Waterfront Tavern Holyoke, MA
Imagine a place where great local music, a tight community of people, and an adrenaline filled mosh pit were all put together. Now imagine this the center of hardcore in the United States, where "local" bands are Within the Ruins, the Acacia Strain, and Vanna, where shows are $10 or less every weekend. Well look no further, place is the Waterfront Tavern in Holyoke, Massachusetts.
I was able to enjoy my first ever live concert at this venue with a few of my friends, and it was absolutely extraordinary. The day was January 9, 2009, and we were going to see the Acacia Strain, it was cold and wet outside with slush all over the ground. I remember waiting outside the building, wondering how it could possible fit all the people in line with us inside this tiny warehouse looking place. As we inched our was to the door, we could see the bands bringing in equipment and chatting with the fans in line. It was very exciting for me to be at my first show, surrounded by fans as excited as me, and then we reached the door. Upon entering it looks like a large gymnasium, there are no chairs, just a stage to the left and 50 yards of floor going back to an area where the bands sell merchandise. There is plenty of room but the building fills quickly as the opening band tunes up their gear and gets ready to play. When the music begins, the entire room converges on the stage and begins to jam to the music. The open floor becomes a condensed pit of adrenaline, hundreds of people jumping around, fighting to get to the stage where maybe they'll be able to scream some lyrics into the microphone. Everybody is moist with sweat, but you don't care, you're jumping around throwing people off of you, it's nothing personal just part of the experience. If you get knocked down someone will be there to pick you up, only to get knocked down again seconds later. As long as you keep going with the flow of the crowd, and keeping distance from the moshers looking to hurt people, it is an overwhelming experience. You never know what's going to happen when a band takes the stage. The first band had the audience split into two sides, and when we were split apart the lead singer yelled, "Goooo!", both sides of the room came running at each other full speed, only to crash into each other like a scene from a medieval battle. It was truly a sight to behold and something I won't soon forget being apart of. When a set ends and the band starts to break down their equipment I noticed a mass exodus. Half the crowd immediately streams toward the door to go outside for a smoke and wait for the next band to take the stage. When Acacia finally came out to play the energy was unbelievable. The crowd seems to increase ten fold for the last band, everyone from the bar up in front of the building, including people showing up only for this set have arrived and are all on the floor. They play to the point where it seems as if the combined energy from the crowd and the music could collapse the entire place, and then it ends. The lights click on and everyone begins to file out, reminicing about how amazing the experience the just had was, and saying how much they cannot wait to get back again.
There's even more to the Waterfront than just hardcore shows. Family owned and operated for the last ten years, the Waterfront Tavern continuously hosts big names in hardcore rock shows from Years Since the Storm to Oceano, who all hail from the western Mass area. The Waterfront is a huge supporter of local and big name artists alike, you'd be hard pressed to find a headlining act that doesn't play all across the nation, while opening with local up and coming bands.
I was able to enjoy my first ever live concert at this venue with a few of my friends, and it was absolutely extraordinary. The day was January 9, 2009, and we were going to see the Acacia Strain, it was cold and wet outside with slush all over the ground. I remember waiting outside the building, wondering how it could possible fit all the people in line with us inside this tiny warehouse looking place. As we inched our was to the door, we could see the bands bringing in equipment and chatting with the fans in line. It was very exciting for me to be at my first show, surrounded by fans as excited as me, and then we reached the door. Upon entering it looks like a large gymnasium, there are no chairs, just a stage to the left and 50 yards of floor going back to an area where the bands sell merchandise. There is plenty of room but the building fills quickly as the opening band tunes up their gear and gets ready to play. When the music begins, the entire room converges on the stage and begins to jam to the music. The open floor becomes a condensed pit of adrenaline, hundreds of people jumping around, fighting to get to the stage where maybe they'll be able to scream some lyrics into the microphone. Everybody is moist with sweat, but you don't care, you're jumping around throwing people off of you, it's nothing personal just part of the experience. If you get knocked down someone will be there to pick you up, only to get knocked down again seconds later. As long as you keep going with the flow of the crowd, and keeping distance from the moshers looking to hurt people, it is an overwhelming experience. You never know what's going to happen when a band takes the stage. The first band had the audience split into two sides, and when we were split apart the lead singer yelled, "Goooo!", both sides of the room came running at each other full speed, only to crash into each other like a scene from a medieval battle. It was truly a sight to behold and something I won't soon forget being apart of. When a set ends and the band starts to break down their equipment I noticed a mass exodus. Half the crowd immediately streams toward the door to go outside for a smoke and wait for the next band to take the stage. When Acacia finally came out to play the energy was unbelievable. The crowd seems to increase ten fold for the last band, everyone from the bar up in front of the building, including people showing up only for this set have arrived and are all on the floor. They play to the point where it seems as if the combined energy from the crowd and the music could collapse the entire place, and then it ends. The lights click on and everyone begins to file out, reminicing about how amazing the experience the just had was, and saying how much they cannot wait to get back again.
There's even more to the Waterfront than just hardcore shows. Family owned and operated for the last ten years, the Waterfront Tavern continuously hosts big names in hardcore rock shows from Years Since the Storm to Oceano, who all hail from the western Mass area. The Waterfront is a huge supporter of local and big name artists alike, you'd be hard pressed to find a headlining act that doesn't play all across the nation, while opening with local up and coming bands.
The venue itself is a low stage, with no division between the audience and the artist, so close you can touch them, and many do. It allows you to be fully immersed in the show, artist and audience connecting, interacting, and making for an all around more eventful night. Although fifty feet back from the stage the intensity of the moshing and mayhem dies down and people can stand and enjoy the show, still only a mere thirty feet from the performers.
If that type if music isn't quite your scene then you may be interested in the full bar and eatery in the front portion of the building, completely separated from the stage area. The food is standard bar food such as burgers and wings, but the taste is far from ordinary. The burgers there are 1/4lb. and extremely juicy, these aren't just normal bar burgers they are cooked to absolute perfection. Just because Western Mass is a center for hardcore does not mean that is all the Waterfront has to offer. Various local cover bands, as well as big names in country can be seen here from time to time. The lineup is always diverse and quite interesting no matter your taste in music.
The Waterfront Tavern in Holyoke, MA, come for the music, and stay for the music because week after week, year after year the Waterfront delivers the best, and newest in hardcore, and every genre of music for all to enjoy.
Wall of Death! OMG. I was in one once. Scary! I love your personal story about this place. I felt like I was at the show and could feel it, but I can't hear it! I'm sure it was loud, deafeningly so. Does it look like a warehouse on the inside? When I think of a warehouse, I see it as rundown and drab color with graffiti and broken windows. What's Waterfront Tavern like?
ReplyDeleteAlso, the organization was a little off for me. You talk about how there's a lot of hardcore there. Then you discuss the food. Then you talk about how other types of music go through here. Keep the music talk together when you're telling your reader about how it's not just hardcore, there's something for everyone.