Midtown Music: New Chicago Bar owner focused on local scene

Three months ago, local musician and bartender Leah Stanley took over Chicago Bar, with the intent of turning the midtown watering hole into a haven for Tucson’s music scene.“Now I’m in the shit, man,” said Leah Stanley, owner of Chicago Bar, which is hosting its grand reopening Nov. 7.“You know, I just kept thinking this is going to fall through at any moment and not work out the way I’m hoping it will, but instead it’s going really strong, and I’m really excited to have this much — we’ve had so much local music already.” A cellist, Stanley has gigged in Tucson over the past two decades while bartending at the historic, no-frills Bambi Bar, which her aunt owned.When The Bambi shut its doors in spring 2025, Stanley packed up and headed west: just two streets over to the historic Chicago Bar.“I moved over to Chicago Bar to keep my crowd close,” Stanley said.

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