The Scene: Jam Packed Live Music Weekend

It's yet another busy weekend for the live music and entertainment scene in downtown Elgin.

Lots of popular downtown hotspots have some great live bands playing this weekend while our two premiere performing arts venues - The Hemmens Cultural Center and the Elgin Art Showcase - are sure to be packed for their live performances as well.

Check it out:

Wednesday, October 13

Martini Room at 161 E. Chicago Street is hosting an Art Show featuring the Mosaic artwork of two sisters, Annette and Claudia Lenze. These intricate expressions of their lives and travels through the piecing together of tiles will be on display at Martini Room for 3-4 weeks so come out and enjoy!

Thursday, October 14

Although registration for our DNA Awards Gala that night at the Grand Victoria Casino is now closed, you can still join in on all the "hotsy-totsy" good times immediately afterwards at four unique downtown Elgin After-Parties!

Elgin Public House at 219 E. Chicago Street offers up some "Late Night Sparkle" at their after-party. Mention the DNA Awards Gala and receive $2 off of a Proseco and enjoy the party upstairs at Pub 217.

Red Bar Winery & Bistro at 74 S. Grove Avenue rolls out the red carpet for a Salsa Party with DJ Mambo! Enjoy specials on Mojitos, Sangria and well drinks as well as a Tapas menu available late!

It's open mic night at Villa Verone Ristorante Italiano at 13 Douglas Avenue. Be a superstar on the mic (just like owner Pietro Verone), enjoy a cocktail as well as VV's star-studded finger food.

Flash back to the 80's and 90's at Martini Room with Retro Night and enjoy $6 Guava Martinis and Raspberry Martinis and $4 Bomb Squads and Captain Morgan Mixers.

Friday, October 15

Douglas Street Sports Bar & Grill at 231 Douglas Avenue offers up another round of Fantastic Friday which includes Free Happy Hour Buffet from 5-7pm, a Fish Fry for $8 and Live Music beginning at 8pm!

Hangout Club & Grill (formerly Mad Maggies) at 51 S. Grove Avenue has two great classic rock bands playing all the songs you grew up with under one roof! Raven opens for He Said, She Said beginning at 10pm. Great classic rock at a classic new venue in downtown Elgin.

Kick up your heels as Villa Verone presents Hot & Sexy Salsa Night! Enjoy the hottest "salsa-riffic" tunes including Salsa, Bachata, Cha Cha, Cumbia and more! Must be 21 or older - STRICT DRESS CODE WILL BE ENFORCED! No baggy jeans, baseball caps, white t-shirts or gym shoes.

Saturday, October 16

Hangout Club & Grill welcomes The Moods - Motown classics choreographed right out of the 60's! Enjoy the outfits, the songs... go back to a time when VW beetles, the prom, leisure suits, and pony tails were all the rage! Show starts at 7:30pm. Immediately following the show, enjoy one of the top classic rock bands in the area as Trash Martini will be playing songs you know by heart!

At 8pm, Elgin Public House brings some culture to downtown with their Music & Arts Fest. Art aficionados can come to peruse artwork from six local independent artists and stay for live music performances from Pitchy and the 44's, Into the Real and the acoustic stylings of Andrew Pelletier.

Villa Verone welcomes Elgin's very own The Reverends for a Saturday Night "live" performance sure to be a hit beginning at 8pm!

Elgin Symphony Orchestra and Time for Three performs American Virtuosity at The Hemmens Cultural Center at 45 Symphony Way. Encounter the group that is energizing concert halls across the nation, and have a story you can tell all of your friends! The category-shattering trio Time for Three blends their style of classical, bluegrass, gypsy, jazz and sheer virtuosity with the ESO. Performance dates/times are Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 3:30pm.