The Bowery Presents has long viewed their greater Boston venues as rungs on a ladder, says Vice President Josh Bhatti. The first rung was the now-shuttered Allston club Great Scott, with its 240-person capacity; followed by The Sinclair’s mid-sized space of 525 maximum patrons in Cambridge’s Harvard Square. But up until 2022, the ladder abruptly stopped, ending at Royale’s 1,000-person capacity space in the Theater District. In the Bowery Boston universe, bands didn’t have much room to grow between tours and album cycles — and once bands got bigger than what could fit within Royale’s confines, there was no other Bowery venue in the region to play.
“After Royale we were generally losing shows because we didn’t have a place to put them,” Bhatti says Monday afternoon (March 14), on the eve of the opening of Bowery’s — and Boston’s — newest live music venue. Enter Roadrunner, Bowery Presents’ new 3,500-person capacity venue at Boston Landing in Brighton, which opens its doors to the public on Tuesday night with an inaugural performance from Billy Strings.
Strings has ironically climbed the ladder just as Bhatti explained, starting with Great Scott in 2017 before graduating to The Sinclair in 2019 (note: A performance for Royale was in the books for April 2020, but was cancelled for obvious reasons). Other artists scheduled to perform this month include Mitski, Bleachers, Chelsea Cutler, Tom Misch, Khruangbin, and hometown heroes Dropkick Murphys and JoJo.
The two-story, 50,000-square-foot venue located at 89 Guest St., adjacent to The TRACK at New Balance, was designed with comfort in mind, Bhatti explains. “No one has to come to a concert,” he notes, contrasting shows with necessary tasks like groceries and laundry. “So we have to give people a reason to want to come to a concert.”
Fans of The Sinclair will recognize Roadrunner’s layout immediately. The venue is standing room only, and both floors are general admission (although for some shows, the ends of the mezzanine closest to the stage might become a “premium” ticket option, depending on the performer’s preferences). All parts of the U-shaped mezzanine skew to face the stage directly, and also feature drink rails to prevent spills and excessive sloshing. The mezzanine’s stair-like architecture allows guests to easily see the stage over fans in front of them, even if they’re watching from the back row. In fact, Roadrunner’s sightlines are one of the venue’s most striking features, Bhatti says.
“It’s nice to not have to feel like ‘I have to get here right at doors,’” he explains.
These details interlock to reach towards Bhatti’s goal of an “intimate 3500 person room,” down to a special feature hidden within the venue’s stage. If a show doesn’t sell as well as originally planned, the production crew can extend the stage forward by 12 feet, effectively shrinking the first floor and keeping Roadrunner “cozy.” The stage’s transformation is a refreshing alternative to closing off the balcony, which “kind of pulls some of the energy out” of a club, Bhatti says.
A mega-sized merch area by the front doors carves out a space for artists to sling t-shirts and records without cramming their goods onto a folding table in the corner of a hallways. Gymnasium-esque glass tiles and reclaimed oak boards (like bleachers, Bhatti says) pay homage to New Balance, Roadrunner’s landlord and Guest Street neighbor.
The venue’s color palette mixes a striking shade of burnt orange with earth tones, much like the single art for The Modern Lovers’ tune “Roadrunner,” the venue’s namesake. A framed copy of the single awaits performers backstage in the main catering area, where touring bands can freshen up on Boston music history in dressing rooms inspired by acts like Donna Summer. Nearby, a VIP lounge called “The Guest Room” allows artists’ friends and family to a breather backstage. Guests can also upgrade their tickets to access the private, 100-person space, complete with a full bar and a livestream of the show. Fans who don’t fancy an upcharge can also visit the massive second story bar, which is removed from the noise and commotion of the mezzanine.
While this week’s grand opening signals a welcome new entry in Boston music history, some parts of the local arts scene have opted to run in the opposite direction, calling Roadrunner an unnecessary addition in a town that desperately needs more small venues. Following the loss of independent venues like Thunder Road, ONCE Somerville, Great Scott, and The Milky Way, many members of the community feel that a 3,500 person venue is the last thing Boston music needs.
But Bhatti wants to remind guests that “it wasn’t going to be one or the other” — that is, New Balance was always looking for a “large” tenant, and adding a small-scale venue to 89 Guest St. was never an option. The Bowery Presents VP expresses gratitude that the vacancy went to Roadrunner, instead of being transformed into lab space, which technically would have been far more profitable for New Balance. The arrival of Roadrunner has also employed ample Boston-based musicians who might not otherwise have the chance to work in the music business full-time.
“Centering the neighborhood with the arts is super important,” Bhatti tells Vanyaland. With Mainely Burgers, Rail Stop Restaurant and Bar, American Flatbread, and Brighton Bowl next door, he says he hopes Roadrunner’s presence will make Guest Street an “18-hour neighborhood” that’s culturally on the up-and-up for years to come.
“Any size venue fits into the overall ecosystem,” he concludes.
Check out Roadrunner’s upcoming calendar here, and take a look at some photos of the interior, by Ben Stas / Noise Floor, courtesy of Bowery Boston, below.
