east valley
Volume 3 Issue 35 Mesa, AZ
March 14, 2021
Club Red hopes to reopen in a similar space BY ALEX GALLAGHER Tribune Staff Writer
A
IN THE BIZ
fter 15 years of hosting concerts and events, Club Red closed the curtains and its location on University Drive. Club Red co-owner Paul Benson, however, is on the hunt for a new space to call Club Red and he has other business ventures in mind. Benson has been with the company for 13 years and went from an audio intern to co-owner in 2017, two years after the death of original proprietor Kim Commons. Prior to the pandemic, Club Red averaged about 26 to 28 shows per month. That number dropped to eight shows from March to December of 2020, Benson said. “Once stuff started shutting down, we wanted to do everything we could do the right way,” Benson added. “We installed medical-grade �ilters in our air conditioners. We installed ionizers. We put hand sanitizers everywhere. We really did everything we possibly could do to meet the standards to remain open, but we never got the permission to do it.” Benson is frustrated by this. “Unfortunately, with a business like ours, as soon as the government gives us the OK to reopen, it takes four to six weeks to put anything together,” Benson said. “Often, by the time we would hit that four- to six-week period where we had a show planned, we had to cancel it because we were shut back down again.” Club Red staff hoped they would function best by having smaller shows in their larger room. “We completely shut down the small Public Notices ............... page 2 © Copyright, 2021 East Valley Tribune
room because it wasn’t a viable option,” Benson said “We were going to put all of our events in the larger room, even if they were smaller events, so that people would be able to responsibly social distance themselves.” Then Benson had an epiphany. “We realistically have no idea when live music is going to be able to come back to the real market,” Benson said. “Instead of paying another year’s worth of bills, we knew we could build something better in the future and we’d rather do that then sit with an empty building for another year.” The last major show Club Red hosted, Benson said, was by the English speed metal band DragonForce on March 5, 2020. The last show was the local metal group Scylla on March 23, 2020. Local musicians took Club Red’s closure hard. Kenny Barton of As Thick as Thieves and Note to Self said he is mourning the loss of Club Red. “Honestly, it was like hearing of a good friend passing away,” Barton said. “It just felt sad and then I immediately started reminiscing about all the shows I’ve played there and all the other amazing musicians I’ve shared the stage with there.” Barton played his �irst show at Club Red in 2015 when As Thick as Thieves released its �irst EP. He was a regular at the venue since then. Joey Lawler, also known as rapper Yung Joey, hit the stage there in 2015. “Playing at Club Red was surreal,” Lawler said. “Just knowing that I was on the same stage as so many artists that I’ve seen perform there and looked up to was something I’ll never forget.” He said his fondest memory was �ighting his way through a crowd at a Vince Staples (USPS 004-616) is published weekly
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show so he could see the suede on the rapper’s shoes. Jacob Coleman is the drummer in the metal band Outsiders, who played their �irst show at the venue in December 2017. He was thrilled to open for The Word Alive and Miss May I at Club Red. “It was a huge deal to me because those were both of the �irst bands that I had listened to that got me into metalcore,” said Coleman, who has a Miss May I tattoo. “Getting to open up for some of my biggest in�luences from when I was younger was awesome. “When I think of Club Red, I think of what it means to be a part of the community in Arizona. When you are at a show, you’re with family. That feeling is something I miss so much.” It wasn’t easy for Benson to break the news to his 40-person staff, either. To celebrate the club’s legacy, he hosted a barbecue at the venue for employees. Benson said he hopes it is not a permanent farewell to the Club Red brand. He is hopeful he will �ind a similar space with two stages and two rooms with a 350- and 750-person capacities. Benson also has another business venture he’s excited about — the food truck Red Owl Burgers and Brews. “Our current venture is to take the food truck that we’ve had the past couple of years and start moving it around town,” Benson said. Benson also hopes to open a brick and mortar where he could host release parties or comedy shows. “We’re going to get the food truck out in about a month and we’re looking forward to getting around town and feeding hungry people,” Benson said. Subscriptions are $26 for 2 years, $14 for one year. Periodicals postage paid at Phoenix, AZ 85026.
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