Charter One Pavilion Concert Venue

Northerly Island, a little bit of land out in Lake Michigan near the Museum Campus, is the home of Charter One Pavilion, an outdoor concert venue. The island isn’t really an island – it’s connected to the mainland by a small strip of land that houses the Adler Planetarium. Once the site of an airport, the “island” was turned into a nature reserve in 2005. Because of the land’s protected status, the city requires that the Pavilion be a “temporary” structure, assembled every spring and disassembled every autumn. Only the pavement, lights, and electrical infrastructure are permanent.

Though the seating is temporary, the Pavilion fits as many as 7,500 people. Concerts at the Charter One Pavilion proceed rain or shine, despite the lack of cover anywhere in the venue. Parking at Soldier Field is included with every ticket, and VIP parking options are often available.

Many acts playing at Charter One are big-stadium rockers and bands from the 80s and 90s – the B-52s, Squeeze, and Cypress Hill appear on a recent schedule.