|
The Middle East is a live music venue, bar and restaurant in the Central Square area of Cambridge, Massachusetts. Having featured a huge variety of musicians since 1987, the establishment, with its upstairs and downstairs rooms, "is the nexus of metro Boston's rock-club scene for local and touring bands", according to ''Boston Phoenix'' newspaper.〔Sullivan, Jim (2007) (''Boston Phoenix'' article on The Middle East ), ''Boston Phoenix''. Retrieved 2010-11-07.〕 ==History== The Middle East opened as a Lebanese restaurant in 1970. In 1975 after brothers Joseph and Nabil Sater Habib purchased the establishment they expanded into a store front at 472 Massachusetts Avenue The brothers maintained the ethnic food and keeping in the theme of the restaurant they had Arab-language bands, music and belly dancers. The area is now known as The Middle East Upstairs. In the 1980s they booked blues and jazz music.〔Milano, Brett (1997) ("Middle East 10th Anniversary" ), ''Boston Phoenix''. Retrieved 2010-11-08.〕 It was not until 1987 that the first rock show was played by a solo Roger Miller of Mission of Burma fame.〔 Later that year a birthday party was thrown by local music promoter Billy Ruane at T.T. the Bear's Place, a small rock club next door. Having overbooked T.T.'s, Ruane worked with the Sater brothers to have some of his party spill over to The Middle East and allow bands to play at their establishment. Ruane was quoted in 2007 by the ''Boston Phoenix'' saying to a 20th anniversary reunion crowd: "You remember what happened — I threw a fuckin' party that got too fuckin’ big".〔Milano, Bret (2007)(Article on Middle East's 20th anniversary reunion ), ''Boston Phoenix''. Retrieved 2010-11-07.〕〔(Middle East club website, "About Us" page ). Retrieved 2010-11-08.〕 In 1988, there were several other expansions of The Middle East. First the Sater brothers converted a bakery Vouros' at the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Brookline Street into a bar/restaurant. This section known as ''The Corner'' or the ''Bakery'', has a small stage against the window to Mass. Avenue, where local small bands and DJs play. In 1993, in order to create a space for more popular musical acts to perform, the basement of the building, that was formerly a bowling alley, was converted into a music venue. This is now known as The Middle East Downstairs.〔 The Corner acts as an entrance, waiting area and ticket section to the Downstairs. In 2001 the Sater brothers took over the lease of the last remaining portion of the current Middle East complex positioned between the ''Front'' and the ''Corner'' which was an Indian Resataurant at the time. It became ''ZuZu'', named after the childhood nickname of one of the Sater brothers,〔 and is a separate restaurant serving upscale cuisine. In 2002 this venue was further updated by Lilli Dennison to have a night club type style. ZuZu features live music and DJs several times a week.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「The Middle East (nightclub)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|