Every year a few lost souls get stuck in the cold because they forgot the Ball sells out every year. Cross one item off your list right now, Elf.
In the late 90s and early 00s, the Butcher Shop was a focal point for Chicago music and art. It was also the venue for some truly staggering holiday parties, culminating in a 2001 debacle involving too many people and too few toilets. For ‘02 and ‘03 the Holiday Ball went legit—the organizers got permits, rented out alternate spaces, and sold tickets—but then the hassle of that process, abetted by shifty promoters, killed the tradition. Since then the Butcher Shop itself has effectively shut down, but this year the Holiday Ball is back, hosted by the Hideout and organized by the Mistletones—the seasonal nom de guerre of Butcher Shop stalwarts Rob Sullivan, Dan Sullivan, and Joe Kaplan, all of the band Arriver, and Jim Grabowski of John Roeser Avenue. Fronted by traditional Holiday Ball crooner Dave LaCrone, a former Chicagoan who now works as a librarian in Kansas City, they plan to bash out the holiday cheer for two hours plus. Attendees are requested to wear “festive attire,” which can mean anything from a tuxedo to plaid pants with Rudolph sewed on the back pocket. Former Butcher Shop regulars Descendro Allegro open with a brief reunion set, and Dave LaCrone & the Mistletones headline; afterward Velcro Lewis DJs the regular Hideout dance party, which has its own $5 cover charge. —Noah Berlatsky
