End of an Era: An Ode to a Local Connecticut Venue

Many of the longtime readers of Feeling Groupie or listeners of Groupie and Harmony are probably aware of the fact that I am an avid concert fan who tries to see as many as possible depending on schedule and cost.  Something related to this that I don’t think I express enough is that I absolutely love concerts at smaller venues.  While it might be easy to cite seeing acts like August Burns Red or Frank Turner at venues that are standing room only, I’m referring to venues that are even smaller.  Some of my favorite memories from these type of venues are Silent Planet accidently breaking a mic stand and talking about Chinese food while waiting, Dying Wish encouraging a mosh pit of 4 people in an early show after Covid, This Wild Life asking for everyone to show pictures of their dogs, Bent Knee laughing and having the time of their life during their set, The World Is a Beautiful Place and I’m No Longer Afraid to Die (also known as The World Is a Beautiful Place…) performing for an audience that included a bunch of their friends (they were initially from Connecticut), and a guy ending up on stage with members of Silent Planet after crowd surfing.  There are of course mishaps or bad memories from some of these shows as well (such as a girl suffering an epileptic seizure at one show), but the intimacy and dedication of these shows is something that I adore.

Unfortunately, these venues are a dying breed and might be endangered in many areas.  While several small businesses closed during the pandemic, the entertainment industry was rocked (no pun intended), leaving several small venues with little to no possible way to survive, especially ones that are independent.  Even as the pandemic has been downgraded and concerts have started to resume, many of these venues still struggle to remain open.  While DIY and independence are two common staples across multiple genres associated with more underground genres and acts, the truth is that it is very difficult to not lose massive amounts of money while operating a venue with these principles.  Connecticut recently lost another venue of this nature in New Haven’s The State House, which officially closed on May 29^th.

I first learned of this venue recently, when I saw that hardcore punk/metalcore band Stick to Your Guns had performed there.  I added it to my list of venues to eye after, and while there were concerts I was interested in that I wasn’t able to attend (including Angel Du$t and Ceschi), I made it a point to attend the venue when I heard that The World Is a Beautiful Place… was performing there in March.  I love the band and was excited to watch the show since they put on a good show.  When I got there, I realized a high school classmate of mine, Brandon, was working there.  I was excited to catch up with him for a bit since I always liked him, and he is so nice.  At that point, he informed me that The World Is a Beautiful Place… had to cancel their show since one of their members was sick (the good news was that it sounded like a stomach bug, and they recovered quickly ultimately).  What he did instead was have the second opener (Emperor X) move into the main headline slot, bring in Christian Holden, the vocalist of The Hotelier, an indie/emo band located in Worcester, MA, that is known in the genres in the northeast, to serve as a coheadliner, and then have the other opener, Cinema Stare, open the show.  While they provided the opportunity to request refunds, I opted not to and attended the show instead.  While I was pretty tired by the end of the concert (it was the first show I attended after I got Covid in January), it was an awesome show.  In particular, my personal favorite moment of the show was that Holden played with the movie Gumby playing in the background, and Emperor X waited to take the stage until the film finished.  I loved this show; I thought it was so cool that they got a notable name in the northeast excitedly agreed to drive a couple hours to perform the show last minute.  On top of that, a sense of community that arose as everyone cheered while watching Gumby was an absolutely beautiful thing to behold.

On May 24^th, the venue had it’s final concert (they had a show/jam the next day, but this was their final standard concert), which was a makeup of The World Is a Beautiful Place…’s cancelled show.  It was an awesome show and was an absolute blast, as the headliner and both openers (Stand Still and Posture & the Grizzly) were great.  The World Is a Beautiful Place… surprised everyone by abruptly playing their debut album in entirety halfway through their set, and finished with a song from the album that was a fan favorite for a second time.  That said, the moment I will remember from this was when a guy with a broken foot who was using a cane started a mosh pit a few songs into Posture & the Grizzly’s set.  At that point, I was briefly confused before realizing that I’ve practically seen everything else at this venue.

These are the types of things I love about smaller venues.  In some venues, I remember strange things about them, such as the bathroom sign at The Space in Hamden.  Sometimes I remember specific concerts when I think of a venue, which I do at The Webster in Hartford and Toad’s Place in New Haven.  Ultimately, when I think The State House, I will always think of two things:  a guy with a broken foot and cane starting a mosh pit, and the fact that something as simple as a movie in the background could bring a sense of community that also symbolizes the community aspect of a musician driving 2 hours to fill in for some friends of theirs.  This is what I love most about concerts, and is something that can only be provided through smaller venues.