The Bowery Presents

Formation| 1994; 30 years ago (1994)
Location|

* New York City, New York, United States

Founders

| Michael Swier, John Moore
Website| bowerypresents.com

The Bowery Presents is the East Coast regional partner of AEG Live.[1] It owns and operates multiple venues in New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, New Jersey, New Orleans, Virginia, and Maine.[2] The capacities of the venues operated by The Bowery Presents range from 250 people to 20,000 people.[citation needed]

## History[edit]

The business evolution of The Bowery Presents:

* 1993 – The Mercury Lounge (250 capacity club), focusing on upcoming artists
* 1997 – Bowery Ballroom (600 capacity club or small mid-size venue), headliner-oriented
* 2003 – Webster Hall (1400 capacity mid-size club), headliner-oriented
* 2006 – Live Nation's New York president Jim Glancy jumps over to become partner and contributes to the company's expansion by doing shows in larger venues with his long-term Live Nation artists and indie rock stars in venues such as Radio City Music Hall and Madison Square Garden
* 2007 – Music Hall of Williamsburg, another mid-size club that broadens the company's portfolio of venues creating an "internal" orbit in which they can promote artists at different career-levels and in different neighborhoods.
* 2007 – Terminal 5 (3000 capacity mid-size venue) in Midtown Manhattan
* 2008 – Wellmont Theatre (2000 capacity mid-sized theatre) in Montclair, NJ
* 2010 – Expansion into Boston
* 2013 – Wellmont Theatre leaves[3]
* 2014 – Webster Hall leaves[4]
* 2016 – AEG Live acquire a stake in The Bowery Presents[5][1]
* 2017 – Brooklyn Steel opens, Bowery Ballroom and Mercury Lounge leave[6]
* 2019 – Webster Hall returns, in operational partnership with BSE Global and AEG Live

## Description[edit]

The Bowery Presents was founded in 2004 by John Moore, Michael Swier, Michael Winsch, and Brian Swier.[7] In 2006, The Bowery Presents partnered with former LiveNation CEO Jim Glancy,[7] and began to expand to larger venues in New York such as Radio City Music Hall, Beacon Theatre, Central Park SummerStage, and Madison Square Garden.[8]

From 2008, The Bowery Presents began expanding to other regions including New Jersey, Maine, Boston, Philadelphia.[9] In 2016 it was reported that AEG Live had acquired a stake in The Bowery Presents,[5] and in 2017, the company ended its relationship with Michael Swier, Brian Swier, Michael Winsch, and their venues, the Bowery Ballroom and Mercury Lounge.[10] The Bowery Presents is currently[as of?] operated by Jim Glancy and cofounder John Moore.

## Locations[edit]

Venue name | Address | Opened | Capacity

|
|
|

Asbury Lanes | 209 4th Avenue, Asbury Park, NJ 07712  | 1962  | 700
Brooklyn Steel | 319 Frost Street, New York City, NY 11222  | 2017  | 1,800
Fête Music Hall | 103 Dike Street, Providence, RI 02909  | 2016  | 730
Forest Hills Stadium | 1 Tennis Place, New York City, NY 11375  | 1923  | 14,000
Franklin Music Hall | 421 N. 7th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19123  | 1968  | 2,700
Gasa Gasa | 4920 Freret Street, New Orleans, LA  | 2013  | 200
Keswick Theatre | 291 N Keswick Ave, Glenside, PA 19038  | 1928  | 1,300
Music Hall of Williamsburg | 66 North 6th Street, New York City, NY 11211  | 2001  | 650
Ovation Hall | 500 Boardwalk, Atlantic City, NJ 08401  | 2012  | 5,000
Rams Head Live! | 20 Market Pl, Baltimore, MD 21202  | 2004  | 1,500
Roadrunner  | 89 Guest St, Boston, MA 02135  | 2022  | 3,500
Royale  | 279 Tremont St, Boston, MA 02116  | 2010  | 1,000
Starland Ballroom | 570 Jernee Mill Road, Sayreville, NJ 08872  | 1962  | 2,500
State Theatre | 609 Congress Street, Portland, ME 04101  | 1929  | 1,870
SummerStage | 5th Avenue @ 69th Street, New York City, NY 10065  | 1986  | 5,500
Terminal 5 | 610 West 56th Street, New York City, NY 10019  | 2003  | 3,000
Civic Theatre | 510 O'keefe Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70113  | 1906  | 1,200
National Theater | 708 East Broad Street, Richmond, VA 23219  | 1923  | 1,500
Norva Theatre | 317 Monticello Avenue, Norfolk, VA 23510  | 1922  | 1,450
The Sinclair  | 52 Church St., Cambridge, MA 02138  | 2013  | 525
Thompson's Point  | 1 Thompsons Point, Portland, ME 04102  | 2017  | 7,500
Underground Arts  | 1200 Callowhill Street, Philadelphia, PA 19108  | 2013  | 650
Union Transfer | 1026 Spring Garden Street, Philadelphia, PA 19123  | 2011  | 1,200
Virginia Credit Union Live! | 600 E Laburnum Avenue, Richmond, VA 23222  | 1991  | 6,000
Webster Hall | 125 E. 11th Street, New York City, NY 10003  | 1886  | 1,500
Xcite Center | 2999 Street Road, Bensalem, PA 19020  | 2018  | 3,750

## Venues[edit]

### New York City[edit]

* Music Hall of Williamsburg \- 550 capacity; Brooklyn, NY
* Webster Hall \- 1,350 capacity; Manhattan, NY
* Brooklyn Steel \- 1,800 capacity; Brooklyn, NY
* Terminal 5 \- 2,800 capacity; Manhattan, NY
* Forest Hills Stadium \- 13,000 capacity; Queens, NY

#### Bowery Boston[edit]

Bowery Presents moved to Boston, Massachusetts in April 2010 when the company signed a long-term deal with The Royale to be the sole presenter of live music at the nightclub/music venue. Bowery opened a small office in Boston to run the venue and to book events for larger spaces.[11] Since 2010, Bowery has opened The Sinclair and hired the two promoters of TT the Bear's and Great Scott.[12] The promoters work in conjunction with Bowery Presents to bring events to Great Scott and TT the Bear's, as well as The Royale and The Sinclair.[13]

* The Royale is a 1,000 person capacity venue in downtown Boston. It was the company's first space outside of the New York region.[11]
* The Sinclair is a live-music venue and restaurant launched in the winter of 2013 in Cambridge. The live music space accommodates 525 people with plans to host 200 shows annually, while the restaurant will seat 104 and will be open seven days a week.[14] The Sinclair is the first restaurant that the company will work with.[15]
* Great Scott is a venue in Allston, MA with a capacity of about 240 people.[16]

Great Scott closed in 2020 during the pandemic

### Other notable venues[edit]

* Union Transfer, opened originally in 1889 as the Spring Garden Farmer's Market,[17] is a live music and entertainment venue in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. After going through several changes over the years, the venue was renovated through a joint venture between R5 Productions, Four Corners Management, and The Bowery Presents in 2011.[18] At capacity, it holds up to about 1100 for standing room.
* Franklin Music Hall, formerly known as Electric Factory, in Philadelphia.[19]
* State Theatre is a historic live music venue in downtown Portland, Maine. Opened in the winter of 1929, the theatre has been host to several acts.[20] It reopened in 2010 after an agreement to renovate the property between Alex Crothers from Higher Ground in Burlington, Vermont and The Bowery Presents.[21] At capacity, it holds between 1,450 and 1,610 patrons.[22]

## References[edit]

1. ^ a b Sisario, Ben (2017-01-30). "In New York Music Scene, Two Behemoths Vie for the Top". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-07-16.
2. ^ "The Bowery Presents". www.bowerypresents.com. Retrieved 2019-07-16.
3. ^ "Montclair's Wellmont Theatre: Live Nation takes over for Bowery Presents". NJ.com. Retrieved 2016-11-01.
4. ^ "Webster Hall's Song of Freedom: New York Makes Most of Indie Status". Billboard. Retrieved 2016-11-01.
5. ^ a b "AEG Live to Acquire Bowery Presents". Billboard. Retrieved 2016-11-01.
6. ^ "Bowery Ballroom + Mercury Lounge and Live Nation form Mercury East Presents".
7. ^ a b "The House That the Bowery Boys Built | NYPress.com – New York's essential guide to culture, arts, politics, news and more". NYPress.com. 2007-11-28. Retrieved 2012-11-30.
8. ^ Sisario, Ben (2007-06-07). "Bowery Presents – Concert Industry – Music – New York Times". The New York Times. Retrieved 2012-11-30.
9. ^ The Bowery Presents Expands Into N.J.
10. ^ Sisario, Ben (2017-08-02). "Bowery Ballroom and Mercury Lounge Split From Concert Promoter Bowery Presents". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-07-16.
11. ^ a b Sisario, Ben (2010-03-09). "The Bowery in Boston". The New York Times.
12. ^ – Brooklyn Vegan
13. ^ Bowery Presents Expands In Boston Hires Carl Lavin and Josh Smith of CQ Presents-The Phoenix
14. ^ Bowery announces the Sinclair: Harvard Square's 525-person rock club + 104-seat Michael Schlow restaurant-The Phoenix —
15. ^ -Boston.com
16. ^ – Sonic Bids
17. ^ "DAVID K. O'NEIL | International Market Consultant". Davidkoneil.com. 2011-01-29. Retrieved 2014-05-28.
18. ^ "Union Transfer: New concert venue on Spring Garden Street opens | philadelphiaheights". Philadelphiaheights.wordpress.com. 2011-09-28. Retrieved 2014-05-28.
19. ^ Amorosi, A. D. (2018-09-12). "Bowery Presents Purchases Philadelphia's Electric Factory, Which Will Have to Change Its Name". Variety. Retrieved 2019-07-16.
20. ^ – Who Kidnapped The State?
21. ^ [1][dead link]
22. ^ Zema, Kegan (2011-01-12). "Guide to The State Theatre – The Maine Campus". Mainecampus.com. Archived from the original on 2011-01-15. Retrieved 2012-11-30.

## External links[edit]

* Official website