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After I attended the Black Lips show at the Logan Square Auditorium, none of us were ready to turn in for the night. Stumbling down Kedzie, slightly show buzzed, we came upon Azucar! Tapas, restaurant and cocktail bar.
Azucar storefront.
The host was nice enough to oblige us with a table, even though dining hours were clearly over. Offering us a plate of olives, we each ordered a Spanish beer and reflected on our night.
The best part about Azucar! is undoubtedly the ambiance. The dimly lit atmosphere is perfect for gossiping over a night of fun with friends, or to bring a date.
A view from the cocktail bar.
Though an evening spent over Tapas will undoubtedly be a relaxing one, we quickly found that Azucar! staff definitely errs on the fun-loving side. The bartender soon motioned for us to join him at the bar for a round of Sangria… on the house. (One of my favorite phrases.) We sampled both red and white, crunching on the delicious chunks of apple, and marveling on the perfect sweetness.
Red Sangria. The house specialty!
Though I was unable to finish my entire glass– the fear of a champagne-esque headache suggesting that I push it aside– I am looking forward to going back during more appropriate hours to sample some of the amazing food I have heard such rave reviews about.
In fact, the only real damper on the evening was the apparent near-deadly situation at the California blue line stop. A veritable kerfuffle sent an unsuspecting victim onto the tracks.. to some unknowing end. By 2:30 in the morning, we all knew we would be forced to cab. A fate not entirely worth complaining about after a long day, that needed to end snug at home…as soon as possible.
Go check it out! I hear fabulous things about the empanadas.
2647 N. Kedzie Ave, Chicago,
-Ileana
Last night, one of my favorite bands, the Black Lips, played at the Logan Square Auditorium.
I am always a touch wary about seeing bands that I enjoy play live because I tend to feel, for the most part, that they put on a horrible show.. be it due to shoddy vocals, bad equipment, or an overall bad demeanor. But after reading some reviews online which praise the Black Lips for an unbelievable performance, I couldn’t refuse. The group stayed true to their glowing commendments.
Logan Square Auditorium entrance.
The Logan Square Auditorium is located a stone’s throw away from Wicker Park, which made for an interesting crowd at the event. A mix between bopping tweens, hipsters, a sprinkling of parents, and a dash of aging punk rockers, I was delightfully intrigued by the medley of people who came to see this little-known, Atlanta-based, self-proclaimed “flower punk” band.
The venue appears a bit seedy at first. Located in a nondescript, sandwiched between what appears to be two cafes, the Auditorium is on the second floor in a converted ballroom. (As its web site proclaims, it is also available for weddings and other such functions.) A bar can be found in the back counter with a sign that reads, full liquor. Behind this equally nondescript counter where, essentially, a bartender stood beside a refrigerator full of corona and bud light, a few bottle of well-liquors lined the floor by his feet. I guess it constituted “full.” If you’re looking for a place to booze and bop, you may consider hitting up a local bar before arriving. With bottles of bud priced at $5, you may also want to consider using that money to buy your own six-pack at the 7-11 beforehand.
Another outside view.
The show started promptly at 8 p.m., and was opened by three bands who I wish were worth mentioning. The Black Lips took the stage soon after and sent the crowd into a frenzy. Opening with songs from their new album, 200 Million Thousand, their gritty vocals and distorted sound did not stray from what fans have grown to love and expect from their albums.
200 Million Thousand differs in many ways from their former, Good Bad Not Evil. Harking back to the simplicity of their dirty southern roots, the band offers a variety of songs ranging from the seductively dark and seemingly sweaty, to a more pop-y (can I say that?), fun-loving jaunt down what I would surmise as an alligator-infested dirt road. If you’re from Florida, you hear that. The songs offer the same intense, let’s-make-a-joke-out-of-something-serious lyric mentality we’ve all grown to enjoy.
The ballroom where it all went down.
The crowd-pleaser of the night was when the band granted the audience a toe-tapping rendition of Good Bad Not Evil single, “Bad Kids.” Nothing says a good time quite like underage cigarette smoking and the fun of an overly medicated child.
As I’ve never seen so much as a picture of the group before, I pleasanly surprised to see four regular-looking guys, not so different from those you might encounter at a local dive bar on a Friday night downtown. They seemed genuinely excited to put on the show and kept calling out to the crowd to keep the momentum going.
Lead singer Cole Alexander wooing the crowd.
As the show came to a close, the drummer granted us an encore with a delightful song that only involved he playing the guitar. I was endlessly impressed with the obvious talent the band possessed and certainly recommend anyone who is reading this out of state to check out the band’s web site for upcoming tour dates.
All in all, it was an amazing show. One that made my partially insane hiatus from concert-going all the more worth it! (What was even better, was I did not have the lamentable ear-ringing after the show. Bonus.)
Below I have recorded a song from the show. See what you were missing! (Or maybe enjoying.)
-Ileana
