SPACE is a live music hall and recording studio in Evanston, Ill., established in 2008.
Over the past decade, SPACE has welcomed thousands of local and national touring acts to our stage, including The Lumineers, Alabama Shakes, Graham Parker, Nick Lowe, David Lindley, The Weepies, Dr. John, Lucinda Williams and many more. The recording studio has served as a creative space for bands like The Strumbellas and The Lone Bellow to record, and offers musicians passing through a unique opportunity to rehearse and collaborate pre-show.
SPACE hosts both seated and standing-room-only shows across a variety of genres—from folk to rock to jazz and beyond. Candle-lit cabaret tables, along with general admission seats, comfortably hold an audience of 240, while standing room only shows can accommodate 330. No matter the show setup, SPACE prides itself on providing an intimate setting for fans of all ages to get up-close-and-personal with their favorite acts.
Evanston SPACE is proud to be a part of 16” on Center, a Chicago-based development company that oversees operations of more than 15 restaurants and venues, including Thalia Hall in Pilsen and The Empty Bottle in the Ukrainian Village. SPACE has earned distinction on the best venue lists of DownBeat Magazine, 93XRT, Chicago Tribune.
In 2018, SPACE celebrated 10 years of live music with the inaugural “Out of Space” series, a full summer of outdoor concerts welcomed by 93XRT in some of the most beloved locations in the City of Evanston. The concerts took place over the summer at Canal Shores, an 18-hole golf course first established in Evanston in 1919; Temperance Beer Co., SPACE’s neighbor one mile west on Dempster since 2013; and the Big Evanston Block Party, at the intersection of Chicago and Dempster—just north of the venue and one block east of the Dempster Purple Line stop.
As SPACE looks toward the future, we hope to continue a decade-long tradition of serving Evanston through a wide variety of concerts and community events.
What a great show!!! Glad we made the trip north from Champaign-Urbana to see Selwyn Birchwood & the band! All great musicians and look forward to our next opportunity to see them! Don't skip this band if you have the chance to see them. They will not disappoint.
Fantastic as usual. They had a little trouble getting their sound straightened out because I think they had just arrived and hadn’t had a sound check. Once they got that dialed in they were themselves, full of soul and passion and a sense of humor. Truly one of the great bands ever.
I can’t believe Sunday night was real! It was truly an amazing experience. Huge thank you to the venue staff - we were a lot and they did such a good job managing it all. Awsten, Geoff, and Otto are the nicest people and put on a high energy, top notch show! I highly recommend getting tickets to the prowler tour. Until next time, Chicago!!
My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed the concert by Lisa Fischer and Grand Baton. Lisa Fischer voice is a national treasure. I feel privileged in hearing her as the lead singer vice most of her career as a supportive singer. The band was outstanding. Great evening. Thanks.
Neil
Ronnie Baker Brooks is one of the most phenomenal Blues Guitatists we have ever seen.
His shows just rock the house.
Besides being a great artist he is also a great person always being gracious to his audience and fans.
We have followed the Brooks family Lonnie, Wayne and Ronnie for many years and each a unique style all their own and Ronnie is carrying the Tourch.
Another soul-filling Foucault show! His band is ridiculously talented, they could have played twice as long and I’d still be hanging on every note. Come back soon, and bring more of that multi-tasking songwriting that breaks our hearts, makes us laugh, and causes us to ponder our life choices (but going to the show is always the right choice).
… and then there were 5.
Without keyboards, Electric Six still sounds fantastic. I’ve followed this band for 20 years and they’re still amazing. It’s one of those cases that you have to wonder why they’re not much more popular. If you haven’t seen them live, you must! Continue!
Such an engaging and enjoyable show! Exceptional musicality, lyrics that span such variety of human experience, and a most engaging stage presence. One of my all time favorite shows of theirs to date. Was delighted to have them treat us to the masterpiece Principium as an encore. Space is a most hospitable setting, with a most hospitable staff. Pairs well with the soul of The Arcadian Wild.
Fortunate to see Evan Honer in such an intimate venue. The next time he comes to Chicago, I am confident that he will be booked into a larger venue.
Excellent live band backing Honer with a standout performance from fiddler, Julia DiGrazia. The guitarist was excellent too.
Eclectic set list with a good number of singles, album tracks, covers & new songs. Evan does a great job of working the crowd & riding the wave of momentum during the show.
This was an awesome smaller music venue. I've been listening to Eric Johanson for a while now and he has an awesome selection of both rocking out and acoustic blues music. All I can say is that this guy and his band does not disappoint in a live show. Absolutely one of the greatest guitarists I've had the pleasure of seeing play live. If you've not listened to this guy, check him out and you'll catch yourself at one of his shows the first chance you get! Thanks guys for a rocking concert!
Rubblebucket has put on some of the best shows I’ve ever seen - some of the best I ever hope to see. On top of being incredible musicians, they are exuberant, inventive, playful performers. Rubblebucket, I love you all and I’ll come see you anytime you’re in town!!!
Jeremie is so unique and fun to watch. His talent comes from his soul! He's blues with a kick of (retro) Rock N Roll. His ballads' melodies will stick with you for days - such a talent! I've seen him twice and can't wait to see him in concert again. I wish more people would have shown up to see him but it was a Thursday night. - the crowd was a little laid-back . . . . not sure what was going on there but I was rockin'!! And, he was nice enough to stay and meet and talk to people afterwards. He's gonna be a hit - he's still very young and works hard. Always dresses nice and is polite.
The restaurant, The SPACE venue are amazing! I got there early enough to eat dinner and it was fabulous. The wait staff, bartenders are all very polite, happy and service was great. I definitely will be attending a show there again!
Nellie was as fabulous as always, funny, sarcastic, provocative, and totally entertaining. Although billed as her new CD release tour, the program ranged from some very early work, music from other albums, and songs from her newest CD. And who else plays five songs for an encore? Thank you, Nellie, for a wonderful evening.
Absolutely wonderful experience. Ive never seen them in a big venue, but boy do Victor and his band sure know how to put on a lovely small and more intimate show. Beautiful interaction with the crowd. Exciting material. Absolute blast. I hope he comes back to Chicago many a time. I will certainly be there when he does.
Jason Eady was fantastic. I've been following him for years but never had the opportunity to see him live. What a great show, engaging the crowd with stories of his writing and backing things up with some phenomenal guitar work, the true test of a solo performer. I only wish he would come to the upper Midwest more often!
Absolutely incredible. Tenille and her full electric band sang & played with high intensity & enthusiasm, with great sound, to a relatively small but very dedicated audience in this comfortable venue. Also, Tenille did a short meet & greet and photo op afterwards.
Where else can you get to see and hear such a highly talented music artist and fine person while standing right in front of the stage, and then get to meet her in person, all for such a modest ticket price.
The restaurant in the same building has great, reasonably priced food, a comfortable dining environment, and good staff too.
We came back early from west coast family visit on the worst travel day of the year to attend this concert-and it was worth it! CS gave a wonderful and amazing concert of singing many styles. We also loved the combo of his guitar and sax although we can always hear more sax! The pianist “Professor” was very good too. (We will look for him in more Chicago venues too as Michigan a bit far for a night out. )
Attached is our illegal (??). picture we shared with friends with links to some CS online tunes, today . :)
Great show. Both the opener and Nora played great sets. An amazing voice, good songwriter, and so genuine in her appreciation for her band mates help making the new album. The space and the crowd made it even better. Always fun to see her solo or with the many incarnations of bands.
Anders is a remarkable musician. Really nice to see him with a full band so he could take-off to places of extraordinary guitardom. Sad to think I probably won’t see him again for a while with winter around the corner. New Orleans has a lot to enjoy with Anders wintering close to home.
Shakey Graves such a vibe. What stuck out to me was how amazing of a story teller he was. You were instantly involved in every moment and inside joke he told. Every lyric meant more than the time you heard it before. One of the best and most unique shows I’ve seen in awhile.