Live Acoustic Music Near Evanston, Illinois

If you've never experienced hearing talented musicians perform in a small, intimate environment, you are in for a treat.

House concerts are a growing trend across the country, where people invite friends and neighbors into their homes for an up-close concert experience. And there are several house concerts being held in and around the Evanston area that you can check out - you just need to contact the host and ask to be invited.

Churches and non-profit community groups around Evanston host occasional coffeehouses that feature traditional folk musicians and other acoustic artists as a way of bringing the community together. Local libraries also host free concerts that are open to the general public.

In addition, live acoustic music can be heard in several listening rooms and small theaters in and around the Evanston area. Local restaurants and cafes in the area sometimes host nationally touring musicians as well.

Below you can find a listing of upcoming shows in these smaller venues by nationally and internationally touring artists.

Upcoming Acoustic Shows

June 2
Molly's House Concert (House Concert)
Lincolnwood, IL
June 5
SPACE (Listening Room)
Evanston, IL
June 7
Wesley's Place (Folk Music Coffeehouse)
La Grange, IL
June 8
Jonas Friddle is a singer, songwriter & Old-Time banjo player whose tunes bear the mark of a musician who has done his time in pub sessions and square dance halls, and his writing is full of imagery, honesty and humor.
Old Town School of Folk Music (Small Theater)
Chicago, IL
June 8
Hey Nonny (Listening Room)
Arlington Heights, IL
June 9
Info at www.ariellesilvermusic.com/tour
Molly's House Concert (House Concert)
Lincolnwood, IL
June 9
Thalia Hall (Small Theater)
Chicago, IL
June 11
Old Town School of Folk Music (Small Theater)
Chicago, IL
June 12
City Winery (Listening Room)
Chicago, IL
June 12
Indie Folk Singer-Songwriter with a European Twist. I sing in 4 languages and I love to take my audience with me on an imaginary journey throught songs and stories.
Montrose Saloon (Bar/Nightclub)
Chicago, IL
June 12
Hey Nonny (Listening Room)
Arlington Heights, IL
June 14
City Winery (Listening Room)
Chicago, IL
June 14
Old Town School of Folk Music (Small Theater)
Chicago, IL
June 14
Info at www.ariellesilvermusic.com/tour
Two Way Street Coffee House (Listening Room)
Downers Grove, IL
June 15
Hey Nonny (Listening Room)
Arlington Heights, IL
June 15
Join us for an evening with acclaimed singer-songwriter/humorist Susan Werner and her sidekick Trina, in the intimate John & Nancy Hughes Theater.
Gorton Center (Listening Room)
Lake Forest, IL
June 16
I'll be performing with special guest Daryl S on violin. Randy Burgess opens the show. Info at www.ariellesilvermusic.com/tour
Lake County Folk Club (Folk Music Society)
Grayslake, IL
June 18
Irish American Heritage Center (Folk Music Society)
Chicago, IL
June 20
SPACE (Listening Room)
Evanston, IL
June 21
Songwriter, banjo-piano-uke-guitar player, Rachael Davis is as renowned for her expressive–and explosive–voice as she is for uniting the often disparate worlds of folk, blues, country, and pop.
Hey Nonny (Listening Room)
Arlington Heights, IL
June 21
SPACE (Listening Room)
Evanston, IL
June 22
FitzGerald's Nightclub (Bar/Nightclub)
Berwyn, IL
June 22
SPACE (Listening Room)
Evanston, IL
June 25
SPACE (Listening Room)
Evanston, IL
June 26
Old Town School of Folk Music (Small Theater)
Chicago, IL
June 27
SPACE (Listening Room)
Evanston, IL
June 28
Old Town School of Folk Music (Small Theater)
Chicago, IL
June 29
Thalia Hall (Small Theater)
Chicago, IL
July 1
Lincoln Hall (Bar/Nightclub)
Chicago, IL
July 3
Hey Nonny (Listening Room)
Arlington Heights, IL
July 3
SPACE (Listening Room)
Evanston, IL
July 7
Molly's House Concert (House Concert)
Lincolnwood, IL
July 10
City Winery (Listening Room)
Chicago, IL
July 11
SPACE (Listening Room)
Evanston, IL
July 11
Uncommon Ground Edgewater (Listening Room)
Chicago, IL
July 17
SPACE (Listening Room)
Evanston, IL
July 19
Uncommon Ground Edgewater (Listening Room)
Chicago, IL
July 20
A unique performer in todays arena, drawing from the roots of blues, jazz, country and bluegrass, with a lyrical quality easily compared to some of the most celebrated poets of Rock & Roll and Folk Music.
The Northman Beer & Cider Garden (Brewery)
Chicago, IL
July 20
A unique performer in todays arena, drawing from the roots of blues, jazz, country and bluegrass, with a lyrical quality easily compared to some of the most celebrated poets of Rock & Roll and Folk Music.
Montrose Saloon (Bar/Nightclub)
Chicago, IL
July 20
Chris Rawlins is an indie-folk singer-songwriter based in Chicago, IL. The Midwestern native creates his intimate, modern folk tales with hauntingly beautiful, noir-like imagery.
Hey Nonny (Listening Room)
Arlington Heights, IL
July 25
SPACE (Listening Room)
Evanston, IL
July 26
GoldenOak is an Indie/Soul/Folk band based out of Portland, Maine and fronted by siblings Zak and Lena Kendall.
Uncommon Ground (Listening Room)
Chicago, IL
July 27
Beat Kitchen (Cafe, Restaurant or Coffee Shop)
Chicago, IL
July 27
“When you combine the transcendent poetry of Bob Dylan with the gritty, real-world rock-n-roll storytelling that Bruce Springsteen made so famous, and then add a dash of the political activism embod
Molly's House Concert (House Concert)
Lincolnwood, IL
July 29
American Songwriter describes Eilen Jewell as “one of America’s most intriguing, creative and idiosyncratic voices.”
SPACE (Listening Room)
Evanston, IL
July 31
City Winery (Listening Room)
Chicago, IL
August 3
Uncommon Ground Edgewater (Listening Room)
Chicago, IL
August 6
SPACE (Listening Room)
Evanston, IL
August 9
“Jessica Smucker is an original; a real artist with a cohesive message [and a] voice that is all her own. Each time I listen...I hear something new, the way I do when I listen to Joni Mitchell or Bob Dylan. She is that good." – Nerissa Nields
Hey Nonny (Listening Room)
Arlington Heights, IL
August 10
Hey Nonny (Listening Room)
Arlington Heights, IL
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Places to see live acoustic music in and around Evanston, Illinois

House Concerts

Molly's House Concert (Lincolnwood)
Route One House Concerts (Flossmoor)

Listening Rooms

City Winery (Chicago)
Gorton Center (Lake Forest)
Hey Nonny (Arlington Heights)
SPACE (Evanston)
St Tim's Coffeehouse (Skokie)
Subterranean (Chicago)
The Outta Space (Berwyn)
The Venue Aurora (Aurora)
Two Way Street Coffee House (Downers Grove)
Uncommon Ground (Chicago)
Uncommon Ground Edgewater (Chicago)

Folk Music Societies

Lake County Folk Club (Grayslake)
Irish American Heritage Center (Chicago)

Folk Music Coffeehouses

Acoustic Renaissance Concerts at Hinsdale Unitarian Church (Hinsdale)
Maple Street Concerts (Lombard)
Wesley's Place (La Grange)

Cafes, Restaurants & Coffee Shops

Adelle's Fine American Fare (Wheaton)
Beat Kitchen (Chicago)
Durty Nellie's (Palatine)

Libraries

Waukegan Public Library (Waukegan)

Small Theaters

Epiphany Center for the Arts (Chicago)
Old Town School of Folk Music (Chicago)
Thalia Hall (Chicago)

Bars & Nightclubs

Brudder's Sports Bar (Chicago)
FitzGerald's Nightclub (Berwyn)
Golden Dagger (Chicago)
Lincoln Hall (Chicago)
Mackey's Hideout (McHenry)
Montrose Saloon (Chicago)
Schubas Tavern (Chicago)
Sleeping Village (Chicago)
The Hideout (Chicago)