburbanly polite than me). Â When those arrived, they still waited for their dinner orders (placed witht eh drink orders). Â The food arrived well after most of the room seated much later had already eaten.
For two hours we kept asking management to turn down the air conditioner which was right above our table. Â The firest manager joked that even his bald head was cold and quickly complied. Â A short while later it was back running so we complained yet again. Â Â Finally shortly before show time the situation was remedied sufficiently. Â I think that was the result of the owner realizing that he could turn down the a/c or refund the money of the two woman who waited inordinate periods of time for service. Â
Apologies before the show were too late and just words.  At that point the owner  should have been conciliatory and offered some compensation for the numerous glitches.  A free drink or a free meal for some of the many around us who were disappointed would have gone a long way to ensure customers would be back. Â
A pretty woman pranced up and down with authority and style; it would have been more acceptable if she did something visible rather than pose. Â Make yourself useful and bring us our drinks, OK?
The owners should wait until they get the seating and the bar service right before trying to tackle food service. Â Ambitious menus won't cut it if people cannot get their drinks and food in a timely manner.
As soon as the music was over we were ushered out immediately, with no time to purchase merchandise found before the concert. Â We were informed of this situation about ten minutes before the curtain time -- not enough to bring revenue to the band. Â Boy I would be pissed if I were them.
Will we return? Â Echoing the sentiments of many of us exiting the club: Â I doubt it. Â The price, the attitude, and the availability of other clubs to host musicians shows me there is no reason to repeat mistakes. Â
By the way: Â Three Dog Night gave an exceptional, although abbreviated performance. Â It is a shame that the nood was soured before their performance. Â They changed it, but that saves the group and not the club in my eyes. Â
*The owner lamely presented himself as "involved in another way" to a nearby table who were full of complaints. Â Do we look stupid? Â Man up.
Won tickets to see 3-dog nite - wow a clossal screw up - 7:00 show turned into 9:00 show - seating is fricking ridiculous - I'm 5'3" and with big guys in front of me I could not see - not enough seating - people actually had tickets for "standing room only". Â WHAT - 3 Dog Nite to play around 10:00 ish - We got into the place at 9:00 after waiting outside over 1 hour - at 9:30 - the staff is moving tables and chairs from 1 area to in front of us - these guys bumped into servers and at least 2 full trays of drinks being spilled. Â I WILL NOT BE BACK EVER!!!
Review Source:The concert was fine (Three Dog Night), but the tables were crowded together, too close for comfort and the food service was lousy. The couple next to us got their food free since it never showed until near the end of the show. Also they were originally billed for a 2 hour show (which I have seen and it is great!) then when it sold out a second show was added, so we only got a one hour show. Great for the venue, bad for the fans of this classic rock band. I would have paid more for a longer and more relaxed show. I felt crowded and rushed out so that they could seat the second show crowd. Also doors did not open on time, so original seating was delayed and that set a bad tone for the night. Â If you wanna run it like dinner theater, have less food choices and seat on time to get the show after the meal. Plus its expensive! A night out for 2 could run a couple hundred bucks with dinner, drinks and show tickets and for that, you shouldn't feel so rushed. Plus I agree that most top name talent and concertgoers don't appreciate the loud chatty drinkers there to just socialize while they are performing.
Review Source:My friend and I traveled more than an hour and a half to see John Waite (who was TERRIFIC!!) at Viper Alley. It was a great place to see him in an intimate setting. We were not the first ones through the door, but we were able to find a great spot. The drink prices are about the same as in the city--without the crazy parking costs. (If I want to have inexpensive drinks, I stay home.)
Luckily, no one bowled during John Waite's show (as another reviewer stated happened to her), which would have been an insult. Â Hopefully the staff has worked out the kinks from earlier reviews regarding where (and where not) patrons are allowed to sit. Â Having a Hampton Inn in the parking lot made it a safer evening for us. I cannot wait to return to Viper Alley!
Wow Viper Alley Impressive.
We went to see my friends cousin band perform.
The tragic loss of veronica lake.
AMAZING the band was sooooo good! they energy was great.
On to the Venue itself. Viper Alley is definitely no Abbey Pub size wise....
but technology wise it blows everyone out of the water....lighting music sound band on plasmas....I was really impressed.
What i didn't like.....
beer selection....i don't feel too rock and roll drinking a blue moon or summer shandy....
why not go local? two brothers three floyds pyramid? (that's impressive)
Also you're bartenders do not know how to make a car bomb....
Jameson and baileys go into a shot glass not a bomb glass.
Oh...and being rock roll would include Jameson right? I noticed you didn't have any.....
Great Venue... Drop those drink prices....ragers are on a budget.
if you like to be abused by the help, this is definitely the place for you! We bought reserved tickets to a show here and were escorted to the 'couch' area. We ordered drinks and were enjoying the show when a bouncer came up to us and told us we had to move - also pointed to the 'reserve' sign. We told him that we were escorted to these seats by a Viper Alley 'host' (employee). He told us they made a mistake and we needed to move 'now'. Â Ok, we were kinda ticked but moved to the bar area. Â Low and behold, about 20 minutes later a different bouncer comes up and tell us and other people at the bar area that unless we are ordering drinks (we each had drinks in our hand so we weren't ready for another) we needed to clear the bar area. Â OK. At this point we left Viper Alley, never to return again. Maybe once they get rid of all their customers, they won't have to worry about treating their paying customers like human beings.
Review Source:I can't believe this place is getting such terrible reviews! Â Ok, regular prices are a little high, but not out of control, plus when I was there yesterday there was a happy hour until 7 with $3 beers and $4 well drinks, but I ordered drinks after 7 and the waitress was cool enough to give me that price because we'd been there a while and our group had been drinking since then. Â We left at about 8 and had a decent bar tab, but we got our money's worth.
We hung out in the bowling alley which is FREE, for those of you concerned about prices...
It seems like a really cool venue and I'd love to see a show there. Â And yes, the drinks would be much more expensive, but not anymore expensive than at any other concert.
I didn't try the food, but the pizzas looked really good.
Best of all - they card at the door, keeping the Lincolnshire teeny bopper crowd out of the venue and I'd add an extra buck on each beer for that alone.
I went to Viper Alley with a group of about 10 people on a Saturday night. Â The atmosphere is really great and I like how you can bowl for free. Â The first drink I had was delicious but expensive. Â $8 for a tiny glass of vodka lemonade?!? Â The cheapest shot was $6 and there are no drink specials. Â One of my friends opened a tab at the bar near the stage, but was tipping cash after each drink order. Â When he closed his tab, he didn't tip any extra on his credit card, since he had been tipping consistently all night. Â Another friend of mine went up to the same bar afterwards to order a drink and the bartender told him that they only served for tips, insinuating that our group had not been tipping. Â My group spent around $1,000 that night on drinks and the fact that we were treated so rudely makes me never want to go back. Â Lower your drink prices so more people will want to come in and your bartenders won't be such money grubbing assholes.
Review Source:It's a shame that I was not impressed with this new music venue as it is fairly close to me. I felt like I was in Vegas, greeted by doormen dressed in suits, surrounded by several bulked up bodyguards and an extremely disrespectful crowd. Not all, but... enough to be really annoyed. The "I payed a ridiculous amount of money to be seen in this section and don't really care about the show" crowd. OH! And the best part of all...It's a flippin' glorified bowling alley. Also, instead of addressing my displeasure, they deleted my comment and blocked me from posting on their social network page. The sound was good and our server was very nice, but that is not enough. Â Unless they book someone I absolutely love, I won't be going back anytime soon.
Review Source:Not at all impressed with this place. Â You can spend a ton of money on all the snazzy bells and whistles to make a place look good, but if you cant control the crowd you're just another social gathering place disguised as a venue. Â If I'm going to pay $25-$50 for a concert ticket and have to drive from the city, I expect to not be continually interrupted by the people who are there to see and be seen screaming and laughing with friends. Â Many times I heard this type of thing even over the loudest of songs. Â Oh and yes, since it is a bowling alley.. during the first song, you could hear the sound of pins crashing. Â Not cool!!! Â Lots of people were annoyed some even yelled SHHHHHHH really loud in an attempt to get people to shut the hell up. Â Drink prices were outrageous. Probably wont visit this place again.
Review Source:Hade a nice time but there is not enough seating. The cost to reserve what little seating they had was crazy- Â Minimum amounts vary by show and are either $500, $1,000, $1,500 or $2,000.
Drink prices were very high! Â 5 and up for a beer. 12 and up for mixed drinks 36 and up for wine and there was bottle service for 250 and up.
I had fun but could never afford to come here regularly.
The 80s band was acceptable.
What really got me was  we were sat by an employee at a couch area and after a while when we still had food and drinks on our table we were told we had to get up for other people....really?
In order for me to ever go back they need to add seating and lower their prices.
This music venue opened recently, and though they're working out the kinks in the taking tickets, etc. I thought they did a great job, but what is more important is that they are attracting some talent. Â We saw Dennis DeYoung of Styx fame there last night, and the show was awesome. Â That's all I care about, an awesome show in a cool, easy to get to, easy to park, easy to get a drink place. Â Viper Alley, **** Dennis DeYoung, *****+++++!
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