In the late 1970s, Joe Shanahan, having experienced the art, music and dance culture in New York City, created a club to host creative acts in Chicago.

[5] The July 25 show was a success, and Shanahan began booking the club's weekend slots, gradually taking over the main floor of Stages.

At first, the Metro primarily hosted local bands, like Naked Raygun and Big Black, but it quickly began to book national acts, including New York's Sonic Youth, Samhain and the Ramones, California's X, Metallica and The Bangles, Minneapolis' The Replacements, Hüsker Dü and Soul Asylum, Athens' R.E.M.

During the Metro's first year of business, it hosted New Order, Depeche Mode, Killing Joke, Billy Idol and Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark.

Metro booked many early industrial music bands, including Cabaret Voltaire, KMFDM, and Einstürzende Neubauten.

Material Issue, Smashing Pumpkins, Urge Overkill, Liz Phair and Veruca Salt began their careers in Metro.

Other artists and bands that performed at the venue included Metallica, James Brown, Iggy Pop, George Clinton, Joe Strummer and Prince, The White Stripes, Alkaline Trio, The Killers, No Doubt, They Might Be Giants, Phish, Disturbed, Chevelle, Travis, Jimmy Eat World, Interpol, The Strokes, The Frames, Jack Johnson, Kanye West, Pearl Jam, Atmosphere, Aesop Rock, Moby, The Faint, Fatboy Slim, Arctic Monkeys, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Plain White T's, The Brian Jonestown Massacre, The Academy Is..., Chance the Rapper, Green Day, Fall Out Boy, Catch Twenty-two, and Kill Hannah.