A concert hall on the Southside of Fort Worth is closing its doors: Principal on the south sidewhich was a popular place to see local musicians, comedians and other performers, is closing after five years.
Its final date will be September 23, with a show featuring Royal Sons, North By North and Summit Valley.
The venue called it “sad news” and thanked the bands, fans, artists and patrons who supported them during their opening, saying “this venue has existed because of you, and we will be with you forever.” grateful”.
“MASS” was opened in 2017 by a big group which included musicians, people from the music industry and owners of other bars, who were inspired to open a place in the neighborhood that would host live music for local acts, and also provide a voice to performers.
They found space at 1002 S. Main St., which had housed a string of clubs, most recently El Remy, and before that Club Konection and Copa Cabana. It’s a nice little building that contains 200 vertices.
While there was a large group behind it, the two running the daily were Alan Brown, who handled booking, and Ryan Riggs, who was previously involved with Lola’s Saloon and the Impala, and who served as managing partner .
They maintained a busy show schedule, hosting music three to four nights a week, often four bands every night, as well as songwriters, open-mic nights, comedy and the occasional festival – eventually becoming a champion local arts by providing a platform for artists of all persuasions.
“So many bands, artists and creatives love, respect and support Main at South Side”, said an ardent fan. “Thank you for supporting artists, musicians and creatives like all of you have. This venue has kept Fort Worth’s music scene vibrant and alive against so many odds.”
Brown blames the lifestyle changes brought about as a result of the pandemic as a factor in their closure.
“It’s always tough for indie venues focused on local music, and COVID certainly hasn’t helped,” he says. “But we’ve provided a great space for artists to express themselves for five years, and we’re all very proud of that.”
The decision to close was a bit sudden. The venue still has shows that were confirmed past their September 23 closing date, but they are finding new homes for those shows.
“We are working with some of the other major venues in Fort Worth to see if we can move your shows, as we have never been a supporter of cancellation,” the club said.
Caught in the shrapnel of the closure is Dreamy Life Records and Music, a Fort Worth record company and store owned by owner Cameron Smith that was housed inside the club; they will also close on September 23.
“Dreamy Life Records will continue our journey as we began, as a label dedicated to creating and sharing vital music from North Texas and beyond, but after 8 years and four different stores, we believe the time to close this chapter of our small legacy, but our story won’t end there,” Smith sworn.
Near Southside’s Facebook page called Smith and the Dreamy Life crew “a staple of the Fort Worth music scene for a decade, unmistakably the Southside sound”.
“As they move away from a formal record store presence, we know their advocacy for local music and musicians continues in many other ways,” they said. said. “You can support them by showing up for sale when a date is announced to bring home CDs, tapes, records and posters of some of the Near Southside’s most accomplished musicians and dreamers. Our sincere thanks to this team for their many contributions to Near Southside culture over the years.
Comments are closed.