Blind Pig (venue)
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| The Blind Pig | ||
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 The Blind Pig's logo |
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| Location(s) | 208 S. First Street Ann Arbor, MI | |
| Years active | 1971 - present | |
| Capacity | 400 | |
| Website | www.blindpigmusic.com | |
The Blind Pig is a music venue in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The name comes from a slang term used to refer to police officers who had been bribed to ignore illegal speakeasy establishments in the days of prohibition.
The club was established as a home for blues musicians, although today it books predominantly 'indie' rock acts and local groups.
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[edit] History
The Blind Pig was opened in 1971 when two students at the neighboring University of Michigan, Tom Isaia and Jerry Delgiudice, bought and renovated an abandoned furniture store. The facility was primarily a coffee shop at first, converting to a bar at night and serving relatively upscale drinks. Until the 1980s, the Blind Pig hosted almost exclusively blues acts to provide music, drawing an eclectic crowd from the surrounding area. Delgiudice started the still-functional Blind Pig Records recording label in 1975 to showcase music by many of the local blues acts who performed regularly at the club.
Isaiah and Delgiudice sold the venue in 1981 to locals Roy and Betty Goffett, who more than doubled the club's space by purchasing an adjacent building, opening the 8-Ball Saloon on the lower level and moving the stage to the more spacious top floor. The expansion made the venue more conducive to crowd-heavy rock shows, and acts such as Joan Baez, Bo Diddley and George Thorogood[1].
Since then, the Blind Pig has attracted a steady stream of up-and-coming acts, hosting shows almost every night all year round.
[edit] Trivia
- George Thorogood filmed the music video for his song "Treat Her Right" at the Blind Pig.
- The independent comedy The Four Corners of Nowhere was filmed in part in the 8-Ball Saloon, located in the basement of the venue.
- One of the venue's eccentric trademarks is an old-fashioned popcorn stand, from which patrons are permitted to help themselves to any amount of free salted popcorn at shows.
- In 1989, a then-unknown Nirvana performed at the Blind Pig to their largest audience yet. In a televised MTV interview years later, they cited the Blind Pig as their all-time favorite venue to play. A tribute to the band created by the Goffetts lines a wall by the entrance to the club.
- At a performance by California punk band The Circle Jerks, the excited crowd rioted and caused significant damage to the club's interior.
- The Blind Pig was cited as one of the primary reasons for Ann Arbor's listing as the #7 "Campus Scene That Rocks" in a 2003 RollingStone Magazine feature[2].
- Among the big name artists who performed at the Blind Pig early in their careers are 10,000 Maniacs, Everclear, Jimi Hendrix, John Lennon, Nirvana, No Doubt, Pearl Jam, R.E.M., The Rollins Band, Screaming Trees, Smashing Pumpkins, Sonic Youth, Soul Asylum, Soundgarden, Stone Temple Pilots and local acts like MC5 and Iggy Pop[3].
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- ^ Welcome to the Blind Pig
- ^ Anonymous. "Campus Scenes That Rock." Rolling Stone 20 Feb. 2003: 45-47. Chadwyck IIMP. ProQuest. 15 Mar. 2008. Keyword: "Blind Pig" "Ann Arbor".
- ^ Welcome to the Blind Pig
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