No joke, that big ol’ place on Valencia between 18th and 19th (that used to be that hippie school the New College) is about to reopen its doors as a world-class New Orleans-themed concert venue (called Preservation Hall West) and restaurant (called the Chapel), and tickets are on sale for shows just a couple weeks away, and, boy, are these some doozies:
I kept that last one in there to show that this place won’t just be music for old folks (sorry, Elvis, but it’s true). This is big. Rock ‘n’ roll on Valencia Street in 2012. Get tickets and see the full lineup here.
Our pal TK is responsible for breaking this news btw. Here he is wondering why there hasn’t been more of a fuss:
Apparently without anyone really noticing, what appears to be a fairly major venue is going to open in the Mission relatively soon. Why isn’t this getting more coverage? I don’t know, maybe it is and I just haven’t noticed.
Read on for more commentary, an architectural rendering of the soon-to-open businesses, and some quotes from an informative Mission Local article from a couple years back.
Basically, to the reader who predicted way back in 2008 that this building would become condos: close but no cigar, buddy!
 is about to reopen its doors as a world-class New Orleans-themed concert venue (called Preservation Hall West) and restaurant (called the Chapel), and tickets are on sale for shows just a couple weeks […]</p>
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Having shows there in three weeks seems highly optimistic–if you walk by there now you can see that most of the interior is still in the plywood stage. Really excited for whenever it does open though.
All about new music venues, but what percentage of the people that will go to these kind of show will take public transit. Hopefully the will use all the new cabs that will be hitting the streets.
So much investment coming into the neighborhood – you’d never know there was an economic slowdown walking down Valencia Street.
I just walked by and peeked my head in this morning, after reading TK’s post. Parts are still 2×4 studs. There are stacks of drywall lying around. Serious undone-ness. Other parts, however, appear to be finished – dark red paint on the walls and everything, though without lighting installed (an easy job).
My guess – they’ll have enough done to start rocking, but not to start cooking.
The only thing that makes the Elvis show for “old people” is the price. Elvis rocks harder than most bullshit that’s “hipster” popular these days.
yep.
I’ve never seen an Elvis show listed anywhere that wasn’t at least $45+ (apart from Hardly Strictly). I’ll never be old enough for that. (Except for that time I paid $100 to see him do “My Aim Is True” in its entirety WITH Clover as his backing band at Great American Music Hall, which was awesome and probably worth $200.)
So, what you’re saying is Elvis isn’t worth more than $45 except when he is.
I think what Allan is saying is that he’s really young.
Not that I’m making too much fun, I will always regret that I wasn’t old enough to see him perform until 1989 (when I was 15) and he was already many years past his “angry young man” days, where he’ll always live in my imagination!
Yup. I’m bummed that it seems like lately he’s been more likely than not to do some sort of fundraiser show when in the Bay Area… It’s great that he’s trying to help various organizations raise money, but I wish he’d give a bit of thought to loyal fans who can’t afford to shell out $300 to come see him.
he did play Amoeba for free 2 or 3 years back, but I hear you.
Are you blind?
Yes. Sadly, however, the benefit is to raise money for low-income housing rather than the vision impaired.
I’m pretty sure I saw him play Hardly, Strictly Bluegrass a couple of years ago.
In the last five years that particular block has exploded. So many condos and restaurants, and now a music venue and TWO restaurants. It’s all pretty amazing actually.
I’m excited about the possibility of having good NO food though. I hope the Second Line Cafe has good po’boys and gumbo. And crawfish. And boudins. And fucking beignets!
I’ll bitch and moan about my neighborhood being full of (even more) Elvis Costello fans later.
You need to check out Boxing Room on Grove. Seriously delicious New Orleans food. Best dirty rice I’ve ever had outside the South.
http://www.boxingroom.com/menus.php
Boxing Room is like McDonalds of New Orleans food
Seen Elvis about 10 times now, this is by far the most expensive show I’ve seen. Gosh gonna have to save my pennies on this. Seems a bit excessive. (and I’ve never been further than 10 rows away!)
How blind are you people bitching about the price of the Elvis show? Do you not see that it is a BENEFIT?
That said, this is going to be incredible. And, yes, there has yet to be much press on it, but I’d expect there to be a lot once it opens. For those that don’t know, Preservation Hall in New Orleans is one of the oldest and most venerable music venues in the country. This is going to be very special.
It will be incredible. No one is accusing Elvis of unfair business practices, it is just out of some of our price ranges.
re: Expense — This is a benefit show, people.
He does it every couple of years or so, generally it has been at the GAMH. I went to the one he did there in 2010 and it was fucking amazing.
The thing is, fella, nothing in Allan’s post mentions the benefit nature of this performance — you have to click through for that — and some of us wouldn’t care because we do our charity work elsewhere.
The important thing to note is that, if you are desperate to see Elvis Costello for some reason, he will almost certainly be appearing FOR FREE that same weekend at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, as he always does.
Me, I don’t care. I saw him 2 or 3 times, in ’77 and ’78, at Mabuhay and/or On Broadway (my memory is piss-poor past 30 years) and Winterland (there’s a bootleg of that, so you can hear me NOT screaming). At Winterland, he dissed the radio station (KSAN) that was responsible for generating his ticket sales, in the interest of promoting his song, “Radio Radio”. Thanks a bunch, Elvis, for shitting where you eat, and biting the hand that fed you — can’t say you didn’t warn us.
Aside from where it says “benefit,” of course.
AH-HA! — missed that in the pasted .png… as did several others. So change that part of my comment to ‘nothing in Allan’s comments on his re-post mentions the benefit nature of this performance’. Guess that should fix it!
Meanwhile, I’ll continue to send my charity donations directly to places where I think they belong.
PS: People, if you’re really hot to see:
Robert Earl Keen, Glen Hansard, Justin Townes Earle, The Knitters, Dwight Yoakam, Rubblebucket, Heartless Bastards, O’Brien Party of 7, Little Green Cars, Walter Salas-Humara, Les Claypool Duo De Twang, Poor Man’s Whiskey (Friday morning middle school program), Jonny Two Bags & Salvation Town, ALO, The Go to Hell Man Clan with Special Guests the Wronglers featuring Jimmie Dale Gilmore, The Flatlanders featuring Joe Ely, Jimmie Dale Gilmore & Butch Hancock, Reckless Kelly, Sara Watkins, Reignwölf, Dry Branch Fire Squad, World Famous Headliners (Big Al Anderson, Shawn Camp, Pat McLaughlin, Michael Rhodes & Greg Morrow), Tiny Television, The New Orleans Bingo! Show, Patti Smith and her band, The Time Jumpers (Vince Gill, Dennis Crouch, Paul Franklin, Larry Franklin, Andy Reiss, Dawn Sears, Kenneth Sears, Joe Spivey, Jeff Taylor & Billy Thomas), Preservation Hall Jazz Band (Friday morning middle school program), Boz Scaggs: Tribute to Doug Sahm, Seasick Steve, Red Baraat, Giant Giant Sand, The Lumineers, Buddy Miller, Moonalice, Kieran Kane, Kevin Welch & Fats Kaplin, Roger Knox and the Pine Valley Cosmonauts , Chuck Mead & His Grassy Knoll Boys, Elvis Costello Solo, The Barr Brothers, Jesse Winchester, Dirty Three, Tribute to the Founding Fathers: Warren Hellman, Earl Scruggs and Doc Watson, Alison Brown Quartet with Stuart Duncan, John Reilly and Friends (featuring Becky Stark and Tom Brosseau), Jim Lauderdale, Robyn Hitchcock, Peter Rowan, Dave Alvin & the Guilty Ones, Lucero, The Milk Carton Kids, The White Buffalo, The Chieftains, Bill Kirchen and Texicalli, Jon Langford & His Sadies, Guy Clark & Verlon Thompson, The Civil Wars, Son Volt, Keller Williams, Steve Kimock & Kyle Hollingsworth featuring Bernie Worell, Wally Ingram & Andy Hess, Chuck Ragan, Patty Griffin, The Trishas, The Head & the Heart, Luther Dickinson & the Wandering, Allison Moorer, Pickwick, Patterson Hood & the Downtown Rumblers, Ralph Stanley & the Clinch Mountain Boys, The Soul Rebels, Emmylou Harris, Jerry Jeff Walker, Sierra Hull, Chris Robinson Brotherhood, Cowboy Junkies, Laurie Lewis & the Right Hands, Joe Pug, The Jerry Douglas Band, Lloyd Cole, The Del McCoury Band, Chris Carrabba, Conor Brings Friends for Friday featuring: Simone Felice, Chuck Prophet & the Mission Express, Beachwood Sparks, Ben Kweller, Jenny Lewis, Conor Oberst, Steve Earle & the Dukes (and Duchesses), Todd Snider, Amanda Shaw & the Cute Guys, Nick Lowe
…for FREE, then go look at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 2012.
…with 749,999 of your closest friends.
If you’re the sort of Mission Mission reader who likes to hang out at Dolores Park on a sunny day, then that shouldn’t be a problem.
Me, I stay the hell away from the big stages, and try to catch The Knitters and anything involving Jon Langford. Oh, and if you’re a “Hee-Haw” fan, the Dry Branch Fire Squad is totally worth it.
Dunno about you, but I’m the 99%. It would cost me more to take Friday off work to see Elvis at HSB (not sure what time he’s going on Friday, but the festival runs 10-7 that day) than it would to pay to see him outside of work hours.
Oh shit, he’s playing Friday?! That means I could actually go see him! I’ll totally take a half day for that.
Preservation Hall actually threw a secret, friends-only show there about two years ago, but were keeping their plans on the DL, I think because of issues with the lease. Let me know if you want to get in touch with them for any more info on plans, etc.–they’re good friends of mine.
Hey Melissa – that’s super cool; I’ve been waiting for them to open ever since I first heard about the project last year. Do you know if they’re looking for bands? Particularly horn bands that should fit in well with the whole New Orleans thing? We’d love to play there. Have them take a look at our website (linked to my name above) and get in touch if so!
if you’ve ever been to preservation hall, “still in the plywood stage” doesn’t seem like it’ll be a problem…
Wow, that’s pretty major.
A decent music venue would be a definite plus for the new Mission.
I hope it’s more than just a Cafe du Nerd with tablecloths, but we’ll see.
Either way it’s good for the city to have more live music venues.
With all the bars and food joints, the one thing that’s sorely lacking there these days is a high end music venue. Is this the first time there’s been a stage in the Mission that’s bigger than the backroom of a dive bar?
I wonder what the noise restrictions are. Will they be able to feel the bass thump over at the 17th St cop shop?
Hard to imagine.
Actually the LAST thing the neighborhood needs is another f-ing google yuppie palace. And I thought the LAST dotcom boom hurt the hood?! This wave is annihilating it.
yeah, i live a half block from “here,” and have long enough to have seen Elvis when he was relevant. (Hint: a long time ago.)
This “new block” on Valencia is an embarrassment to what remains of the hood, and a monument to the SF Planning Depts master plan to “fix” it. Otherwise known as taking the Mission out of the Mission.
Not since they let McDonalds open on the end of Haight has there been such an epic fail to protect the character of a neighborhood.
Enjoy it if you must. The people who actually live here won’t.
I live here, and I fucking love Elvis Costello. *shrug*
Brick & Mortar Music Hall has been been a great addition to the Mission live music scene. Seen some dope bands there this past year. Really looking forward to checking out this new space on Valencia all the same.