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If you’re missing the days when you could experience live music, you’re not alone. The pandemic has forced the closure of a number of music venues across the country, and while some shows are slowly returning, the majority of touring acts are still grounded.
While we wait for concert halls and festivals to open up again, look back at the glory days of live music with these books, that take you on a vivid and visual journey through years of live shows at iconic venues, each documenting not only the rise and evolution of artists and clubs, but of the overall scene that surrounded them too.
The venues were more than just a spot for shows; they were a central and safe location for self-expression, connecting fans to performers as well as to each other, while fueling new friendships, new bands, and keeping the collective culture alive.
Often times, the club itself would undergo a major unexpected change that it wasn’t originally intended for, taking on a completely different crowd and style of music than it started out showcasing. Artists of all different types gravitated to these hangouts that were hidden in plain sight. Bands like The Ramones might be onstage, while authors such as William Burroughs, poets like Alan Ginsburg, and social staples like Andy Warhol and modern celebrities mixed and mingled backstage and throughout the crowd amongst punks, ravers and drag queens.
Through three cities and six decades, these books and the stories they tell offer an excellent and immersive way for new fans to discover a piece of music history in their town, or take a trip back in time for those who were fortunate enough to be there in person.
While the venues are now either gone, under new ownership, or — worse — turned into condos, the photos here offer a glimpse into shows and scenes that only a lucky few who were there (and allowed past the bouncers and velvet rope) got to experience.
