Chicago Loses Another Venue as 'The Shrine' Closes Following Shooting

The city's hip-hop scene lost a longtime venue over the weekend as The Shrine, who had announced it's impending end last week was forced into early retirement over the weekend after an argument at the club spilled onto the street where two concert-goers were shot.

A woman was shot in the head and a man was shot in the leg outside the venue during it's 'Shrine Saturdays' event which effectively ended the venue's seven year run in the South Loop. After a fight moved from the club to the street outside it appears someone shot at the crowd that had assembled near the front door from a passing car, hitting the two victims. 

The news comes just a day after The Shrine's management announced that it would cease operations at the end of the month to make way for a new apartment building complex. Instead of celebrating the run of shows which have included everyone from 50 Cent and Erykah Badu to Future and Kendrick Lamar during a planned two day event that had been announced, The Shrine will instead fade to black with this blemish to blame.

The closing comes as the latest here in Chicago as reports continue to file in nearly daily on the fight to keep the Double Door in Wicker Park among other longtime venues facing closure. The Shrine has long been a gatekeeper of sorts for the local hip-hop scene, also serving as a central spot for artists on their second or third act and it's closing should have a profound effect on the scene moving forward. With the Congress closed, Double Door facing eviction and a general lack of venues outside of the south side willing to book many of the artists that make up Chicago's hip-hop scene, The Shrine shutting down will truly hurt local rappers the most immediately.