
04/07/2025
Congress Theater, Logan Square neighborhood, Chicago, IL (January 2024)
This place has been closed for a while. The one time I've been here was for Riot Fest 2008. I was in the city for a conference of the Campus Antiwar Network (CAN). At the time, I was living in Iowa City, IA, living in a cooperative house, working in a Proctor & Gamble contractor warehouse and was involved with the local (mostly) student antiwar group.
Me and this girl that came to the conference decided to bounce to go to Riot Fest. I can't remember everyone who played, but definitely Leftover Crack, Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Jay Reatard and DOA were there. Even then, Congress probably could have been condemned. Some of the floors seemed like they were headed in the direction of collapse and I thought at the time it was a fire trap.
I ended up getting drunk as s**t off Hennessy shots. As the day went on I sobered up, then got a hangover. We were all supposed to go back to Iowa City that day but everyone with a licence was too scared to drive at night. So me, with no driver's licence, and a thumping headache, downed a Red Bull and drove back from Chicago...hoping we didn't get pulled over...
Shot with Kodak i60 camera on Kidal Tri-X film