Nightclub "intensity": H-town with Miami, LA, NY

[worldlyman]

I know anyone can inject into Wikipedia, but I thought it was cool that H-town was in the same lump as Miami, LA and New York as being an intense nightclub town, one of the tops in the USA. I'm no expert on the topic but from my experience, I know my other recent home cities San Diego and Tampa/St. Pete ain't nothing close to Houston in terms of that.

Hmm. Maybe one of you guys did the Wikipedia entry.

http://72.14.209.104/search?q=cache:BzcJFQ...=clnk&cd=23

[Guest Sebastian De La Ghetto]

Houston clubs suck. Except Venue, that place is good. It was anyway.

I was in Toronto for work in January, now that town has some clubs.

[DJ V Lawrence]

Houston clubs suck. Except Venue, that place is good. It was anyway.

I was in Toronto for work in January, now that town has some clubs.

Downtown has a lot of potential, but it's not NEARLY as naughty as the Miami club scene. It's hard to compare when our nightlife shuts down at 2am That's gotta change, and our club owners need to take note to how wild the Miami clubbers get, and bring that to Houston with no taboo involved.

Richmond in the late 90's was on the right track before the cops started shutting it down. Downtown's clubs are not nearly as wild as Richmond's clubs once were (Blink, T-Town, etc.). Maybe Bikini Bar/Surf Shack/Hurricane Hut needs a Main Street location. And if there were a club the size and style of Hush on Main as well, it would spark things up a bit. But Houstonians love to party, and I would love to see the day where our downtown clubs didn't have that restricted feel to it.

One more thing: I was spnning in Korea for the past three years, and one idea they came up with was CLub Day...the 20 hottest clubs for 10 dollars, and prize money for the hottest clubbers. The last Saturday of every month. Why don't the clubs in downtown Houston try the same?

[PureAuteur]

I don't think the cops ruined the Richmond strip. It was mainly the area getting more dangerous, so many of the native Houstonians quit going over there, and also the music scene going downhill after it peaked around 2000. I will admit that Richmond strip was actually fun in 1999. The Roxy was always crazy with the live broadcasting and the upscale feel of the place with the trance music. You just don't have that upscale feel to clubs in Houston anymore.

By the way, wasn't there a club on Richmond in the late 90s called Shock? I never went into it, but I was wondering if it was any good.

[Guest Sebastian De La Ghetto]

1. Richmond was good in the 90's. Kaboom, sharkdance, krushbar. good times. i agree, the cops starting shutting things down after the rough crowd came in.

2. My sister lived in shanghai, and she said there were some cool clubs there, one had a promotion where they asked a movie trivia question at the door, and if you got it right, you win a free bottle of vodka!

the question on the night she visited was what movie is this from " were gonna need a bigger boat.."

she didnt know it though, shes only 24.

[tommyboy444]

I don't think the cops ruined the Richmond strip. It was mainly the area getting more dangerous, so many of the native Houstonians quit going over there, and also the music scene going downhill after it peaked around 2000. I will admit that Richmond strip was actually fun in 1999. The Roxy was always crazy with the live broadcasting and the upscale feel of the place with the trance music. You just don't have that upscale feel to clubs in Houston anymore.

By the way, wasn't there a club on Richmond in the late 90s called Shock? I never went into it, but I was wondering if it was any good.

i went to Shock once in 2000. i remember it having a really cool dance floor on the bottom floor that got super crowded. afterwards we went to gotham city nights haha. those were the first real clubs i had ever been to (i was 17 with a fake id) so i have fond memories of the places.

clubs in houston suck now. i live in austin now and everytime i come to visit my friends never know where to go. I've been meaning to check out a93(?) in midtown, but suggestions for either GOOD house music or a chill bar with good atmosphere would be appreciated.

[2112]

i went to Shock once in 2000. i remember it having a really cool dance floor on the bottom floor that got super crowded. afterwards we went to gotham city nights haha. those were the first real clubs i had ever been to (i was 17 with a fake id) so i have fond memories of the places.

clubs in houston suck now. i live in austin now and everytime i come to visit my friends never know where to go. I've been meaning to check out a93(?) in midtown, but suggestions for either GOOD house music or a chill bar with good atmosphere would be appreciated.

Austin is great if you are between the ages of 18 and 24. But there is minimal selection there for anything Jazz, and Latin Jazz is non-existent.

Edited August 18, 2006 by 2112

[MidtownCoog]

One more thing: I was spnning in Korea for the past three years, and one idea they came up with was CLub Day...the 20 hottest clubs for 10 dollars, and prize money for the hottest clubbers.

Uh. How about no?

That sounds so "Dallas". I don't think that would work in H-town.

We're just too damn gritty and not nearly glitzy enough to fall for that.

[DJ V Lawrence]

Uh. How about no?

That sounds so "Dallas". I don't think that would work in H-town.

We're just too damn gritty and not nearly glitzy enough to fall for that.

So if you had a choice of paying 10 dollars to go into one club, or 10 dollars to go into 20 clubs, which would U choose?

The system works. Clubs make most of their money on beverage sales, not at the door. And people would come in mass numbers if they knew they were getting a good bargain (plus strong advertisement prior). I didn't believe it until I saw it myself in Seoul and Daegu. People were coming from all over the country just for those nights, the streets were packed with pedestrians beyond belief, and hotels were booked up to capacity.

Main Street is the only location in Houston that could work that way. Richmond's setup could never pull it off. No sure what Dallas has done in the past, but if I could pick one night to go to the clubs in a month, I would pick that night. And I'm sure many others would as well....

[Guest Sebastian De La Ghetto]

The system works. Clubs make most of their money on beverage sales, not at the door. And people would come in mass numbers if they knew they were getting a good bargain (plus strong advertisement prior). I didn't believe it until I saw it myself in Seoul and Daegu. People were coming from all over the country just for those nights, the streets were packed with pedestrians beyond belief, and hotels were booked up to capacity.

The problem is there arent 2 clubs i'd like to visit in downtown, much less 20. The crowd in downtown these days isnt what it was 5 years ago. The only decent clubs in houston are spread out in midtown, uptown.

Edited August 18, 2006 by Sebastian De La Ghetto

[Gary]

The problem is there arent 2 clubs i'd like to visit in downtown, much less 20. The crowd in downtown these days isnt what it was 5 years ago. The only decent clubs in houston are spread out in midtown, uptown.

Well I guess that settles it then.

Did any of you consider that maybe the people of H-Town don't want what your asking for? In other words alot of us aren't into "rap", "screw", "techno" etc. In my opinion, those type of clubs come and go and leave much to be desired where artistry is concerned.

I've spent alot of time in Miami and it's club scene is hot, but it's a type of "hot" that's pandemonius which I and many of my friends find anoying after a while. In other words it lacks musical depth.

As a full time musician I can tell you that the live music scene in Houston is very hot. Also along those lines, the talent level is also very good. Sooooooo, instead of knocking the club scene in DT or anywhere else in Houston, try sinking your teeth into the many different varieties of live venues here. You might be surprised as to what you'll find.

[skwatra]

Except Venue, that place is good. It was anyway.

did venue close already?

[RedScare]

If you hang around the industry a little while, you will see that the niteclub scene is cyclical. So is the niteclub "neighborhood". In the 70s and 80s, every club worth going to was on Westheimer. In the early to mid 80s, Houston was known as one of the most competitive niteclub cities in the country. Eventually all of those clubs died out, and the Richmond strip became the hotspot. Later, Shepherd Plaza was the "in" spot. In the late 90s, Downtown began a comeback.

Not only do the club areas move around, so do the club genres. In the 70s, it was the disco craze. It was replaced by Country and Dance music, which was Disco repackaged, since everyone was down on Disco. The 90s had a bit of everything, but as the 90s closed out, rap moved in. Now, it has morphed somewhat to hip-hop, trance, etc.

The club venues move around for several reasons. One of the biggest is money. As an area becomes hot, rents skyrocket. Many clubs do not make the money that some would think. Many others have owners with poor business skills. They only make money when the club is at its peak. As attendance drops, losses rise. The clubs shut down.

Downtown has seen rents rise dramatically since its revival in the mid to late 90s. The trendy clubs came first. As the short attention spans caused the trendy crowd to move to Midtown, hip-hop was hitting its stride. Urban Downtown was a natural fit. The clubs made a change from dance music to hip-hop, many without ever closing. Mercury Room and M Bar, both Dallas-owned, transitioned to the new genre. Many others changed or opened new. It hit its peak with the new rail line and Super Bowl, then began a steady dropoff. Sales have dropped drastically. Whereas many clubs did $250,000 a month in sales in 2002, now most do $50 to $100k. As they close, other genres will take their place.

Some clubs are opening in Chinatown. As it is slower to develop, and has an edgier feel, rents are much lower than the $25-30 per square foot on Main Street. Main St. will not close, just redevelop again, likely to concepts that draw Downtown workers, residents and tourists. As such, it will be less urban, but still lively.

This the natural life cycle of clubs. There is also the human life cycle. As we age, the music hurts our ears. Clubs that I virtually lived in in the 70s or 80s, I would not set foot in in the 90s. Now, I go to bars and taverns to actually TALK to people. If a band cranks up, we leave.

It will be interesting to watch the morphing of Downtown. Personally, I think that Houston Pavillions will hasten the change, as it attracts suburban patrons. I think that many of the historic buildings will actually start playing live music, to complement House of Blues. Where the next hot club district pops up, is anyone's guess. But, my money is on Chinatown.

[Guest Sebastian De La Ghetto]

Sooooooo, instead of knocking the club scene in DT or anywhere else in Houston, try sinking your teeth into the many different varieties of live venues here. You might be surprised as to what you'll find.

You misunderstood my comment. I was referring to 'clubs'(Venue, Hue, Corridor) and how there arent enough good ones where people would pay money to club hop.

I agree, there are good live music venues in Houston, (Clarks, The Continental) but I was not referring to those.

When i go see a live band, i like to stay for the whole show, not pay 10 dollars to visit 20 different live shows in one night, get it? Thanks!

skwatra,

Venue is not closed, but I went when it first opened and it was great, plenty of room, live band and Dj. However i went back two weeks ago, and the place was crawling with pp, and there were fights breaking out. It happens. My buddy told me they raised the age to 25, so that might help keep out riff raff.

Edited August 18, 2006 by Sebastian De La Ghetto

[TheNiche]

Where the next hot club district pops up, is anyone's guess. But, my money is on Chinatown.

You mean the Chinatown east of Downtown, right? That wouldn't surprise me. All those HBS warehouses are well-suited to that kind of use, and some (close to Lofts at the Ballpark) have already been infiltrated by some funky artists.

[GREASER]

Austin is great if you are between the ages of 18 and 24. But there is minimal selection there for anything Jazz, and Latin Jazz is non-existent.

Actually Austin has a great country/roots/rockabilly scene. Famous clubs like The Continental, Broken Spoke, Egos are always packed with a older crowd.

[The Great Hizzy!]

Miami's club scene is vastly overrated. Vastly. Good, yes, but certainly nothing that you haven't seen more or less, in Houston. In fact, I would rank Sky Bar and the Red Cat above any jazz bar in Miami, and that's no small praise.

Miami has great techno clubs. Their Hip-Hop club scene is prominent but it sucks because there's so much tension there. Also, Miami's two primary night club districts--South Beach and Coconut Grove--are hard to access, especially South Beach. The City of Miami Beach doesn't offer good public transit and MDTA isn't a popular means of transport for people who live in Miami proper who wanted shoot across the Causeway.

Still, there are some gems, and with all the tourists, those areas are never "dull".

I would say that Houston's club scene is more similar to Los Angeles' than Miami's but I could be wrong. Los Angeles is huge.

[skwatra]

skwatra,

Venue is not closed, but I went when it first opened and it was great, plenty of room, live band and Dj. However i went back two weeks ago, and the place was crawling with pp, and there were fights breaking out. It happens. My buddy told me they raised the age to 25, so that might help keep out riff raff.

thanks, i was wondering. we went the first week, then again several weeks later and the line was aruond the corner and not moving, so we moved on. after that i heard nothing about it so i wasn't sure...

[GhostDog]

Miami's club scene is vastly overrated. Vastly. Good, yes, but certainly nothing that you haven't seen more or less, in Houston.

I would say that Houston's club scene is more similar to Los Angeles' than Miami's but I could be wrong. Los Angeles is huge.

I'm gonna say that Miami's club scene is rated high because of all the unbelieveable scattered ass on South Beach area...

Houston's club scene w/be so much better like LA or Miami if we had more tourists coming to say, "dude I went clubbing in H-town".

People just dont say that...

People come back from Miami and talk about the clubs they hit in South Beach...

Hell I've been to plenty of towns that have a great club scene but they just aren't known nationally...

The Flood Zone area of Richmond VA was really cool about 10 years ago when I hit those clubs.

They were as hot as any clubs I've been to stateside...just did not have Miami poontang...