live music
KNOW YOUR VENUE
Roseland Theater Burnside Street began, the building was forced to sacrifice some square footage, and a balcony was added to replace lost seats. What clearly distinguished this building though was the massive three-tier sign that electrified a star and the declaration: “Jesus The Light Of The World.” The sign came down when the building was sold to Larry Hurwitz in 1981. In 1982 he opened a nightclub called Starry Night. During its 9-year stint, the venue’s stage saw the likes of Nu Shooz, Metallica, Blue Oyster Cult, The Beastie Boys, and The Red Hot Chili Peppers. With a maximum capacity of around 1,000, the venue was well known for its sell-out crowds in the '80s. The start of a new decade brought about new management for the building when it was sold to Double Tee Concerts in 1991, and Starry Night officially became known as The Roseland. Owner David Leiken set out with the goal of having arena level production in a smaller venue, and the past 20 years have brought about renovations in the sound system, dressing rooms, lighting equipment and even a new roof. The idea in mind behind many updates was that happy artists prompt happy crowds. The Roseland does not restrict shows to the 21+ crowd, but does manage Peter’s Room, the full restaurant and bar located on the bottom
Photo by Mercy McNab
M
floor of the premises. On occasion, this room will host its own small-scale shows, making use
arked with the vertical blue-lit sign on the
of its 4-foot tall stage and 400-person capacity. During shows
corner of NW 6th Ave and Burnside, stands
hosted just upstairs, Peter’s Room remains open and streams
the Roseland Theater. Appropriately
the live concert on screens for free to customers.
named in the City of Roses, the venue hosts from 150 to 175 acts per year and
As a standing room only venue, with the balcony seats reserved for patrons over 21 years of age, The Roseland
has become a staple in the Portland concert scene under the
regularly sells out with a crowd of 1,400 people. These sell
present ownership of Double Tee Concerts. Prior to its current
outs occur across the entire genre spectrum and have been
management, the establishment changed hands a couple
consistent throughout the venue’s 24 years. Some of the most
times, but its history begins with some old time religion.
notable acts include Prince, Bob Dylan, The Grateful Dead, and
Originally built in 1922, it was used as headquarters for
B.B. King. Today the acts vary from rock to cage fighting, to
the Apostolic Faith Church of Portland. Storerooms made up
electronic, a genre the venue just could not ignore. If one thing
the bottom floor (hat shop included) while the top floor was
is to remain constant for the venue, it’s that some of the top
meant as a place of worship and could hold up to a 70-piece
grossing names in the business can be expected to roll through
orchestra complete with choir. When construction on
at The Roseland. » - Gina Pieracci
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