masquerade goes dark
For years, we here at Sticks have asked what direction Ybor City is going or should be going. No matter what steps local government take to move the district one way or another, it seems that those in favor of a quieter, family-friendly Ybor are getting some unsolicited help.
Yesterday, the Weekly Planet’s new blog announced that the Masquerade was in such a dire financial state, they could be forced to close by the time the post was published.
I’m not sure how anyone feels about Masquerade, but I’ll say I saw quite a few shows there. Some were fantastic; some were pretty dreadful, but that was rarely the fault of the venue.
What the loss of Masquerade does is provide one less venue for music acts on the plus side of alternative. I’ve been a tad out of the scene for a while, but the only other venue I know of in Tampa that consistently books similar acts is The Orpheum. But the Orpheum is pretty small, which means bigger alt acts will probably have to go to the ‘Burg at State Theatre or Jannus Landing.
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with the ‘Burg or those venues (I actually rather love Jannus), and we’re lucky to still have those places in our area. But this means that those rooting for the Disneyfication of Ybor City have one less place to worry about.
Tags: business, music, news, tampa
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February 28th, 2006 at 10:53 am
Jack at Aestheticized also books a bunch of acts at New World Brewery. I’d say maybe even more than at the Orpheum, and he’s the one that does most of the shows there.
Bands I’ve seen at The Ritz/Mazquerade: Smashing Pumpkins, Death Cab for Cutie, Common, Tool, Lie and who the heck knows who else. Ybor and Tampa have lost a great venue:-/
February 28th, 2006 at 11:01 am
Wow. I’ve been playing Ybor for 12 years and the change that has occurred is unreal. The noise police make it so difficult for these clubs to sustain any kind of profitable existence. I know Masquerade has gotten some bad press lately, but it is sad to see Ybor’s once vibrant music scene now a nail away from 6 feet under.
February 28th, 2006 at 11:24 am
I agree on the NWB thing. There are a few promoters who book bands through there, and no matter how pissed off I get when I show up thinking I can just play darts or chill out instead of being rocked, I really respect that those guys provide a venue for local and semi-regional acts.
Some of my favorite Ritz/Masquerade shows: Barenaked Ladies, Sarah McLachlan, GWAR, Danzig, Genitorturers, Pigface …
February 28th, 2006 at 11:29 am
Almost all the bars in Ybor are already techno dance crap music. The 30 something crowd has no where to go (except Blue Shark when JGLB plays!), now the one bar that had everything from Flock of Seagulls perform to Smashing Pumpkins, plus the local bands is gone. You are right Disney Ybor here we come, but trust me the money wont be the same and the tourist wont be the same, dollars speaking!
February 28th, 2006 at 11:45 am
This is really unfortunate. The number of establishments in Ybor I enjoy going to continues to decrease. More and more, I think about moving to St. Pete. (I can’t afford it, but I keep thinking about it anyway.)
February 28th, 2006 at 12:44 pm
BOO! Stay in Tampa, Tim. Be part of the solution, not the problem!
February 28th, 2006 at 1:23 pm
You say Disney like that’s a bad thing…lol.
February 28th, 2006 at 3:01 pm
This breaks my heart. I used to be a regular at Masquerade way back in the old days - the late 1980s and early 1990s. I’d get kicked out for drinking underage and then my friends would bring me the little tiny hot dogs they served while I hung out and talked to the bouncers. It has since changed and moved to a different location, but remained an landmark institution reminding us of a time when there were no street lights in Ybor City - just a couple of clubs (saw Suicidal Tendencies at the Cuban Club? - was that the name of that basement hotspot?) and lots of misunderstood kids. El Goya then Tracks now this.
So very sad…
February 28th, 2006 at 5:14 pm
Yup, I knew I made the right choice. C’mon over, Tim. A year ago, I would have balked, but, yeah, The Other Side is better. Who knew?
February 28th, 2006 at 5:22 pm
Sandy - I noticed a couple of comments from you about frequent negative remarks about Disney. While I personally can’t stand the place, I was not using the term “Disneyfication” in an automatically negative way. I do think it’s a negative that the city feels it needs to clean up Ybor City, the one place adults can visit with a great certainty that they won’t be surrounded by rugrats.
It’s absolutely not a coincidence that the two biggest party cities in the South, Miami and New Orleans, have hosted more Super Bowls than anyone else. Adult entertainment (not just strip clubs - we’ve got plenty of those, and I doubt they’re going anywhere despire Ronda’s best efforts) is every bit as big a revenue source as family entertainment.
Heck, I’m not naive enough to forget how much money Disney brings into our state. Hooray for no state income tax!
February 28th, 2006 at 5:54 pm
That is ubelieveable. I’m shocked beyond words. The old Ritz was where I saw some of my first concerts as a teen. It was, to me, the epicenter of Ybor nightlife. Then, the original Masquerade (where Empire is now) was the first Dance club I ever set foot in. I remember being worried when Masquerade bought Ritz that they would stop having good shows, but they kept the torch burning strong, and I have always considered it one of my favorite venues. I have seen so many shows there… Death, Testament, Obituary, Pansy Division, White Zombie (on their first tour, before they were “discovered”, Danzig, several Tampa Bay Metal Awards, Godsmack….
I wholeheartedly agree that the scene currently in St Pete is much better. St Pete has had a nice underground/alternative/arts/punk scene going on for many years now.
But I must ask… for how much longer? Ybor is dead. Greedy landlords killed it for the most part. How much longer before that happens to St Pete? If and when it does, where will the scene move? Will we be relegated to the outskirts of town in dives like the Brass Mug (not knocking the Mug, it’s a great place), or other joints in seedy run down strip-malls? That won’t be cool, because the scene will lose focus. If everything spreads out, there will no longer be a central place to gather.
I mourn the loss of the Masquerade, and I truly hope someone stepps in and buys it who will keep it cool, and not try to mainstream and yuppify it. But the way things are going these days, we are more likely to see it turned into condos.
February 28th, 2006 at 9:28 pm
I heard about this last night from a friend. Although, I never saw any fantastic shows at the Masq, it’s still a sad day for Ybor. I feel like the Masq was a staple there and sort of an anchor for Seventh Ave.
February 28th, 2006 at 10:07 pm
Sad indeed.
More people should get active and show up at city council meetings to voice their discontent with how things are developing in Tampa. If the council (through draconian noise and other ordinances) is making it too difficult for businesses like the Masq to survive, then they need to know that they won’t be getting our votes next time an election comes around. If you don’t like the way things are unfolding, fight the power. You’d be amazed how policies change once a council feels some political heat.
It’s easy to say that it’s too late - that Ybor has become Disney World. Instead, work out a plan to show people with influence that we have an alternative vision to gentrification and the sterilization of an arts district that comes with “family-friendly” development.
March 3rd, 2006 at 8:40 pm
MASQUERADE’S END…
And speaking of Ybor City, I recently got word that one of its long-time institutions, The Masquerade, has abruptly gone out of business.
Perhaps fittingly, a crappy-looking MySpace page replaces it. As for the actual physical location, I’m sur…