JAY LUSTIG
Maxwell’s Tavern, as seen from Washington Street in 2014.
The historic Hoboken rock club Maxwell’s — which closed in 2013 but reopened in 2014, under new ownership, as Maxwell’s Tavern — is closing once again. The final show, titled “One for the Road,” will take place Feb. 10, with doors opening at 7 p.m. Bands will include Deaf Rhino, Waylaid, One Hundred Thousand, Chevonne and The Fuzz, The Jaime Rose Band, Liam Brown & The Pounds, and Wailing Denims. There will be no admission charge.
(Update: The Skullers have been added to the bill, as well.)
A message on the club’s Facebook page describes the show as “one last special night of music.” There is no word yet as to what will be happening next in the space.
Feb. 9 at 8:30 p.m., the club will present its last Open Mic Night. There will be no admission charge for this show, either.
Maxwell’s Tavern’s low-key closing is in sharp contrast to the way the club came to its prior end in 2013, with a series of high-profile shows — featuring The Feelies, Yo La Tengo, The Bongos, Titus Andronicus, Real Estate and others — and a street party on the last night.
I know that there are some who saw the new club as some kind of betrayal of Maxwell’s’ original alternative-rock intent, but I welcomed it — another venue for live music is always a good thing, in my book — and saw some good shows there, and am sad to see it close.
CONTRIBUTE TO NJARTS.NET
Since launching in September 2014, NJArts.net, a 501(c)(3) organization, has become one of the most important media outlets for the Garden State arts scene. And it has always offered its content without a subscription fee, or a paywall. Its continued existence depends on support from members of that scene, and the state’s arts lovers. Please consider making a contribution of any amount to NJArts.net via PayPal, or by sending a check made out to NJArts.net to 11 Skytop Terrace, Montclair, NJ 07043.
1 comment
The challenge with the “New Maxwell’s” was the disparaging remarks the owners made about the music history there. Particularly about the people who attended the shows. I feel had they respected the history of the fabled back room and concentrated on making the front the best restaurant possible they could have retained it’s mystique as well as provided a future for The Hoboken Sound.