From the Archives: A look back at when Otto's rocked

Not that long ago, Otto’s Niteclub near the intersection of First Street and Lincoln Highway was a powerhouse of the local music scene.

People packed into sold-out
shows at the downtown DeKalb business to see performances by
acts such as Wilco, Snoop Dogg, George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic, and Ted Nugent, among many others. It was a proving ground for local musicians and attracted staples from the jam band scene such as Umphrey's McGee, Drive-by Truckers, Robert Randolph and the Family Band, and Dark Star Orchestra. It also provided something much rarer – a bridge between Northern Illinois University and downtown DeKalb.

For more than three decades, Otto's drew NIU students and townies alike with music and drinks. It closed in January 2014 after a burst pipe left the building at the corner of First Street and Lincoln Highway uninhabitable. It has been shuttered ever since and the future of the building remains in question.

Over the years, Otto’s had its share of ups and downs.

It opened in 1984 (or possibly 1985) and for many years was owned by the Daniels family. Searching through the Daily Chronicle archives, I wasn’t able to find the exact date it opened. I did find an item in the DeKalb police blotter from April 1987 that recounted a suspect’s attempt to steal a keg of beer from Otto’s about 6 a.m. while employee Bob Daniels was working in the building’s basement office.

The newspaper reported that after hearing a noise on the stairway, Daniels investigated and eventually “found a keg of beer in the backseat of a car parked across the street. The car and its contents were towed to the city garage.”

In 1993, Daniels, who by then was owner of the tavern, lost his state liquor license after a tax issue with the state. Otto’s remained closed until mid-June, when Daniels made arrangements to pay $65,000 in past-due taxes plus penalties and interest, the Daily Chronicle reported.

More trouble was ahead.

Representatives from Otto’s and four other bars – Andy’s Tap, Lord Stanley’s, The Jungle and Amnesia Night Club – were called in front of the city’s liquor commissioner in March 1994 to answer charges of allowing minors inside. DeKalb Mayor and Liquor Commissioner Greg Sparrow ordered Otto’s to be closed for six days after the March hearing, which focused on the death of 20-year-old Sycamore resident Darrell Carney.

Carney died in the early morning hours of Oct. 9, 1993, after being struck by a train. An investigation later revealed he had a blood-alcohol content of 0.183 percent, the legal limit for driving at the time was 0.10. Police said the 20-year-old had been served alcohol at Otto’s and Lord Stanley’s. The hearing concerned whether Carney’s ID was checked before he entered the bar. DeKalb County Coroner Dennis Miller testified at the hearing that Carney had no identification on him when he died.

John Daniels was owner of Otto’s when a group of area musicians and a technical crew re-created Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of Moon” and Jimi Hendrix’s “Axis: Bold as Love” live on stage in 1998. The performance was detailed in a long review with several photos in the Daily Chronicle.

Duff Rice and Stan Doty took over Otto’s in early 2001. They did some renovations and set out to attract “big name” bands to the venue. John Daniels stayed on as a consultant. By early 2012 they had forged a temporary deal with the city of DeKalb that allowed 19-year-olds and 20-year-olds to attend shows on the first floor. Alcohol sales were restricted to the lower floor, according to reports at the time.

Otto’s Niteclub welcomed Snoop Dogg to DeKalb in April 2002 for a sold-out show. The Daily Chronicle’s report from the show by contributing writer Kelly Rush noted Snoop showed up two hours late and that the club was filled with the smell of marijuana smoke.

“After about six or seven songs, Snoop suddenly stopped, took off his glasses and started wiping his face. Someone had apparently thrown something at the stage that hit Snoop in the eye. The show was halted and Snoop was down, but not beaten. After offering a thousand dollars to anyone who was within reach of the offender to “kick his [expletive],” Snoop said the show would go on,” Rush wrote.

Snoop closed out his performance with “Who am I, What’s my Name” shortly before midnight.

In 2004, Otto’s celebrated its 20th anniversary. Doty was listed as the sole owner in that report, which noted performances by Wilco and Ted Nugent.

When Otto’s closed in 2014, owner Pat Looney told the Daily Chronicle that maintenance issues had plagued the building for years.

City officials have said they would like to see the property become an anchor of the downtown.