Oakland’s popular live music venue, The Uptown, is closing its doors for good. The night venue, located at 1928 Telegraph Ave. in downtown Oakland, had already been closed for months due to the coronavirus pandemic. However, it recently announced on its website (www.uptownnightclub.com) and socials the “heartbreaking decision to not reopen its doors.”
In an Instagram posts, the owners shared:
Dear Uptown Community,
It is with deep sadness that we announce, The Uptown Nightclub will not be reopening. With no date in sight when having live entertainment will be safe, we just cannot afford to continue to pay our rent and other expenses with no income in the foreseeable future. This was a heartbreaking decision and one we put off as long as we possibly could.
The Uptown was never a financial investment for us - it was always a labor of love and the dividends it paid are measured in the wonderful friendships that sprung from the shared love of music. Knowing that these friendships will endure despite the closure of our beloved space offers some consolation in these dark days. In the 6 months that our doors have been closed due to the pandemic, we have missed you all so much!
We miss the faces we saw nearly everyday and those we saw weekly or monthly when it was the night for 'their' event - be it Active Music Series, The Lucky Devils Band or Two Piece Tuesdays, Moonlight Comedy or Uptown Karaoke, Suavecito Souldies or Fleetwood Macrame, Hanging Garden or Death Guild, 1UPtown with The M.A.D.E. or Hella Gay Dance Party, Hubba Hubba or Risque Riot, Smart Bomb or DAMgrown, Hiero Nights or Nerd Nite, 8x8x8 or I Love You For All Seasons, Punk Black or Dark Sparkle, be it a local band playing their first show, a touring band about to make it big or a music legend. So many talented people have played our stage and so many amazing patrons have been there to enjoy them. It was an honor to make these connections possible. We strived to represent and welcome the diversity of the Bay Area. In that we succeeded and we will be forever proud of this accomplishment.
Thank You All for being a part of our lives.
And a Very Special Thanks to our fantastic staff who made every event, and our lives, that much better! Thank You Julio, Chloe, Victoria, Fernando, Timothy, Randy, Sam, Sami, Johnny, Casy, Aja, Patricia, Dave, Danny, Brandon, Christina, Zundra, Zola, Ella, Sierra, Eric, Steve & Zoe - we love you!
With all our hearts,
Robbin Green-Yeh & Ray Yeh
Photo: @AngelinaOnAir (Angelina Narvaez)