Lincoln Hall, a fun, laidback, perfectly-sized concert venue is located on the DePaul campus at the ever-crazy intersection of Halsted, Fullerton and Lincoln right across from the Biograph Theater. What appears to be just a bar from the main entrance is actually the perfect place to see any of the following and more: Joe Pug, Joe Purdy, or Kathleen Edwards. Both of these Joes are the perfect people to play at a place like Lincoln Hall. They’re just as unpretentious as the bar itself.

The main floor is standing room only, but there are a number of seats upstairs that wrap around the sides. Think the Congress Theatre setup, but on a much more intimate scale: a cozy, lovely quality.

At certain points during the year, the “3 Penny Cinema” puts on movies in the concert area. Just before Christmas, they showed “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” and “Scrooged” for free.

On any given night, you can get tickets to a band you’ve never heard of, but might fall in love with. And usually for less than $15 to boot. Go, if only for the burgers and Matilda on tap. You can even catch a killer NYE run with local DJs The Hood Internet, Willy Joy and Team Bayside High. What a perfect way to get to know a new place.

For more information and tickets, visit the venue’s website.