Texas artist Jackie Venson relocates tour HQ to Berwyn, choosing FITZGERALDS for spring residency
Residency Overview
Jackie Venson, an Austin-based guitarist, songwriter, and producer, will use FITZGERALDS as her performance home and operations hub for a four-night residency in May 2025. FITZGERALDS, a historic music venue in Berwyn, Illinois, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in January 2025.
Artists at Venson’s level rarely structure tours this way. Playing four nights in a row in a major city is common. But staging a month-long residency at a single club, with different material each week and a full tour happening around it, is highly unusual. Instead of stopping in for one night, Venson is setting up shop. She will perform four shows in May, each with a distinct musical focus. That includes duo performances and full band sets of her albums Evolution of Joy and Love Transcends.
This is not a one-off engagement. FITZGERALDS will serve as Venson’s operational base for the entire spring tour. The decision reflects how independent venues are increasingly becoming partners in how artists plan and deliver live music.
Why It Matters
Uncommon Tour Model: This type of month-long residency, built around varied sets and anchored at a single club, is unusual for nationally touring independent artists.
Historic Venue in a New Role: FITZGERALDS is hosting a full residency while also supporting the logistics behind the tour, a model that highlights the expanding role independent venues can play in how artists plan and execute their tours.
Personal and Musical Roots in the Midwest: Venson’s decision to base her spring tour in Berwyn reflects a deeper connection to the region. With family ties to the Midwest’s funk and R&B scene and a strong musical bond to Chicago’s electric blues history, this residency is both a return and a continuation.
Pull Quotes
"Developing relationships with artists early in their career is something we've always treasured, and Jackie is exactly the kind of artist we like to nurture. She's independent, driven, and a skilled performer. Having her base her spring tour out of FITZGERALDS is a confirmation of what we're all about. We create an atmosphere where artists will want to invest their time, not just pass through."
"Supporting artists early in their trajectory has always been part of what makes FITZGERALDS matter. We’ve built our reputation on helping audiences discover musicians before the rest of the world catches on. Jackie is doing something bold with this residency, and we’re proud to be part of it."
-Will Duncan, talent buyer and co-owner of FITZGERALDS Historic Nightclub
"Jackie's choice to anchor part of her tour at FITZGERALDS says a lot about the kind of artist she is and the kind of space we work to be. Now that the venue is officially a historic site, we feel an even greater sense of responsibility to foster long-term relationships like this one. That designation reflects years of work, trust, and consistency with both artists and the community."
"Its listing on the National Register of Historic Places this year only affirmed what so many already knew about FITZGERALDS. This is a building with history, but more importantly, with continuity. The relationships we forge with artists are a big part of that. Jackie's residency is an extension of that tradition. It demonstrates the kind of faith and foresight that we've striven to establish here."
-Jess King, marketing manager and co-owner of FITZGERALDS Historic Nightclub
"Chicago is like a second home to me so I’m beyond excited to do this residency at Fitzgerald’s. There arguably would have been no rock and roll at all without Chicago taking the blues electric and I’m thrilled to continue my own blues evolution on this stage."
"The Midwest is also a big part of my personal history. My dad came up in the ‘70s funk and R&B scene of the Midwest so the region is a literal second home for me in so many ways and when I play the area, I always feel so welcome and supported."
-Jackie Venson
FITZGERALDS Historic Nightclub
An early morning stillness surrounds the patio before the amps warm up and the crowd rolls in. It’s a rare pause in the rhythm of FitzGerald’s. (Photo credit: Bruce Unruh)
At the corner of Clarence and Roosevelt, the iconic FitzGerald’s mural glows under the streetlight, its faded brushstrokes whispering stories from four decades of sound. (Photo credit: Bruce Unruh)
The storied façade of FitzGerald’s, seen from above, where roots and rock fans have gathered for decades. (Photo credit: Bruce Unruh)
A mounted deer head from the venue’s Hunt Club days watches over drum heads signed by legends of roots and Americana, including Joe Ely, Lucinda Williams, and The Old 97’s. (Photo credit: Clayton Hauck)
The unmistakable red steps leading into a home for song, soul, and stories. (Photo credit: Jess King)
A trio tunes up beneath the overhang, serenading a crowd of families, regulars, and newcomers alike. (Photo credit: Jess King)
A lone spotlight illuminates the FitzGerald’s logo on the painted brick wall, unchanged since the early 1980s and rich with history. (Photo credit: Jess King)
The patio swells with chatter and clinking glasses as neighbors, newcomers, and diehards gather for a night of rhythm and soul under the open sky. (Photo credit: Bruce Unruh)
Sunset mingles with string lights as dancers fill the patio, a scene as timeless as the tunes that inspire it. (Photo credit: Jess King)
Summer rhythms spark spontaneous dancing outside, as FitzGerald’s blurs the line between stage and street. (Photo credit: Jess King)
Three generations of staff, family, and friends gather outside the club that has shaped their lives as much as the music has. (Photo credit: D. Anson Brody)
FitzGerald’s saloon-style bar hums with conversation, anticipation, and the occasional impromptu encore long after the lights go down. (Photo credit: Clayton Hauck)
Inside the music room, the stage glows where thousands of unforgettable performances have taken place. (Photo credit: D. Anson Brody)
From across Roosevelt Road, FitzGerald’s anchors the block with BABYGOLD BARBECUE to the left and The Side Bar to the right, flanked by hand-painted murals that mark the gateway to live music. (Photo credit: Bruce Unruh)Jackie Venson
Jackie Venson (Photo Credit: Ismael Quintanilla III)
Jackie Venson (Photo Credit: Ismael Quintanilla III)
Jackie Venson (Photo Credit: Ismael Quintanilla III)
Jackie Venson's month-long residency at FITZGERALDS Historic Nightclub begins May 1, 2025 |FitzgeraldsNightClub.com
Jackie Venson's month-long residency at FITZGERALDS Historic Nightclub begins May 1, 2025 |FitzgeraldsNightClub.com
Jackie Venson's month-long residency at FITZGERALDS Historic Nightclub begins May 1, 2025 |FitzgeraldsNightClub.com
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