Chicago's Best Kids' Concert Venues: Reggie's Rock Club

by Bonnie Kenaz-Mara

Hours: Reggie's Rock Club is open for shows.
Record Breakers store is open 11 a.m.-11 p.m. every day
Cost: Varies

Chicago's south loop, or low side, is home to Reggie's, a sweet space with excellent sound and a triple threat. Reggie's Rock Club is a performance space on one side. Attached is Reggie's Music Joint, a restaurant/ bar with a smaller stage. Finally, Record Breakers is a music themed store where you can buy anything from band tees and memorabilia to CDs, DVDs, and hard to find vinyl.

Reggie's is owned by a guy named... nope, guess again... Ronny. From the band line-ups to the tasty hot wings, this guy's got it right. The walls are a tribute to rock and roll love in a real way that Hard Rock Cafe and restaurants of their ilk can't touch. It was priceless watching the next gen punk kin rock out under posters of The Cows!

We've seen kids' shows on both sides. Booths and tables are plentiful on Reggie's Music Joint side, so it's easy to grab food and drinks with littles without ending up holding (and spilling) everything. We saw The Boogers old school punk with our kids and they rocked the joint with a full-blown kiddie mosh pit. As my husband once said, "Before I had kids, I thought I knew what anarchy was. But no one can really know till you wake up one morning and your kids are jumping on your head."

Reggie's Rock Club hosts larger draws like School of Rock performances. These talented kids take on the music and personas of rock icons for entire shows. We saw them do "School of Rock Takes on Queen" and those children showed up in Freddy Mercury mustaches and We Will Rock You took on a whole new life.

The sound system on both sides is great. Sight lines are good everywhere. Most of the venue is standing room only on the Rock Club side, but there is some seating in the balcony and along the right hand wall, if you come early and stake out a space. Earplugs are highly recommended.

Finally, Record Breakers has a sweet line up of band tees and even baby onesies. If your new human spews body fluids like a true punk rocker, at least your offspring will look cool in black. Nothing says Gabba gabba... We accept you... Gabba gabba... one of us, like a Ramones onesie!

If there's any weak point at all it's that Reggie's isn't too public trans friendly or particularly close to the trains. But street parking is plentiful.