Break-in at FitzGerald's draws community together to keep the shows going

Berwyn live music venue FitzGerald’s was burglarized early Saturday morning, but the scheduled shows went on as planned the same evening.

The club, at 6615 W. Roosevelt Road, dates back to the 1930s and has been FitzGerald’s since 1980. The break-in occurred early Saturday morning, according to a Facebook post by co-owner Jessica King.

“No one was here, so no one got hurt, and that’s all that really matters,” King's post read. “But they took stuff. Including a piece of the lighting system that’s essential to um, every show, and with two Los Straightjackets shows last night, that was a priority to figure out.”

King, who co-owns the club with her husband, Will Duncan, explained in her post that word then spread and staff members came in on their own along with some neighbors and helped get things back in order so the shows scheduled for Saturday could go on.

“We bet no one would have even noticed anything was wrong last night if it weren’t for the busted front door,” the post went on to say.

Speaking by phone Sunday, Duncan said that along with the broken front door, several laptops and iPhones were stolen, along with a few bottles of alcohol. Duncan said he and King hadn't intended on going public with news of the burglary, but they were inspired by their staff and neighbors coming together to make sure the nearly 500 people who attended two shows Saturday night weren't disappointed.

Duncan explained that an essential lighting control for the main stage lights was stolen, but the club was able to move the lighting system from its Sidebar to the main stage and a neighbor, Mike Bruno, who rents music and audiovisual equipment, brought over one of his lighting systems to use at the Sidebar.

Duncan said the Berwyn police believe the burglary happened between 2 and 4 a.m. Saturday and have surveillance video from surrounding businesses and neighbors. He added that he is now considering installing security cameras inside FitzGerald’s.

Lori Portnoy, an Oak Park resident and Fitzgerald’s regular who was at the club just hours before the burglary, said she was glad the story went from a negative one about a burglary to a positive one about the staff and neighbors coming together to ensure the shows went on. She attributed it to the way Duncan has operated the club since buying it from founders Bill and Kate FitzGerald in 2020.

“If we could have crafted someone to take over FitzGerald’s from the FitzGeralds they couldn’t have done better than Will,” Portnoy said.

FitzGerald’s regular Christine Kutt echoed Portnoy, saying the reason it's such a tight community is because of Duncan. “That kid has done such a great job with that place. He bought it right before COVID, and not only did he maintain the essence of the place, he actually has improved it.”

Steve Mendel, a Brookfield resident who was at FitzGerald’s on Friday and Saturday night, said he didn’t notice any difference inside the club from before or after the burglary.

“The door to the main club was open on Saturday, but I thought it was maybe to get air in the club,” Mendel said. “I found out the door was busted and the place was burglarized from the bass player of Los Straitjackets after the show. It’s a shame.”

Others responded in similar fashion in comments on FitzGerald's Facebook post.

“I was at the early Los Straitjackets show and was oblivious to any earlier problems,” Cheryl Brownell wrote. “Thank you to the FitzGerald’s team for helping jump over hurdles.”

The Berwyn Police Department said Sunday that the burglary remains under investigation.

Also on Saturday a few miles away, the Irish Nobleman Pub, at 1367 W. Erie St. in West Town, and some of its patrons were robbed at gunpoint about 1:45 am. No one has been arrested in that incident, and Chicago police are still investigating.

FitzGerald's is currently under consideration for being added to the National Register of Historic Place after its owners filed paperwork in January.