on friday may 9th, the chicago police shut down the hothouse during a performance of the cuban group orquesta aragon. the place is losing tens of thousands of dollars while they wait out a court date. the reason? improper amusement license, say the cops. not so, say the managers, who claim to have dotted all i’s and crossed all t’s. “harrassment of the left” cry others, i.e. anyone who saw how the cops broke up the antiwar protest of march 20. orquesta aragon’s performances in the us have reportedly caused some ruckus with anti-castro demonstrators in the past, but if you follow that link you will see cuban musicians and hear some cool non-jazzy dance orchestra (charanga) pieces…and not a single AK-47, five-year plan or red star to be seen.
politically motivated shutdown or sudden hardening of license terms in a post-epitome nightclub disaster chicago? one thing is absolutely certain: the non-profit hothouse, one of our city’s finest rooms, is not owned by anybody related to mayor daley.
