Growing up in Jersey in the 80's was a great time! Every weekend my buddies and I would hop a train (or drive when we could) to NYC and catch a show at the legendary RITZ!
The Ritz was locaed at 119 E 11th Street between 4th and 3rd Ave in the East Village. It was a weird residential street, with this big, loud club stuck right in the middle of the block!
The Ritz would always books the new wave/underground bands that we heard on WLIR radio. It felt like we lived there between 85-87!
I am starting to compile a list of shows that I saw here (I still have some stubs!). So far, I can only list a few:
5-11-85 - Einstuerzende Neubauten
6/21/86
- Replacements
7/11/86
- Modern English
7/31/86 - Cramps
10/23/86 - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
11/22/86 - Billy Bragg
12/26/86 - Beastie Boys
3/21/87 - Hoodoo Gurus
4/24/87 - Mission UK
I went to college out of state in the fall of 1987, so my trips back were very infrequent. The Ritz as I knew it, had it's last show on Saturday April 1st, 1989 and closed it's doors at that location.
It then renamed itself the "New Ritz" and moved to the old Studio 54 (yes, the epic disco club) location at 254 W 54th Street and had the first show (the Radiators) on Thursday, April 6th. Although this was a very cool building/location, the 119 E 11th location was by far the best.
I remember just hanging out before the bands would come on watching the huge video screen over the stage. They would always play cartoons, strange organic, and computer generated content to the music of The The, Big Audio Dynamite and other "alt" bands from the mid 80's. And who could forget the huge nuclear bomb hanging from the ceiling! Such a great venue.
I don't have any pics of the Ritz (outside or inside). So, if there are any other Ritz fans, please post them here or send them to me and I will post them.
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Advert for the U2 show at the Ritz - March 17/18, 1982 |
The original location Ritz was open a glorious 3258 days! Need a walk down memory lane? I have compiled the best list of known shows at the original Ritz. Have a ticket stub to a show I don't have listed? Please let me know!
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5/1/80 | RITZ OPENS!!! | | |
6/14/80 | Plasmatics | | |
9/23/80 | Pretenders | | |
10/28/80 | Utopia w/ Todd Rundgren | | |
11/25/80 | Rockpile | | |
11/30/80 | XTC | | |
12/6/80 | U2 | First US date |
3/8/81 | Johnny Winter | | |
3/26/81 | The Jam | | |
3/29/81 | George Thorogood and the Destroyers | |
4/8/81 | Kraftwerk | | |
5/5/81 | Splitz Enz | | |
5/15/81 | PIL | | |
5/26/81 | The Jam | | |
6/28/81 | Squeeze | | |
6/29/81 | Squeeze | | |
7/23/81 | The Cure | | |
7/24/81 | The Cure | | |
8/2/81 | Iggy Pop | | |
8/3/81 | Kraftwerk | | |
9/25/81 | Birthday Party | | |
9/30/81 | Tina Turner | | |
10/1/81 | Tina Turner | | |
10/2/81 | Tina Turner | | |
10/3/81 | Tina Turner | | |
10/8/81 | Tom Velarire (Television) | | |
10/20/81 | Jimmy Cliff | | |
10/21/81 | Jimmy Cliff | | |
10/30/81 | Siouxsie & the Banshees | | |
10/31/81 | Siouxsie & the Banshees | | |
11/17/81 | Frank Zappa | | |
11/18/81 | New Order | | |
11/18/81 | New Order | | |
11/20/81 | U2 | | |
11/21/81 | U2 | | |
11/22/81 | U2 | | |
12/17/81 | Misfits | | |
1/22/82 | Depeche Mode | First US Date |
1/23/82 | Depeche Mode | | |
3/17/82 | U2 | | |
3/18/82 | U2 | | |
3/28/82 | Leon Russell | | |
4/13/82 | Ted Nugent | | |
4/18/82 | Mike Oldfield | | |
5/3/82 | Graham Parker | | |
5/7/82 | Depeche Mode | | |
6/10/82 | Marianne Faithful | | |
6/15/82 | Pointer Sisters | | |
6/18/82 | Bauhaus | | |
6/19/82 | Bauhaus | | |
7/1/82 | Average White Band | | |
8/4/82 | Billy Idol | | |
8/27/82 | Cheap Trick | | |
9/1/82 | Black Flag | | |
9/26/82 | Ozzy Osbourne | | |
10/25/82 | Vaity 6 | | |
10/26/82 | Gary Numan | | |
11/10/82 | Pat Travers | | |
11/25/82 | Peter Gabriel | | |
11/28/82 | Stray Cats | | |
12/7/82 | Phil Collins | | |
12/9/82 | Iggy Pop | | |
3/24/83 | Depeche Mode | | |
4/6/83 | Nick Lowe & Paul Carrick | | |
4/8/83 | The Cure | | |
4/30/83 | REM | | |
5/8/83 | The Cure | | |
5/18/83 | REM | | |
5/27/83 | Fixx | | |
5/28/83 | Fixx | | |
7/9/83 | UB40 | | |
8/4/83 | The Cure | | |
8/5/83 | The Cure | | |
10/3/83 | Michael Stanley | | |
10/12/83 | Graham Parker | | |
10/30/83 | Hot Tuna | | |
11/22/83 | B-52s | | |
11/23/83 | Eric Clapton | | |
12/8/83 | UB40 | | |
12/28/83 | Manowar | | |
4/17/84 | Utopia / | Visitor | |
4/26/84 | Gang of Four | | |
6/26/84 | Marillion | | |
6/30/84 | Steel Pulse | | |
8/5/84 | Difford & Tilbrook | | |
8/6/84 | General Public | | |
8/9/84 | Black Flag | Sisters of Mercy |
8/10/84 | Bad Manners | Ubran Blight |
8/11/84 | Way of the West | Zerra | |
8/14/84 | Nick Lowe | | |
8/15/84 | Talas | Harpo | |
8/16/84 | Fela Anikulupa Kuti | | |
8/17/84 | Talk Talk | | |
8/18/84 | Illustrated Man | | |
8/22/84 | Tina Turner | | |
8/23/84 | Tina Turner | | |
8/25/84 | Eric Burdon | | |
8/26/84 | Gun Club | | |
8/27/84 | Grandmaster Flash and Furious 5 | Melle Mel | |
9/2/84 | Urban Blight | | |
9/9/84 | The Sisters of Mercy | | |
9/9/84 | Black Flag | | |
9/10/84 | Jane Siberry | | |
10/3/84 | Husker Du | | |
10/12/84 | Ministry | | |
10/26/84 | Beastie Boys | | |
11/21/84 | Hanoi Rocks | Belefegore | |
11/23/84 | Aku Aku | Dolce Vita | |
11/24/84 | The Church | Tommy keene Alex Chilton |
11/26/84 | Higher Education | | |
11/27/84 | John Waite | | |
11/29/84 | Los Lobos | | |
11/30/84 | Romeo Void | The Sound, Eastern Bloc |
12/1/84 | Romeo Void | | |
12/6/84 | Bobby McFerrin | | |
12/7/84 | Vicious Pink | Only US Date! |
12/8/84 | Red Hot Chili Peppers | | |
12/12/84 | Black Uhuru | | |
12/13/84 | Black Flag | | |
12/14/84 | The Rescue | | |
12/15/84 | The Higsons | | |
12/21/84 | Tom Verlaine | | |
12/22/84 | Tom Verlaine | | |
12/27/84 | Ramones | | |
1/17/85 | Chuck Berry | | |
2/8/85 | Beastie Boys | | |
2/25/85 | Sting SOLO FIRST SHOW | |
2/26/85 | Sting | | |
2/27/85 | Sting | | |
4/13/85 | Nik Kershaw | | |
4/19/85 | Scandal | | |
5/11/85 | Eubstyrzende Neubauten | | |
6/7/85 | Sisters of Mercy | | |
6/17/85 | Gregg Allman | | |
7/1/85 | the Power Station | | |
7/5/85 | Redds and the Boys | | |
9/17/85 | Mountain | | |
9/21/85 | Cocteau Twins | | |
9/23/85 | Cocteau Twins | | |
9/27/85 | Slayer | | |
9/29/85 | Shriekback | | |
10/2/85 | Love & Rockets | | |
10/3/85 | Midnight Oil | | |
10/11/85 | The Neats | | |
10/12/85 | Saga | Shy Talk | |
10/14/85 | The Tomboys | | |
10/17/85 | Duane Eddy and the Ray Beats | |
10/17/85 | Duane Eddy with the Raybeats | |
10/18/85 | Fats Domino | | |
10/19/85 | Nick Lowe | | |
10/31/85 | Fishbone | | |
10/31/85 | Red Hot Chili Peppers | | |
11/2/85 | Dead Kennedys | | |
11/7/85 | The Damned | | |
11/14/85 | Nils Lofgren | | |
11/15/85 | Nils Lofgren | | |
11/22/85 | Adrian Bellew | | |
11/29/85 | Til Tuesday | | |
12/6/85 | The Cult | | |
12/12/85 | Bad Brains | Fleshtones | |
12/21/85 | Motorhead | | |
12/26/85 | They Might Be Giants | | |
1/16/86 | The Residends | | |
1/24/86 | The Dictators | | |
1/26/86 | Toy Dolls | Dickies | |
1/27/86 | Jerry Garcia | | |
1/28/86 | Jerry Garcia | | |
2/13/86 | Howard Stern Show | | |
2/22/86 | Social Distortion | | |
2/28/86 | The Damned | | |
4/4/86 | Venom | | |
4/5/86 | Voiviod | | |
4/23/86 | The Allman Brothers | | |
4/26/86 | Lords of the New Church | | |
5/3/86 | Fishbone | | |
5/16/86 | The Del Lords | | |
5/23/86 | Swans | | |
5/24/86 | Wendy O Williams | | |
5/27/86 | Samhain | | |
6/14/86 | Anthrax | | |
6/14/86 | Exodus | | |
6/21/86 | Replacements | | |
7/10/86 | Fixx | | |
7/11/86 | Modern English | | |
7/14/86 | Samhain | | |
7/14/86 | Celtic Frost | DOA, MDC | |
7/17/86 | Lou Reed | | |
7/18/86 | Let's Active | | |
7/19/86 | The Church | | |
7/31/86 | Cramps | | |
8/1/86 | Cramps | | |
8/8/86 | Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes | |
8/15/86 | Psychic TV | | |
8/22/86 | Feelies | | |
8/28/86 | Blow Monkeys | | |
8/29/86 | Chris Spedding | | |
9/5/86 | Weather Update and Mahavishnu Orchestra with John McLaughlin |
9/18/86 | Sly & Robbie & the Taxi Gang featuring Yellowman |
9/19/86 | Bodeans | Ten-Ten | |
9/20/86 | Circle Jerks | | |
10/3/86 | Robert Gordon | | |
10/23/86 | Nick Cave & Bad Seeds | | |
10/31/86 | Dead Boys | | |
11/1/86 | Robyn Hitchcokc & The Egyptians/ Beat Rodeo |
11/2/86 | Nick Cave & Bad Seeds | | |
11/2/86 | Nick Cave | | |
11/7/86 | Ramones | | |
11/13/86 | Iggy Pop | | |
11/14/86 | Richard Lloyd | | |
11/13/86 | Iggy Pop | | |
11/15/86 | Gene Love Jezebel | | |
11/20/86 | Berlin | | |
11/22/86 | Billy Bragg | | |
11/28/86 | Fishbone | | |
12/3/86 | Charlie Watts | | |
12/4/86 | Charlie Watts Orchestra | | |
12/7/86 | Slayer | | |
12/11/86 | Everything But The Girl | Lester Bowie's Brass Fantasy |
12/12/86 | Red Hot Chili Peppers | TSOL, Thelonius Monster |
12/13/86 | Lone Justice | The Right Profile |
12/17/86 | Communards | in Pursuit | |
12/19/86 | Jason & The Scorchers | Georgia Satellites |
12/20/86 | Ian Hunter | | |
12/26/86 | Beastie Boys | Murphy's Law |
12/27/86 | Bad Brains | SNFU, Warzone, Leeway |
12/29/86 | Cramps | | |
12/30/86 | Cramps | | |
12/31/86 | Sim Kinison | Buster Poindexter |
1/2/87 | Lords of the New Church | | |
1/3/87 | Johnny Winter | | |
1/7/87 | Lou Reed | | |
1/8/87 | Lou Reed | | |
1/17/87 | Bad Brains | | |
1/23/87 | Wasp Saxon | | |
1/30/87 | Dave Edmunds | La Bamba | |
1/31/87 | Dave Edmunds | La Bamba | |
2/5/87 | Human League | | |
2/7/87 | | | |
2/14/87 | Peter Murphy | | |
2/22/87 | Slayer | | |
2/26/87 | Julian Cope | | |
2/28/87 | Mightly Lemondrops | | |
2/28/87 | The Chameleons UK with the Mighty Lemon Drops |
3/21/87 | Hoodoo Gurus | | |
4/18/87 | The Dead Boys | | |
4/24/87 | Mission UK | | |
4/25/87 | Oingo Boingo | | |
5/1/87 | Buthole Surfers | | |
5/3/87 | Wiseblood | | |
5/14/87 | World Party | | |
5/22/87 | The Godfathers | | |
5/30/87 | Fuzzbox | | |
6/2/87 | The Cult | | |
6/20/87 | The Bear | | |
6/26/87 | The Saints with Faith No More | |
7/11/87 | King Diamond | | |
7/14/87 | Voivoid | | |
7/15/87 | New Model Army | | |
7/17/87 | Andy Summers | | |
7/25/87 | Fishbone | | |
8/11/87 | Cure | | |
9/10/87 | Ramones | | |
9/11/87 | Ramones | | |
9/19/87 | Hoodoo Gurus | | |
9/25/87 | Hooters | | |
9/30/87 | Tina Turner | | |
10/1/87 | Tina Turner | | |
10/2/87 | Tina Turner | | |
10/3/87 | Tina Turner | | |
10/3/87 | Marillion | | |
10/4/87 | Warren Zevon / X | | |
10/11/87 | Jorma Kaukonen | | |
10/17/87 | Husker Du | | |
10/20/87 | Jimmy Cliff | | |
10/21/87 | Jimmy Cliff | | |
10/23/87 | Guns n' Roses | | |
11/6/87 | Jesus & Mary Chain | | |
11/8/87 | The Cure | | |
11/15/87 | Sting | | |
11/16/87 | Sting | | |
11/21/87 | The Neville Brothers | | |
12/3/87 | Joe Cocker | | |
12/26/87 | The Dead Boys | | |
12/27/87 | Fishbone | | |
12/29/87 | Cramps | | |
1/2/88 | Ramones | | |
1/16/88 | Ministry | | |
2/2/88 | Guns n' Roses | | |
2/5/88 | Dead Milkman | | |
2/28/88 | White Lion | | |
3/6/88 | Motorhead | | |
3/23/88 | Faster Pussy Cat | | |
4/1/88 | Blondie | | |
4/9/88 | Gaye Bykers on Acid | | |
4/22/88 | Peter Murphy | | |
4/29/88 | They Might Be Giants | | |
5/5/88 | The Alarm | | |
5/7/88 | Gwar | | |
5/7/88 | Danzig | | |
5/12/88 | Frank Marino & Mahogany Rush | |
6/16/88 | Lene Lovich | | |
6/30/88 | Gwar | | |
7/14/88 | Nina Hagen | | |
7/20/88 | Iggy Pop | | |
7/23/88 | John Mayall | | |
7/29/88 | Divinyls | | |
7/29/88 | Jeffrey Osborne | | |
7/30/88 | Bonnie Raitt | | |
8/3/88 | Kiss | | |
8/10/88 | Overkill | | |
8/12/88 | Kiss | | |
8/13/88 | Kiss | | |
8/17/88 | Megadeth | | |
8/18/88 | Megadeth | | |
8/19/88 | Ramones | | |
8/20/88 | Ramones | | |
9/11/88 | Sugarcubes | | |
9/20/88 | Robyn Hitchcokc & The Egyptians/ Peter Buck |
9/30/88 | The Damned | | |
10/1/88 | The Godfathers | | |
10/13/88 | Kix | | |
10/20/88 | Fishbone | | |
10/21/88 | Fishbone | | |
10/26/88 | Innocence | The Swing, Tour De Force, Concrete Jungle |
10/28/88 | Sonic Youth | Die Kreuzen, Laughing Hyenas |
10/29/88 | Southside Johnny & the Jukes | Janata, Soozie Tyrell and the Wild Blue Markins |
10/30/88 | Southside Johnny & the Jukes | |
11/3/88 | Joe Walsh | | |
11/4/88 | King Diamond | Armoured Saint |
11/5/88 | Living Colour | Royal Crescent Mob, the Deed |
11/8/88 | Dr Hunter S Thompson | | |
11/10/88 | Leata Galloway & Onaje Allan Gumbs | |
11/11/88 | Highway 101 | Sweethearts of the Rodeo |
11/13/88 | Jimmy Page | | |
11/16/88 | The Ian Hunter / Mick Ronson Band | |
11/17/88 | Kassav | Tabou Combo |
11/19/88 | The Butthole Surfers | | |
11/20/88 | Devo | | |
11/23/88 | The Neville Brothers | | |
11/25/88 | The Feelies | | |
12/10/88 | Hot Tuna | | |
12/16/88 | Ministry | | |
12/23/88 | Vovoid | | |
12/30/88 | The Dead Boys | | |
12/31/88 | The Dead Boys | | |
1/3/89 | Cramps | | |
1/6/89 | Blue Oyster Cult | | |
1/17/89 | Living Colour | | |
1/25/89 | Restless Heart | Rodney Crowell |
1/27/89 | Ramones | | |
1/28/89 | Ramones | | |
2/10/89 | Nick Cave & Bad Seeds | | |
2/18/89 | Dinosaur Jr | | |
2/25/89 | Monowar | | |
3/3/89 | Ovekill | | |
3/10/89 | The Desert Rose Band | Patty Loveless |
3/11/89 | Paul Stanley | | |
3/12/89 | Gregory Isaacs | | |
3/17/89 | The Wolfe Tones | | |
3/18/89 | Meatloaf | | |
3/19/89 | Jamnesty '89 | City Beat, Miller, Miller, Miller & Sloan, Indaba, the Wilmingtons, The cucumbers |
3/24/89 | Southside Johnny & the Jukes | |
3/25/89 | Restless Heart | Rodney Crowell |
4/1/89 | Michelle Shocked | | |
4/6/89 | The Jeff Healey Band | The Thieves | Last show at original RITZ!!! |
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4/6/89 | The Radiators | First show at "NEW RITZ" |
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