Beat Kitchen
2100 W. Belmont
Chicago, IL 60618-6414
(773) 281-4444
http://www.beatkitchen.com
$6.00 cover charge
Long time PatHeads will remember this place from a few years ago; hopefully they have good memories of it, because this is his new Monday night home. The music room in back is where Pat plays, which is separated from the bar by a (sort of) sound proof wall. Doors open at 9:00, food is served until 1am, closing time is 2am.
To get there from 90/94 from the south, exit on Belmont and head east; if you're coming from the north, you have to exit at Kimball Ave then turn left onto Belmont. There should be plenty of street parking. If you're taking public transportation, keep in mind it's about a mile west of the Belmont (Howard/Dan Ryan) "L" station.
Click here for a printable map and directions.
Club Paragon
3578 S. 108th Street
Greenfield, WI 53228
(414) 541-9270
http://www.clubparagon.com
$5 cover charge
Walking into this bar, you'll feel like you've been whisked away to a hunting cabin in Northern Wisconsin; every square inch of the place is covered with wood and dead animals. It's a pretty good place to see Pat; it's a large open room with a good view from pretty much everywhere. It's filled with plenty of tables and chairs for everyone as well as ample seating at the bar. The only complaint is that all the wood makes the sound kind of echo-y, but it's a minor issue. The show starts early, about 8:00, and rarely runs past 11:00, good news for all you early-risers. The audience is a nice mix of regulars and enthusiatic newbies, mainly Club Paragon regulars who have come to love Pat as well. Quite a few are actually Yipes! fans from way back who manage to cajole Pat into playing at least one of those great old tunes.
Club Paragon serves a nice variety of delicious food and many folks come early to have dinner before the show. There are also plenty of other diversions such as several TV (some of which even get turned off during the show), darts, video games, foosball, pool tables (beware the wrath of the Pool League!), and that weird shuffleboard-esque game where you sprinkle talcum powder on the table. And if that's not enough, they also have tropical fish!
Exit 894 at Beloit Rd. and head west for about a mile. At S. 108th Street (HWY 100) turn right and head north for about a half mile. On the right, you will find Club Paragon.
Click here for a printable map and directions.
Durty Nellie's
180 North Smith Street
Palatine, IL 60067
(847) 358-9150
http://www.durtynellies.com
$6 cover charge
Durty Nellie's is the type of bar that should be a hole-in-the-wall-what-are-you-doing-here-if-you're-not-a-regular kind of place, but isn't. You're led to believe this by the long bar immediately past the entrance. There are faces there that I've seen every time I've been there, no matter the day of the week, no matter the hour of the day. There's a jukebox that plays the Piano Man at least once a night. There's a couple of dart boards that are constantly hovered over.
And then there's the other rooms. Through a dark, tiny hallway you find stage #2. Often Nellies has two acts at the same time - as alike as night and day - or as alike as Dar Williams and Nine Inch Nails. But not when Pat plays. Pat plays stage #1. Pass through that dark, tiny hallway again; edge past the horse trough men's room that is plainly visible to all passers-by and enter into the large room. It's long and occasionally bright and gives the impression of a bowling alley - albeit a thin bowling alley. That isn't surprising because it was once a four lane bowling alley. Apparently, the lanes themselves are still there, somewhere under the floor that was built over them. The machinery is long gone, however - replaced by the stage.
To get there, take 90 to Hwy 53 North. A few miles up, exit Palatine Rd. going West. Turn right on N. Smith St. and head north for about three blocks.
Click here for a printable map and directions.
Five Corners
501 Cedar Ave S
Minneapolis, MN
(612) 338-6424
$5 cover charge
It's a small place, somewhat narrow with booths along one side and a long bar along the other. Pat's following is growing there, with a big majority of displaced Wisconsinites, which means two things: (1)It'll be a good time (2) If you want a good spot, get there early. Start time is advertised as 9:30, but Pat often will not start until 10:30; it starts to fill up about 8-8:30. The show consists of two long sets, ending at 1am, which is bar time there. And there's always an opening band, so get there early.
To get there take I-94 to the Cedar Ave (HWY 36) exit and head north for a couple blocks. You'll find it on the corner, oddly enough.
Click here for a printable map and directions.
Flatlanders
200 Village Green
Lincolnshire, IL 60069
(847) 821-9191
$3 cover charge
Flatlanders is a micro-brewery, bar, and restaurant. As a venue, it's a bad sports bar with televisions in every corner that are never shut off, and an audience where unfortunatly passers-by outnumber regulars. On the plus side for those who like beer, it's a micro-brewery, and you are guaranteed to find something you like from their full range of brews. Unexpectedly, Flatlanders turns out to be an excellent steak house - try the Prime Rib. Vegetarians should go elsewhere. The atmosphere is everywhere unabashedly yuppie, especially the relatively expensive and slightly foo-foo dishes. Getting sandwiches in the bar is cheaper, but cramped.
The Pat shows at Flatlanders include all of Pat's most rocking, crowd-pleasing songs.
From I-94, exit at Half Day Rd (Hwy 22). Go West on Half Day Rd for 2 or 2.5 miles. Turn right (northwest) on Old Half Day Road (Hwy 45). Flatlanders a very short distance up on your right, and hard to miss. Milwaukee Ave (Hwy 21) is too far.
Click here for a printable map and directions.
Hoghead McDunna's
1505 W. Fullerton Ave.
Chicago, IL
(773) 929-0944
http://www.gigsnetwork.com/asp/VenueDetails.asp?VenueID=103
$4 cover charge
The place tries for a cozy English pub feel, but falls short, although the real fireplace is nice. It's divided into two rooms, one with a bar, tables and chairs, projection TV and a comfy couch area; the other with a stage, 2 pool tables, 3 steel-tip dart boards and table and chairs. The show is invariable packed -- standing room only, especially since they now remove the tables and chairs for the show. Also, the pool tables are slid under the stage to cut down on the non-Pat distractions. The crowd consists of a subset of Lounge Ax regulars. The show starts about 10:15, with two sets. Get there by 8:30 if you want a seat.
If you're hungry, grab a bite to eat right there at Hoghead's; Colette recommends the chicken sandwich. Also, DePaul is right down the street.
To get there from I-90, get off at the Fullerton Ave. exit and head east for a few miles. It'll be on the south side of Fullerton.
Click here for a printable map and directions.
Hogs 'N Kisses
149 Broad St.
Lake Geneva, WI
(414) 248-7447
No cover charge
This is a small place located in the downtown area of Lake Geneva. There is no real style to the place, except for a mesh of sports/country/English pub sort of motif. It is a nice place, however, with plenty of lovely woodwork everywhere. As usual, it's a sort of small place, basically rectangular in shape, with a rectangular bar taking up half the room. The other half contains a stage/dance area flanked by small seating areas on either side. It's really quite intimate. It looks like they may have a small kitchen off to one side, by it was closed when we were there. If they do actually serve food, it's probably earlier in the evening. Considering the size, it's probably just basic burgers and things like that, but hey, who knows? Go early and find out. The show begins about 9:00 with two sets.
Once in Lake Geneva (the town, not the actual lake), find the intersection of Highways 50 and 120. One block north on Broad St. (Hwy 120) and Main St. is where you want to be.
Click here for a printable map and directions.
O'Gara's
164 N. Snelling Ave.
St. Paul, MN 55104
(651) 644-3333
http://www.ogaras.com
$8.00 cover charge
A decent-sized place (capacity around 600), O'Gara's offers plenty of room near the wide stage for Patheads to get "front row" access. The back of the venue is dominated by a bar, so those who just want to listen can hang out and have a few drinks.
Parking for O'Gara's is easy, with plenty of on- and off-street parking. Waitress service is available throughout the show, with normal bar beer prices. Plenty of room in the restroom (at least in the men's room)...always a plus.
Also, Pat is usually accompanied by one of his long-time drummers Bernie Doll. Pat AND a drummer -- great value!
Take I-94 to the Snelling Ave. exit and go south on Snelling. O'Gara's is located at Snelling & Selby, 3 blocks south of I-94.
Click here for a printable map and directions.
Regent Street Retreat
1206 Regent Street
Madison, WI
(608) 256-7750
http://www.regentstreetretreat.com
$5 cover charge
Doors open to the Annex (where the show is) between 7 and 7:15. Show starts at 9:30. If you want a table (not to mention a stool) get there early, they go quick.
There's tons to do at Regent St. Retreat, even without Pat being there. They have nightly drink specials and an excellent beer selection, as well as a full menu. If that's not enough, they have three pool table, six dart boards, 2 foosball tables and 22 TVs. Visit their Web Page for all the details and their menu.
Regent Street Retreat is just a short walk south of the UW-Madison campus. Out-of-towners may find it easier to look for the Wisconsin state capitol building (you can see it from practically everywhere) and head southwest on W Washington Ave. From there, head west on Regent St. for a mile or so. There's additional parking after 5:30 in University Lot 51 (off of Charter St.)
Click here for a printable map and directions.
Ricky's
236 S. Main St.
Racine, WI
(414) 634-3151
Ricky's is a cute little tavern in scenic downtown Racine. At first glance, it looks too small to have any kind of show, but Ricky manages to pack 'em in. Prepare to become quite familiar with the people standing around you. Come early for one of the three front tables.
To get there from I-94, exit at Highway 20 and head east for several miles, until you get to Main St. If you start getting wet, it means you've gone too far and are now in Lake Michigan; go back a few blocks. Once you've found Main St. (AKA Highway 32) head north for a couple of blocks, and you will find Ricky's on the west side of the street. Dry off before going in.
For those more daring folk wishing to take the scenic route, Highway 32 follows the coast of Lake Michigan (remember: stay dry) for quite some way, both north and south.
Click here for a printable map and directions.
Shank Hall
1434 N. Farwell Ave.
Milwaukee, WI 53202
(414) 276-7288
http://www.shankhall.com
$6 cover charge
Since Celebrity Club closed, Shank has become the new Milwaukee home of Pat. He and all the regulars have been busy making the place more comfortable and intimate, not an easy thing to do in this large room. The entire place is rectangular, which allows a good view from pretty much anywhere in the place. Plus, there's a huge stage for Pat to roam around; not to mention that it will accommodate even more Groovy Thing dancers. Heck, even the restrooms are a decent size in this place. Doors open one hour before show time and there are usually plenty of tables and chairs for everyone; if you have a large crowd, you may want to get there early, since people start showing up before the doors open.
From Eastbound I-794, take the Jackson St/Van Buren St exit (number 1E, on the left) and merge onto Van Buren. Head two blocks north and turn right onto Wisconsin Ave. After a few blocks Wisconsin Ave curves left and becomes Prospect Ave. Continue on Prospect until you reach Curtis Pl, then turn left. Go exactly one block, then turn left on to Farwell Ave.
Shank Hall no longer has a parking lot. Please do not park in any lots in the area. There is plenty of free street parking in the area.
Sports Corner
500 Grant St.
De Pere, WI 54115
(920) 336-9913
$5 cover charge
The Sports Corner Bar is a renovated 17,000 sq. ft. hotel originally built in 1918. The complex contains 3 huge rooms; Pat plays in the Entertainment Room, which can seat 275 and features a state of the art sound & light show. The Sports corner is three blocks from St. Norbert College, located on the corner of 5th & Grant in West Depere.
To get there, take I-43 north from Green Bay to west WI-172. Take the Webster Ave. exit towards WI-57 south/Riverside Dr. Turn right at SR-32 north, cross the river and turn left at 5th St. Sports Corner will be at the corner of 5th and Grant.
Click here for a printable map and directions.
