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Despite its advanced age, the modest, L-shaped venue of Bruce Springsteen's "Glory Days" video is still keeping it real thanks to its current owners: Sonic Youth's Steve Shelley, indie impresario Todd Abramson and musician Dave Post. This threesome, all members of the freak scene that flourished around Maxwell's in the mid-1980s, book a no-nonsense mix of local bands and national acts at their 200-person concert hall. And the rockers, knowing that the likes of Nirvana and R.E.M. have graced this stage pre-fame, approach the space with awe and the gig with gusto. Bleachers in the back provide clear sightlines as satisfying to the eyes as the club's masterful sound engineers make the experience for the ears. In recent years, as the neighborhood demographics have shifted from bohemian to bourgeois, the dimly lit restaurant-bar in front has evolved into a destination in its own right with a substantial selection of beers and above-average pub grub. — Keach Hagey