History

The Kinetic Playground was Chicago's principal psychedelic ballroom, at 4812 North Clark Street in Uptown — the same room that had opened in April 1968 as the Electric Theater, renamed by operator Aaron Russo in mid-1968 after the owners of New York's Electric Circus sued over the name. The building dated to 1928 and had been the Rainbo Gardens dance hall and skating complex. Under both names Russo booked the touring circuit that mattered: the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Janis Joplin, Iron Butterfly, Led Zeppelin, King Crimson, Vanilla Fudge, the Who — with a light show elaborate enough to be part of the draw. A fire after the first night of a three-night Iron Butterfly/Poco/King Crimson booking in November 1969 cancelled the rest and effectively ended the original run. Howard Stein reopened it, without the light show, in December 1972; it closed again in June 1973 over neighbour complaints and code compliance. The building was demolished in 2003.

Its Place in the Scene

Chicago's Fillmore-equivalent — the Midwest stop on the national ballroom circuit, and the same room as the Electric Theater.

The Facts

Shows at this Venue