LOS ANGELES (CelebrityAccess MediaWire) — The manager for The Key Club, a long-time fixture of Los Angeles' live music scene, has announced that the club will be shuttering this month.
The West Hollywood live music venue, which has been active in the Los Angeles market since the 1960s under various names, will close on March 15th, the L.A. Weekly reported.
First opened in the 1960s as Gazzarri’s, the club hosted shows by a who's who of artists such as The Doors, Van Halen, Alice Cooper, Tom Petty, Tina Turner, Mötley Crüe, and Guns N’ Roses. The club underwent several name changes in the 1990s and 2000s until its current incarnation of Sunset Live Presents Key Club Hollywood, which focused on hip hop and rock shows, even hosting major touring artists such as the Black Eyed Peas and Kanye West.
However, the club appeared to have fallen on hard times in recent years, closing briefly in 2009 as clubs such as the Troubadour and Roxy have taken an increasing share of shows by major touring artists playing in the area.
In an email, the club's operations manager Ian Shepp confirmed the closing, writing:
Dear Fans,
It is with a heavy heart that I share this news with you. Regretfully, we will be closing our doors at the Key Club on Friday, March 15th. To everyone who's called Key Club a second home, I can't thank you enough for supporting us and the artists who've rocked our stage.
In the coming months our space will welcome a new project, which I encourage you to check out. Until then, we're going out with a bang! The last two weeks of our events calendar is packed with performances from our favorite artists, and we'll be making sure the Key Club's last night on the Sunset Strip is nothing short of legendary.
This is our final goodbye as Key Club on Sunset. It has been an honor and privilege to share our passion for music with you. We hope that you will continue to support the remaining independent live music venues on Sunset Strip – our neighbors at The Roxy, The Whisky and The Viper Room.
Rock on and thanks for an incredible ride!
Ian Shepp
-CelebrityAccess Staff Writers
