Au Revoir, Rev Hall…
There’s only one show left on the club’s calendar, and it’s tonight. Local faves Sirsy are celebrating their signing to Funzalo Records. Brittany Robichaud and Suite 24 open the show at 8pm.
Yes, Rev Hall has been in trouble before – just a couple of months ago, in fact – but this time they really mean it. The sound system is already up for sale on Craigslist.
So we thought we’d take a moment and get all nostalgic, remembering some of the great shows that we caught over the years at Rev Hall:
Nancy Sinatra (with a crackerjack band that included Blondie’s Clem Burke and Guns N’ Roses’ Gilby Clarke)
Alejandro Escovedo
The James Hunter Band/Scrapomatic
Kings of Leon
The Avett Brothers
Tony Clifton & the Katrina-Kiss-My-Ass Orchestra
Those are just a few of our faves right off the tops of our heads. What were your favorite Revolution Hall shows?
Ugh. And *sigh*. So long, Rev Hall. Remembering Bitter:Sweet, Charlie Everywhere, many Goodship/TNO shows, The New Deal (twice, great!), Who’s Bad (so fun), Rubix Kube (first time I sold a photo), Company of Thieves. and many others. That place made me buy a better camera to capture all those moments. Damn.
Tony Clifton’s performance was the highlight of my life. Seriously. It was that good. Never forget.
Autolux, Moving Units + Secret Machines. Tittsworth.
Alejandro Escovedo, Dave Alvin, James McMurtry
I used to toss parties in there centered around my business. The best was the TechaPalooza BATS Festival, when we brought in NRBQ for one of their final shows ever. That was quite a few years ago now, yet I still happened upon a talkative stranger in a bar two months back who — unaware of who I was–waxed poetically of that very night.
Live music is a tough gig–I can testify personally. The anger directed towards Mr Brown (in some online forums) is mis-placed. He built the joint on his own dime, rode out several storms (again, on his own dime) as has now at least stepped in again (on his own dime)n to prevent the place from being sold to the highest bidder and turned it into a chic office space, mega coffee shop or faux-NYC hipster hang.
And guess what: the opening is still there for this place to again provide the best music vibe in the Cap D; again, thanks to Mr Brown.
My prediction: it will happen. But only is some folks can stand up and make it happen.
Anyone game?
The three dozen or so of us who were there for the Tony Clifton “experience” simply had our lives profoundly altered forever by that show. Thanks for the link to Michael’s review. The club’s owner caught me nicking a Clifton poster from the window and kindly offered to take it back for Tony to autograph. He signed it “I brake for *****-Tony Clifton” which was a filthy ad-lid for that nights’ show.
Yes, that NRBQ gig was one of their last ever, and the final in a string of amazing shows held in countless Albany clubs over many years. Johnny Rabb joined the boys onstage. Terry Adams had real tears in his eyes when he remembered his old friend and former Neanderthal Cheese Blotto.
So long Revolution Hall.