Description

The wee hours are prime time in Chicago these days. No matter where you live in the Windy City, there’s probably a friendly neighborhood bar stool within walking distance. Variety is the spice of night life and party, which is why I was sad to hear about Roxy’s closing in east Chicago earlier this year. The club wasn’t my flavor but it had been around since the 1990s, an era when the club scene branched out from the downtown streets to venues such as Visage in north Chicago and Cyberzone on Lee Road.

Roxy’s expansive layout did battle with its occasionally shaky reputation, but club owners kept the crowds coming with a variety of theme nights: Some were inspired (the wild electronic revival Takeovr) and some shady (Monday Night Fights, where clubgoers traded punches for bar tabs).A touch of that “try anything” strategy is evident at GILT, which opened last weekend in the former Roxy space. But I’m betting the owners won’t throw just any old idea at these walls to see if they stick.