Farewell, Fitzgerald’s and its long, complicated history TLDR: Iconic Houston music landmark Fitzgerald's is closing it's doors after a NYE show. Sara Fitzgerald sold the property earlier this year. I went to many many shows there in the 90's and a few since. I was never not scared that the balcony would collapse. Taking away the history and the fun I had there, as a music venue...good riddance. Terrible sound, always hot as crap in there, the restrooms, the tiny bar, no parking...really not much redeeming about the building itself. Still, in a city that is not known for it's music scene, this was the place. Local bands, national bands just getting noticed, all forms of music.
I actually grew up right around the corner from Fitz. My brother was a bartender, and I got to know Sara's kids really well. They actually had a living space tucked away in the back corner. During the summer break the kids stayed there and I stayed over a few times. They they had the Star Wars trilogy, a super NES and enough Josta to keep us perpetually wired. We had the whole building to ourselves, and we would play capture the flag with rubber band guns. Some of my best childhood memories were from that summer. Beyond my emotional attachment, yeah it wasn't a great venue going there as an adult. I know she has been trying to sell for years, honestly surprised it took this long with that prime real estate. Haven't been in quite a while, gonna have to make it out before it closes down.
This is all true. Sad to hear this but given what's gone on in the are this was pretty much inevitable.
Had some great times in high school playing with my band at Fitz. For a bunch of 17 year olds, playing there eally felt like we'd "made it", especially since it was so much more difficult to get gigs there than places like Walter's and The White Swan.
It's been a long time since I went to Fitzgerald's, but I've had some insane times there and watched some great shows.
started going to shows in 91 and left houston in 95, but during that time i definitely saw more bands at fitzgeralds than anywhere else in town. being an all ages venue was nice...i never saw the inside of rudyards till after i moved and turned 21. billygoat, r****ded elf, sprawl, bad mutha goose, toho ehio and tons of de schmog. feeling the whole floor bounce up and down at crowded shows always freaked me out! going to that blues bar across the street b/c they would serve minors and having my 18 year old mind blown by a blues guitarist who would play while standing on his head. my high school band got to play zeldas a few times, but never got upstairs till i came back with various austin bands over the years. havent been there since the 90's, but hickoids are doing a farewell show there on the 21st. ill be in town and might have to make it out.
White Oak, Revention, HoB...all far far far better venues. It was inevitable regardless. Sara Fitzgerald had been trying to sell for some time. Unless they were going to invest a ton of money to fix the place up, it's worth way more on the market than as a venue. She obviously wasn't going to spend a penny on the place. I think I went there most for Planet Shock/Aftershock in the mid-90's.
I did and saw a lot of bad things there.... but I also had a lot of fun there and.... after we left there for the night.
Used to go there a lot when I lived in town. Liked both the upstairs and downstairs stages. Didn't this place lose most of their business when Jagi and the Pegstar team pulled their shows out of the venue?
Wasn't aware of that email exchange. Super unprofessional regardless. I always liked those Fitz and Walters on Washington appeal. Those venues were kinda all dimly lit, grungy, graffitied bathrooms and an overall great place to have indie shows. These new HOB, White Oak places are much more sanitized "sponsored by Bud Light/Live Nation" type of places. Yes, it's easier to park and it's cleaner, but a lot of the fun was working around all the inconveniences to get to those old venues. I remember reading about how the neighbors around the Walters on Washington started complaining about the noise. But Walters had been there for a long time and due to lack of zoning people built these new townhomes right next to the venue. They then started complaining about the noise even though they were already aware a venue was there to begin with before they bought their new home.
Walters was great. The son of the owner of Walters was a bartender at a bar i was a regular at and he told me lots of funny stories. Loved that place more than Fitz. Money has really ruined that charm you're talking about. It's fun to talk about going to the same venues as someone 20 years older than you. I make it a point to avoid the new places and that's cut into the shows i attend now. I watch more local comedy now.
Pam at Walter's was a saint to young people trying to find an audience for their music. She let us play Friday and Saturday nights and always made sure we sounded good with a proper sound man. We never got that at the more DIY venues like Super Happy Funland or Southmore House.
I saw some good music there back in the mid-late 80's. Even got laid in the upstairs balcony by a rando hottie I met a Reivers show once. Good times. Haven't been back in decades though so I can only imagine the condition of the building after all those years of partying.
