The Roxy is turning 50!

For those of you unfamiliar, the The Roxy Theatre is a venue on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood, CA. Downstairs, the capacity is 550, but known to exceed that to varying degree. (ex: the Hives show). The building shares a parking lot with the Rainbow Bar & Grill and an almost modern four-story office building that housed everything from music management companies to stylists to production companies… even one I worked at.

The Roxy has an additional space above appropriately named, “On The Rox”. This is a private club that was more of a clubhouse. And this is where I landed after being in Los Angeles for only a week or so. Nic Adler was my first friend in town after we were connected by family friends, and that’s where I hung out when I first got to LA… On Sunset… At the The Roxy Theatre.

I had no idea what Sunset was, definitely nothing about the music industry, and literally no idea who anyone “was” and they treated me the same as anyone else. And that’s why this place is so special… It’s the people that make it. It’s just a building, but the people that work there and the community around it...they make it special.

I was thrown the keys to run On The Rox when I was 22 after living in LA for only 8 months. The stories from the six years that came after are wonderful, heartbreaking, hilarious and a perfect time capsule of that era. Just as Napster and streaming was coming online, the music industry had one last hurrah, and the epicenter of all of it was the Roxy.

I’ll never forget the first night I came to the club as the manager of On the Rox. I wanted to learn as much as I could about the club, the city, the community. I showed up early just as the office was wrapping for the day and a local show was getting underway. It was summer and cool, evening wind came through the windows with the smell of pizza traveling on its back from the Bow down below.

Sitting at one of the desks I pushed some wristbands over to the side and cleared a space for my notepad. Just as I looked up, Kathy got up and opened the secret wall to the secret safe room, and inside was a handwritten list of the artists that played the Roxy from the very start.

It was like I was reading a history book on music. It was surreal. I studied music my whole life, but sitting upstairs and knowing that this list was just a portion of the music that graced the stage was unreal. Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen, James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Bob Marley, it went on and on and on.

All of them came here and played their hearts out, the connection with the audience and the staff that was here. And that just- kept- happening-…and it hasn’t stopped to this day. And still, to this day, it is family owned. Nic handles things for the club that his Dad, Lou, created with his friends in the 70’s.

I think that’s a big part of why the club has endured. We wouldn’t be here today talking about a 50th anniversary if it wasn’t for the people that put years of their life and passion into this building. The staff are the heart and soul of what makes the Roxy such a special place to be. No matter who you are or where you’re from, they always make you feel like you’re at home.

So, cheers to another trip around the sun Roxy! You’re amazing and I love you. Thanks for everything. You’ve connected me to friends I’ll have for the rest of my life and easily the best stories ever.

Here’s to another 50!