Awesome venue for a show. Super clean and not crowded. Great drink options and tons of restrooms (the cleanest and nicest). Great staff. Easy in and out with a designated Lyft area on Magnolia. A must see and listen. Goose Island, right next door, is a great spot to eat before a show. read more

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Wow! Security has some Karen issues. Literally went to a hip hop concert for my birthday present to myself, and got lost in the wrong area, got into a little debate with a little Karen security guard and she went to get her boss, claimed multiple people were complaining, and got me kicked out. Literally came out of the bathroom and got told to leave with no reason. Talk about power trip. Paid $100 a ticket for premium service for their premium section, first off not a damn thing premium. We felt like it was a weird decision to have the crappiest view be the most expensive tickets but we had the promise to separate entrance (didn't happen) and private bathrooms (actually cut off because the area was restricted??) Then to be kicked out with no explanation was wild. Birthday guests were confused, everyone seemed confused. Came out of the bathroom and heard "get the Asian" and was astonished but I guess not surprised being that I was the only brown person at a hip Hop concert... Hmmmm read more

Traveled a few hours to see Jack White who is a must see every time legacy artist for me. The Salt Shed in Chicago is a general admission floor concert venue with one drawback that appears early: the entry situation. After waiting in line outside for hours, it's a bit deflating when the main gate opens and it becomes a free for all situation to many more gates at many doors, making it such you lose the spot you worked so hard to hold. So instead of being a couple dozen deep in the line now lots of people are at the front of many gates. Four stars due to this. The Jack White mural was a great surprise outside and down the way, which made for a fun photo op to commemorate the event. I presume they change this for each headliner?! I will give credit that security responded quickly when a woman next to me went down from overwhelm/heat at the start of "Seven Nation Army". I read online there is a rooftop but because it was freezing in April and I had sweated through all of my clothes from the second row crowd and jumping for hours, I didn't stay to hang out. Sounds fun though so perhaps next time - I'll absolutely be back to see Jack White again. read more

The Salt Shed - Loving the mural photo opp outside before lining up - Music Venues Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Went in for happy hour at Elston Electric! This is such a fun place! Theres an arcade (entertainment) and the bar is pretty nice! I tried the 2hop2go and it was a delicious, loved the grapefruit! The service was quick and friendly! I definitely would go back and try something else next time!! read more

The Salt Shed - Music Venues Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The service is terrible. The manager would not talk to me after I asked 3 times and walked about which is super in professional. The worst place to hold a concert the staff is some of the worst I have encountered. The staff was swearing at 17 year old girls telling them to get a ride alone home from the middle of the city after false kicking them of out the concert for no reason valid considering they would not explain. Very bad experience would never go back. Fire the employees . read more

I've been to The Salt Shed indoors a few times already for concerts and I love how spacious it is. It doesn't get as stuffy in there during concerts and stays cool. They are also the only concert venue in Chicago that I've noticed has free cups of water and also gives out free bottles of water, which I really appreciate. It shows they actually care to keep everyone hydrated and safe. read more

Recently saw a concert here, first time at The Salt Shed, and I can't imagine a better experience! We opted to pay a little extra for the Three Top Lounge seating and it was WORTH IT. The small bites were incredible and having bar and nice bathroom access with a Birds Eye view of the concert felt luxurious even though this was still a pretty adorable option. When it rained a bit, we had an awning to move under and then scooted our table back out once the rain stopped! Ideal concert experience. Would definitely go back and buy the lounge access again. The down side to the lounge is you are further back, but we were fine with this and enjoyed having more space, bar access, and good food. For those who want a more traditional concert experience, the general admission seemed well organized and the venue is along the river. Great city views too! read more

The Salt Shed - Charcuterie from the Three top lounge - Music Venues Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Yesterday I went to the salt shed to see Dj diesel perform and I have to say it was a great event. The security was easy a quick to get through and there were lockers available that you could rent for $10 to be able to place your jackets in during these cold winter times. The venue space was pretty big and there were seats on all three floors to provide people with space if they didn't want to be on the ground level. The only downside was the long water and drink lines due to the number of people in the venue. read more

The Salt Shed - Music Venues Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This is quickly becoming my favorite music venue in Chicago. During the summer they have most shows outside in the fairgrounds and during the cold months, they move the shows indoors. They have a wide variety of food available in the fairgrounds along with any beverage you can think of. As far as viewing options, it's mostly general admission in the fairgrounds and if you get there early enough you might be able to get stadium seating. Indoors it's all general admission on the main floor and you can purchase seats. Enjoy the show! read more

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Was there a few months ago for Motoblot. First time there. Cool venue, sound was good, staff were helpful. It was a bit too sprawling and the layout was confusing. Also had some great food and beer at the Goose Island on site. But weirdly could not get the food in the venue- you have to leave entirely and walk into the outside entrance. And you can't take your Goose Island purchased beers into the venue. It looks like they had the means and setup to let people order from within the Salt Shed, but none of it was open. Kind of a pain in the ass to go through security multiple times, but the other food options weren't too appealing and were wicked expensive. Cool place to see a show. Acoustics were fine, not sure what people are complaining about there. Overall a fun spot, just gotta work out the kinks. Looks like a fun date spot with the wife. read more

The worst indoor experience. Clearly they have not had a sound engineer analyze the acoustics. Such a poor venue for music. The layout for getting drinks and move around in general is horrible, but manageable. But the sound is simply bad. No artist should ever consider The Salt Shed for their performances read more

WONDERFUL! We drove in for a concert and the venue is stunning. There is food and libations inside as well as picnic style seating around the food vendors. Security was tight without being over bearing which was nice. We attended a concert outside and talk about huge!! We had a great time seeing Wetleg and we will be back. read more

The Salt Shed - Random - Music Venues Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The Salt Shed is everything you want and need in a music venue. Entry is always seamless, and I have never experienced a long queue. Bathrooms are huge and there is never a line. Both indoor and outdoor spaces help to accommodate weather changes and differences in attendance. Food is always excellent for what it is, and accommodates many diets. Sound is great. Staff is always helpful and kind. Parking could be worse. Always a great time at the Shed! read more

The Salt Shed - Turkey Sandwich - Music Venues Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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This is the best place to see a show in Chicago - so clean, nice staff and a great sound system. It's also nice that they have the Three Top Lounge open now with gorgeous views and good cocktails. I've seen quite a few show here in GA, Grands, and Premium and have always had a great time. read more

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We came to The Salt Shed for the Mat Kearney and Ben Rector concert recently and had an awesome experience! This is a really cool and unique venue. We took the blue line and walked less than a mile from our stop to the venue entrance. The entrance process was smooth and quick, they had several different lanes open for security and ticket checks. Once inside, there are so many things to do! There is a food area that is essentially composed of several different food trucks. There are bars EVERYWHERE; if you want a drink, you will easily be able to get one without much of a wait. They even had free water refill stations in at least two different areas. You can go inside the building (like an old warehouse) to look around some shops, hang out at more bars, and even check out an arcade bar. The arcade bar (Elston Electric) was my favorite part, it has a very cool industrial vibe and leather seats. We hung out there and had a drink while we waited for the opener to come on stage. The main concert venue can be indoors or outdoors, but they had it set up outside for this concert. The tickets were primarily general admission for standing, with a small section of premium seats. There are some first-come first-serve seats in the general admission area as well as some benches along the side of the venue. The venue is right along the river, you could see boats driving past during the concert. You can see a view of downtown Chicago skyscrapers, too! I loved how open the general admission space was, it was large enough for tons of people to fit without being tightly packed and on top of each other. It felt like you had a good view of the stage no matter where you were! There is so much to do at this venue because of the spacious setup and combination of indoor + outdoor spaces. We loved having so many ways to occupy our time in between performers instead of just standing around or feeling like we had to secure our spot. Leaving the venue was pretty smooth too, there was no bottlenecking or being at a standstill. We had such a great time at The Salt Shed, I would absolutely return for another concert in the future! read more

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Came here for the open house to explore all business & check out the grounds. We got a ticket stamped with a chance to win concert tickets. I loved the bar & views. Plenty of places to drink. I love Goose Island. Great food. Can't wait to go see a concert here. read more

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An absolutely amazing outside venue and one of my favorites I have been to! Got waters here that were pretty expensive. But it is such a cool open smaller venue concert place. There were lots of bleachers you could sit in or you could stand (which I always opt for). There was some drama with some very intoxicated people shoving their way to the front, but security took care of them and told them they could not do that. (I was near the front and we waited for hours to be where we were). So I really appreciate them handling that situation. It was not the best organized as it took a long time to let us in and was past when we were supposed to be let in. That could definitely be improved upon. The lights and sound were amazing. It was incredible to see my favorite band Lord Huron here as they just started their tour for their newest album The Cosmic Selector Volume 1. I would definitely come back here to see another concert again! read more

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It's now a music venue 4 years ago as it used to be a storage for salt until the wall fell down. Valet parking nearby. Very popular. read more

The Salt Shed - Music Venues Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

First time visitor on a Tuesday night to see Vance Joy and had a great experience! Driving down from Milwaukee I leaned on their website for info on parking and carry-ins which was helpful. Once you approach the venue by car it becomes a cluster, parking was $50 at the closet lot to the venue, but we opted to drive around and ended up finding free street parking in return for a 20 minute walk--which ended up being worth it and avoided the headache of traffic following the concert. The security was thorough, yet swift with no issues. The bag policy is semi generous with size and they allow empty water bottles to be carried in. They have complimentary water bottle filling stations which I wish more venues would have! They had several food vendors selling food and plenty of stands for your choice of drinks/beer. Once you enter the building structure(the old Morton Salt Manufacture) you're greeted with a very cool industrial vibe mixed with modern amenities. There are several retail spaces and even a Salt Shed gift shop. The bar line inside was longer than the woman's bathroom line so that was delight! They had 3 rows of bathroom stalls and sinks, so it was very easy in and out! The tickets we purchased were general admission, so we could stand wherever we'd liked and the crowd was very respectful with no pushing and shoving, I also accredit that to the music act too. I'd definitely return for another concert! read more

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It was our first time at The Salt Shed for Tableset. What an incredible venue. We loved the dinner. We've tried a few Michelin restaurants, and this meal blew them all out of the water. It was the best meal and drink pairings we've ever had. The loud music wasn't necessary. We wish they just played low key/ softer instrumental bands. We really enjoyed the music between the sets. read more

Great staff! Great venue! I had an awesome time at The Salt Shed with my colleagues. We co-hosted a happy hour here. The admission and security check was quick and efficient. The drinks were flowing and the food was nicely presented. Great way to spend our night! read more

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They have it really planned out for rain events. The beers on tap are glorious. The outdoor space is huge. The service was wonderful. I really wish we could have seen the full Modest Mouse set but the mouse was modest because of thunder and lightning. Safety first kids. They already planned it out and it's amazing. read more

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There were clean bathrooms inside with plenty of stalls, and multiple food vendors that provided vegan, vegetarian, standard options. The staff was also very friendly and helpful! It was my first time at this venue and now I wanna go back. read more

The Salt Shed - Outdoor concert setup for D4VD's Withered Tour with Bryant Barnes! - Music Venues Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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The coolest concert venue! Our friends were super excited about seeing Mt. Joy at the Salt Shed and asked us to come along. Admittedly my husband and I had no idea who Mt. Joy was, but always up for a fun night out...and I had heart The Salt Shed was super cool. And super cool is an understatement! We were lucky enough to attend on the most gorgeous Chicago fall evening. We watched from an upstairs lounge, while others were packed down below. We got a table and ordered some drinks (sparkling rose for me) and food to share. While the food was pretty good, we decided we would like to see some menu items that were easier to share (ex: chicken sandwich, burrata pizza etc were not so easy). We did take a tour of the entire venue and joked that every stairwell you went down the people got younger and younger. While the upstairs lounge was filled with Gen X'ers like ourselves, Gen Z took over the bottom floor where the stage was. Getting an uber out of there was a little nightmare since everyone was walking in one direction. They do have an uber stand, but there was so much traffic and it seemed like all 5000 people at the concert were finding ubers. But the difficulty in getting home was worth the fun night at The Salt Shed. I believe this was the last outdoor concert of the season with the weather starting to change, but Ill definitely try to make it back next summer and/or look forward to an indoor show at some point too. read more

This is one of the most unique concert venues I've been to. We were lucky to have good enough weather for the show to be outside, so we had gorgeous views of the moon and the Chicago skyline. In between sets, it was nice to go walk around the little vintage store, record store, restaurants with picnic tables to sit, and free water stations. Unfortunately we ate dinner before we came, but everything, especially the pizza, smelled amazing. I honestly don't know what more you could ask for! read more

Saw Sammy Rae and Friends here. Great place to see a concert. The old Morton Salt warehouse, there isn't a bad seat in the house. Good acoustics, quick entry. A bit of a walk from rideshare drop off but nothing unmanageable. After the show they have the rideshare pickup in an area the is managed by staff. read more

The Salt Shed - Inside : main stage - Music Venues Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I have attended two concerts at The Salt Shed and the experience for both has been amazing! I saw Cigarettes after Sex and Labrinth perform at this location. The Salt Shed has two stages - indoor as well as outdoor and luckily I've been to both! The space is quite wide and can accommodate huge crowds. Drinks are a bit on the expensive side but let's blame that on Chicago! Overall, a great venue with great sound system and lighting! I'll surely be back to attend good artists. P.S. Getting an uber/ lyft ride after the event may get chaotic so it'll be better to walk a little away from the location and then call for a ride. read more

So, Yelp wants to know what went well. Basically, everything! Of course, the Beths, with local guest Squirrel Dlower were rocking. We had never been there before, and our seats were in the very last row of grandstand seats. I must say that the entire experience was very impressive from signage and lighting outside, to proactive and serious security guards on the way in, to the really cool retail and merch stores that they have inside. (Special shout out for the electric guitars and amps that they had on display.) We did not try any food or drink really, but all staff members along the way were polite and fact, rather numerous. The inside security guards were really serious about checking people's E tickets for seating. You can tell this is a well managed venue. As an example, there's a small men's room behind and below the general admission seating. I think in the course of the night I was there maybe three times and each time there was an employee who came in thoroughly mopping the floor and making sure supplies were in order. It's just a really cool place if you can catch a show, or even try karaoke there! read more

The Salt Shed - Music Venues Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I went to Salt Shed with a friend to see the pop band Cigarettes After Sex, and I loved the venue! It's an open space with standing room and a sitting area in the back. Getting drinks was quick because the lines moved fast. The area is great, but it gets busy after concerts. Uber drivers suggest walking a block to avoid waiting in traffic. Overall, I had a good time there! read more

The Salt Shed - Music Venues Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

My first time seeing a show here and it was great. Sat in the premium section which made it even better. Plenty of seating and your own private bar. Wish there were bathrooms in premium but otherwise a great place to see a show. Parking is a little tough but overall the sound is excellent and it's easy to get in and out of. read more

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Cool venue all around. I was at ay outdoor show, but went inside and looked around. Just a great spot and vibe read more

The Salt Shed - Salt Shed outdoor - Music Venues Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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We saw Wilco perform at the Salt Shed and was not disappointed. It is a great venue. This is an indoor/outdoor venue. For this concert it was outdoors. Upon arriving there is a security check point , that was quick and efficient. There are multiple bar and food vendors, and even though some lines looked long, they actually move quickly. There are water filling stations. There are some shops to peruse through before the concert. We had general admission tickets, which is most of the venue. The sound was excellent. The skyline views were stunning. We took a ride share to the concert and drop off was very easy and near the entrance. After we stopped in Goose Island and walked a few blocks and the fees were significantly less expensive. Looking forward to seeing another concert. read more

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After my last review where I talked about how cash got stolen from my purse by a security guard at Salt Shed, I got into contact with Nathan Kaylo, the security manager, via email. He was actually able to verify what happened via security cameras and told me that the individual responsible will not be working at the salt shed anymore. That makes me feel a lot better, and hopefully the yelper who had the same experience as me can also reach out and see if that was also the security guard that stole cash from their purse as well. I'm really glad to see that the security issue was taken seriously and quickly amended. Even though they didn't have to, they offered to reimburse me the money that was stolen which I thought is an amazing gesture of goodwill. I'm definitely willing to come back to salt shed again now, since my only issue was with security. The venue itself is spacious, has a great sound system, amazing lights, and I enjoyed the show I saw there. Though I'd still recommend keeping your cash on you when going through security, just to be safe, but I learned my lesson and will be doing that no matter what venue I'm at going forward. read more

The Salt Shed - Music Venues Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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We saw good neighbors and foster the people last night show started at 8 we got there at 7:15 and were able to get close. The shop attached was cool. Music sounded great. If was a great night. Can't wait to go on a warmer night when they have an outdoor show read more

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I remember this as it used to be - the Morton Salt Shed, where Morton stored tons and tons of salt. When they closed this, Id heard rumors of it becoming a venue. For my life, I couldn't imagine how they would get the acoustics right in such an ample, irregular space. When you arrive, you enter an area outside the Salt Shed, where they built a welcome center. It is open, and they have some food trucks, a beer tent (which was not open when we were there, and picnic tables. We sampled some of the food before going into the venue. When you first enter, you enter a new space they built which leads into the Salt Shed. This area consists of a couple of gift shops, a bar, and another area where you can buy concert merchandise. From there, you enter the venue. The space is large. Because of how this was initially built, the front of the building is sloped so, facing the stage, there are no seats to your right. There are two balconies straight ahead of the stage. There is another balcony area to the left which is the VIP section. It has its own entrance, table seating, concert seats, and what looked like a top-shelf bar. (Since we couldn't get up there, I can't comment much about the VIP section.) We sat on the first balcony, about six rows back. In front of you are the sound engineers, using Salt Shed equipment and a mosh pit in front of the sound booth. The mosh pit is enormous but for younger people than me. We saw two of the three bands. The opening band was not to our liking. The second band was the one we came to see, and we left, so I wonder who played the next set. They have good (not great) sound dampening, so the acoustics were better than I thought. In my opinion, they need more sound panels to make further acoustic improvements. The other downside to the experience is it appears that the bands can't use their own mixing boards, and are forced to use the ones provided by Salt Shed. The outcome is the mixing could be better. We had a hard time hearing the vocals, primarily. I assume if the bands used their own equipment, they are used to their sound controls, and the overall experience may have been better. Even with my two criticisms above, it was a very good experience. They are still new, so I didn't see any real headliners scheduled, but I'm sure that will come in time. If a band is playing that you like, this is a unique venue worth checking out. read more

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Glad to have finally tried this place. Great time. Food was awesome, obviously loved the beer and the selection! The place itself is pretty big, big indoor and outdoor area! Plus the views of the skyline were pretty dope, especially at night. We had a pretty large group and still and good service too, was impressed. Defiantly a place to check out! read more

The Salt Shed - View from patio - Music Venues Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This is such a cool place to come for a concert, and it has quickly become my favorite place to come! I have never seen such a clean venue before. My husband and I came here for a Neck Deep concert recently, which means we came here for a pop-punk concert. 3 other bands played with them, so it was a longer show. When we arrived, we decided to buy off-venue parking because we read about the horror stories of the valet parking. Later in the review, I will explain why this was such a smart thing for us to do. As we walked into the venue, we were able to walk right in. They had metal detectors to walk through and also people checking bags, but I never bring a purse to a concert, so we were able to make it through security quickly. After getting passed the entrance, you see a large open area to hang out. There are multiple bar areas and lines, a Salt Shed venue gift shop, a merch shop with all of the bands' shirts/sweatshirts, and also LARGE bathrooms and water bottle fill stations. Prices were also standard for drinks and they have the larger beer cans on sale. Most of the venue is standing room general admission, but we are a bit boujee and we like to have the option of sitting at concerts so I got us seats in the grandstands, which are seats in the back of the general admission straight view from the stage. Let me tell you, these seats are the comfiest, most amazing seats I have ever sat on, not just in a venue, but in general. It helps that the venue is new because the seats are brand new and not broken or torn yet, but they are black plush seats with ample space to move around in the seat, as well as from row to row. Yes, our seats were more expensive than the general admission, but we never cared to be in the middle of any moshpits, and we didn't need to be close to any bands during their set. We had a clear shot of the stage because the seats have a stadium seat layout where each row gets higher than the other. This section is close to the bathrooms and the bar lines, too, so I promise you, this is the best section by far when you don't want to stand the whole time. The venue also has higher seats on the left side of the venue, which they call the premium section. I cannot speak for that section of seats personally, but I have done much research and some people say the sightlines can be rough. I would also not want to keep my head turned to the stage for an entire concert. Another positive of this venue is the sound. The sound was fantastic from our seats and from everywhere we were. They even play the concert on speakers in the bathrooms so you don't technically miss any part of the show. I went to get drinks and go to the bathroom multiple times during the concert, and the workers were all extremely friendly and the lines were so quick for everything. Everyone did a fantastic job with customers. The bathroom had TONS of stalls and a worker was cleaning it every time I was in there. Someone was consistently swiffering the floor of the common areas and the stairs in our section, as well. When we left to walk to our car, we saw a HUGE line of people waiting in The Salt Shed's valet parking line so that the workers could get their cars. I would assume based on the long line of people that some of them waited an hour just to get their cars. We also walked passed tons of people waiting down the street waiting for their Ubers. It's nice that the venue seems to have a designated area for this. Overall, we can't wait for our next visit to the Salt Shed! I hope more bands we want to see come here because everything was top-notch. Funny enough, the longest line that I noticed throughout the night was the water bottle fill station located in between the two bathrooms! read more

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The Fairgrounds had everything I love to see and more at an outdoor venue. First of all, it looks AMAZING. There's a beautiful view of the city, the stage is big, the lighting was so cool. There were plenty of food options in an outdoor food court type area, and the food I tried was delicious. There are plenty of bars throughout, so I never waited in line for more than a couple minutes. They have free, self-serve water stations there. Why doesn't every venue do this? They have a few shops to check out as well. Which look like they may be rotating vendors. Very fun to get there a bit early, grab dinner and drinks and walk around. Big beautiful venue. Not too crowded. Very clean. Big clean bathrooms. Just an overall great experience! I can't wait to see what other artists they have lined up in the future. read more

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With a capacity of 3600 people in, 5000 people out, this new venue is quickly becoming a fan favorite. Goose Island are working on their space outside and say it will be ready spring 2024. A sprawling space with plenty of room to hang, entry is painless. Gift shop, Gear shop. It was cool seeing the different guitars and amps for sale. Merch is located not too far from the front entrance on the left, bar to the right, high top tables are available to hang, or you can level down, to yet another middle space where the bathrooms are located. Beyond that, you have the venue space with standing room only and stadium style seating. We were in attendance to see Jason Isabell and the 400 Unit. First thing I noted, the opening act got the shaft on sound mix. Jason and his band sounded great on the sound mix. Great show. The friend who I was with cut his finger on a pop top and I went out to the main area to see if I could get a band aid. The staff I flagged down was very respondent. Recruited two medics to accompany me back into the crowd to provide my friend with a band aid for his finger. Most importantly, after the show was over, departing was not an issue on foot. I did note that they only allowed you to depart through the main doors (east), the west side doors were off limits. For those that parked cars, there did seem to be some sort of line/wait. For pre-show, I highly recommend Piece. For after show, I highly recommend Dorian. \m/ read more

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This place is amazing! We came here for Tigercubs and Porno for Pyros for the first time (for either location or band experience). From my understanding, it's an old factory next to Morton Salt company here in Chicago. The place has been redone impeccably with valet parking and very thoughtful details of side shops and an outdoor experience. They have NAILED it! I cannot wait to come back for another concert!!!! WAY TO GO SALT SHED!!!!! read more

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