As we first reported back in August, the former site of Great Scott in Allston would soon become the spot for Boston’s newest Taco Bell Cantina, despite there already being a pair of locations nearby at Boston University and Brookline’s Coolidge Corner. Over the holiday break, the fast food joint quietly opened up on the corner of Harvard and Commonwealth avenues without much fanfare, and it’s pretty jarring to see what they’ve done with the place.
There’s certainly no plan for Taco Bell to be hosting live music at 1222 Commonwealth Ave., but that didn’t stop Boston’s own Robby Roadsteamer from rolling up to the joint the other day and becoming the first — and probably only — artist to perform live within these hallowed halls (pro tip: use the exposed brick along the Harvard Avenue side to get a sense of the old layout).
To the amusement of the staff, who likely don’t have a clue of the site’s history, Roadsteamer serenaded an empty Taco Bell with a twist on Joni Mitchell’s 1970 single “Big Yellow Taxi.” He also interviewed passers-by about what they thought of the new use for the space.
“They paved Great Scott, put up a Taco Bell Cantina!” Roadsteamer writes on Insta. “Now they charge $15 Dollars just to get Diarrhea!! Make Boston Shitty Again! Rage against the dying of the slight in 2024! Our creative Renaissance is coming hard from behind, Boston…”
Meanwhile, there should be public news shortly on a potential new Allston location for a resurrected Great Scott.
Stay tuned, and don’t forget to always live más…