The punks mourned the closure of CBGB in 2006, the indie-rockers cried foul when Northsix became Music Hall of Williamsburg in 2007, but almost all of New York’s music lovers will be sad to see Roseland Ballroom close its doors. The historic venue will shutter in April with a run of seven shows by Lady Gaga, bringing almost a century of history to an end.
Roseland moved to its current 52nd Street location in 1956 and, at first, maintained its reputation for ballroom dancing — as well as being used for ice-skating and operating as a roller rink. But in the late 1970s and early 1980s, Roseland caught up with the times and started to host disco club nights and shows by modern rock, pop, dance and hip-hop acts (everyone from Red Hot Chili Peppers to the Rolling Stones to, last week, Lorde).
The sadness around Roseland Ballroom’s demise — five years short of its centennial, no less — is compounded by confusion. Owner Larry Ginsberg hasn’t made a public statement about what will happen to the site. Meanwhile, music-industry rumors vary from the building being demolished to make way for condos to an all-new Roseland opening in the future.
Whatever happens, the venue has already written itself into New York folklore. These are just five of the most famous gigs held in Roseland’s recent history.
Metallica: Aug. 3, 1984
Metallica was still an underground band when they played Roseland in 1984, as one of the openers for British metal group Raven. But this performance at Roseland was so intense and powerful that the very next day, Elektra Records invited the group to its NYC offices to sign the deal that would see them sell more than 100 million albums and make metal mainstream.
Nirvana: July 23, 1993
Just hours before this gig, singer Kurt Cobain overdosed on heroin in his hotel and had to be revived by his friend Michael DeWitt. Cobain came around and played the gig; the audience was clueless about his near-death experience. “Everyone wanted to be at that gig,” remembers the band’s former UK booking agent Russell Warby. “I remember Debbie Harry called me up and tried to get on the guest list, but I couldn’t fit her in.”
Fiona Apple: April 30, 2000
The native New Yorker was riding high on the success of her second album “When the Pawn . . .” when she played Roseland for what should have been a triumphant homecoming. But as she struggled with technical issues, the show took a nose dive, and Apple started crying, began staring into the balcony and completed the meltdown by walking off stage. In 2012, Apple talked to Jimmy Fallon — who was in the audience at that concert — about the incident and coyly explained she was “reacting to life.”
Madonna: April 30, 2008
Madge’s 2008 dance-oriented “Hard Candy” won’t be remembered as one of her best, but shortly after it came out, she gave her hometown a night to remember with a performance at Roseland. Fans were allowed in on a first-come, first-served basis, and many camped outside the venue for days in advance. The show was only a half-hour long, but she still made time to bump and grind with Justin Timberlake during their collaboration, “4 Minutes.”
Beyoncé: Aug. 14, 16, 18 and 19, 2011
Talk about a hot ticket. When the first of Queen Bey’s intimate Roseland shows went on sale in 2011, tickets sold out in just 22 seconds, while the remaining shows also sold out within minutes. Those lucky enough to get in were treated to a history of Beyoncé — from Destiny’s Child through to her solo hits. The dazzling performance was made all the more impressive when, just days later at the MTV VMAs, Beyoncé revealed she was three months pregnant. No one who saw her rock Roseland had any idea.