Aragon too small for New Order

New Order has a very dedicated fan base.  I saw them in 1989 with PIL and Sugar Cubes and in 1993 with 808 State at the World Music Theatre.

They may not get the crowd they had back then, but I still think they will easily sell out Aragon.  I think I read in another post a max of 4500 people.

I had the chance to go to the after party on the Republic tour.  I've got to find my pics with the band and scan them, but I'll post them if you'd like to see.

It was actually amazing to have them.  I graduated from college in 1994 and was going to England.  Hooky told me to take the pics and show them to security at the Hacienda.  I didn't have to stand in line and got in for free.  The next day I was given a tour of the Hacienda and Dry201 during the daytime.  Got all kinds of shirts and posters.

I'll be wearing a black Dry201 with neon green in the shape of a 5 at the concert if I can still fit into it.  Need to drop about 20 before then!

Corey

Hey anyone going to see Erasure on the 29th or 30th of April.  Good concert year for me.  Got Erasure, New Order, and U2 tickets.  Depeche making a new album so I get to see them again too!

I love telling this story about the New Order concert in 1989.  Sugar Cubes was the 1st act, and people were coming in late and not really dancing to them.  PIL comes out and Johnny yells "Get off your fucking asses."  Crowd went nuts and no one sat down rest of the concert.  Ah to be 18 again.  34 sucks!

agreed. its gonna be electric in there. might have a feeling of old time's in the early clubs in manch. if i only knew what old time felt like - being 19. love to see those pics man. cheers!

Now I haven't been to the Aragon since 1991, but of the two times I've been there there were seats at one of them (Sonic Youth/Public Enemy). They were assigned seats too, although they were your basic folding chairs (the kind you can throw around if you're so inclined). The other gig I saw there (Jane's Addiction) I think it was Gen Admission and no seats.

The sound is absolutely horrible there though. I have to say it was a monumental gig such as this that's made me end my almost-15-year boycott of the Aragon. Knowing this is the smallest place besides Kaiser they've probably played since pre-Substance it's pretty exciting.

Meeting up pre-gig? The Green Mill is only a couple blocks away but the drinks are a bit pricey. Beyond that there's really nothing in the neighborhood unless you fancy the sort of joint that just has an awning that says "BEER"...

Unless people feel pressed for time, I'd suggest something a bit farther south such as in Lincoln Park (near the Fullerton Red Line stop). There are tons more choices around there and the Red Lion pub would be nice for the UK'ers attending. From there, it's just a quick walk to the L (subway, although it's not a subway at that point, it's elevated) and a brief ride to Uptown where the gig is (Lawrence stop).

drew

"Ah to be 18 again.  34 sucks!"

---Really?  Try being 43 my friend.  If you're lucky you'll find it easier to afford flying off to concerts in faraway cities, but that's about the only good thing I can say about it.

See ya in Chicago (maybe).  I'll be the old fart.  -jeff

drugrep wrote:

Hey anyone going to see Erasure on the 29th or 30th of April.  Good concert year for me.  Got Erasure, New Order, and U2 tickets.  Depeche making a new album so I get to see them again too!

I love telling this story about the New Order concert in 1989.  Sugar Cubes was the 1st act, and people were coming in late and not really dancing to them.  PIL comes out and Johnny yells "Get off your fucking asses."  Crowd went nuts and no one sat down rest of the concert.  Ah to be 18 again.  34 sucks!

Wenorder and I are going to Erasure the 30th :) bunch of great shows coming up. Gang of Four and the Ravenonettes are two more i'd love to see. I think I could only afford the Ravenonettes though at this point. Something like 14 dollars at the Double Door.

drugrep wrote:

New Order has a very dedicated fan base.  I saw them in 1989 with PIL and Sugar Cubes and in 1993 with 808 State at the World Music Theatre.

They may not get the crowd they had back then, but I still think they will easily sell out Aragon.  I think I read in another post a max of 4500 people.

I had the chance to go to the after party on the Republic tour.  I've got to find my pics with the band and scan them, but I'll post them if you'd like to see.

It was actually amazing to have them.  I graduated from college in 1994 and was going to England.  Hooky told me to take the pics and show them to security at the Hacienda.  I didn't have to stand in line and got in for free.  The next day I was given a tour of the Hacienda and Dry201 during the daytime.  Got all kinds of shirts and posters.

I'll be wearing a black Dry201 with neon green in the shape of a 5 at the concert if I can still fit into it.  Need to drop about 20 before then!

Corey

May I ask how you got to party with the band after the 93 show? Did you know someone important? That was a great night....

Also, post your pics with the band...I would love to see them.

I was in college at Indiana University and wrote for the college newspaper.  I had a press pass for photo and we all had to bring a written agreement that the photos would only be used for news articles and not sold or anything.

I was the only photographer that had that agreement.  There was this gal that was collecting the agreements and she was very angry at everyone for not having the consent and wouldn't let anyone but me take photos.

I begged her to get me backstage, and she really game through.  I got to go into their suite at the World before the meet and greet and also attended the meet and greet.

Gillian and Stephen were sitting on couches across from each other and I spoke with them 1st.  I had recently read in an issue of "Alternative Press" that they were reently married so I congratulated them, but Gillian laughed and said they weren't married yet.

I go into another room of the suite and Peter is sitting with this totally exotic looking blonde gal with hair about down to her ass, she was totally smoking.

Barney wasn't in the suite, but he did come to the meet and greet.  There was a lady and a baby there, but I was so excited, I'm sure the gal that was escorting me told me that was Barney's kid.  The gal I was with actually held the baby for a while while we talked with Peter and whom I assume was Barney's wife.

808 State was DJ'ing the after party.  I got my pic between those 2 at the table they had setup. "The The" was the 2nd act and they were pretty cool, but I didn't know them well, not a fan.

So Barney comes in the meet and greet and there's a gentleman with him that was very protective of Barney.  I could tell Barney was shy, and this guy went wherever he went.  I spoke to the guy, and noticed he didn't have a British accent, so I asked him where he was from.  He said he lived in Chicago and was a friend of Barney's.

Hooky and I spoke the entire time and I told him I was going to England the following year to visit a friend of mine that was an exchange student from Sheffield to Indiana University.  That's when Hooky told me to take the pics and told me he tended bar there frequently on Friday's.

I went to the Hacienda on Friday, and unfortunately Hooky wasn't working that night.  So the next day like I said I got a tour of the Hacienda and Dry201 during the day.  Walked out with posters, shirts, and a book "The Hacienda must be built"

The night I was there, I thought I was going to get the living shit kicked out of me by security.  They kind of picked on me as I was leaving.  I'm tall and just looked like an American I guess.  So someone from the bar saw it and gave me an escort out to my car, said security was contracted and they were probably jealous that I got the royal treatment that night.

I spent a couple of nights in London and had problems with security at I think it was Limelight.  Security guard tried to pick a fight with me by saying I called him a faggot.  I really did not, and my friend from Sheffield told me that these guys just wanted to start a fight with me because I was an American and tall.

I've got video tape of the Hacienda during the day and let me get all that stuff put together and maybe I can post that too on website.

Anyway, would love to meet some of you in Chicago.  I'll be with my wife and wearing a black Dry201 shirt.  I'll post a pic of me here in the next couple of days, would love to meet up with some fans before and after the show.

Corey

Ah shit, I'm going Friday Erasure show.  Maybe I'll come in if people are meeting somewhere.  I'm out in Naperville.

drugrep wrote: Ah shit, I'm going Friday Erasure show.  Maybe I'll come in if people are meeting somewhere.  I'm out in Naperville.

Me too! Where in Naperville? I'm on Spring, just W of Mill and across the tracks from Naper North HS...

I work in the city though so it'll just be an L ride to the gig from work (Northwestern Memorial Hospital)...

drew

Actually in Bolingbrook at Weber & 111th.  I say Naperville because name is more recognized and I butt up to Naperville.

drugrep wrote:

Actually in Bolingbrook at Weber & 111th.  I say Naperville because name is more recognized and I butt up to Naperville.

I know exactly where you are. My wife and I love going to the Schlotzky's just up the road from you on Weber/Boughton...

Know any decent bars out here that have NO in the jukebox? Features here in downtown Naperville used to, but that was 10 years ago...

drew

when visiting my friends in Wheaton, we usually go to Shapes pool hall in Naperville. They have a decent juke box with new order, mode, cure, etc... it's also a bar. cant think of the street it's on, but i know we head south (?) from denada shopping center to get there. we usually start at my fiances parents house in warrenville before heading to wheaton and then naperville, i use land marks when driving out there but i do know it's south of Butterfield rd :)

Found this, thought I'd share, found it interesting - I must be getting old!  Seems like would have been quite the place to go in years gone by.  "A Night at the Roxbury" - eat your heart out!

Aragon Ballroom

| | The enormous and extravagantly decorated Aragon Ballroom opened in 1926 in the heart of Chicago's booming Uptown district. The Aragon's owner, Andrew Karzas, designed the ballroom to silence those who criticized the city's commonplace dance halls as unhealthy, immoral venues for the seduction of women, the practice of prostitution, and the then-illegal distribution of alcohol. With its stylish interior decor, its courteous but watchful staff, and its strict policies against any alcohol consumption, the Aragon was intended to impress critics and convince them that public dancing need not always be considered a bad thing. As much as such policies helped win the patronage middle-class youths, the regular booking of the nation's top jazz bands was equally important in helping the ballroom attract huge crowds on a nightly basis. <br><br>Uptown's Aragon Ballroom was built by brothers Andrew and William Karzas, who had made their early fortunes in nickelodeons and movie theaters. Recoginizing the growing popularity of public dancing during the early 1920s, they opened the famous and elaborately decorated Trianon Ballroom on Chicago's South Side in 1922. In contrast to many of the city's earlier dance halls, the ballroom's elegance, spaciousness, slower-paced music, and eagle-eyed chaperones lent it an air of respectability that attracted huge crowds. <br><br>With high hopes of duplicating the success of the Trianon, the Karzas Brothers opened the Aragon on 15 July 1926. Thousands of eager dancers, including former Mayor "Big Bill" Thompson, attended the opening event. Many were astounded by the ballroom's extravagant interior design. The second-level dance floor was reached by a thickly carpeted grand staircase guarded by large plaster dragons (shown below). <br><br><br> <br>Grand Staircase, Aragon Ballroom, c1935<br><br>Once upstairs, patrons entered another world. The ballroom (shown below) was designed to resemble the courtyard of a Moorish castle. Palm trees and twinkling lights in the ceiling were added to give dancers the feeling they were spending the night under a clear, Spanish sky. Built to hold nearly 8,000 people, the all-maple dance floor rode a cushion of cork, felt, and springs that vibrated to the music of the Aragon's bands, including those of the ballroom's most regular bandleaders: Freddy Martin, Wayne King, and Dick Jurgens. <br><br><br> <br>Dance Floor, Aragon Ballroom, c1935<br><br>Huge crowds flocked to the Aragon, including many out-of-towners who listened to the ballroom's music six nights a week over radio station WGN from 10:05 p.m. until 11:00 p.m. Weekly attendance regularly topped 18,000 during the '20s, '30s, and '40s. Much of this success lay, as it had at the Trianon, in management's ability to maintain high standards of conduct among patrons. Men were obligated to wear jackets and ties, women semi-formal evening wear. Smoking was prohibited on the second level. And tuxedoed floorwalkers prevented close dancing or jitterbugging. The Aragon's elegance and orderliness contrasted sharply with the more youthful and trendy atmosphere at the neighborhood's other major dance hall, the Arcadia. <br><br>The ballroom's close proximity to public transportation--the 'L' ran along the west wall of the building--was also a key factor in its ability to attract large crowds from across not just the North Side, but all of Chicago. <br><br>Regular dance schedules at the Aragon ended 9 February 1964, after several years of sagging attendance. The enormous ballroom simply could not compete against the rise of television, the younger generation's concentration on family-building, and the decline of the Uptown neighborhood. Since then, the Aragon has hosted a wide variety of events, including wrestling matches, roller skating, rock concerts, and even a couple of disco nights. Today, it is used primarily for concerts and occasional dances. | | --- | --- |

Also found these linked articles:

http://chicago.urban-history.org/sites/ballroom/aragon02.htm

http://chicago.urban-history.org/sites/ballroom/aragon03.htm

http://chicago.urban-history.org/sites/ballroom/aragon04.htm

A small venue for their third gig could be cool.  Having played twice before they might try something new and different.

34 year olds of the world unite, you have nothing to lose but your jaded cynicism.  I hope the band has more US dates, as I would love to fly off to some concerts (assuming the wife approves).

er wow, at the pics of the ballroom,the thought of seeing the order play a venue like that would deffo get me back over the pond regardless of cost.

i can see myself now,on one of those balconys overlooking the stage with an ice cold beer in one hand and digicam in the other.

heres hoping.

The eternal wrote: er wow, at the pics of the ballroom,the thought of seeing the order play a venue like that would deffo get me back over the pond regardless of cost. i can see myself now,on one of those balconys overlooking the stage with an ice cold beer in one hand and digicam in the other. heres hoping.

yeah you should. its a great atmosphere. very friendly. and those balconies are so casual man. i havent gone up there but i see people with thier girlfriends or whatever who want to take it easier and enjoy their beers and chat. see you there mate. i'll be on the rail. cheers.

the only thing that sucks about the place is the one staricase exit. 4500 people all leaing at the same time via 2 staircases that join into one. if your freaked out by things like that, wait a few minutes for the traffic to die down.

Corey,

What is your last name. I went to IU in the early 90s and worked on the daily Student as well, covering sports (covering IU in the Final Four in 1992 was my journalistic highlight). So I am sure we have met, I just can't recall what your last name might have been. Too many years, too many beers (while at IU anyway). Do you remember John DiMauro, Sam Ritchie and "Hud"

I will be at the Chicago show too, it would be good to see you . I will be wearing a red England football jersey. I was also there in 1993 and had just graduated so I couldn't use the press "credentials"

Brad