Roxy Theatre (West Hollywood)

34.090781°N 118.387993°W / 34.090781; -118.387993

The Roxy Theatre
The Roxy
The Roxy Theatre on the Sunset Strip
Address9009 W Sunset Blvd
LocationWest Hollywood, California 90069
Coordinates34.090765°N 118.388029°W / 34.090765; -118.388029
OwnerLou Adler and Nic Adler
TypeNightclub
Genre(s)Rock
Capacity500
OpenedSeptember 20, 1973[1][2]
Website
theroxy.com
Steve Morse live with the Dixie Dregs at the Roxy, August 1999
For other people and places named Roxy, see Roxy (disambiguation). For other theatres, see Roxy Theatre (disambiguation).

The Roxy Theatre (often just the Roxy) is a nightclub on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood, California, owned by Lou Adler and his son, Nic.[3]

History

The Roxy was opened on September 20, 1973,[1][2] by Elmer Valentine and Lou Adler, along with original partners David Geffen, Elliot Roberts and Peter Asher. They took over the building previously occupied by a strip club owned by Chuck Landis called the Largo. (Adler was also responsible for bringing the stage play The Rocky Horror Show to the United States, and it opened its first American run at The Roxy Theatre in 1974, before it was made into the movie The Rocky Horror Picture Show the next year.)

Neil Young and the Santa Monica Flyers (billed as Crazy Horse, a related ensemble) played the Roxy for the first three days it was open.[4] Only three months later, the Genesis lineup with Peter Gabriel played several consecutive days at the Roxy, a run that some band members and many fans consider to be amongst their finest performances (due in part, to the intimate atmosphere and good acoustics of the venue).

Paul Reubens, then a struggling comedian, introduced his Pee-wee Herman character in a raunchy revue here in 1981 that included such aspiring comics as Phil Hartman and Elayne Boosler.

Tom Eyen's hit comedy Women Behind Bars enjoyed a long extended run with such stars as Lu Leonard, Adrienne Barbeau, Sally Kellerman, and Linda Blair, and was the site of the very first AIDS benefit ever held in Los Angeles on July 27, 1983.[5]

The small On the Rox bar above the club has hosted a wide variety of debauchery in its history. The bar was a regular hangout for John Lennon, Harry Nilsson, Alice Cooper and Keith Moon during Lennon's "lost weekend" in 1973-74 and hosted parties arranged by Heidi Fleiss in the 1980s.

In January 2014, Goldenvoice became the exclusive promoter for The Roxy & ushered in a new era by bringing in big-name acts such as U2 & Foo Fighters.

Recordings and notable performances

See also

References
  1. "Attractions Set at Roxy Theater". Los Angeles Times. September 21, 1973. The Roxy Theater, which opened Thursday night with Neil Young, has confirmed eight additional attractions...
  2. Robert Hilburn (September 22, 1973). "Roxy: Pop-Rock Takes a Step Uptown". Los Angeles Times.
  3. Romano, Tricia (December 4, 2009). "Reviving the Roxy: Can the Strip Follow?". New York Times. Retrieved October 3, 2011.
  4. "Neil Young".
  5. Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "Very First L.A. AIDS Benefit--Women Behind Bars, 1983, Jean Simmons, Mamie Van Doren". YouTube.
  6. "Today: Bruce Springsteen played Roxy LA in 1978". 7 July 2013.
  7. "Frank Zappa's Roxy Performances box set planned". teamrock.com. 17 January 2018. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
  8. "Agent Orange (7) - Real Live Sound". Discogs. Retrieved 2018-01-28.
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