Phoenix Theater
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- For the Phoenix Theatre of 17th-century London, see Cockpit Theatre.
The Phoenix Theater is an all-ages club located in Petaluma, California.
The Phoenix Theater was first built in 1896 as the Hill Opera House. Although the theater had good business, it was nearly destroyed by a fire in the early 1900s. Consequently, the theater had to be shut down. By 1925, it had been restored and opened as a movie theater. The building was purchased by California Movie Theater around 1935 and was continued to be used as such. On August 5, 1957, another fire took the roof of the building. The building was restored and renamed by the Tocchini family. The Tocchinis employed a boy named Tom Gaffey, who managed to get rehired by Ken Frankel after Ken bought the theater in 1982. Gaffey was then the theater manager. He renamed the theater the Phoenix because the building seemed to ‘rise from the ashes.’
In the early 1980s, movies continued to be shown at the theater and live music was played late at night. Bands like the Red Hot Chili Peppers and The Ramones would perform there, as well as then-local bands like Metallica, Mr. Bungle, Green Day, Primus, and AFI. Many local bands perform at the Phoenix, as well as larger acts, such as the Circle Jerks and The Distillers. Sublime played its last show at the Phoenix, and a memorial to its lead singer can be found backstage, tagged on a wall by the Long Beach All Stars.
The interior walls of the Phoenix are covered in graffiti. There are also skateboard ramps on the sides of the two walls that run perpendicular to the stage.
The number of steps from the dressing room to the stage is 3. This is usually satisfactory to national bands whose tour rider designates a certain number of stairs.
During the day, the Phoenix serves as a safe place for local kids to hang out after school. After-school tutoring as well as a free health clinic are offered a few days a week.
The Phoenix is also rumored to be haunted. Ghosts have been seen in the bathrooms, on the balcony, and in the backstage area. These sightings are rumored to be a reason why the balcony is closed and locked for most performances.
