The club has two levels, with an L-shaped bar tucked off to the right on the main floor. When the audience hits capacity, try to get to the wide, shallow area between the crush and mosh of the front and the free range of the back area, where columns hamper good viewing, and low ceilings muffle the sound.

Metro has booked more than 5,000 bands from all over the rock spectrum since 1982, including "before the bandwagon" gigs by R.E.M. in 1982 and Nirvana in 1989, as well as shows by established superstars Bob Dylan (1998) and James Brown (1984). When Chicago was sold as the next alt-rock hot spot in 1993, breaking bands performed here, and some, like Liz Phair and the Smashing Pumpkins, practiced in the club's private top-floor performance space

Anyone ordering alcohol must be able to show two federal or state IDs (driver's licence, passport, state ID, etc.)