The Main Point

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Main Point was a small coffeehouse venue on Lancaster Ave. in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. The venue was famous for its small intimate atmosphere. It hosted such notable musicians as: James Taylor, Bruce Springsteen, John Prine, Livingston Taylor, Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne, Billy Joel, Linda Ronstadt, Dan Fogelberg, Jim Croce, Cat Stevens, Jonathan Edwards, Deodato, Bill Withers, Arlo Guthrie, Don McLean, Joni Mitchell, and other notable musicians.

1 History
2 The Point
3 Concerts
4 References

[edit] History

The Main Point was formed in 1964 by Jeanette Campbell as a small folk based coffeehouse venue. The venue was popular among both musicians and listeners. Dan Fogelberg cited the venue as one of his two favorite places to perform^[1]. The venue was popular for not only its music, but also for its homemade food and homebaked goods. The venue constantly ran into financial troubles related to its intimate size (ironically, its size was what made it so popular). Musicians gave benefit concerts for the coffeehouse to help it out of its financial straits. These concerts were broadcasted over the local progressive rock radio station WMMR, and many well known bootleg recordings have been made. The Main Point finally closed its doors in 1981.

[edit] The Point

The Point, the successor to The Main Point was opened several doors down from the original Main Point in 1998. The Point lost it's lease and had to close its doors in 2005. The Point Entertainment company continues to book shows around the greater Philadelphia area. They will be producing the Philadelphia Folk Festival in 2008.

[edit] Concerts

All of the concerts are fondly remembered by those who attended, if not for the music, for the delicious food, but one particular concert is considered to be the most notable/well-known concert. On February 5, 1975, Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band Played at The Main Point in what would be considered a legendary concert. Springsteen played for 160 mins, played epic versions of New York City Serenade, and For You. The concert also touts the first live performance of Thunder Road, listed as its earlier name, Wings for Wheels. The concert was given as a benefit, broadcasted over WMMR, and moderated by Ed Sciaky.