[Photo by @thegrrlmorgan via @IrvingPlaza]
Irving Plaza is now officially closed for an eight-month rehab. The 1,200-capacity music venue on Irving Place and 15th Street closed after a show Sunday night featuring headliner Anberlin.
As for the renovations, here's Billboard with the story from this past April:
[T]he renovations at Irving Plaza will be overseen by Live Nation clubs and theaters division and include revamps of the lobby area and the music hall, new bars on all levels, the addition of a downstairs VIP lounge and remodeling of the mezzanine including a new box-seating section configuration.
Live Nation officials have said the venue will reopen in the first quarter of 2020.
There was an Irving Place Appreciation Night on July 1, a free show featuring Robert Gordon as well as local bands ElectraJets, The Trash Bags, Beechwood and The Advertisers.
[The Trash Bags]
[Beechwood]
[The Advertisers — the first band on the bill]
The venue has been in use for concerts the past 41 years. The Polish Army Veterans of America have owned the building since 1948. Here's more history via the Irving Plaza website:
Originally, the building was four separate brownstones, which were eventually combined into a hotel in the 1870s. In 1927, the building was gutted and turned into a ballroom-style theater and christened Irving Plaza.
Over the next few decades Irving Plaza would serve as a union meeting house, a performance space for folk dance troupes, and a Polish Army Veteran community center, as well as a venue for the Peoples Songs Hootenannies with Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie.
In 1978, Irving Plaza was converted into a rock music venue ...
As for more recent history, here are some bands that I've seen at the Irving Plaza in recent years... courtesy of the framed posters at the venue...
Man I wish that Echo & the Bunnymen show was better. There was a group of middle age suburbanites that came in to see the show. Sadly they were obnoxiously wasted and kept shouting "Rock n' Roll" throughout the show while their ladies giggled.
ReplyDeleteThe lead singer also seemed like he had better places to be.
If memory serves I believe it was David Johanson of the NY Dolls who first rented Irving Plaza to stage shows in the early to mid 1970's. This was just prior to the punk explosion at CBGBs and Irving Plaza was the next step up. I saw many incredible shows there early on by the Cramps, Ramones, John Cale, and the Plasmatics to name a few. Back in the day there was no such thing as a VIP section save for a few tables and the balcony was open to all. Smoking and selling and using drugs in plain view was not uncommon.
ReplyDeleteThose were different times........