Chicagoist: O Fireside, Where Went Thou?

FRANtastic

Fri, 15 Feb 2008 03:32:29 -0600

For me fireside was a great place. yes, I was one of the door guys. I was the kingASSHOLE of door guys. yes, if you were doing stupid things during a show I would of kicked you out. But I always listen to what your excuse was too give you a chance to speak. The reason why I would listen too you; I was just like you at time. But I wanted the shows to go on. I was in a band that would play there. At the time, that was the only place for band to play AA shows. I wanted tokeep playing there. Mr Mpshowscotcom did the best he could do with considering the owners ideals. I saw thousands of shows over the ten+ years that I went and worked there. Seriously thousands. That is scary I tell you. I saw every genre of music style at the fireside. And from what I remember a Brad Religion played. Yes with an "R". Acoustic. So you can feel nostalgic, try to remember what the old fireside days were like. Chaos UK throwing fits or Slapstick crowding the mother or Man Or Astroman? having one of their best shows or Negative Aggression's singer molesting his wife on stage or T.S.O.L. having their best show outside of Cali or Jimmy liking the Murder City Devils or Hammer LOVING!!!! MU330. Yes Hammer loved when MU would come through. Not because of the music but because of the entertainment they would bring to the bar itself. Say what it is or what it was. for some reason the fireside holds onto the a younger version of whom we were and lead to be. fuck the boats

FRANtastic

Fri, 15 Feb 2008 03:32:17 -0600

mpshowsdotcom

Tue, 15 Jan 2008 13:45:25 -0600

uh...badger, you LOVE me.

Spook

Tue, 15 Jan 2008 09:22:33 -0600

John Wayne Gacy used to bowl there????? So I guess I know what happend to the girl with the bunny ears! Actually she's a girl, so she would have been safe. And actually it was more of a hat with bunny ears with a chin strap

Mondegreen

Tue, 15 Jan 2008 09:17:08 -0600

@mpshows Bonus points for mentioning Hammer. I heard he was called that because his real name was Amir. I didn't go there a lot, but I had friends who practically lived there.

badger

Tue, 15 Jan 2008 08:25:18 -0600

Uh, mpshowsdotcom? You ARE a dick.

mpshowsdotcom

Tue, 15 Jan 2008 08:14:30 -0600

i love all the stories that are blown out of proportion, the book they write on fireside will surely be 50% fabricated or dreamed up or unbelievable, like me being a dick or opening bands like modest mouse and at the drive in sucking, haha, fact check...one two...some crazy times for sure...how about that time Claire Danes was trying to get Hammer to take her to the boats? or that time Ad Rock was dancing on the lanes? or maybe it was the time when Penn & Teller were trying to get Jeremy Pivens to arm wrestle in the bar? or maybe it was the time the Who were shooting a scene for a movie? or maybe the time Peaches tried to steal bowling shoes? or maybe it was the time Pete Wentz got kicked out for doing windmills in the pit in a full Fubu outfit? or maybe it was that time Shellac played at 9am on new years day and we served mimosas? or maybe that time there was a lead pipe/bullet belt riot that stopped traffic? or maybe that time Anal Cunt were really boring live? or maybe that time when My Chemical Romance got paid only $100? or maybe that time when John Wayne Gacy used to bowl there? or maybe that time when Papa Roach showed up and wanted to party but would not pay to get in? or maybe that time when Nazi Skinheads tried to stab me?....did any of this happen? sure, but who would believe it.

elr

Tue, 15 Jan 2008 02:21:35 -0600

By ultra-late hours, do you mean "regular bar hours"? The Fireside's 2am curtain call did not differentiate it from any other all ages concert venues or bowling alleys. Still, it was wonderful. The door guys were all dicks (or so it seemed when you were some punk ass kid with hardly any nickels to rub together, had missed the first couple of bands because the Fullerton bus was slow, and they wouldn't budge about the 6 dollar cover) and the opening bands were almost always terrible, but still it was great. Personal highlights included the time World/Inferno Friendship Society set the ceiling on fire when they played with the Tossers and Citizen Fish; when Milo came out on stage and turned an All show into a Descendents show; Dan Deacon playing in the middle of an all day noise festival that happened a year or two after MpShows stopped booking there; and the pillow fight at the punk rock pajama party with Secret Agent Bill, the Phantom Three, and the Manhandlers, where there were so many feathers flying through the air, that it looked like it was snowing. Personal lowlights included missing Melt Banana, TV on the Radio, Wesley Willis, Tub Ring, The Boredoms, Los Crudos, and the Vandals; my failure to miss a band by the name of My So Called Lice; and the MoCo, a syrupy cocktail consisting of room temperature Mountain Dew and Southern Comfort. By the time I moved to Logan Square, I was barely even going to shows there. I don't think I realized that it was just a few blocks from my house, coz I'd always taken a bus from the Redline, and the A-Zone and Buddy were closer anyway. The last show I saw there was The Unicorns. It was just before they stopped having shows regularly, and just after I'd turned 21. The experience was so different: getting to sit in the bar and drink and avoid the kiddies and shitty opening bands. It was good, but different; so different, that I didn't really feel bad when I heard they weren't going to be doing the 7-days a week, all ages punk thing. I don't know if I was being callous then, or just overly sentimental now. C'est la vie.

Tower18

Mon, 14 Jan 2008 22:56:13 -0600

I believe I saw RxBandits, Midtown, and New Found Glory there back in 1999 or so. Of course, this was before New Found Glory became teen darlings. Being from downstate (not even the suburbs), we were of course completely convinced that our car would be stolen and/or towed by the time the show was over. It was not.

Spook

Mon, 14 Jan 2008 18:54:43 -0600

Whelp, it aint no Rock N' Bowl with the best late night fried alligator sausage in all Mid City Nola, but I use to dig that place. And does any one remember the chick who use to bop around wearing those bunny ears? She was kinda hot! And what is this, a Baby on Board post! Brats was not what the Fireside was known for, so stop it yall

literati

Mon, 14 Jan 2008 17:18:18 -0600

Stephen: Sadly, places that AREN'T dumps won't usually allow all-ages shows - they worry the kids'll wreck the place! As much as I miss the Fireside, I'm excited about the future of all-ages shows. I went to Reggie's for the first time last week, and WOW! What a great venue! It kinda reminds me of the Knitting Factory in NYC, except with a better live room (and a record store!) Well worth the trip, North-siders!

Thunderbelly

Mon, 14 Jan 2008 17:14:28 -0600

It is sad to lose this place as a venue. However, the city has gained a number of venues in the all ages department. Once we lost Marigold Bowl, Fireside was one of a few old timey places left in the bowling department. In my mind (as a bigtime concert attendee) it now serves a greater purpose.

Stephen

Mon, 14 Jan 2008 17:09:20 -0600

As much as I loved the bands and the many memorable performances I saw there (Braid and Los Crudos turned in quite a few which I remember fondly), that place was a freakin' dump. I don't particularly miss its physical presence. Now that I think about it though... back then, everywhere I went to see all-ages shows was a dump. It was more of the fact that it just so happened to be where my favorite bands always seemed to play, every night, and I'm grateful more for the people who made that happen.

mpshowsdotcom

Mon, 14 Jan 2008 16:57:36 -0600

Bad Religion never played Fireside, sorry.

simplecreature

Mon, 14 Jan 2008 15:40:14 -0600

I'm in my late 20's and loved the fireside back in "the day". It was a grubby, shabby, shady place where you were basically standing in the band's shoes. I saw Bad Religion play a pick-up show during their grey race tour, so very cool. I've been there since it went bowling only. For a bowling alley, it's refreshingly old school (none of that glow in the dark light-up bullshit) bowling experience. Kinda sad for kids in high school looking for a live venue.

Navin

Mon, 14 Jan 2008 15:39:20 -0600

Jeremy, I think the idea is that you can bowl anywhere but Fireside was unique with it's tons of all ages shows 7 days a week.

Thunderbelly

Mon, 14 Jan 2008 15:38:27 -0600

Yeah, it may not be the punk haven it once was, but as far as bowling alleys go it still pretty cool. Those cartoons on the wall are worth the price of a game alone!

Jeremy

Mon, 14 Jan 2008 15:23:53 -0600

Hmm. Since I enjoy bowling, I hardly consider the "new" Fireside to be lame.