Update: Due to a tragic shooting at the venue early this morning, The Shrine will close permanently effective immediately. Very sad. Thanks to The Shrine for many years of great service to the hip-hop community and its fans in the Chicagoland area. I personally had many great times there, and they will truly be missed.
We regret to inform you that The Shrine, a South Loop music staple, will close its doors at the end of the month. After a strong seven-year run, the venue will shutter to make way for retail and residential spaces. Today, in a press release, Joe Russo relayed that he plans to reopen the venue in another location, which we hope to be the case. They did a lot of great things for local and national artists over the years. Salute to them, and we hope they find a new home soon.
Their last event is February 28th.
Find the press release below.
To the fans of The Shrine:
We regret to tell you that The Shrine will be closing soon. The property where The Shrine is located was recently purchased by a local real estate development firm. They have introduced plans to demolish the building, build a hotel and apartment complex in its place, and lease over 30,000 sq. feet of retail space at street level.
Located at 2109 S. Wabash in the South Loop, The Shrine was founded in 2009 by Chicago native Joe Russo. Mr. Russo has been a force in hospitality industry since the early 90’s. He has created, opened and owned various venues over the years, including Thyme Restaurant, Sinibar, and Funky Buddha Lounge.
The Shrine’s location was specifically chosen for its historical significance to Chicago’s black music history. The area was the epicenter for local and national Blues, Soul and R&B record labels beginning in the early 1950s, and a logical location for a venue specializing in great black music.
The Shrine has provided state-of- the-art live performance and nightclub space for lovers of Soul, R&B, House, Hip Hop, Afrobeat and Reggae music for nearly seven years. The Shrine was open to all, but set out from its inception to cater to the underserved Caribbean, African & African American clientele. The Shrine is both nationally and internationally regarded as a unique (and often imitated) entertainment venue that will be greatly missed upon shutting its doors.
The Shrine can boast of hundreds of shows and events it has produced over the years. The venue presented the best in black entertainment, from Grammy and Oscar winners to old and new school artists. There was nothing like it in the city of Chicago, or anywhere in the U.S., for that matter. Here are some notable and memorable artists: 50 Cent, Roy Ayers, Erykah Badu, Eric Benet, Bilal, BJ the Chicago Kid, Brand New Heavies, Common, Mos Def, De La Soul, Dwele, Lupe Fiasco, Floetry, Future, Ginuwine, Robert Glasper, Goapele, Beres Hammond, Lalah Hathaway, Talib Kweli, Kem, KRS-ONE, Kendrick Lamar, Amel Larrieux, Les Nubians, Ryan Leslie, Mali Music, Ky-Mani Marley, Chrisette Michelle, Miguel, Monica, Sean Paul, Rakim, The Roots, Pete Rock & CL Smooth, Eric Roberson, Jill Scott, SWV, Tank, and many more.
To those of you who enjoyed The Shrine, we say thank you for rocking with us for nearly seven years! We look forward to reopening in another location – where you and others will appreciate how we get down! Stay tuned.