Panda Bear breaks in new venue Thalia Hall

Located on 18th Street in Pilsen, Thalia Hall long ago hosted a variety of Czech acts. The concert hall, modeled after a European opera house and constructed by John Dusek in the 1890s, closed to the public in the 1960s. Until May 21, 2014. Now the gorgeous space is the lastest venture of owners Bruce Finkleman (Empty Bottle) and Craig Golden (SPACE), housed in the same building as Dusek's Board and Beer and Punch House, which opened in September 2013.

The first artist to book a gig in the music venue was Panda Bear, a.k.a. Noah Lennox, the psychedelic sometimes-drummer of Animal Collective. Well, technically, the first musician to play Thalia Hall was opener DJ Dog Dick, which we note because his name is DJ DOG DICK. The electronic artist stems from the same Baltimore scene as Animal Collective.

Before a colorful backdrop of projections both erotic and candy-filled, Lennox took the stage and worked through his solo material, including tastes of his upcoming Panda Bear Meets the Grim Reaper.

We wanted to give you a look at the new joint, too. Note the opera boxes to the sides of the stage, which can be purchased at select shows for a premium price. It is an ornate hall, decorated with nods to its past. 

Impressive upcoming bookings at Thalia Hall include Camera Obscura, GOAT, Steve Earle and more. Get down there.