SPACE Evanston

SPACE is a live music hall in Evanston, Illinois, USA.

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.

In spring of 2020, SPACE closed its doors in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and pivoted towards creative, safe, and socially distanced concert experiences. Space’s To-Go Show series brought micro-concerts straight to Evanstonians’ yards, while the Space Record Club paired new vinyl and local craft beer for fans’ in-home listening pleasure. From July to October, the Space Summer Stage welcomed local and nationally touring artists for more than 80 shows under a spacious big top tent.

As SPACE looks toward the future, we hope to continue exploring safe and engaging ways to serve Evanston through a variety of concerts, outdoor experiences, and community events.

In 2022 SPACE hosted a double-bill concert with The Longest Johns from Bristol, England and Chicago’s Bounding Main.