City of Chicago Plays Music Critic, Bans EDM at Congress Theater

It should make your skin crawl to see a genre banned from a venue – even with the owner’s somewhat desperate consent. But that’s what will happen when and if the 88 year old Congress Theater in Logan Square ever re-opens.

Darryl Holiday at DNAinfo.com revealed the existence of an agreement between the local liquor commissioner and Erineo “Eddie” Carranza, owner of the beleaguered venue which would “not allow any EDM shows/events at the premises”.

According to Holiday, the city even goes full music critic, offering this bizarre definition of Electronic Dance Music:

music created by a DJ or multiple DJs primarily using specialized equipment and software instead of traditional instruments

And this choice passage defines an “EDM performance” as

… a performance of Electronic Dance Music or any performance by a DJ or multiple DJs featured the playing of prerecorded music. Performers that incorporate electronic beats or prerecorded music in their acts shall be allowed, provided those performers either sing vocals or play an instrument(s) (or do both) during their performance.

No promoters currently utilize the Congress, as the venue has been shuttered since April 2013 due to safety code violations. Relations between Carranza, his neighbors and local representatives broke down well before that, and the Congress was reportedly up for sale with Jim DeRogatis reporting a signed contract on the table last January.

“Congress Theater Chicago” by ThomasIrvin – Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.