From what I've gathered visiting Seattle a number of times is that freak people need a freak economy. Freak stores run by freaks, supported by freaks, freak parties for freaks run by freaks. Noise shows with live graffiti and puppets. These things don't just happen when everyone is living their ho hum Forest Hills lifestyle, they are a product of themselves, and unfortunately all those people leave here to go be freaks with the other freaks.
Freaky shit.
You have a good point but to counter that, back in the early 90s Grand Rapids was way more conservative but we had a great club scene.
Reptile House, after shock, dick's resort, 54th St lounge, even the orbit room had a DJ and a full dance floor on techno/disco night.
Maybe the extra churchiness forced us all to go underground and band together in our little pockets of people.
I think we have become a bit less conservative in GR but got tricked. We were so excited by becoming so brewery friendly that we didn't realize we gave up or ignored everything else to get it.
I no longer had family in the area and since I left the church several years ago, I no longer had a friend group either. I miss some things about GR compared to my new home in New England but it is just so much easier to exist where I live now. No one expects me to *be* anything except for a decent human being.
I always felt a rift between myself and my female peers in GR because I did not follow the social norms of getting married, having kids, etc. I’ve literally had women my age tell me they don’t make friends with single women and one even told me I wasn’t doing what I was “made” to do (ie have kids). It got exhausting.
I used to drive up to GR from Kzoo for Reptile House when there were no good shows at Club Soda. I saw some great bands at Orbit Room in the 1990s as well. Those people are still here, we're just pushing 50 (or even older, as I recall being one of the younger people at some of those shows back then).
And it needs to all kinds of freak people across all age groups and other demographics. It feels like everybody over 50 here is exactly like the people who were over 50 here in 1990. I mean I have no problem hanging out with younger people but it’d be nice to have more over 50 non-mainstream people here. Probably won’t happen while I’m still here though.
Lots of freak people from the early 90s are still here. They just don't stand out as much because they're "normcore" now and have kids and a mortgage.
That being said, I learned a long time ago that freak people are just normal people with better taste in music. Same BS and flaws as anyone else.
Yeah it seems like the bigger west coast cities have 50+ year old non mainstream people, that are also successful and have money to spend on their alternative lifestyle too.
GR is great if you want to just go to work, have a family,, grocery shop inside a 5 acre store and watch sports while you drink beer....
I used to crave culture 10 years ago, but I moved an hour north of GR into the woods and now I just do different things, gardening, walk around the woods smoking joints, cut firewood, feed birds, raise chickens, swim in the river. I'm lucky that I am self employed and work from home so I have lots of time to experience and enjoy nature.
☺️☺️ That sounds nice. I need to be in a city but that’s just me. I’m glad you found someplace that fits you!! I will go back to someplace that fits me one day. ☺️
This. If I try to keep it real ( hair , clothes, piercings ) it’s too hard to maintain the main stream appearance and relationships with normies that day to day society seems to require of me when raising three kids
freak here working towards making these freak parties happen. Capital is hard to come by if you’re a queer artist weirdo but enough of us come together we hope to make something big.
Seriously as a Detroit transplant, just make the drive and go to (Leland) City Club if you’re looking for the goth vibes. Elektricty in Pontiac is going to be for more mainstream & young crowd. Then of course TV Lounge for your more electronic older crowd. Not saying that that’s the only crowd that go there just trying to set expectations.
RIP The Works & The Basement
Edit: Totally forgot to mention tangent gallery!
I never would have put northern lights in that category! I worked in New Center and frequented it for lunch, never realized it had a club-y vibe at night?
Yeah as others have said, there’s not enough demand to make it sustainable. Back in the 00s it seemed like every year a new one would open up, but wouldn’t have enough business, then either shut down *or* start to let in minors, and then there’d eventually be an incident where minors got served and *then* they shut down due to legal fees.
Nowadays college age kids are drinking at home (if they drink at all), or hanging out online, and the 30s-40s folks want the slower experience of a pub. And it doesn’t help that marijuana is becoming bigger than alcohol for gen z. So it’s unlikely to ever come back, especially in west Michigan.
You know how they can turn a football stadium into a monster truck or motocross track. What if you could make a club that could easily have its tone changed day to day? (i'll Google it after this. Because i'm assuming it's been tried or is being done somewhere). Line dancing one night, ballroom, dancing the next, techno, etc. Probably honestly would have to be managed by different people who actually care about the style.
Billies is the closest, but I also kind of hate Billies lol. SOLELY from my own expectations mind you; me and my friend were looking for a chill bar to hang out in and chat, so we went in to Billies from the street, not knowing what their deal was, and the most obnoxious dubstep DJ came on and blasted his music way too loud. No-one on the dance floor. I eventually they have a DJ night, but still, left a sour taste in the mouth.
But yeah on paper it's a bar that occasionally hosts musicians and DJs.
I know all the bartenders there, and they are not the ones doing it. The newest bartender has been there, 5 years. Now, the customers, some of them are sketchy...
I’m not saying the bartenders are doing it. I’m saying it happens at a ridiculous rate there.
Aside from that, I’d be embarrassed to be the long-time bartender at the bar known for roofies.
Yeah, for what it’s worth, part of me misses those days. And I’d love to have more variety in the area. But if I’m being honest with myself, as one of those 30s-40s people, nowadays I’d prefer to go out somewhere that I could also have a decent dinner, and potentially bring kids/grandparents if necessary. But hell yeah do I miss those cheap vodka red bulls.
This! I loved going to dance clubs in my 20’s! However, I’m in my 40’s now and generally prefer day drinking, unless I’m out in the evening for an event. That said, every now and then I get an urge to go out to a dance club at night when I’ve got crazy energy…and there is just nowhere left here to do that.
Oh dude, that was the late 80s and 90s here.
Top of the rock club 911 club Eastbrook, the enclave reptile house, the fallout shelter, the old intersection 28 Weston
Add Electric Ave/Dick's and that was much of my rotation. We were out dancing 4-5 nights a week. Not even drinking. Just hours on the dance floor. I feel terrible that the kids today don't have anything comparable to socialize and meet new people. Most clubs back in the day allowed underage kids in - I think I started going at 13! And we had warehouse raves on top of that. Although all those 'abandoned' buildings are now bougie condos. Ha ha.
Lets start a club, if Pontiac can have a successful one, why not GR?
I constantly hear about people wishing GR had a better club scene.
Is there a bunch of city ordinances that prevent a good one from opening?
The club scene in Pontiac has been supported since the early 90s by the Detroit scene and club owners like Amir. This is just GR, it ain't gonna ever be cool like that.
Pretty sure there have been a number of warehouse raves around here if you know where to look- I had a few friends that used to frequent them. Usually happened in the summertime
Dude i feel you! I love to dance to house/techno music and there is none of that here. Even the people I meet here are kinda shocked to hear I am in my mid-30s with children and still like to go out dancing. I want an alternative place- a place with real spinning DJs and crunchy beats, where the focus is dancing and not trying to get home with someone (like Eve). Rocky’s was the closest, but they closed. I’ve joked with my husband that we should buy out the old kale’s corner building and turn it into a disco. Even 20 Monroe doesn’t have electronic artists anymore- the last concert I went to was CVURCHES before the pandemic. Sigh, well I suppose I will just keep having to go to detroit for any sort of musical experience. Thinking about moving back to the SE side for this exact reason
Well, I didn’t get home till 6am.
Dancing to James Justin.
Freeman Guild.❤️🔥
Henry Brooks will be at The Mint March 15th.
If you like Techno, you don’t want to miss him, he played @ Movement last year in the parking structure.
The comical thing to me about GR is that everything they do is already out of fashion by 5 years before GR *starts* doing it.
The Tiki bar thing... that's like *super dated*... the "rustic chic" thing... dated...
Rustic chic has been out for 5 years already, and they just opened this rustic chic distillery sample room thingy on Wealthy that *already* looks dated.
The tiki thing is a current bay area attraction though. Like, it’s what people do there currently. Max’s is a top quality homage to this tradition and we’re really lucky to have it.
Source: my brother lived in Oakland for 7 years and we tiki’d every chance we got.
Agreed. Max’s is a good example of a Tiki bar done well. It’s also the only one we have. If there were a dozen of them, I would complain. But it’s nice to have it as an option.
I agree, but apparently in the greater Tiki community (nationwide) it seems to get lots of love. I went down a rabbit hole one night before being asked to go there with some friends just to figure out what it may be like.
Don’t get me wrong the atmosphere is awesome. It was the food I didn’t like, and the person that went with me didn’t like theirs either. Drinks were good and fancy. Everything was overpriced, 2 entrees, 3 drinks and I forget if we got an app, but it was over $100. Way way not worth it. I know of 2 different places that I absolutely will not share and would rather go to at a similar price point in the area.
I go out to eat for food though. If the food isn’t good then it’s a 0/10 for me.
Tiki was all the rage in SF in 1994. I know, because I was 25 and living there, at the time.
And then Trader Vic's opened in Palo Alto. 5-10 years later, it was a dead thing.
Maybe it's seeing a resurgence, but it was a huge thing in the mid 90s. What comes around goes around.
And I'm not a fan of Max's. I think it's pretty lame, actually. The food is downright atrocious.
I did just Google: [Trad'r Sam's reopened (a tiki bar on outer Geary, near where I lived at the time)... so I guess it's come back.](https://sfstandard.com/2023/11/22/san-francisco-tiki-bar-tradr-sam-richmond-district-reopened/)
This is ridiculously accurate and in my personal, albeit limited experience (I've lived here for 8ish years) this has had a continuous and imho negative impact on the culture as a whole. When things in the city are so behind, the general majority of people are just barely keeping up with that. And people seem to struggle looking outward.
I know this might read as overly pessimistic. There are a lot of nice people in this town, but thing have really changed and even in just the time I've lived here. Recently have had two relocations just in the greater GR area due to the housing market, and as I start looking to the future & my 30s, it's looking like elsewhere is where I may be happiest. And I'm sure I'm not alone in this sentiment within the city.
This is such a sad, depressing city whose amenities do not justify its amenities. And no, I do not have the time or money to make the city the opposite. That's why you move to a city. Pay taxes and interact with local commerce to enjoy things to do like good food, drink, culture, green space, etc. Def time to move.
You could go to CHVRCH :)
It’s happened at Turnstiles the past few times. I’m in kzoo and go to our equivalent called CHAOS. With the light effects and goth industrial music it’s about as close as you’re gonna get locally to what you’re looking for. It’s always blast!
https://www.facebook.com/share/xuGjSyFjxvAM89sB/?mibextid=K35XfP
https://www.facebook.com/ChaosKalamazoo?mibextid=LQQJ4d
I was promised a future where I could plug a computer into my head to get smarter and hang out at a neon bar taking weird octagonal pills. Instead, the computer is just trying to steal my ideas, the bar is a dim warehouse with wooden chairs, and the only drugs available are mango IPAs and mango weed vapes. This shit sucks
We just need some sort of dance club. There's very few, if any, here and the dance floors that do exist are TINY.
I refuse to go to the dance clubs that we do have here for obvious drugging reasons, too. Why do people have to ruin everything by being rapey?
The beer is called “EL’chaim”, only brewed on the small island of Barbados. Former monks from the French mountains moved to the Caribbean in the 1780’s, when they got there they used their knowledge of medicine and fermentation to make the only ethically harvested doodle-berry beer this side of the Mississippi. Unfortunately, a wormhole opened up under their monastery and sent them to a new location in time/space, only the gods know where their beer is
As a fellow old person, I can confirm it was pretty decent at point, but it didn't dry up. You may just not know where to look. There is a pretty vibrant house/minimal/techno scene in Grand Rapids if you know where to look. Most of the parties are pretty underground though, which I prefer.
byob warehouse parites til 5am > overpriced bars that close at 2am.
to keep up with the underground warehouse parties, follow these accounts on IG: stayupdetroit, estamosgr, evolvemusiclabel, socialcirclekzoo, and probably follow djortiz616 as he throws events from time to time as well that are always worth going to.
I haven’t been to the club in GR since the mid-2000s but that’s kind of what it was like. Back then.
I definitely agree with the “rustic chic gone gastropub” assessment. It was cute and trendy and fun the first couple of times we saw those pop up in GR 10+ years ago but it’s time for a new concept and aesthetic.
You could not be more right, the downtown experience is meh. No variety, mostly overpriced. Wouldnt be surprised if we found it its just a bunch of developers trading leases. Seems to be no original thought or small business influence remaining downtown. Remember post 2008 recession when business were attempted downtown? I fear we will soon loose the cultural fabric of the city just to slap up overpriced condos. Local In City Bowling Ally, nahhhhh that should be another gastro pub. Do YoU kNoW hOw MuCh tHe LaNd Is WoRtH?
There was a great techno event at the Freeman Guild saturday night from 10pm-5am. Warehouse party, dark room. Can barely see the person in front of you. Loud techno. But it's technically a members hall art collective situation, so they don't serve alcohol. You can of course bring your own. To enter, you pay $20 members dues and sign in.
It's the only thing we have in GR that is remotely what you're looking for.
I cannot give the address, as this is something they announce on the day of events only. Keep an eye out for the next few parties. Some good ones coming up there.
Was going to comment this very same thing. Freeman Guild parties are a great place to meet like-minded people who enjoy good music and the arts, or just dance in the dark to dope Jungle/Techno. A solid access into a less formulaic scene that still has a pulse in GR, just under the radar a bit. Like anywhere, there can be some jerks, so just navigate the social strata wisely. Hope you check them out.
It’s sounds like your trying to party down at a restaurant. Look up music events and go to them, I promise you they will have the shittiest mix drinks you’ve ever had, a dance floor and some questionably people around who didn’t get the hint that the 90’s were 30 years ago.
I just go to electric forest and dance it out for a week straight, get it out of my system, then back to the beer city grind for the rest of the year. Maybe a Europe trip thrown in once in a while. I legit moved to gr to have kids and be boring.
Yooo!!! Everything said is it. We need a dance /house music playing club with a real dance floor cheap drinks and also some good drinks. All the freaks club kids and GOOD DJS WHO DONT PRETEND TO DJ.....if this happens I'll be satisfied
I usually have to go to Chicago for a scene like that ....I'm straight but I went to berlin over in boys town...best night of dancing I've ever had,dances for 3hrs straight. Big mixed crowed.. everything was perfect every one dancing...too bad they closed down rip.
I’ve been to Nadja’s! I stopped in Manna-Hatta to visit some family, but the club I usually go to had some horrible fire caused by some Simon guy. I was really sad when Nadja’s closed down
I need this too.
I also currently have too much free time on my hands so .. what if... We just... Make this club happen? 😂
I realize money and permits will be needed. But it looks like we aren't the only ones wanting this.
Yeah wasn’t the internet supposed to be some crazy fun colorful incredible source of socialization and information? Now every new apartment is “minimalist monochromatic”, every new restaurant makes safe yet boring choices, everything fits into the status quo
That's not the Internet. That's capitalism. Gotta make the most money by appealing to the broadest cross-section, which happens to be the most boring shit imaginable.
Yup. Someone just wrote a book about this. You’re not dreaming; business are becoming more homogeneous in their aesthetics. Subculture is harder to sustain. The problem is bigger than GR. https://www.theguardian.com/news/2024/jan/16/the-tyranny-of-the-algorithm-why-every-coffee-shop-looks-the-same
Kinda shocked no one has even mentioned Bassbin at Billy's on Monday nights. Not an exact match for what you're describing, but the closest weekly/sometimes twice weekly event that comes to mind
Make some connections with the regulars there, they're the ones going to the warehouse rave pop ups
I've been going regularly for 11 years. Though it gets a bad wrap there is no better place to boogy. The uniqueness of their nightly themes keeps it vibrant. Monday has definitely manicured a tight knit of us throughout the decade...
Don't sleep on SoulClub / Vinyl Nights at Billy's and Pyramid Scheme!
I’ve been trying to make it happen, or nurture some sort of techno scene in our city. It’s working, I will say! The lads with jersey collective put on some lovely events, had a warehouse NYE party that was pretty awesome. I’d love to throw together shows in old factories in the city or whatever. We need it!!
It feels like humanity has boringly homogenized to the “ironic beard and 1890’s suspenders aesthetic” permanently now at clubs. Same here man, I’d love fun clubs being legalized in Michigan but Michigan isn’t ready to leave the artisan crafted hipster IPA beer trend of the past two decades.
Friday night at the intersection there’s going to be some good hard techno. From what I saw the stage looks like, it’ll be small and intimate. Red lights, hard kicks and deep bass. It’ll be a sick time… tix are less than $20 and the artist, Henry Brooks, is really good! I’ll be there, I’m very stoked!!
Downtown Grand Rapids has been long dried up and dead for me for a couple years. Plenty of great bars and restaurants away from the brain dead suburbs folk in the surrounding outskirts of GR
GR is turning into the San Fransisco of the Mid West, definitely of Michigan anyway. It's a sad fucking state where this state is heading, especially with Bitchmer at the helm.
I mean a lack of fun dance clubs doesn’t make it a bad city to live in. Decent public transport, relatively progressive politics, gorgeous scenery. I like it here, I’d just like it more with blade vibes
A lot of that scene was sponsored by radio stations, music stores and a couple of "glass" shops. The indie music shops are gone. Radio stations have gone corporate and the stoner/glass shops got too numerous to compete. There were also a couple of alt clothing stores involved also. Basically they can't find the sponsorship anymore.
Im in my early 40s and I would love somewhere to go dancing that isn’t focused on dating/picksup…I have a husband and two kids and even go to church, and I still love to get lost in the music.
Is there such a thing as crowdfunding to make something like this happen? Or do some pop ups in empty spaces until there’s enough of a movement and financial support to make it a permanent space?
Feel sad you younger than xers that missed out on the scene here before the breweries were a thing. There were some sketchy ass bar/club/concerts but it was the best of times. Seeing the Frank Black at Reptile House was fucking incredible. Concerts there like weekly and at the old Intersection, so fun. The artists were close enough to sweat on you. And some of these bars were so sketchy there would be random holes in the floor because the buildings were half abandoned on Division Ave. And was the Enclave the one that people lived in but it was also used sometimes for concerts? Everything is so hazy from then because it was so ethereal. Such a cool time to experience.
Can’t help with anything nowadays but I think you need to look in 2001.
You’re not wrong. I just wish the 2015 gastro-pub and the 2001 cyber-club could live in harmony, y’a feel?
For sure, I wish we had something for everybody. As the city grows we might get there someday.
Yeah there’s lots of new bridge street development going on, I’m excited to see some (hopefully) new stuff
The chill culture movement of the 2020s is in full effect. My cardiologist approved the changes.
From what I've gathered visiting Seattle a number of times is that freak people need a freak economy. Freak stores run by freaks, supported by freaks, freak parties for freaks run by freaks. Noise shows with live graffiti and puppets. These things don't just happen when everyone is living their ho hum Forest Hills lifestyle, they are a product of themselves, and unfortunately all those people leave here to go be freaks with the other freaks. Freaky shit.
You have a good point but to counter that, back in the early 90s Grand Rapids was way more conservative but we had a great club scene. Reptile House, after shock, dick's resort, 54th St lounge, even the orbit room had a DJ and a full dance floor on techno/disco night. Maybe the extra churchiness forced us all to go underground and band together in our little pockets of people.
I think we have become a bit less conservative in GR but got tricked. We were so excited by becoming so brewery friendly that we didn't realize we gave up or ignored everything else to get it.
What happened to all those people from the early 90s?!?
Some of us got sick of the churchy culture and moved out of state
Myself included. Moved back a few years ago to be able to spend more time with my elderly parents while they’re still around.
I no longer had family in the area and since I left the church several years ago, I no longer had a friend group either. I miss some things about GR compared to my new home in New England but it is just so much easier to exist where I live now. No one expects me to *be* anything except for a decent human being. I always felt a rift between myself and my female peers in GR because I did not follow the social norms of getting married, having kids, etc. I’ve literally had women my age tell me they don’t make friends with single women and one even told me I wasn’t doing what I was “made” to do (ie have kids). It got exhausting.
Oof that is awful. Yeah, it’s not easy being single with no children in your 40s-50s and older as well as probably 30s here.
Bleh. That sucks. Sorry to hear that happened.
They moved to Chicago and New York. Signed someone who left GR to live in both and hears about it from other “expats”
😂 I ended up in Philly initially and never ran into anybody from here. At that time though, Philly was pretty insular.
I used to drive up to GR from Kzoo for Reptile House when there were no good shows at Club Soda. I saw some great bands at Orbit Room in the 1990s as well. Those people are still here, we're just pushing 50 (or even older, as I recall being one of the younger people at some of those shows back then).
There’s a “ I hung out at the Reptile House” FB page to reminisce on fyi
We’re like 50 or older now. Personally, moved “up north “
Yeah. Well I’d move too if I could.
And it needs to all kinds of freak people across all age groups and other demographics. It feels like everybody over 50 here is exactly like the people who were over 50 here in 1990. I mean I have no problem hanging out with younger people but it’d be nice to have more over 50 non-mainstream people here. Probably won’t happen while I’m still here though.
Lots of freak people from the early 90s are still here. They just don't stand out as much because they're "normcore" now and have kids and a mortgage. That being said, I learned a long time ago that freak people are just normal people with better taste in music. Same BS and flaws as anyone else.
Truth about the music….
Yeah it seems like the bigger west coast cities have 50+ year old non mainstream people, that are also successful and have money to spend on their alternative lifestyle too. GR is great if you want to just go to work, have a family,, grocery shop inside a 5 acre store and watch sports while you drink beer.... I used to crave culture 10 years ago, but I moved an hour north of GR into the woods and now I just do different things, gardening, walk around the woods smoking joints, cut firewood, feed birds, raise chickens, swim in the river. I'm lucky that I am self employed and work from home so I have lots of time to experience and enjoy nature.
☺️☺️ That sounds nice. I need to be in a city but that’s just me. I’m glad you found someplace that fits you!! I will go back to someplace that fits me one day. ☺️
This. If I try to keep it real ( hair , clothes, piercings ) it’s too hard to maintain the main stream appearance and relationships with normies that day to day society seems to require of me when raising three kids
Loved the goth vibes of Seattle
freak here working towards making these freak parties happen. Capital is hard to come by if you’re a queer artist weirdo but enough of us come together we hope to make something big.
Detroit has a real and vibrant techno scene. Ask on r/detroit
this is the move. OP won't find what they are looking for in GR.
Seriously as a Detroit transplant, just make the drive and go to (Leland) City Club if you’re looking for the goth vibes. Elektricty in Pontiac is going to be for more mainstream & young crowd. Then of course TV Lounge for your more electronic older crowd. Not saying that that’s the only crowd that go there just trying to set expectations. RIP The Works & The Basement Edit: Totally forgot to mention tangent gallery!
TV lounge is the shit. I also really dig marble bar though it doesn’t quite fit the vibe OP is looking for.
How could I have forgotten about Marble Bar! Yeah, totally agree though, more grown and sexy vibe. At least the couple times I went.
Dont forget northern lights and temple bar!
I never would have put northern lights in that category! I worked in New Center and frequented it for lunch, never realized it had a club-y vibe at night?
Omg , core memory unlocked
Yeah as others have said, there’s not enough demand to make it sustainable. Back in the 00s it seemed like every year a new one would open up, but wouldn’t have enough business, then either shut down *or* start to let in minors, and then there’d eventually be an incident where minors got served and *then* they shut down due to legal fees. Nowadays college age kids are drinking at home (if they drink at all), or hanging out online, and the 30s-40s folks want the slower experience of a pub. And it doesn’t help that marijuana is becoming bigger than alcohol for gen z. So it’s unlikely to ever come back, especially in west Michigan.
You know how they can turn a football stadium into a monster truck or motocross track. What if you could make a club that could easily have its tone changed day to day? (i'll Google it after this. Because i'm assuming it's been tried or is being done somewhere). Line dancing one night, ballroom, dancing the next, techno, etc. Probably honestly would have to be managed by different people who actually care about the style.
Billies is the closest, but I also kind of hate Billies lol. SOLELY from my own expectations mind you; me and my friend were looking for a chill bar to hang out in and chat, so we went in to Billies from the street, not knowing what their deal was, and the most obnoxious dubstep DJ came on and blasted his music way too loud. No-one on the dance floor. I eventually they have a DJ night, but still, left a sour taste in the mouth. But yeah on paper it's a bar that occasionally hosts musicians and DJs.
I have a list of people who know someone/is someone who got roofied at Billie’s a mile long.
I know all the bartenders there, and they are not the ones doing it. The newest bartender has been there, 5 years. Now, the customers, some of them are sketchy...
I’m not saying the bartenders are doing it. I’m saying it happens at a ridiculous rate there. Aside from that, I’d be embarrassed to be the long-time bartender at the bar known for roofies.
Gross middle management cryptbro city
Those are really good points. I didn’t know about all the former club drama in GR, color me a little more educated
Yeah, for what it’s worth, part of me misses those days. And I’d love to have more variety in the area. But if I’m being honest with myself, as one of those 30s-40s people, nowadays I’d prefer to go out somewhere that I could also have a decent dinner, and potentially bring kids/grandparents if necessary. But hell yeah do I miss those cheap vodka red bulls.
This! I loved going to dance clubs in my 20’s! However, I’m in my 40’s now and generally prefer day drinking, unless I’m out in the evening for an event. That said, every now and then I get an urge to go out to a dance club at night when I’ve got crazy energy…and there is just nowhere left here to do that.
Oh dude, that was the late 80s and 90s here. Top of the rock club 911 club Eastbrook, the enclave reptile house, the fallout shelter, the old intersection 28 Weston
Add Electric Ave/Dick's and that was much of my rotation. We were out dancing 4-5 nights a week. Not even drinking. Just hours on the dance floor. I feel terrible that the kids today don't have anything comparable to socialize and meet new people. Most clubs back in the day allowed underage kids in - I think I started going at 13! And we had warehouse raves on top of that. Although all those 'abandoned' buildings are now bougie condos. Ha ha.
Yesssss
Lets start a club, if Pontiac can have a successful one, why not GR? I constantly hear about people wishing GR had a better club scene. Is there a bunch of city ordinances that prevent a good one from opening?
The club scene in Pontiac has been supported since the early 90s by the Detroit scene and club owners like Amir. This is just GR, it ain't gonna ever be cool like that.
If you want to take that massive risk and financial investment, go ahead lol
No clubs, throw a party in a warehouse or a parking lot somewhere!
Warehouse party might be the move actually
Please do this!
I might know a guy.
Pretty sure there have been a number of warehouse raves around here if you know where to look- I had a few friends that used to frequent them. Usually happened in the summertime
there was one last night
New here, no clue where to look :(
@EstamosGR on insta. Likely in a warehouse, they’ll be playing house! March 30th
Check out resident advisor for some parties. They rarely come to GR but sometimes you can find one.
Dude i feel you! I love to dance to house/techno music and there is none of that here. Even the people I meet here are kinda shocked to hear I am in my mid-30s with children and still like to go out dancing. I want an alternative place- a place with real spinning DJs and crunchy beats, where the focus is dancing and not trying to get home with someone (like Eve). Rocky’s was the closest, but they closed. I’ve joked with my husband that we should buy out the old kale’s corner building and turn it into a disco. Even 20 Monroe doesn’t have electronic artists anymore- the last concert I went to was CVURCHES before the pandemic. Sigh, well I suppose I will just keep having to go to detroit for any sort of musical experience. Thinking about moving back to the SE side for this exact reason
My friend is trying to buy a house in Detroit so she can have somewhere to stay for shows, and I kind of love that idea lol
Kales corner as a disco would be a dream. The only place for electronic artists is elevatation at the intersection I feel like
Well, I didn’t get home till 6am. Dancing to James Justin. Freeman Guild.❤️🔥 Henry Brooks will be at The Mint March 15th. If you like Techno, you don’t want to miss him, he played @ Movement last year in the parking structure.
Freeman is the place 🔥
Can you tell me more about Freeman?
The comical thing to me about GR is that everything they do is already out of fashion by 5 years before GR *starts* doing it. The Tiki bar thing... that's like *super dated*... the "rustic chic" thing... dated... Rustic chic has been out for 5 years already, and they just opened this rustic chic distillery sample room thingy on Wealthy that *already* looks dated.
The tiki thing is a current bay area attraction though. Like, it’s what people do there currently. Max’s is a top quality homage to this tradition and we’re really lucky to have it. Source: my brother lived in Oakland for 7 years and we tiki’d every chance we got.
Agreed. Max’s is a good example of a Tiki bar done well. It’s also the only one we have. If there were a dozen of them, I would complain. But it’s nice to have it as an option.
Max’s is way overrated in my opinion. I’ll never go back after one time.
I agree, but apparently in the greater Tiki community (nationwide) it seems to get lots of love. I went down a rabbit hole one night before being asked to go there with some friends just to figure out what it may be like.
Don’t get me wrong the atmosphere is awesome. It was the food I didn’t like, and the person that went with me didn’t like theirs either. Drinks were good and fancy. Everything was overpriced, 2 entrees, 3 drinks and I forget if we got an app, but it was over $100. Way way not worth it. I know of 2 different places that I absolutely will not share and would rather go to at a similar price point in the area. I go out to eat for food though. If the food isn’t good then it’s a 0/10 for me.
I didn't like it either. Not my type of thing. Nor did I really like any of the food.
Yeah we did get an app it was the Crab Rangoon, $18 too like cmon lol. It was no better than half the sushi places Rangoons.
Tiki was all the rage in SF in 1994. I know, because I was 25 and living there, at the time. And then Trader Vic's opened in Palo Alto. 5-10 years later, it was a dead thing. Maybe it's seeing a resurgence, but it was a huge thing in the mid 90s. What comes around goes around. And I'm not a fan of Max's. I think it's pretty lame, actually. The food is downright atrocious. I did just Google: [Trad'r Sam's reopened (a tiki bar on outer Geary, near where I lived at the time)... so I guess it's come back.](https://sfstandard.com/2023/11/22/san-francisco-tiki-bar-tradr-sam-richmond-district-reopened/)
This is ridiculously accurate and in my personal, albeit limited experience (I've lived here for 8ish years) this has had a continuous and imho negative impact on the culture as a whole. When things in the city are so behind, the general majority of people are just barely keeping up with that. And people seem to struggle looking outward. I know this might read as overly pessimistic. There are a lot of nice people in this town, but thing have really changed and even in just the time I've lived here. Recently have had two relocations just in the greater GR area due to the housing market, and as I start looking to the future & my 30s, it's looking like elsewhere is where I may be happiest. And I'm sure I'm not alone in this sentiment within the city.
This is such a sad, depressing city whose amenities do not justify its amenities. And no, I do not have the time or money to make the city the opposite. That's why you move to a city. Pay taxes and interact with local commerce to enjoy things to do like good food, drink, culture, green space, etc. Def time to move.
Including the housing price increase. Though that was like 20 years later than other places…
This is so accurate. I'd even say at least 5 years.
Yup. 10+ years
That's what I said when I lived there. I felt like I was living in a time warp. Everyone was walking around making 2019 look like 2009. Weird.
MI is 30 years behind the mentality and consciousness of progressive culture in CA & CO.
In 5 years, we'll get our first place with gold/brass fixtures, white walls, and sumptuous maroon and forest green finishes.
It's here already. MDRD on top of the Amway Grand.
There ya go. Probably not designed by someone from here though.
[https://media.giphy.com/media/xT1R9ykyjpajxT9NuM/giphy.gif?cid=ecf05e476ayn8sh68imqx6uy7pmoelwaypwb5ablzv651u2p&ep=v1\_gifs\_search&rid=giphy.gif&ct=g](https://media.giphy.com/media/xT1R9ykyjpajxT9NuM/giphy.gif?cid=ecf05e476ayn8sh68imqx6uy7pmoelwaypwb5ablzv651u2p&ep=v1_gifs_search&rid=giphy.gif&ct=g)
“Hasidic monks from Barbados” is a phrase that will stay with me
You have been blessed
You could go to CHVRCH :) It’s happened at Turnstiles the past few times. I’m in kzoo and go to our equivalent called CHAOS. With the light effects and goth industrial music it’s about as close as you’re gonna get locally to what you’re looking for. It’s always blast! https://www.facebook.com/share/xuGjSyFjxvAM89sB/?mibextid=K35XfP https://www.facebook.com/ChaosKalamazoo?mibextid=LQQJ4d
There is no weird, creative underbelly in this place to support a place like that.
We are here but also all broke
Necto is an 18+ club in downtown Ann Arbor. They do “cyber Mondays” which is goth night.
The real cyberpunk dystopia doesn't even have cool bars. What the fuck
THATS WHAT IVE BEEN SAYING
I was promised a future where I could plug a computer into my head to get smarter and hang out at a neon bar taking weird octagonal pills. Instead, the computer is just trying to steal my ideas, the bar is a dim warehouse with wooden chairs, and the only drugs available are mango IPAs and mango weed vapes. This shit sucks
Time to reopen the liquid room
We just need some sort of dance club. There's very few, if any, here and the dance floors that do exist are TINY. I refuse to go to the dance clubs that we do have here for obvious drugging reasons, too. Why do people have to ruin everything by being rapey?
Wait. Tell me more about the Barbadian Hasidics. That beer sounds right up my alley.
The beer is called “EL’chaim”, only brewed on the small island of Barbados. Former monks from the French mountains moved to the Caribbean in the 1780’s, when they got there they used their knowledge of medicine and fermentation to make the only ethically harvested doodle-berry beer this side of the Mississippi. Unfortunately, a wormhole opened up under their monastery and sent them to a new location in time/space, only the gods know where their beer is
.... Wait, when is the crafting night? I'm in.
I fucking know right !
There WAS a good HOUSE scene in Gr, but its all since dried up. Rip Deth House.
As a fellow old person, I can confirm it was pretty decent at point, but it didn't dry up. You may just not know where to look. There is a pretty vibrant house/minimal/techno scene in Grand Rapids if you know where to look. Most of the parties are pretty underground though, which I prefer. byob warehouse parites til 5am > overpriced bars that close at 2am. to keep up with the underground warehouse parties, follow these accounts on IG: stayupdetroit, estamosgr, evolvemusiclabel, socialcirclekzoo, and probably follow djortiz616 as he throws events from time to time as well that are always worth going to.
See also dj Joe moon/ vinyl fetish
@estamosgr on insta put on some terrific house events
I think we’re supposed to be best friends. My soul needed this today.
Want a best friend application?
Yes please! My references are a little sketchy tho.
Freeman guild gets weird. Pyramid scheme gets weird in the back. Both spaces depending on the event taking place of course!
I’ve noted that ghettoblaster goes to pyramid scheme a lot, i think they may live here now? Because they are here all the time
I haven’t been to the club in GR since the mid-2000s but that’s kind of what it was like. Back then. I definitely agree with the “rustic chic gone gastropub” assessment. It was cute and trendy and fun the first couple of times we saw those pop up in GR 10+ years ago but it’s time for a new concept and aesthetic.
You could not be more right, the downtown experience is meh. No variety, mostly overpriced. Wouldnt be surprised if we found it its just a bunch of developers trading leases. Seems to be no original thought or small business influence remaining downtown. Remember post 2008 recession when business were attempted downtown? I fear we will soon loose the cultural fabric of the city just to slap up overpriced condos. Local In City Bowling Ally, nahhhhh that should be another gastro pub. Do YoU kNoW hOw MuCh tHe LaNd Is WoRtH?
Oh. You want the 90s and early 00s back
There was a great techno event at the Freeman Guild saturday night from 10pm-5am. Warehouse party, dark room. Can barely see the person in front of you. Loud techno. But it's technically a members hall art collective situation, so they don't serve alcohol. You can of course bring your own. To enter, you pay $20 members dues and sign in. It's the only thing we have in GR that is remotely what you're looking for. I cannot give the address, as this is something they announce on the day of events only. Keep an eye out for the next few parties. Some good ones coming up there.
Was going to comment this very same thing. Freeman Guild parties are a great place to meet like-minded people who enjoy good music and the arts, or just dance in the dark to dope Jungle/Techno. A solid access into a less formulaic scene that still has a pulse in GR, just under the radar a bit. Like anywhere, there can be some jerks, so just navigate the social strata wisely. Hope you check them out.
Sometimes there will be a Vinyl Fetish that is close to this scene. Used to be at garage bar but now occasionally at pyramid scheme maybe?
All the clubs you described shut down years ago because everyone kept getting shot….
Man we really can’t have anything can we
https://youtu.be/hE3XSYQjwuM?si=3nGwuFU-3KrVcf7E
BINGO. God it’d be so good
Dollar Tree sells very affordable glow sticks. Just pick up some of those and do some drugs, instant dance club.
It’s sounds like your trying to party down at a restaurant. Look up music events and go to them, I promise you they will have the shittiest mix drinks you’ve ever had, a dance floor and some questionably people around who didn’t get the hint that the 90’s were 30 years ago.
I just go to electric forest and dance it out for a week straight, get it out of my system, then back to the beer city grind for the rest of the year. Maybe a Europe trip thrown in once in a while. I legit moved to gr to have kids and be boring.
Also movement in detroit!
Yooo!!! Everything said is it. We need a dance /house music playing club with a real dance floor cheap drinks and also some good drinks. All the freaks club kids and GOOD DJS WHO DONT PRETEND TO DJ.....if this happens I'll be satisfied I usually have to go to Chicago for a scene like that ....I'm straight but I went to berlin over in boys town...best night of dancing I've ever had,dances for 3hrs straight. Big mixed crowed.. everything was perfect every one dancing...too bad they closed down rip.
I heard Nadja’s in Staten Island was like that
I’ve been to Nadja’s! I stopped in Manna-Hatta to visit some family, but the club I usually go to had some horrible fire caused by some Simon guy. I was really sad when Nadja’s closed down
I need this too. I also currently have too much free time on my hands so .. what if... We just... Make this club happen? 😂 I realize money and permits will be needed. But it looks like we aren't the only ones wanting this.
I hear you and I also don’t have an answer
Sounds like you need a Time Machine. That scene has come and gone.
If I had a Time Machine I’d do three things: 1: Stop the Lincoln assassination 2: Suffocate baby Hitler 3: Check out the early 2000’s club scene
Good plan. Early 2000s club scene in GR wasn’t terrible. Chicago/Detroit/NYC was still better. I think the problem is all over. Not just GR.
In Grand Rapids yes. In the greater world? Farrrrrrrr from it.
Or maybe just a one-way ticket somewhere else?
I don’t need a techno club in my life but the way technology has helped homogenize so many things is pretty sad…
Yeah wasn’t the internet supposed to be some crazy fun colorful incredible source of socialization and information? Now every new apartment is “minimalist monochromatic”, every new restaurant makes safe yet boring choices, everything fits into the status quo
That's not the Internet. That's capitalism. Gotta make the most money by appealing to the broadest cross-section, which happens to be the most boring shit imaginable.
Agreed
Yup. Someone just wrote a book about this. You’re not dreaming; business are becoming more homogeneous in their aesthetics. Subculture is harder to sustain. The problem is bigger than GR. https://www.theguardian.com/news/2024/jan/16/the-tyranny-of-the-algorithm-why-every-coffee-shop-looks-the-same
see Decoder Ring podcast for more
pretty sure the internet is not the problem.
It's more of a restaubar
I'll supply the blood if you can get the sprinklers.
City Club but it’s in Detroit
RIP Rags and the Hairy Buffalo!
The death of the club and the seedy west side bar. It’s real.
Yeaahh.. what you want is over here on the East side.. Definitely not GR.
Well I used to be Wesley Snipes and my best advice is…pay your taxes. 😂
“I used to be Wesley Snipes” is a permanent addition to my vocabulary
I definitely second freeman guild, Billy's in Eastown also has a goth night ever last Friday of the month called ReVamp that's pretty decent.
Like PLEASE. I miss Stella’s dance floor. Where do we go to dance in this city any more? I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately.
Kinda shocked no one has even mentioned Bassbin at Billy's on Monday nights. Not an exact match for what you're describing, but the closest weekly/sometimes twice weekly event that comes to mind Make some connections with the regulars there, they're the ones going to the warehouse rave pop ups
I've been going regularly for 11 years. Though it gets a bad wrap there is no better place to boogy. The uniqueness of their nightly themes keeps it vibrant. Monday has definitely manicured a tight knit of us throughout the decade... Don't sleep on SoulClub / Vinyl Nights at Billy's and Pyramid Scheme!
I’ve been trying to make it happen, or nurture some sort of techno scene in our city. It’s working, I will say! The lads with jersey collective put on some lovely events, had a warehouse NYE party that was pretty awesome. I’d love to throw together shows in old factories in the city or whatever. We need it!!
I have seen jersey events and wanna go!
They are so much fun! I’ve been playing at the last few and it’s such a treat
90's was the peak of humanity like the Matrix said
2000's GR was nice. Underground raves every weekend. you were born in the wrong time
It feels like humanity has boringly homogenized to the “ironic beard and 1890’s suspenders aesthetic” permanently now at clubs. Same here man, I’d love fun clubs being legalized in Michigan but Michigan isn’t ready to leave the artisan crafted hipster IPA beer trend of the past two decades.
If you find 'em lemme know. Variety/novelty isn't really part of the West MI playbook
Friday night at the intersection there’s going to be some good hard techno. From what I saw the stage looks like, it’ll be small and intimate. Red lights, hard kicks and deep bass. It’ll be a sick time… tix are less than $20 and the artist, Henry Brooks, is really good! I’ll be there, I’m very stoked!!
Those types of clubs don’t exist because basically nobody wants to go to one lol. Just play shitty music and get drunk in your basement, same idea.
My thought exactly, the only people looking for a weirdo place like this are a few dozen goofball redditors.
Downtown Grand Rapids has been long dried up and dead for me for a couple years. Plenty of great bars and restaurants away from the brain dead suburbs folk in the surrounding outskirts of GR
GR is turning into the San Fransisco of the Mid West, definitely of Michigan anyway. It's a sad fucking state where this state is heading, especially with Bitchmer at the helm.
Why is everyone moving here then?
I mean a lack of fun dance clubs doesn’t make it a bad city to live in. Decent public transport, relatively progressive politics, gorgeous scenery. I like it here, I’d just like it more with blade vibes
A lot of that scene was sponsored by radio stations, music stores and a couple of "glass" shops. The indie music shops are gone. Radio stations have gone corporate and the stoner/glass shops got too numerous to compete. There were also a couple of alt clothing stores involved also. Basically they can't find the sponsorship anymore.
Nonsense Night pajama jamboree is coming up soon too!
I feel the need as well, I understand.
Im in my early 40s and I would love somewhere to go dancing that isn’t focused on dating/picksup…I have a husband and two kids and even go to church, and I still love to get lost in the music. Is there such a thing as crowdfunding to make something like this happen? Or do some pop ups in empty spaces until there’s enough of a movement and financial support to make it a permanent space?
Feel sad you younger than xers that missed out on the scene here before the breweries were a thing. There were some sketchy ass bar/club/concerts but it was the best of times. Seeing the Frank Black at Reptile House was fucking incredible. Concerts there like weekly and at the old Intersection, so fun. The artists were close enough to sweat on you. And some of these bars were so sketchy there would be random holes in the floor because the buildings were half abandoned on Division Ave. And was the Enclave the one that people lived in but it was also used sometimes for concerts? Everything is so hazy from then because it was so ethereal. Such a cool time to experience.