Court Tavern

The Court Tavern is a currently shuttered live music venue and bar located in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Home to local and national acts across all genres, including punk, hip-hop, indie, and hardcore, it has stood closed at 124 Church Street since 2019.[1]

The Court Tavern
The Court
Address124 Church Street New Brunswick, New Jersey, US
LocationCorner of Church and Spring Streets
Coordinates40°29′45″N 74°26′43″W
TypeMusic venue, dive bar
Genre(s)Punk, hardcore, hip-hop and indie rock
Opened1981
Closed2019

History and venue
A band offstage at the Court Tavern in 2004. The rock and punk club opened in 1981 and its location, as of 2023, sits closed.

In 1961, Bob Albert Sr. bought the Court Tavern, then at 149 Church Street with a partner.[2] He told a reporter in 1977 that the bar dated to 1902, having operated illegally through the Prohibition era.[2] In 1981, upon being forced to move on the building of a parking deck, the tavern moved across the street to its present location.[3][4][5][6] From 1981 to 2012, the venue, run by Albert Sr. prior to his passing in 1997 alongside his son, Bobby Albert Jr., became a notable location for live music in New Brunswick.[7][8][9][10][11]

The venue ran into financial trouble,[12] and Patti Smith and her band as well as The Smithereens played a fundraiser for the venue in 2010 at the State Theatre.[13][14] Bobby Albert Jr. closed the venue in 2012. It was purchased and opened intermittenly since that year, and has sat vacant since 2019.

While DIY underground all-ages live music shows continue in the city, no live rock music venues remain open as of 2023 akin to the Court. The shuttered Court Tavern building is the last building standing following the closure of other popular New Brunswick live indie and punk rock clubs of recent decades, such as the Melody Bar, the Roxy, the Budapest Cocktail Lounge, Patrix and Bowl-o-Drome.[15]

As of 2023, the shuttered tavern is dwarfed on three sides by parking decks.[16]

Notable acts

Acts like Pavement delivered its first show at the Court, and the bar was home to touring acts like the Butthole Surfers, Mudhoney and The Jesus Lizard. During a tour stop in New Brunswick, The Replacements did an interview with MTV at the venue.[17] The Flaming Lips, Sadat X of Brand Nubian, Ween, NJ Bloodline, X and Henry Rollins also played the venue.[18]

A number of bands from New Brunswick got their start at the venue, the Smithereens considered it their home venue, and it was seminal according to a number of commentators on the New Brunswick, New Jersey music scene.[19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26]

See also

References
  1. "New Brunswick Today's Mid-Year Music Review - New Brunswick Today | New Brunswick, NJ Local News".
  2. "As NJ Music Scene Comes Back to Life, The Court Tavern Stays Silent - New Brunswick Today | New Brunswick, NJ Local News".
  3. "Marc Lanzoff, 'cantankerous doorman' at the Court Tavern in New Brunswick, has died". Courier News.
  4. "Legendary Court Tavern Doorman Reflects on 30 Years at Rock Club - New Brunswick Today | New Brunswick, NJ Local News".
  5. Jordan, Chris. "Bob Albert, former owner of the legendary Court Tavern in New Brunswick, has died". Courier News.
  6. "Notable New Brunswick Music Venue Set to Re-Open | WNYC | New York Public Radio, Podcasts, Live Streaming Radio, News". WNYC.
  7. Makin, Bob. "Something borrowed, new in New Brunswick basements". Courier News.
  8. Jersey, Tris McCall | For Inside (October 2, 2012). "Court Tavern to reopen with show by Samiam". nj.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  9. Appelstein, Mike (January 23, 2012). "Remembering The Court Tavern, New Brunswick's Storied Rock Dive". The Village Voice.
  10. "The Blases at The Court Tavern:" Playing All Night Long"" – via www.youtube.com.
  11. "New Brunswick Music Scene Archive Digital Collection | Digital Collections". collections.libraries.rutgers.edu.
  12. NJ.com, Tom Haydon | NJ Advance Media for (December 16, 2009). "Court Tavern faces a scare, but keeps rocking". nj.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  13. Jersey, Jay Lustig | For Inside (April 20, 2010). "Benefit for the Court Tavern, with Patti Smith, the Smithereens, Glen Burtnik’s Slaves of New Brunswick". nj.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  14. Jordan, Chris. "New management: The Court Tavern is our Rock and Roll Hall of Fame". Asbury Park Press.
  15. "20 Years After Its Sudden Closure, New Brunswick Still Remembers The Melody Bar - New Brunswick Today | New Brunswick, NJ Local News".
  16. Makin, Bob. "Brittney Dixon to return to New Brunswick's Court Tavern". Courier News.
  17. "The Replacements Don't Tell A Soul tour Rutgers NJ on MTV Week in Rock with Kurt Loder (1989.04.14)" – via www.youtube.com.
  18. "Makin Waves with Chris Pierce". NewJerseyStage.com. April 12, 2018.
  19. "End of An Era: The Final Years of New Brunswick's Melody Bar - New Brunswick Today | New Brunswick, NJ Local News".
  20. Jordan, Chris. "Court Tavern New Brunswick legacy: Glenn Bruden, Destroy All Bands frontman, dead at 54". Asbury Park Press.
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  22. "New Brunswick Gets Ready To Rock Again". NewJerseyStage.com. September 2, 2017.
  23. Jordan, Chris. "Court Tavern manager Brittney Dixon exits". Asbury Park Press.
  24. Jordan, Chris. "Court Tavern closing marks end of era in New Brunswick", Courier News, February 6, 2012. Accessed March 10, 2013.
  25. Chaux, Giancarlo. "New Brunswick business owner plans to reopen the court tavern", The Daily Targum, April 17, 2012
  26. Kalet, Hank. "The List: 10 Best Places to See Indie Bands in the Garden State", NJ Spotlight, July 21, 2014. Accessed January 11, 2015.
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