For five years, the Humboldt Jungle was the cool kids club, an underground comedy and music venue inside a residential basement that provided a space for local performers and audience members in the know.
Humboldt Park resident Nathan Weil operated the secret space out of his home. Potted plants adorned the basement venue to give it a jungle feel, and patrons could bring their own alcohol. The shows had become popular enough to attract the attention of the popular Best Date Food Instagram page, which posted a video of the space in late August.
And in a matter of a week, Humboldt Jungle’s following on the platform jumped from 7,200 to 22,000 — and caught the attention of city officials. On Tuesday, the venue sent emails to its supporters, saying that it was recently slapped with cease-and-desist orders from the city of Chicago and would be canceling the next two months of shows.
“I got a little overzealous with it,” Weil said. “This page asked to post a video, and I said sure even though I knew it wasn’t the right thing to do.”
Weil received four cease-and-desist orders from the Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection on Aug. 28, copies of which he provided to the Chicago Sun-Times. The department cites him selling tickets without an amusement license; failing to display an amusement license; offering, selling, serving, providing and/or storing liquor without the required license; and selling or offering food without a required retail food establishment license.
Weil faces between $2,000 and $5,000 in fines and has an Oct. 28 court date. For his part, he disagrees that he was selling tickets, food and alcohol without a license. He claims patrons gave donations online to reserve a seat, most of which went to the performers; the rest of the proceeds he would invest back into the venue like audio equipment. They could preorder food like pizza for a $5 donation and receive it when they arrived, but patrons were never served alcohol.
Weil also said comedy shows would typically take place from 8 to 9:30 p.m., often on Wednesdays, and other shows would end by midnight. He said he gets along with his neighbors and never received a complaint and added that his block has eight residential homes, a school and a few commercial buildings.
That said, Weil said it was “inevitable” that he would eventually be noticed by the city, but he expected to stay under the radar for another year or two. The quest for more patrons to attend a “secret” venue (patrons did not receive the address until giving a donation to reserve a seat) might have been the venue’s undoing. Weil said an inspector told him that workers from the building department learned of the venue after seeing Best Date Food’s Instagram post.
A spokesman for the Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection did not return calls or emails for comment.
“The inspector said they saw the video on Aug. 27 and they were at my place the next day,” Weil added.
Patrons would have to book a seat online by making a $20.50 “donation,” Weil said. They would then receive the address to his home, something Weil said added to the underground allure. Upon arriving, they entered a basement full of plant life and equipped with six cameras. Musicians and comedians would use the videos to book bigger gigs.
Weil added that he also had fire extinguishers, smoke detectors and exit signs and believed requesting donations rather than selling tickets kept him on the right side of the law. City inspectors disagreed.
That will be sorted out in court, but for now Weil has canceled all future shows, including shows featuring Jeff Garlin, (yes, that Jeff Garlin from “Curb Your Enthusiasm”) and Matty Ryan.
“I want to be able to say that I’ve complied with the cease-and-desist letters when I go to court,” Weil said, adding that he’s been talking to a lawyer about his options.
It could possibly be the end of an outlet that was used as a springboard by performers and a cool place to see a show.
“I don’t know what the next steps are for me, but I don’t want to stop. I feel I’ve made a big impact in this community and have given people a platform,” Weil said.
Among the performers who have graced the stage at the Humboldt Jungle include blues keyboardist Dan Souvigny, jazz drummer Jeremiah Collier and comedians Ben Noble and Diya Basrai.
Weil added, “I genuinely thought I was operating in a gray area, but it may be more black and white.”
Chicago comedian Dwayne Kennedy, who recently performed at the Humboldt Jungle, agreed with Weil.
“It’s always useful to have a place to perform whether you’re up and coming or down and leaving,” he joked. “Some gigs are better than others, some rooms are better than others, but it was good for me, I really enjoyed it.”
Mike Wheeler, who heads the Chicago-based Mike Wheeler Band, also said the venue was good for performers.
“It was a ball. As a musician, any platform you can get to play is only going to help you get better. I don’t see what the problem was, he wasn’t selling liquor or anything like that. He was just giving musicians a place to jam for a couple of hours.”
Weil said among his options may be to form a nonprofit in order to accept donations, or to get commercial licenses, which would mean if converted to a commercial space, he could no longer live in his home. He said he’s talked to Ald. Jessie Fuentes (26th), who hinted to him that she’s not interested in rezoning his home.
Fuentes did not respond to calls and emails seeking comment.
Another option for Weil is to open a commercial venue, which he said he doesn’t have the money for right now. He added that going that route might change the mission as well.
“The way I’ve operated is to try to give the artists as much money as I can,” he said. “It’s not about money; it’s about the love of entertainment and shining the light on Chicago talent. If it becomes a commercial venue it will become about money, and that changes the game.”