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Started By
Message
re: For the In-the-Know people, why did the Varsity in BR move away from live music?
Posted on 4/9/25 at 9:20 pm to Locoguan0
Posted on 4/9/25 at 9:20 pm to Locoguan0
quote:
They lost Glen Prejean...
Biggest reason, but there was also a pre-social-media thing for up-and-coming new artists called "label support".
Meaning: the artists were getting buzz in trade publications & fanzines, promotional money from the record company, and as well, play & hype on local college radio.
Of which there was a certain LSU radio station who loved, played and promoted those Varsity artists.
It was a wonderful time to be around.
0
Posted on 4/9/25 at 11:49 pm to Lakeboy7
quote:
Ok I remembered, Motels and Concrete Blonde.
Love me some CB!
Posted on 4/10/25 at 7:16 am to Coach72
I miss The Varsity so much. Watched some great shows over the last 10 or so years. Turnpike, Koe, Stapleton, Childers, Whisky Myers, American Aquarium, REK, and a ton of people in between.
Posted on 4/10/25 at 8:50 am to Locoguan0
quote:
It was $.90 my senior year in 95-96.
Dat Circle K gas.
Posted on 4/10/25 at 8:58 am to JW
Did Gabe from Becky Sharp do bookings for The Varsity at one point during that era, or am I misremembering?
Posted on 4/10/25 at 11:30 am to shutterspeed
quote:
Dat Circle K gas.
Nah. Exxon on 19 and Main.
Posted on 4/10/25 at 12:11 pm to JW
quote:
And they had fun parties to fill in the gaps ... just a different time where college kids drank and supported music ... they/we actually sought out music on the weekends, whether we knew them or not. At Chelsea's, the Bayou, The Spanish Moon. A real scene then.
What a special time that was. In a way, I felt that it was special and spent the time pretty damn well, but if I could go back to there for a day, week or month, damn it would be incredible.
Posted on 4/10/25 at 12:39 pm to Lakeboy7
Bootsy Collins was on fire at the varsity down in 2013
hard to believe it was that long ago. Hell of a show
hard to believe it was that long ago. Hell of a show
Posted on 4/10/25 at 2:52 pm to Dire Wolf
Vince Vaughn had a comedy tour in 05, and was scheduled to be at The Varsity around the time Katrina hit. He canceled due to the fallout of the storm, obviously.
There were some good shows around that 2005-2007 (when I worked there) and the few years afterwards…Blues Traveler, Railroad Earth, Moe., Cage the Elephant, NMAS (many times), Galactic, Particle,Mofro, Gov’t Mule, Dwight Yoakam, Cross Canadian Ragweed, Ryan Bingham, Charlie Robison, Pat Green, Perry Farrell, etc. Too many shows and good bands to remember. The best drinking and best tipping crowd was always the Chee Wees/Molly Ringwolds crowd. Once saw Hank 3 play a country set, to country people, and they all rolled out for set break. He changed into goth metal gear and played a second set to a whole new goth punk metal crowd. It was bizarre but interesting. Jared Leto once brought his band and at least 100 women were trying to get on his tour bus after the show.
I have a cigar box somewhere chock full to the lid with concert tickets. Not to mention the shows at Chelsea’s that slapped as well. Shoutout to Captain Legendary Band.
In my opinion, as kids gravitated more towards dj and electronics, and less three piece guitar driven type bands, live music suffered.
As an aside on the Varsity, they used to have, and maybe still do, some framed Blind Melon records and Rolling Stone articles the band sent the club after they got big. Prejean always booked Blind Melon, so they BLEW UP around the time they had a gig booked at the Varsity. Instead of backing out, they came to play the gig and brought the frames as a gift to the Varsity for always letting them play and hone their chops.
There were some good shows around that 2005-2007 (when I worked there) and the few years afterwards…Blues Traveler, Railroad Earth, Moe., Cage the Elephant, NMAS (many times), Galactic, Particle,Mofro, Gov’t Mule, Dwight Yoakam, Cross Canadian Ragweed, Ryan Bingham, Charlie Robison, Pat Green, Perry Farrell, etc. Too many shows and good bands to remember. The best drinking and best tipping crowd was always the Chee Wees/Molly Ringwolds crowd. Once saw Hank 3 play a country set, to country people, and they all rolled out for set break. He changed into goth metal gear and played a second set to a whole new goth punk metal crowd. It was bizarre but interesting. Jared Leto once brought his band and at least 100 women were trying to get on his tour bus after the show.
I have a cigar box somewhere chock full to the lid with concert tickets. Not to mention the shows at Chelsea’s that slapped as well. Shoutout to Captain Legendary Band.
In my opinion, as kids gravitated more towards dj and electronics, and less three piece guitar driven type bands, live music suffered.
As an aside on the Varsity, they used to have, and maybe still do, some framed Blind Melon records and Rolling Stone articles the band sent the club after they got big. Prejean always booked Blind Melon, so they BLEW UP around the time they had a gig booked at the Varsity. Instead of backing out, they came to play the gig and brought the frames as a gift to the Varsity for always letting them play and hone their chops.
This post was edited on 4/10/25 at 3:09 pm
Posted on 4/10/25 at 3:29 pm to Honest Tune
I saw Blind Melon play a $5 show there right around finals in late 1992.
Posted on 4/10/25 at 3:32 pm to timbo
Haha you couldn’t see a pimple-faced Blind Melon cover band for $5 now.
Posted on 4/10/25 at 6:48 pm to Honest Tune
The varsity is not owned by a Canadian company so idk where that came from. The venue is bought and paid for. It has no real interest in booking big names anymore even though they updated their PA system.
Posted on 4/10/25 at 9:27 pm to Honest Tune
I think some of that was subsidized by the record label, like someone said earlier.
Posted on 4/11/25 at 9:12 am to PapaPogey
quote:
I miss The Varsity so much. Watched some great shows over the last 10 or so years.
It is a great venue! I was at LSU 97-02. Saw Jerry Jeff, REK, Charlie Robinson (RIP), Pat Green, and many many others.
I saw Whiskey Meyers there in 2019? Still was a great venue with great sound.
The midweek shows are hard for anyone but students to make, but they used to have a knack for catching the artists passing through.
Posted on 4/11/25 at 9:25 am to TopWaterTiger
Yep, I was there for that. Sucks because it was convenient for me, and I really don't enjoy watching big venue shows. RIP
Posted on 4/11/25 at 9:44 am to JW
quote:
Who is/was a jerk and not really that good ... Probably for the best - what a listless and boring schedule he churned out.
He booked what people would pay to see. His job was to make the venue money, not get the best bands available.
Posted on 4/11/25 at 9:52 am to tigeralum06
quote:
He booked what people would pay to see. His job was to make the venue money, not get the best bands available.
JW right now.
Posted on 4/11/25 at 11:11 am to JW
quote:
just a different time where college kids drank and supported music ... they/we actually sought out music on the weekends, whether we knew them or not. At Chelsea's, the Bayou, The Spanish Moon. A real scene then.
It used to be every weekend you had at least something big going on at one those venues. It seems like it died out about the end of the 2000s/beginning of 2010s. Caterie burned down. New Chelseas closed. Varsity stopped really booking big names. Spanish Moon tried to keep it going with some decent indie stuff, but eventually succumbed.
I saw what I consider to be a lot of good music throughout the 2000s in BR, and then it just died.
Posted on 4/11/25 at 1:04 pm to BottomlandBrew
quote:
For Varsity shows we had a classmate that lived behind Chimes, would park and pregame there then walk to the show. We were all broke but I dont have any memory of thinking it was expensive.
I saw a ton of shows there from 1998-2015. When I was in college, I was super broke. But we would have a few before we went, hit a couple tokes in the show, and nurse a few beers and it was all good. I was always a sucker for buying merch too. I literally spent all my disposable income hanging out at the Varsity, Bayou, and later on North Gate Tavern.
Posted on 4/11/25 at 1:05 pm to BottomlandBrew
(no message)
This post was edited on 4/11/25 at 1:05 pm
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