congress theater

2.9 · 71 reviews
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D
D Roch
Reviews 1
2020-11-21 07:14

Always felt like it was ready to cave in and the s...

Always felt like it was ready to cave in and the sound was horrible. Still, I saw some of my favorite groups perform here and, as long as they brought their own sound systems, it was fine. Sad that their is one less venue now, but hope someone will take it over and make it the venue it deserves to b...

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Matthew Travers
Reviews 1
2020-11-19 02:53

I've been to hundreds of venues all around the cou...

I've been to hundreds of venues all around the country and I can honestly say that Congress Theatre in Chicago is one of the worst venues in the US. I paid to get what I thought was "vip" which I came to find out means "a joke" to the owners of this venue. Not only is the place dangerous with very o...

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Skabert 14
Reviews 1
2020-11-14 22:38

WORST venue in the city...this place has sooooooo ...

WORST venue in the city...this place has sooooooo much potential to be a great venue, but they really let everything about it go to complete hell! They need to learn how to correctly manage the soundboard and hire a security team that is not off duty cops! again worst venue in the city and it is a d...

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Ian Dixon
Reviews 1
2020-10-20 20:31

The Congress Theater is an ornately beautiful Art ...

The Congress Theater is an ornately beautiful Art Deco inspired theatre in the heart of Chicago, which hosts Broadway national touring productions. Over its history it has hosted vaudeville acts, concerts, and was even a movie theatre.

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Vizual Ambassador
Reviews 1
2020-10-05 03:50

Alright, so the security guards are pretty rude. H...

Alright, so the security guards are pretty rude. However, I do understand where they may be coming through. Some of the audiences there are just plain stupid and need to be dealt with and they won't take that lightly. Congress has been getting better and better just because of their constant great l...

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Mary
Reviews 1
2020-09-18 06:13

Counterfeit tickets and violent security guards. T...

Counterfeit tickets and violent security guards. The Congress Theater does not honor the comp tickets they release and provide no warning of such. Last night I stood with hundreds of people in the freezing cold for more than two hours only to be told by the police over a loud speaker that the Congre...

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Al M
Reviews 1
2020-09-18 03:27

Renovation plans that I saw during Open House Chic...

Renovation plans that I saw during Open House Chicago look very nice, and promising. And I like the ambitious sound of some of their ideas, like having a speakeasy bar below the lobby, and having the lobby open to a future neighboring hotel even when concerts aren't going on. Hope they are able to e...

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talia ania
Reviews 1
2020-09-17 15:48

I recently saw avicii here at the beginning of Oct...

I recently saw avicii here at the beginning of October and Paul van dyk at the end of October. The venue itself is horrible, the security is over the top, they search and pat you down like no other and take any glow sticks you have, but people still manage to sneak them in. Don't bring any weed to s...

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Alisha Gonzalez
Reviews 1
2020-08-04 08:56

I wasted my money coming here really boring really...

I wasted my money coming here really boring really outdated and somebody need to do something about the ringing in the background some kind of weird noise banging and ringing it was so annoying to watch all the people keep turning around and looking behind the shoulder there like looking basically a...

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Nick Bonafede
Reviews 1
2020-07-24 02:03

Worst venue to ever come out of any good building ...

Worst venue to ever come out of any good building material. The event staff here are the terrible. They are unaccommodating by all means and will scream and yell at you just for asking a simple question. I am always put into a horrible mood every time I go here even if my favorite artist is putting ...

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Rob Pagan
Reviews 1
2020-07-18 01:00

The only thing this venue has going for it is that...

The only thing this venue has going for it is that it's centrally located, so everyone can get there easily, which is why all the good acts choose it. The sound is horrible. I've been here for metal, punk, techno, hip hop, and Gogol Bordello, it's tough to sound good there, though it can be done. ...

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Sonja Franklin
Reviews 1
2020-06-24 16:21

Came here to see Kingsman 2 in screen X I been to ...

Came here to see Kingsman 2 in screen X I been to the one in Buena Park this one is a bit smaller. Located in Koreatown LA in the Madang Plaza. The parking structure here is small and a big pain getting in and out of especially after a movie it takes forever to get out not a very well planned out st...

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C
Chuck Diesel
Reviews 1
2020-06-17 09:44

crabby security guard patted me down and found ro...

crabby security guard patted me down and found rolling papers and a swisher, then threatened me with jail lol?You know what i gotta say Fu** YOU! and i said what you see is what you have ,then they literally took any lighter and threw it in sum box of thousands of bic lights and then i felt like a ...

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Josh Korin
Reviews 1
2020-06-14 21:03

The Congress is my least favorite venue in Chicago...

The Congress is my least favorite venue in Chicago. The building is falling apart left and right, the acoustics aren't anything to write home about either. Inconvenient location, not the safest neighborhood later in the evening. Did see a really fun Disco Biscuits show here as part of North Coast...

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K
kate swem
Reviews 1
2020-06-10 10:50

The Congress Theater has some pluses. The acts th...

The Congress Theater has some pluses. The acts they draw in appeal to a wide variety of tastes and are ones you wouldn't normally see anywhere else in Chicago. The theater does have some charm because of it's age but it could use some updates as far a cleanliness and the restrooms. I went to a hou...

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Adriel Vera
Reviews 1
2020-06-02 14:29

I was there when Danilo Montero performed (about a...

I was there when Danilo Montero performed (about a month and a half ago). I liked the music. But the condition of the building wasn't good at all. This place needs a little more remodeling. And it smelled like a bottle return place at a Meijer.

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Jon Peroutka
Reviews 1
2020-05-03 01:49

It gets an extra star just for the awesome artists...

It gets an extra star just for the awesome artists it hosts. Other than that, awful. The security guards make Nazi's look like World Peace Activists and the entire place looks like it was cleaned by the same people that take care of gas station bathrooms.

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Amy Ravit Korin
Reviews 1
2020-04-22 12:05

You get what you pay for at the Congress, tickets ...

You get what you pay for at the Congress, tickets are cheap and the venue reflects it, hasn't been kept up and the worst bathroom of all Chicago concert halls. Props for booking great shows so I keep coming back. Favorites include Disco Biscuits at North Coast Fest 2010 afterparty, Grace Potter and ...

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Dave Stout
Reviews 1
2020-04-15 13:21

The concert itself was fine - getting in was anoth...

The concert itself was fine - getting in was another issue. There was a lot of confusion between VIP / Gold Circle admission. Staff apparently had no real idea how things worked until later - which is confusing considering that I'm guessing this is the normal ticket setup and the employees are ... w...

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Eddie Changuan
Reviews 1
2020-04-15 10:41

IN spite of it' crappy building, it lacks renovati...

IN spite of it' crappy building, it lacks renovation and has old, cracky outside shell. I saw Pierce the Veil here live, and it was fun. The food stand and drink stand is good, and you can actually enjoy a concert. The theater is alwayspacked from blocks, but, once you are inside, you can leave behi...

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Mitch Sanders
Reviews 1
2020-04-14 11:23

First off, the staff is the most unfriendly I have...

First off, the staff is the most unfriendly I have ever encountered. I have the exact same job as them, only working for an amphitheater that holds about 18,000 more people that run-down Congress Theater, and not once do we tolerate the kind of aggressive behavior the Congress' staff displays. Furth...

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Vilija Jozaitis
Reviews 1
2020-04-12 07:49

This is a terrible venue! The sound is simply awfu...

This is a terrible venue! The sound is simply awful and muffled. The staff is rude and has a bad reputation for kicking people out for no reason. In the summer there is NO air conditioning, so be prepared to sweat a LOT- even if your're sitting down.

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Zachary Schlieder
Reviews 1
2020-04-03 21:01

While the place is old, it works fairly well for c...

While the place is old, it works fairly well for concerts. The slanted main floor makes it easy to see if you aren't in front. The bouncers by the stage were some of the best I've encountered. They safely gathered crowdsurfers and provided plenty of water for those in the front. The sound wasn't gre...

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Anthony Ramirez
Reviews 1
2020-03-19 03:14

The Congress is really the worst venue in Chicago....

The Congress is really the worst venue in Chicago. The place is run by thugs. Security is crazy tight, and rude. They will feel you up and get to second-base when entering. I had my coat stolen there and coat check is a joke. By the end of the show, the floors will be covered in grime and sweat. I'v...

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jacoby boles
Reviews 1
2020-03-02 23:17

worst place in the history of chicago theaters. i ...

worst place in the history of chicago theaters. i feel bad for everyone who thinks this is a great place to attend i been inside twice not really interesting always a problems going on and not really fun environment to be in. kids sell drugs here and girls get their fake ids taken and its really com...

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Brian
Reviews 1
2020-02-28 20:46

Chicago Gang unit for security?? WTF! The actual b...

Chicago Gang unit for security?? WTF! The actual building inside is beautiful, but the staff is horrendous. They often have the chicago gang unit at the doors patting people down, I even saw a few people had to take off their shoes during their search. The band I was going to see draws a crowd that ...

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Jimmy Tran
Reviews 1
2020-02-24 20:29

Although I've never had a problem at the Congress,...

Although I've never had a problem at the Congress, there always seems to be an uneasy feeling about going to the Congress. The security is tight and my friends sometimes have problems. They do have the best artists for their shows though and the crowd is big enough to have a great time.

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Brandon
Reviews 1
2020-02-09 19:41

Over a fun concert however the facilities were lac...

Over a fun concert however the facilities were lacking. The staff weren't very friendly but it ultimately did not affect the concert experience. The security was very lacking in the way that they allowed concert-goers to smoke inside the facilities. The concert was fun but in the future, I'll be loo...

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Randy Ojeda
Reviews 1
2020-01-19 18:32

The Congress Theater is one of the worst venues I ...

The Congress Theater is one of the worst venues I have ever been to. Its especially frustrating because it really has the potential to be a great place to see a show and they book awesome acts; however, the staff is so incredibly rude and the security guards are so militant that it almost makes you ...

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Jim Werwath
Reviews 1
2020-01-07 07:53

Security is ridiculously tight even for those who ...

Security is ridiculously tight even for those who rock it 100% legal. All staff I encountered with one exception was downright rude. Several fixtures in the restrooms were broken. Sound was tolerable at times but really quite bad compared to other venues. The only redeeming quality of the Congr...

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