HardLore Podcast: The Haunting of The Chicago Metro (A HauntLore Special)

Date: October 2, 2025
Hosts: Colin Young & Bo Lueders (Knotfest)
Special Guest: Joe (Senior Talent Buyer/Manager, Chicago Metro)
Additional Guests: Christy (Production Manager), Skunk (Security & Tickets), Three (Head of Security)

Overview

In this special “HauntLore” episode, hosts Colin Young and Bo Lueders explore the storied, allegedly haunted Chicago Metro—one of the city’s most iconic and historic music venues. Alongside longtime staffer Joe and other Metro employees, the crew tour the building’s nooks and crannies, recounting ghost stories, legends, strange occurrences from decades of concerts, and the essential local charm that distinguishes the Metro. The episode is a blend of playful skepticism, genuine spooky energy, and deep musical lore, perfect for fans of both hardcore and the supernatural.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introduction & Venue History

• Chicago Metro: 40+ years strong; hosts legendary performances across punk, hardcore, metal, and more.
  • Joe has worked at Metro for 16 years, most as Senior Talent Buyer. Grew up in western Chicago 'burbs.
  • Venue is "labyrinthine," notoriously confusing to navigate (14:10).
• Notable Secret Shows: Metallica, Beastie Boys, and others have graced the secretive spaces and back rooms of Metro.

2. Exploring the Haunted Spaces

• The Top Note Theater (4th Floor)

  • Described as the “most haunted spot in all of Metro” (05:10).
  • The Legend of Marilyn:
    • A floating orb believed to be Marilyn, a woman who allegedly hung herself under one of three chandeliers in the 1940s or 1950s (05:26).
    • No confirmed sightings by staff, but many feel a distinct presence:
      “I don't think I've actually seen the orb, I've maybe felt the orb more.” – Joe, (06:29)
  • Haunted Activity: Cold spots, falling plaster, sensations of being watched (11:36, 11:48).

• Elevator Ghost Stories

  • Old elevator cited in a tragic tale: the caretaker’s child was reportedly crushed by it in the 1940s (15:48).
  • The elevator is a "rite of passage" for staff; getting stuck is common, but “there’s never any attempt to modernize” (17:01).

• Smart Bar Basement & Bathrooms

  • Another ghost: an apparition/orb in the basement women’s restroom, often glimpsed in or near the mirror when lights go off (18:05).
  • “Supposedly when you walk in here and the lights, they disappear from the mirror.” – Joe, (18:28)
  • Smart Bar itself is described as the “engine of the building,” a nexus for staff and public ghost experiences (19:30).

3. Musical Lore & Unforgettable Shows

• Guns N’ Roses Legend: "Use Your Illusion" sessions supposedly took place at Metro during a frigid January, resulting in wild bar tabs and inspiration (07:15).
• Sonic Youth: Live album was recorded at Smart Bar.
• Frankie Knuckles: Resident DJ, "invented house music," played until he passed (23:01).
• Major Shows:
  • Metallica’s secret show still haunts those who missed it (09:09, 45:48).
  • Memories of Burning Fight and Open Air festivals, chaotic and legendary in their own right (25:54-28:34).

4. Personal and Staff Supernatural Experiences

• Christy, Production Manager (34:00–39:28)

  • Multiple 5am encounters after events: “We started hearing music ... something you'd hear in an elevator ... we looked at each other ... a clipboard flew across the balcony at them.” (34:51)
  • Belief in Marilyn: “We give her flowers every year in the theater.” (36:24)
  • Sees apparitions: a child in the green room and “the legless man” (37:31).
  • Finds the spirits calming: “[After shows] ... I'll sit on this stage and just decompress. It's my favorite time of day. … It's just energy.” (39:07)

• Skunk, Security/Tickets (39:44–45:34)

  • Also experienced the flying clipboard, attributes it to an apparition rather than Marilyn.
  • Personally saw “just a pair of legs ... like a pinstripe suit, shadowy gray” (42:56–43:22).
  • Even has a photo of a full apparition in the lobby on her phone (44:17).

• Three, Head of Security (46:59–53:03)

  • Witnessed a “black valley mist” hovering atop stairs after a staffer was reduced to tears (47:04).
  • Recorded noises and found that office chairs had moved themselves overnight: “All the chairs from the desk were all against the window ... I pooped my pants. For sure.” (48:46)
  • Recalls multiple deaths: “A little boy got killed in elevator. A girl got crushed in the barricade ... A girl got crushed in the be. Yeah, she died. She died? Yes, yes, suffocated.” (50:12)
  • Describes cold spots in a packed crowd as “impossible,” adding to the haunted atmosphere (52:28).
  • Lived next door and experienced ghostly knocks and wall hits in his apartment as well (51:13).

5. Skepticism, Vibes, and Community

• Hosts and guests toggle between jest, skepticism, and genuine curiosity/fear.
• Colin: “The thing that always gets me... are when multiple people report the same unique thing from different locations... I don't really have an explanation for that.” (53:20)
• Joe and staff agree: ghosts here aren’t malicious—“I think they're looking for camaraderie ... They're here for tunes and vibage.” (11:54, 12:03)
• General consensus: whatever spirits linger, they seem most at peace when music and crowds fill the venue.
• Colin’s advice: “If you get to go to the theater at any point in your life, don't touch the piano ... Don’t play November Rain on the piano. Marilyn doesn’t like it.” (54:04)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Haunted Atmosphere:
  • “That something that's beautiful has to have a dark side too.” – Colin (02:53)
• The Legend of Marilyn:
  • “If you're ever on main stage and get like a faint smell of rose oil, that's her.” – Christy (36:15)
  • “We give her flowers every year too.” – Christy (36:24)
• Ultimate Skeptics’ Dilemma:
  • “The only thing I could possibly explain it with is just like, once a story sticks, that's the story, you know?” – Bo (53:33)
  • “It's not like a game of telephone. It was like three people who were just there.” – Colin (53:40)
• On Security Never Sweeping Alone:
  • “I never do any building sweeps past midnight by myself ... I always take at least two or three people with me.” – Three (48:57)
• On the Spirits’ Preferences:
  • “I think they like having people here, heavy bands and having everybody here, it keeps them busy, you know?” – Three (52:16)

Time-Stamped Highlights

• 00:39: Joe introduces himself, shares history and job at the Metro.
• 05:10: Joe shares spooky legends of Top Note Theater (“most haunted spot”).
• 07:15: Joe recounts Guns N’ Roses writing Use Your Illusion at Metro.
• 11:36: Plaster falls, an example of random unexplained phenomena.
• 18:05: Discussion of the haunted basement bathroom apparition.
• 19:30: Smart Bar described as Metro’s “engine”—site of most ‘public’ ghost stories.
• 23:01: DJ legends—Frankie Knuckles as a resident and Questlove appearances.
• 34:51: Christy tells her 5am clipboard-flying ghost story.
• 42:56: Skunk describes seeing the “pair of pinstripe legs” apparition.
• 44:17: Skunk says there's photographic evidence of a full apparition.
• 47:04: Three encounters “black valley mist” following staffer breaking down mid-show.
• 48:46: Chairs move unaided; Three is so scared he sprints from the office.
• 50:12: Recounts true tragedies: child elevator death, young woman crushed at a show.
• 52:16: Three asserts that ghosts prefer the venue alive and busy; never malicious.
• 53:20: Hosts wrap up, note the logic-defying consistency of witness accounts.

Conclusion

This episode of HardLore blends chilling ghost stories and venue folklore with the joy and community of hardcore music. Hosts, staff, and guests all agree—the Metro is as much about its haunted energy as its storied musical legacy. While some approach with skepticism, first-hand accounts, eerie happenings, and a strong connective spirit keep the legends of the Metro alive.

Tone: Wry, irreverent, spooky yet affectionate—a haunted house as much loved as it is feared.

For new listeners:

This episode is a quintessential HardLore blend of backstage chaos, local legend, and supernatural intrigue, all filtered through decades of hardcore tour life. Whether you believe or not, Chicago’s Metro is a place where ghosts, bands, and fans all come to play.