Live Music at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign

When I first came to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, I was worried. Not worried that I'd do poorly in school, or that I wouldn't make many friends, but worried that my formerly endless fountain of live music would have dried up. You see, I'm a Chicago kid, with at least a dozen quality venues at my fingertips. I've got about one show a week that I can go to and reasonably enjoy. So, when I decided to travel to Urbana-Champaign, a college town in the middle of Illinois, I was a little worried that I'd lose my precious sound. While the situation isn't the same as it used to be, it's not as bad as I thought. I'm not subjected to four square-dancing bars per night, is what I'm getting at. So, the best sort of way to sum it up is through size of the venue, starting from very big, to very small.

There are two main large venues near campus, with each catering to very different types of crowds. The first is Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, located right in the middle of campus town. Krannert showcases acts which would be considered "classy" by most. It's the place you want to look at if you're interested in orchestral music, as they have very well-reviewed artists coming through almost constantly. Tickets aren't really a problem, either. Get them within a few days of release and you're guaranteed a good seat for the show. The second major venue on campus is Assembly Hall, perhaps the most iconic building on campus. It looks like a rather large white flying saucer had landed on the southwestern part of campus, given up its plans for world domination, and instead opted to host some of today's most popular musical acts. I've seen the Foo Fighters, Weezer, Interpol, the Dave Matthews Band, and several other very big-name acts pass through Assembly Hall. In addition, Assembly Hall hosts a large number of other types of acts. Several popular comedians have come through Assembly Hall as well, including Dave Chappelle. Assembly Hall also hosts many musicals each school year, from The Producers to Evita, if that happens to be your thing. The only real downside is that the tickets are just as expensive as they would be outside of campus: there's no reasonable student discount. You'll be standing in lines like it's a regular venue, too: I was in one for three hours getting Foo Fighters tickets. All said, though, those problems are to be expected, and a small price to pay for excellent shows so close by. A large number of musical groups are also closely affiliated with the University, and as such, play at University-sponsored venues. It's your usual smattering of choirs, singing groups, and school marching bands. All in all, between Krannert and Assembly Hall, there are plenty of great shows which are provided at low cost and pretty high quality.

Outside of those two spots, there are several smaller clubs and bars which regularly host live music, often alternating live music nights with DJ sets to keep the crowds in. The most popular with college students is the Canopy Club, located right next to Krannert. The shows are cheap and the venue hosts something for everyone. There aren't many big names that'll come through here, but many smaller indie bands show up. The only downside to Canopy is that it's usually packed on nights with shows, making it a little bit of a hassle to actually see the band that you have come for. The only other straight music venue on campus is in the Illini Union. The Union hosts a series of relatively popular indie acts throughout the course of the school year. The shows are dirt cheap and the venues aren't at all crowded. The only downer to the whole setup is that there's no iquor allowed on the premises, but we don't need booze to have a good time, right? There are several other bars on campus where student bands play shows, but for dedicated music, that's about it. There are several more options off campus, though. For indie rock and DJ sets in a more bar-type atmosphere, both the High Dive and the Cowboy Monkey offer great setups. The drinks aren't terribly expensive and the music is rarely terrible, making an evening at either place a sure thing. If that sort of music isn't your thing, the Iron Post has a regular rotation of jazz performers in a setting that's good for sitting and having a few drinks with friends.

That's about the rundown for Champaign music and a bit for theatre. Champaign isn't exactly a bustling music scene, but the quality of local venues and great local bands playing regular shows make it a pretty decent place overall for any music lover with a variety of shows for a variety of tastes.