Legendary Music Venues in New Haven

[StllH8L8ner]

I think I still get “Free Drinks Until 10pm” passes in the mail from Toads. Saw Public Enemy there in the early 90’s.

Broadway Pizza was a great after bar stop for a quick slice in that area at the time.

 

[huskymedic]

Keg House might as well have been a frat house. worked there as a bouncer…football connection. Great cover bands!
Thanks for posting this, made me laugh recalling great times in school !

Soft spot for Keg House. Regular weekly stomping grounds for years. Met my wife there in 79-80ish - be married 39yr in June

 

[Mots010]

Howabout Tuxedo Junction in Danbury? Highlights back in the mid 90's to early 2000's were Helmet (my first concert), Oasis (did not attend), Korn (did not attend), Hatebreed, George Clinton (free show!).

 

[upstater]

Yeah… my bad for not adding “Legal” before drinking age (Malone’s)

It’s driving me nuts… it was next to Vito’s Deli. Rock Club keeps jumping in my head but not positive. Think building ended its life as the Brass Monkey and burned down.

Rock Bar came after Urban Jungle.

This was before.

It was a sparse place full of goth kids.

Someone in our circle made the claim that Goth didn't exist in the US prior to the 90s. And I immediately thought of this club full of Goth kids. If it wasn't goth, then what the hell was it? He refused to believe anyone dressed like that and listened to Siouxsie Sioux or whatever.

 

[upstater]

89... I was only 10 but remember hearing about this the next day. For those who were there, how did everyone find out about this in the moment? Can only imagine how cool it would have been to see them at such a small venue.

Friend from New Jersey called me; he was a very close friend of a promoter down there.

 

[upstater]

A couple of weird experiences:

1. All Ages non-alcoholic show at a Used Car Showroom at the bottom of Branford Hill for the Ramones in '83 or '84. About 100 people showed up. Sad.

2. As 16 year olds, we were drinking 99 cent pitchers of Genessee Cream Ale at the Outlaw Josey Wales Saloon in Westville when Miracle Legion came on to play in front of... what looked like... their friends.

3. As a 14 year old, I slept out in front of the Coliseum for AC/DC tickets during their For Those About to Rock tour. We got front row seats, but waking up that morning, I got to see the after effects of heavy heavy drugs from people slightly older than me, and I think that event more or less kept me on the straight and narrow for many years. Have your kids spend a night on Skid Row during their freshman year of HS. They will either die or become surgeons.

My Dad had a luncheonette outside the coliseum in the late 70s/early 80s, and working that thing was wild on concert nights. Throngs of wacked out people looking for food or a place to pee. The coliseum ushers would pop open the side door for me with my 4 staccato knocks so I saw a ton of sold-out shows for free. Stuff like Skynyrd, Foghat, the Outlaws, B.O.C., but also the Cars, Springsteen and Madonna.

 

[superjohn]

Howabout Tuxedo Junction in Danbury? Highlights back in the mid 90's to early 2000's were Helmet (my first concert), Oasis (did not attend), Korn (did not attend), Hatebreed, George Clinton (free show!).

You ever see the HBO special on the teenager who was running a ponzi scheme out of Tuxedo Junction?

 

[dvegas]

Howabout Tuxedo Junction in Danbury? Highlights back in the mid 90's to early 2000's were Helmet (my first concert), Oasis (did not attend), Korn (did not attend), Hatebreed, George Clinton (free show!).

I was at the George Clinton show at Tuxedo, my buddy Sean was booking there at the time. Best Tuxedo memory was Karl Densons Tiny Universe during a snowstorm, the drive up and back from Norwalk too forever both ways, more members of the band and crew than attendees, one of the best shows ever!

 

[huskymedic]

A couple of weird experiences:

1. All Ages non-alcoholic show at a Used Car Showroom at the bottom of Branford Hill for the Ramones in '83 or '84. About 100 people showed up. Sad.

2. As 16 year olds, we were drinking 99 cent pitchers of Genessee Cream Ale at the Outlaw Josey Wales Saloon in Westville when Miracle Legion came on to play in front of... what looked like... their friends.

3. As a 14 year old, I slept out in front of the Coliseum for AC/DC tickets during their For Those About to Rock tour. We got front row seats, but waking up that morning, I got to see the after effects of heavy heavy drugs from people slightly older than me, and I think that event more or less kept me on the straight and narrow for many years. Have your kids spend a night on Skid Row during their freshman year of HS. They will either die or become surgeons.

My Dad had a luncheonette outside the coliseum in the late 70s/early 80s, and working that thing was wild on concert nights. Throngs of wacked out people looking for food or a place to pee. The coliseum ushers would pop open the side door for me with my 4 staccato knocks so I saw a ton of sold-out shows for free. Stuff like Skynyrd, Foghat, the Outlaws, B.O.C., but also the Cars, Springsteen and Madonna.

LOL... Sneakers in Branford

Was the luncheonette across from the Norge?

 

[alexd]

A couple of weird experiences:

1. All Ages non-alcoholic show at a Used Car Showroom at the bottom of Branford Hill for the Ramones in '83 or '84. About 100 people showed up. Sad.

2. As 16 year olds, we were drinking 99 cent pitchers of Genessee Cream Ale at the Outlaw Josey Wales Saloon in Westville when Miracle Legion came on to play in front of... what looked like... their friends.

3. As a 14 year old, I slept out in front of the Coliseum for AC/DC tickets during their For Those About to Rock tour. We got front row seats, but waking up that morning, I got to see the after effects of heavy heavy drugs from people slightly older than me, and I think that event more or less kept me on the straight and narrow for many years. Have your kids spend a night on Skid Row during their freshman year of HS. They will either die or become surgeons.

My Dad had a luncheonette outside the coliseum in the late 70s/early 80s, and working that thing was wild on concert nights. Throngs of wacked out people looking for food or a place to pee. The coliseum ushers would pop open the side door for me with my 4 staccato knocks so I saw a ton of sold-out shows for free. Stuff like Skynyrd, Foghat, the Outlaws, B.O.C., but also the Cars, Springsteen and Madonna.

Great stuff!! That Madonna show must have been 1985 when the unsigned Beastie Boys opened for the material girl. No one wanted to see them. LOL ....just for the record, my girlfriend at the time bought us 4 scalped floor seats for the show. ;-)

 

[Bonamassa]

89... I was only 10 but remember hearing about this the next day. For those who were there, how did everyone find out about this in the moment? Can only imagine how cool it would have been to see them at such a small venue.

It was the Steel Wheels Tour. The Stones were rehearsing at a private school in Washington CT. It was summer so no students. I owned a music club at the time in Torrington called Water Street Station. My partner got a call from an un identified person at the time and correctly guessed that it was the Stones and swore his secrecy. I was on vacation later that Summer in New Hampshire on a lake and picked up the Hartford Courant at a little general store. I started reading a story in the Calendar section about how the band wanted to play a few unadvertised shows at CT clubs to work out any kinks. Jim Koplik said "Water Street Station correctly guessed it was the Stones and was promptly crossed off the list. They were too smart for their own good." UGH! The story was about how the logistics to play multiple CT clubs became too complicated so they settled on Toads Place only. Citi Lites on Union Station in Hartford was also on the original list.

 

[upstater]

LOL... Sneakers in Branford

Was the luncheonette across from the Norge?

Yes, Angelo's 1976- 1983??

He bought Charlie's Place (above Malone's) on Whitney and Church in 1983 and ran it for a decade or more.

 

[Bonamassa]

Fernando Pinto… crazy bastard.

One could make quite the night bouncing around New Haven in the late 70’s/early 80’s. Toad’s, Agora, Arcadia Ballroom (aka Brawlroom), Keg House, Oxford Ale House, Great American Saloon, Grotto or just sit on the hood of the car in front of Ron’s Place and freak watch .

Drinking age was 18 and life was simpler.

I think Fernando Pinto also ran a music club on Rubber Ave in Naugatuck if I recall correctly.

 

[Bonamassa]

I think Fernando Pinto also ran a music club on Rubber Ave in Naugatuck if I recall correctly.

The Nightshift Cafe?

 

[huskymedic]

The Nightshift Cafe?

It was in a strip mall right?

 

[huskyjawz]

The Nightshift Cafe?

Lot of good shows there; can't remember who. Dinosaur Jr. for one.

 

[nycscooby]

89... I was only 10 but remember hearing about this the next day. For those who were there, how did everyone find out about this in the moment? Can only imagine how cool it would have been to see them at such a small venue.

I was in college and a few of us were there early in the night, we hung out around there a lot along with many others on here I'm sure even from junior HS days when we spent hours in Cutlers. As I remember, it was a typical Saturday night dance night at Toad's definitely nothing special about that night early on. Maybe they were setting up for a local college band to play before? I don't really remember other than nothing special going on. Well, that was a mistake ha ha

 

[Samoo]

Not quite New Haven, and not quite a legendary place, but plenty historic:

 

[Bonamassa]

It was in a strip mall right?

Yes

 

[huskyjawz]

Miracle Legion @ Space Ballroom in Hamden on 6/29!