Harpos is up for sale

[gtrjay]

https://www.crainsdetroit.com/real-esta ... arpos-sale

[Turner Coates]

There's a lot of beer molecules on that floor.

[Sleek]

First time I worked that gig, they were like: "There was a shooting in the parking lot last night. There's still some brain on the pavement, if you want to go see."

...and it was not a windup. Some of the guys went and looked at it.

Classic venue tho.

[gtrjay]

First time I worked that gig, they were like: "There was a shooting in the parking lot last night. There's still some brain on the pavement, if you want to go see."

...and it was not a windup. Some of the guys went and looked at it.

Classic venue tho.

Damn! That next level.
EVERYONE that’s has ever been there has a story.
Warrants tour bus was broken into during their show. I have a pic with Jani by busted door window after show.

I was catching up with high school friends at our high school reunion 10 years ago. Chatting about bands. Music scene and Simone said Harpos. I had a few pops in me and was like “a lot of fun memories there but that place is a dump and hell hole” lol.
A buddy I grew up with goes “yeah it is. But I’ve been talent buyer there for years.” Shows me pics on his phone of him with papa roach, and several bands he partied with. Got dinner etc per their rider. Went on to share he didn’t quit day job but it was fun side hustle for vacation money for his family.

[VicStelly]

There was a mini-race riot at a Rik Emmett show in the late 80s. My memory is Rik didn't provoke it or anything, lol.

Some locals got into it with the suburban kids; you must watch that Triumph crowd.

Then the drive by after Motorhead. That may be the brains incident. Maybe not.

Saw Talas there in ‘83.

My understanding is its not for sale but the owner is looking for an infusion of cash.

[gtrjay]

The Motörhead death was nephew of guy who owned local music / guitar shop my guitarist worked at for years. Happened a week after Warrant show. Never went back. Said f this.

[AlexVonHaig]

I won't go to the neighborhood its in much less the venue itself, esp at nite

[VicStelly]

I won't go to the neighborhood its in much less the venue itself, esp at nite

I havent been toma show there in years. Maybe 20. I think it was Kings X.

My truck route used to go through until recently and i feel the neighborhood has improved quite a bit.

[TravisBicklesMohawk]

Without Googling it, I'm guessing this place is in Detroit???

[Black Stuff]

Without Googling it, I'm guessing this place is in Detroit???

yep!

[dmbrocker]

Without Googling it, I'm guessing this place is in Detroit???

yep!

Yeah. Probably one of (if not THE) most famous of the Detroit rock clubs, IIRC. Harpo’s was to Detroit what The Thirsty Whale was to Chicago, wasn’t it?

[EatNails]

In the early 90's, they had $1 pitchers of mixed drinks. There was Rum & Coke, Screwdriver, or Tequila Sunrise. They only had X many pitchers, and the special ended when the first band started. So you get there when doors open, buy 5 pitchers, and drink all night. Didn't even matter how watered down it was, you could get plastered for $5.

Saw hundreds of bands there, starting with WASP/Slayer/Raven when I was 15 or so.

Scary neighborhood. It always boggled my mind the way they made us line up out front. We were always waiting for a drive-by.

[LitaStrauss]

Skip the click (it's behind a paywall anyway):

The legendary Harpos Concert Theatre on Detroit’s east side is for sale for an undisclosed price.

Designed by Charles Agree — who also designed the Grande and Vanity ballrooms, as well as the Whittier Hotel — in 1939, the former Harper Theater, 14328 Harper at Chalmers just off I-94, has had a special place in the hearts of heavy metal, rap and hip hop lovers around metro Detroit for decades.

But fear not, metalheads.

Ruzvelt Stevanovski, the Harpos owner, plans to use proceeds from any potential sale to improve the 2,000-seat venue and continue operating it.

After showing movies when it first opened, the theater was converted into a dance hall and then, more than four decades ago, a concert hall, said Brad Margolis, the broker for Southfield-based Farbman Group handling the marketing of the property.

"The owner is looking to stay and continue running it," Margolis said. "He’s looking for some money to inject into renovations and upgrades to do more shows, looking for Harpo’s to continue the legacy it has, remain a concert hall and kind of revitalize it. If someone came in and wanted to change the use, he’s not interested in that."
An email was sent to the venue on Tuesday morning.

Over the years, it has hosted countless artists ranging from Motörhead to Snoop Dogg, Megadeth to Outkast.

To get a great feel for the place (and its place in the annals of the region's metal scene), read this Detroit Metro Times feature — which branded Harpos as "Detroit's most notorious metal club" — with interviews with a host of people with ties to it from over the years.
https://www.metrotimes.com/music/the-st ... ub-7493658

The pandemic shut Harpos, as well as venues across the state, down for over a year but my colleague Kurt Nagl reported it would reopen June 11, 2021, with a show by Corey Taylor, lead singer of the band Slipknot.

It’s been more than two decades since I’ve seen a concert there as a teenager, perhaps as a junior or senior in high school.

I still occasionally reference the show — which included creepy clown costume clad nu-metal band Slipknot, and others.

In particular, I usually remark about how I somehow made it out of the mosh pits mostly unscathed, in spite of the bulky, shirtless, very serious-looking grown men in them with tattoos of the seven deadly sins inked in the Old English D font across their shoulder blades.

The next show I see there, whenever that is, I'll take it much easier on my early 40s self, hang in the back and bob my head.

I'll let you know if Harpos changes hands.

[ElectrickMagick]

Before moving to the West Coast went to several shows at Harpo's, always had a great time. It's in a shitty neighborhood, but I never had any trouble there. I remember there being only "two" kinds of beer on tap: Bud and Budweiser.

Favorite show: Dio's "Master of the Moon" tour with Bush-era Anthrax opening up. Always loved how high up the stage was at Harpo's, no matter where you were you could always see what was going on.

[MetalSludgeCEO]

One of the WORST places... when it comes to the neighborhood in general.

Every time we played there, or the i-ROCK, they would tell us... do NOT leave your vehicle unattended.

The staff at both clubs would warn you the minute you arrived... and had staff, security outside their clubs, in the parking lot non-stop!

F#@king ghetto as F#@K with criminals creeping all hours, night and day... lol.

I won't miss that area at all... totally sketchy is an understatement!

$tEvil

[Zander]

I remember way back when some metal parody website ran a fake news article with the headline along the lines of "Priest, Maiden reunite over Harpo's phobia". At least Maiden played some real shitholes in the US with Bayley, so I guess it's saying something about the venue.