Many present and former rock and roll venues throughout the U.S. are sacred spaces.  Think of CBGBs, The Filmore West, or the Whiskey A Go Go.  Fans and musicians trade their favorite legendary stories about these venues, which transcend just four walls and a roof to take on a spiritual significance.  The place is important, the ground is holy, the memories are succor for the soul and the amplifiers still ring in the ears of the fans years later.

The Grande Ballroom in Detroit is one of these sacred spaces.  Now abandoned and dilapidated, the Grande is still alive and pulsating with music in the hearts of the musicians and fans who frequented it during its glory days, 1966-1970.  The list of performers is impressive: The Stooges, MC5, Alice Cooper, Ted Nugent, The Who, Jeff Beck, the Grateful Dead, Jethro Tull and Vanilla Fudge, among dozens of others.  It seems like everyone who grew up in Detroit during the late 1960s has a favorite Grande story.

Now the rest of the world can hear these stories too in the new exquisite documentary, “Louder than Love.”  A preview of the film can be viewed here. Last year I attended a concert fundraiser organized by the film’s director, Tony D’Annunzio–he needed extra cash to purchase music rights for the film.  ”Louder than Love” will be making the rounds at a number of national film festivals this spring and summer–I highly recommend that R&T readers check it out.

What are your favorite music venues and what makes them so special?

Dave Nantais, Detroit, MI