The downtown venue formerly known as City Streets and currently called Lone Star Nightclub (245 Commerce St.) is about to become a music venue.
Owned by a group of investors led by Randy and Jim Butler, who opened and operate Hyena’s in Fort Worth and Dallas, comedian Tom Rhodes, morning radio-show host and comedian Steve McGrew, Austin native and comedian JR Brow, and Pantera’s Vinnie Paul, Queen City Music Hall will seat 1,000 and feature a state-of-the-art sound system and two bars.
The soft opening will be Friday, June 21, with Burning Hotels, Ishi, Black Taxi, and Animal Spirit/Big Bats.
Queen City shows will be booked Blackbox Presents, the Fort Worth-based booking agency and management company that works with Burning Hotels, Holy Moly, and Lola’s Saloon, among many others.
As Blackbox co-owners and -founders Jamie Kinser-Knight and Aaron Knight have proven through their work with Lola’s, they know what’s cool, what’s hip, and what’s now. Queen City may remedy Fort Worth’s long lack of a bona fide venue –– a place on par with Dallas’ 700-seat Granada Theater –– and may even reignite interest in a downtown scene that loses nightflies regularly to the bright, shiny West 7th corridor.
Queen City, Kinser-Knight said, is “an opportunity for Fort Worth to host acts that sell nearly or just more than a thousand tickets and that normally show up in Dallas because Fort Worth hasn’t had an active room that suits them for a while,” Kinser-Knight said.
Kinser says ample parking is available, especially in the parking garage next door at 4th and Calhoun streets.
When did it officially stop operations as Lone Star? Downtown (and West 7th) for that matter, doesn’t need any more “live music” venues….there’s such a wide selection. It would be nice if Fort Worth had a nightclub that was properly run, wasn’t overpriced as hell, and able to secure top DJs that played music that wasn’t top 40 or hip-hop. City Streets and Lone Star failed in this regard, as did Fahrenheit, and let’s face it, Vice and Vee Lounge are hardly great venues.
I agree!!
We don’t need any more live music venues? There’s such a “wide selection?” Only if you’re satisfied with a local music scene that consists entirely of cigarette-choked bars that can’t hold more than a small fraction of what a place like The Granada can hold.
We do have good venues, but we don’t have a good variety in those venues. Not yet. This helps.
I agree. Would love to see Granada acts in Fort Worth for a change.
Your move, Ridglea.
Bingo. But don’t hold your breath.
Heck yeah! Aaron and Jme are real people who really care about the scene! They actively involve themselves in the scene and have greatly contributed to making Fort Worth’s music scene a substantial and respected place for musicians to play.
Thank you!
I hope the really book national acts.
Agree wholeheartedly that this town has the size and capacity to support a “real” nightclub venue if someone actually operated one. It is painful seeing venues with promise open and close by repeating the exact pattern of Top-40 madness. Dare to be different.
panthercityproductions.com
Yes!!!
Just don’t let Spune Productions book it. Every show they do at Live Oak is a clusterf***, which is a shame because it is a beautiful venue that deserves better.
Tad bit on the bitter side much? Take the high road much? Haha taking time to bash a company publicly takes some serious resentment issues. Be professional, or try for your lack thereof.
Tad bit on the bitter side much? Take the high road much? Taking time to bash a company publicly takes some serious resentment issues. Be professional, or try for your lack thereof.
Tad bit on the bitter side…Take the high road much? Taking time to bash a company publicly takes some serious resentment issues. Be professional, or try for your lack thereof.
Prevalence is prevalent. 🙂
Seriously though, I see the OP’s point. Not everyone likes live music, and that’s fine. City Streets may not have been perfect but it was a great space to go shake your booty, mingle and people watch.
But I really have to agree with Urb. Big acts need a big room with a big stage and lots of parking. For the life of me I still can’t figure out why the Little Theater that Could on Camp Bowie can’t fill this role, but I digress. Best of luck to all in this new venture.
What is Westsider’s profession? Maybe they ARE being professional. Hard to say with all the anonymous posts
Fort Worth has an extensive sleeping audience that was left hanging by the demise of the Caravan. They spent a fortune broadening this town’s musical horizons, but then died when the “sugar daddy” spigot dried up and they had insufficient seating for sustaining a profit vs. increasing artist costs. McDavid occasionally fills the void, but far too infrequently, and with no apparent interest in making full use of the venue’s potential. It also takes an advertising budget (or maybe extensive use of the low-cost internet options that are now available like Facebook and email) to grab the attention of the masses. FW is full of specialized crowds, but also full of more folk who simply need to be introduced to more musical options than American Idol and Billy Bobs. Live Oak has been another opportunity missed, and the Ridglea seems to have it’s own management issues. A new venue won’t skyrocket to profit, but done right, it could fill the “Granada-House of Blues-Kessler” hole in Cowtown.
Worse drink prices EVER! Almost $5 for a domestic beer. This place has no chance unless they lower their drink prices. Not impressed…
Hello I’m looking for job working at a night club that a place for people to go and have a good time people of class can go! I open a club back in the early 2000 in was real nice it was called Teresa Nite club South East Fort Worth we had Don De Ago on Monday Nites An other live Bands and I’m looking for a Club that I can work and help make it work for Doctors,Lawyer, and people of class that like getting out with a niece Dress and having a good time. PM Sr.