Inked & Amped Chicago Rocked The Ramova

Music, tattoos, local vendors, fashion and art came together in Chicago on Thursday, Sept. 17, for Maverick x SPIN’s second Inked & Amped event. The high-energy 21+ event took place inside the historic Ramova Theatre, a beautifully restored Bridgeport landmark.

The Ramova — a 1929 venue that is now home to a concert hall, brewery and grill — welcomed Chicago’s indie, alternative, grunge, garage and punk communities for the night. And while the music was plentiful, the evening felt less like a traditional concert and more like a temporary home for the city’s DIY community.

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The Chicago installment of Inked & Amped followed July’s inaugural event at The Mothership in Mansfield, Ohio. Alongside performances from Bad Skin, Iris Blue, La Rosa Noir and Bully, the 21+ adult guests were greeted by local tattoo artists, independent makers, vintage-minded vendors, artists and plenty of drinks from onsite brewery Off Hours Beer Co.

Bad Skin got the night started with a loud, energetic combination of punk, grunge, metal and pop-punk. The Montreal quartet wasted little time establishing the evening’s anything-goes atmosphere before Chicago’s Iris Blue took the stage with a more atmospheric blend of indie rock, shoegaze and jam-minded experimentation.

La Rosa Noir followed, pulling the room deeper into its distinctive mix of grunge, surf rock and ’60s-inspired guitar sounds. The Chicago band’s hypnotic set provided a natural segue between the hazier textures of Iris Blue and the full-throttle finale still to come.

That arrived with Bully. Fronted by Alicia Bognanno, the Nashville-bred, Chicago-connected band delivered a high-energy set that had the attention of the room. Fans sang along throughout the band’s ’90s-influenced blend of grunge, punk and alternative rock.

Bully briefly brought the volume down with the piano ballad “Atom Bomb,” creating one of the evening’s most intimate moments. From there, the band recharged and closed out the night with the roaring anthem “Days Move Slow.”

But Inked & Amped is more than music. Throughout the night, the Ramova’s surrounding spaces became a marketplace for Chicago’s independent creative community. Catch Wreck Creatives brought an onsite T-shirt press and original designs, including a Chicago-centric graphic inspired by the city’s familiar Old Style aesthetic.

Elsewhere, Feel the Leather showcased its jackets and leather goods, while The Alley Chicago — a fixture of the city’s counterculture scene since 1976 — brought its punk and goth sensibility to the room. The Alley also gave one lucky attendee a leather jacket in the size of their choosing.

Stay Lucky Tattoo handled the “Inked” portion of the evening with flash designs and live tattooing. The Bridgeport shop is located just down Halsted from the Ramova, making its presence at the event particularly fitting.

Postcards From Hell offered art, postcards and buttons, including designs celebrating Dolly Parton and Malört. Bad Moms Collective brought handmade candles, while Night Natalie’s collection included custom VHS tapes, cassettes, prism stickers and accessories.

With vendors operating between sets, guests had plenty of reasons to move through the building rather than simply watch the stage. People shopped, got tattooed, grabbed drinks and mingled with other fans.

The Ramova’s Off Hours craft brewery added another local touch. Its Green Note hazy American IPA, with pineapple and citrus notes, and 1929 Lager kept the beer flowing throughout the night. The bar also featured the Maverick Margarita, along with red “Inked” and green “Amped” Jell-O shots created specifically for the event.

The Ramova proved to be a natural backdrop for Inked & Amped’s Chicago edition. Its historic architecture and strong local identity created a setting where music could exist alongside the art, fashion, tattoos, food, drinks and independent businesses that surrounded it.

The second installment is now in the books, but Inked & Amped is just getting started. Its Mansfield and Chicago events have shown how the concept can adapt to different local scenes while maintaining the same mix of music, art and community.

In Chicago, that meant tapping into the people and businesses that already make the city’s alternative scene what it is. For one night, the Ramova brought many of them under the same roof.

This article was developed in partnership with Maverick

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