Riviera Theatre

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the theatre in Chicago. For the theatre in North Tonawanda, see Riviera Theatre (North Tonawanda).

Coordinates: 41°58′07″N 87°39′36″W / 41.96858°N 87.65988°W / 41.96858; -87.65988

Riviera Theatre
The Riv
Chicago Riviera Theatre.jpg
Address4746 N Racine Ave
Chicago, IL 60640-4912
LocationSheridan Park
OwnerJam Productions
Capacity2,500
Construction
OpenedOctober 2, 1918 (1918-10-02)
Construction cost$585,000
($11.8 million in 2020 dollars[1])
ArchitectC.W. Rapp
Website
Venue Website

The Riviera Theatre is a concert venue located on the north side of Chicago, Illinois, United States.

About[]

Lobby of theatre, 2006

Built in 1917, it was designed by Rapp and Rapp for the Balaban & Katz theatre chain run by A. J. Balaban, his brother Barney Balaban and their partner and brother-in-law, Sam Katz.[2] It is an example of French Renaissance Revival architecture.[3] It later became a private nightclub in 1986. The theatre is located in the Uptown section of the city, at the intersection of Lawrence, Broadway and Racine. The area has several notable theaters, including the Aragon Ballroom, which is only 0.2 miles away. Since 2006 it has been owned by Chicago-based Jam Productions (itself owned by Jerry Mickelson and Arny Granat), which claims to be the "largest independent producer of live entertainment in the United States".[4][5][6]

In October 2015 in a labor dispute, Jam Productions fired the stagehands of the Riviera Theater.[7]

As of 2017, the Riviera Theater continues to serve as a venue for many popular acts, both local and national.[8]

Noted performers[]

  • AC/DC
  • Thin Lizzy
  • Cheap Trick
  • Iggy Pop
  • The Bangles
  • The B-52's
  • Simply Red
  • Red Hot Chili Peppers
  • Fishbone
  • Jane's Addiction
  • My Bloody Valentine
  • Ice-T
  • Indigo Girls
  • 10,000 Maniacs
  • Joe Jackson
  • Primus
  • Lenny Kravitz
  • Bob Dylan
  • Los Lobos
  • Mötley Crüe
  • Tool
  • Nine Inch Nails
  • Robyn
  • Gwar
  • Jewel
  • Everclear
  • The Allman Brothers Band
  • Ramones
  • Foo Fighters
  • Lucinda Williams
  • Iron Maiden
  • Slipknot
  • Death from Above
  • Migos
  • Morrissey
  • Kacey Musgraves
  • Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
  • Liam Gallagher
  • Silversun Pickups
  • Kehlani
  • Ben Folds Five
  • The Script
  • The Cranberries
  • Portugal. The Man
  • Bush
  • AFI
  • Marilyn Manson
  • Jamiroquai
  • Barenaked Ladies
  • Alice in Chains
  • Rüfüs Du Sol
  • Incubus
  • Lauv
  • Alt-J
  • Stone Temple Pilots
  • Incubus
  • Tenacious D
  • Miley Cyrus; Milky Milky Milk Tour (2015)
  • George Ezra; Staying at Tamara's Tour (2018)
  • St. Vincent; Digital Witness Tour (2014)

Notable events[]

  • My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult performed at the theatre October 28, 1988 and three tracks from the performance were released in 2004 as part of the reissue for their debut album.
  • Jody Watley performed at the theatre July 21, 1989 during her Larger Than Life album tour.
  • Tin Machine performed at the theatre during their It's My Life Tour on December 12, 1991, which was recorded and became part of their live album, Tin Machine Live: Oy Vey, Baby.
  • The Smashing Pumpkins played a release party for their 1995 album Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness the night before its release here.
  • Type O Negative performed with Moonspell and Cradle of Filth November 22, 2003 for their Life Is Killing Me album tour.
  • Tame Impala performed at the theatre October 10, 2013 and the recordings were used for their live album Live Versions.
  • The venue served as the opening night on Miley Cyrus' Milky Milky Milk Tour which was a very limited tour with only 8 cities across North America. The show sold out within a few minutes with one fixed price of US$69.69.

References[]

  1. ^ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800���present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved January 1, 2020.
  2. ^ The Chicago Movie Palaces of Balaban And Katz by David Balaban & Joseph Ducibella (Arcadia Publishing, 2006)
  3. ^ Valentine, Maggie (1994). The Show Starts on the Sidewalk: An Architectural History of the Movie Theatre. New Haven (Conn.): Yale University Press. p. 41. ISBN 978-0-300-06647-0.
  4. ^ Meyer, Gregory (July 26, 2006). "Jam Productions affiliate buys Riviera Theater". Crain's Chicago Business. Retrieved September 18, 2016.
  5. ^ Connors, Joe (April 17, 2017). "INTERVIEW: Jerry Mickelson – founder of Jam Productions". Chicago Music Magazine. Retrieved September 18, 2016.
  6. ^ "Who We Are..." Jam Productions. Retrieved September 18, 2016.
  7. ^ McGhee, Josh (October 20, 2016). "Fired Stagehands File Unfair Labor Charges Against Riviera, Jam Productions". DNAinfo Chicago. Archived from the original on September 18, 2017. Retrieved September 18, 2016.
  8. ^ "About the Riviera". Jam Productions. Retrieved September 18, 2016.

External links[]


Stub icon

This United States theatre–related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by .

  • v
  • t

This article related to a building or structure in Chicago is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by .

  • v
  • t
Retrieved from ""