Early 2021 the Chicago City Council approved plans to redevelop the old Morton Salt Factory for nonindustrial use. The Elston Avenue property known for the enormous “Umbrella Girl” sign can be seen from the Kennedy Expressway and has long been an unofficial Chicago landmark.
After purchasing the property from Morton Salt for $15 million in 2017, Chicago developers, Blue Star Properties and R2 were given the thumbs up to redevelop the property for nonindustrial use and turn it into an exciting new riverfront music venue. Roll on several years and more than $50 million later and the new venue, named “the Salt Shed” opened with a series of summer concerts back in August of this year.
Following the new venue’s first-ever outdoor show from jazz trifecta Makaya McCraven, Sons Of Kemet, and Nubya Garcia on August 2nd, other bands such as the indie-folk band Fleet Foxes and English singer-songwriter Jorja Smith performed for the summer’s “Outside The Shed”.
Now the music venue has finally announced a date for its long-awaited indoor concert hall inside the sprawling former Morton Salt warehouse. Opening on February 17, 2023, the indoor venue will host performances from a range of hallowed artists like The Roots, Iggy Pop, and Flaming Lips.
So THIS is what's inside…
Tickets are on sale to the general public this Friday (11/18) at 10am CT.
For access to presale, signup for our newsletter pronto!https://t.co/dz0vP4IBem pic.twitter.com/I5OwvlRx1H
— The Salt Shed (@saltshedchicago) November 15, 2022
Run by the same team behind Empty Bottle, Thalia Hall, and the Promontory, the Salt Shed is being mooted as “the largest independent venue in the city of Chicago.” It will incorporate local vendors, retail operations, and bars as well as indoor markets and restaurant pop-ups.
“One of the things that really excites me about this project is continuing to work with the artists we’ve grown up with,” said the company’s managing partner Bruce Finkelman in an official press release. “These are musicians that started at the Empty Bottle, grew to Thalia Hall, and we now look forward to hosting at the Salt Shed.”
The first indoor performance will be from Swedish singer-songwriter Tove Lo with special guest St. Louis-born Slayyyter and tickets for all shows go on sale at 10 am this coming Friday. Outdoor performances will continue in 2023 and be announced at a later date according to The Salt Shed.
For now, an outdoor holiday market and beer garden will occupy Salt Shed’s outdoor space for the first two weekends in December.
We interrupt our mysterious "What's Inside?" programming with an announcement:
Introducing Winterglow, a two-weekend, eclectic outdoor winter market featuring gifts, jewelry, vintage clothing, home goods, and other surprises.
Tickets are on sale now! https://t.co/W0OgwogYGN pic.twitter.com/t2XU58OPlU
— The Salt Shed (@saltshedchicago) November 10, 2022
The initial Salt Shed 2023 lineup:
Here is the lineup of indoor shows taking place at Salt Shed in 2023:
- Friday, February 17: Tove Lo with Slayyyter
- Saturday, February 18: Big Gigantic
- Friday, February 24: Viagra Boys
- Friday, March 3: El Gordo
- Saturday, March 4: Elle King with The Red Clay Strays
- Friday, March 10: Iggy Pop
- Saturday, March 18: The Roots
- Saturday, April 1: Third Eye Blind
- Friday, April 21: Placebo with Deap Vally
- Saturday, April 22: Bikini Kill
- Sunday, April 23: Nils Frahm
- Friday, May 5: The Flaming Lips
- Sunday, May 7: Fever Ray
- Thursday, May 11: The Wood Brothers with Shovels & Rope
- Wednesday, May 24: Hippo Campus with Gus Dapperton
- Thursday, June 8: Tyler Childers with Marcus King & Miles Miller
- Sunday, June 11: King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard
- Monday, June 12: King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard
- Tuesday, June 13: King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard
- Saturday, July 1: The Hold Steady and The Mountain Goats with Dillinger Four
- Saturday, July 22: First Aid Kit with The Weather Station
- Friday, October 6: Boy Pablo
The Salt Shed is located at 1357 N. Elston Ave. More information can be found at saltshedchicago.com.