great Blues, good venue

The music was great ,but it was a full house to a point where you couldn't move.

This is a small bar with Live Music. The inside is pretty old, but you're not there for ambiance. You're there for the music, which was awesome. Carlos Showers was playing and I thoroughly enjoyed listening to their set. The guests vary day-to-day--just imagine the variety of people and styles you'll see. On a Tuesday, this was a great, easy-going, low-key way to spend a night out.

We enjoyed the live music! We were able to sit close to the stage and it was more than I expected! My husband is more of a Blues fan, and he had a good time we were given tix to a future show and we will definitely be going back to hear some of the other acts that perform there

Likes: Fun atmosphere, live music, easy to get to.

Dislikes: Overly crowded, smells like a dirty bar, hard to get drinks (bc of crowd), constantly bumped around (bc of crowd), hard to go with a group (bc of crowd).

Comments: I reserved my tickets for this place. I haven't been there before that night. The bar does not know the definition of "sold out." I got there 25 mins after the start time and had to wait in the door jam for 15 mins because it was literally shoulder to shoulder in every square foot. Finally, as people filtered out I could take one step in. Then another step 5 mins later. Then another 5 mins thereafter. Etc. Etc. When I did make it in, a waitress would come around taking drink orders. She came back holding all the drinks ordered (i.e., 15) anyway she could. My beer bottle was pressed up against her sweaty t-shirt. Eventually, I was able to snake my way up closer to the show. The music was good, and it had a fun vibe--but it was overly crowded. You couldn't dance or even move, you barely could get a drink, and every 10 seconds a stranger would grope you trying to get to the exit. I probably wouldn't go back.

They have great Blues bands playing all the time. Drinks are reasonably priced. The only thing that the advise anyone who goes is to be there early so you can get a seat. Because its a small Blues bar and seats are limited.

Eric Street and The Troublemakers were EXCELLENT! The venue and service was great...would definitely go back for other entertainment...

Intimate Blues Club attended by local college students and people of all ages. Women, OK to go by yourself or as a couple. No food available for purchase on-site. Staff allows patrons to bring in neighborhood food. Very friendly staff and waitress. Get there early for good seat; very popular place. Great music! I will definitely go back.

I went with my daughter and her twenty something friends and we all had a great time. Fun little club with really passionate and rockin' musicians. Great show and reasonable drinks...they all said they would definitely go back.

Very good music and affordable drinks.

Good music. Small venue. Very loud.

The talent was outstanding!! Toronzo Cannon was phenomenal!!

The show was great! My first time there, and the music was great!

The music was great and the club was just what I expected. Had a great
41 birthday!

It is oh such a blues bar - gritty, tiny, with the performers right on top of the audience. Service was great - beers typical Halsted pricing (too much).

Great fun, acoustics, talent at hole-in-the-wall. Service was great too. 5 stars. John

The Band was pretty good. Drinks were a lil pricey and you definately need to take public transportation if possibe. And be there as early as you can otherwise you will be standing because there is no host escorting you to a seat.

First time going to this club and it was all that I hoped it would be. Small, intimate scene with great acoustics.

Will definitely return! Loved it.

The show was great, drinks were great, We had an awesome time. We will be back.

Big Time Sarah & BTS Express gave a great first set. Performance started on time. Drink prices we reasonable and we enjoyed ourselves.

Awesome night out! The venue was quaint, the band kicked ass (Eric “Guitar” Davis and the Troublemakers) and the drinks were ample and reasonably priced. The Thai restaurant next door was good and inexpensive as well as convenient on a brutally cold night.

Always a good show at BLUES. Lots of newbies and regulars. Be warned that it is a very small bar - it gets VERY crowded after 10:30 - 11 pm on a weekend.

B.L.U.E.S. on Halsted is a true-blue venue for down home blues that featured Eric "Guitar"Davis and the Troublemakers! We have always loves BLUES on Halsted, as it is a smaller club with excellent blues acts, always!

This was my first time at B.L.U.E.S. Great show. Great venue. Good drink prices. Will definitely be back.

Great small venue, music volume was good considering the small venue, Pistol Pete loves what he does and it shows in his performance & the patrons were a great crowd.

We really enjoyed it. A taste of real Chicago and we've lived here for years!

Nice laid back vibe! A very unique way to spend a night in the city. Though, it's a very small bar and very crowded, so come early if you actually want to sit down anywhere. Also, valet parking is the way to go... it was only $10 which is cheaper than the closest lot. You'll waste your time trying to drive around to find street parking.

Small intimate bar with a lot of fun and energy going on inside. The bar stools could be re-covered, but other than that I great time. Demetria Taylor was not the act, actually the act never named themselves, but I would like to know who they were.

The show was too loud, the sound was horrible.
The band was awesome!!!! Cory is an absolute hit!! Ms.Taylor is too loud, too much about money, less about actual blues. She will be better selling herself by good blues singing, not shaking and asking and nagging for a buck or two. But the service was good, it was my husband's b-day, we enjoyed the atmosphere of the bar altogether.

Gave 4 stars because the music and svc was good. However, note that this place is more of a dump, local bar...you have to find your own busted up bar stool. Theres no such thing as escorted seating!
Seems to be a popular watering hole for the locals, filled up fast enough..
Will go again. Just for the music...nothig else about it is appealing...

This show was an absolute blast! We attended with another couple and sat right next to the stage. Linsey and his band are fantastic musicians that play their own material.

Linsey is great at getting the whole room involved in the show. He also makes jokes during his performance that will have you rolling!

This was a great night out, even on a RAINY NIGHT. Actually, I think the weather made it that much better! There was dancing, audience participation, and videos of Blues Legend Bobby Rush!

If you like Blues music it was great. I did not attend the venue as this place allows you to go to the other club across the street. That place had a great kitchen with soul food which was very good. Not too far away from the L train.

Great experiance. Very small, very crowded but great music, great people, a true blues bar experiance. I will for sure return and bring some friends who will be able to enjoy what my girlfriend and I enjoyed.

Music great, venue interesting. Look forward to ging back

My friends and I really enjoyed this place. It was really crowded, but service was great and the music was too. We had a great time and would def go back!

The music by Vance Guitar Kelly and the Backstreet Blues Band was excellent and top flight. One of the best I have ever heard; however, B.L.U.E.S. on The music by Vance Guitar Kelly and the Backstreet Blues Band was excellent and top flight. One of the best I have ever heard; however, B.L.U.E.S. on Halsted is small dark and much too small for the amount of people who were allowed in. We arrived late and our host (if that is what you want to call her) took us to our unstable bar stool, without a bar or table, in the corner against the wall. Would travel around the world to see Vance Kelly again; however, would never recommend B.L.U.E.S. on Halsted to anyone.

This place was extremely crowded and people/servers were spilling drinks everywhere. Also got overcharged for drinks. I believe it was so crowded because the other blues place (kingston mines) right opposite is temporarily closed. I have been there a few times before and the music was always amazing with local bands playing their own tracks. However, this time I went, it was some cover band playing.

great little venue--one warning. parking is not free as their site says. it was a reasonable $6. i only drove becuase it was rainy.

Wonderful evening! Great music! Fantastic energy! Loved it!

Small venue - great music. Cozy atmosphere.

Liz rocked. The joint was cool. Small down home-like.

The bar is pretty chill - def didn't get a touristy vibe. Small, no kitchen, nothing on tap. Had bottles of beer and hard liquor. Everyone was tapping their feet and having a good time. The bouncer occasionally had the mic and sang. Band members interacted with the audience and were pretty funny.

The event and atmosphere were amazing. We did get reserved tables up front which was very nice, but the venue was small and it felt a bit cramped. I heard the drinks were weak, but the beer selection was good and reasonably priced.

Loved the vibe and authenticity of the place. It looks like it could have been around since the 1930s speakeasy ...

Small and a little loud but the caliber of the music trumps everything!

Saw/heard a set by Big Ray & Chicago's Most Wanted on Wed., Dec. 15. Excellent musicians all. Big Ray is a robust singer and his band, featuring a southpaw on bass and righties on lead and rhythm guitars, really rocks and rolls. I will try to make it to another of their gigs. The setting at B.L.U.E.S is intimate and informal Check it out.

It was impossible to NOT have a good time. The music was amazing, the musicians were engaging, and the audience was super into the performance. You should go. Absolutely go.

Cozy, dark venue with the volume turned up high and plenty of people on their feet! I had a blast! The drinks are cheap, and the place is completely non-pretentious. Vance "Guitar" Kelly & the Backstreet Blues Band = fun, a few songs you can sing along to, and plenty of interaction with the audience. Great fun on the cheap! No food, so eat before you go.

We had a great time! Pistol Pete loves playing and you can feel it with every note. He is there twice a month and we will definitely be back. Thanks for the tip about no food. Went to a great authentic taco place (Taco Burrito Palace) a few doors down before the show.

It's a classic Chicago blues bar. The music was loud but very good. Drink prices were very reasonable.

We thought that all the music sounded the same. We have attended many Jazz Festivals but these performers would not motivate us again. The venue was so crowded it must have been a fire hazard.

A great evening! Carlos Johnson and the Serious Blues Band are amazingly talented. Small, croweded venue, but purchasing tickets via Goldstar allowed us to have guaranteed seating if we arrived by 10 pm. Music was very loud..our eardrums are still vibrating
I would definately return to BLUES on Halsted!

Both artists were amazing. I had a great time and a lot of fun.

Although the venue was smaller than others, it made for a very intimate setting with great people listening to the best blues music around! Definitely go!