Nightlife

Don’t tell me the spot that produced GWAR, Lamb of God, Carbon Leaf, Jason Mraz, and Elliott Yamin has no nightlife. Richmond’s music scene has been strong for decades, helping Pat Benatar hone her skills in clubs in the ’70s and giving Bruce Springsteen’s early band, Steel Mill, a lot of love and places to crash in the old days.

The nightlife scene changes so rapidly that I’ve kept it simple in this chapter with some sure things geared to a wide range of ages and styles. I’ve stayed away from highlighting the chains, such as Buffalo Wild Wings, BlackFinn, or Stool Pigeons. No offense, chains, but we know the score there already.

College and young singles hit up the VCU area for the Grace Street nightlife, with clubs and bars that cater to that crowd. Shockoe Slip and Bottom draw crowds—high school kids going to a show at Alley Katz, college kids or serious clubbers at the Canal Club, and the older crowd hitting the bars, music venues, and dance clubs. Comedy is growing—with more open mics around town all the time—and special events at some unexpected spots.

As with so many Richmond venues, you’ll notice lots of renovation and reuse of cool old buildings, from seeing a movie in an old locomotive factory to dancing in old warehouses. For outdoor concerts and the big-time acts that hit the Coliseum or Landmark Theater, see the “Performing Arts” chapter.

It seems as if almost anywhere you can buy food and drink in Richmond, from City Dogs to Balliceaux, has live music some nights, so you’ll want to pick up the latest Style Weekly (www.styleweekly.com) or Brick (www.brickweekly.com) for up-to-the-minute goings-on. There’s live music several places in town every night; I haven’t come close to listing all the good options.

The “Restaurants” chapter includes many more spots that are worthwhile for their food, ambience, beverages, and music, including wine cafes.

Nightlife - Performing Arts

Richmond is as much the cultural capital of Virginia as it is the political one. With its own ballet and symphony, a share of Virginia Opera, and numerous professional theaters, dance companies, and musicians, Richmond is a more artsy and creative place than many people realize. The theater scene here is vibrant and innovative. Richmond is the only city in the mid-Atlantic with a full-time professional theater, Richmond Triangle Players, devoted to producing plays relevant to the gay experience. The Firehouse Theatre is the site of the Festival of New American Plays every year, drawing 200 entries. With more than a dozen professional theaters and theater companies staging productions throughout the region, there’s no need to wait for the touring Broadway shows to come to town to scratch Richmond’s itch for theater. Modern dance and contemporary music here get bursts of energy from the faculty and students at the universities around town—especially the University of Richmond and Virginia Commonwealth University.

One of the charms of our historic region is that you can see ballet and opera in an old movie palace and catch a play in an old firehouse, in the nation’s oldest gristmill, in a historic tavern, or in the courtyard of a Tudor mansion. Who needs scenery? Anything goes. I’ve lost count of how many buildings have been donated to arts groups by generous individuals and corporations. The shows go on, in much swankier facilities than just 10 years ago. Richmond Triangle Players has a new building in Scott’s Addition, and Dogtown Dance has just renovated an old school gymnasium in Manchester. CenterStage has brought the Carpenter Theatre back to its former glory and added the Gottwald Playhouse to the mix.

Collaboration is the word on the street these days in the arts. Richmond Shakespeare collaborated with African-American Repertory to produce Othello at the Gottwald. The Latin Ballet of Virginia paired with the Barksdale recently as well. Those touring Broadway shows take up residence at either the Landmark or the Carpenter Theatre, and the University of Richmond’s excellent Modlin Center for the Arts series stages some performances on campus, some at the Landmark and others at the Carpenter Theatre. Be sure you know where you’re going before you leave your house. All the moving around from venue to venue can be confusing, but it’s really an embarrassment of riches.

Overview

Catch concerts in cool settings such as the Hat Factory or the National. Like your music alfresco? Innsbrook’s After Hours Series will set you up all spring and summer long, as will Sunsets at Kanawha, Dogwood Dell Festival of the Arts, and Friday Cheers on Brown’s Island. The biggest outdoor concert series in Richmond is the Richmond Folk Festival, with music of all kinds wafting through the air along the river in October. Though the local music scene gets some mention here, music in smaller clubs, bars, and coffeehouses gets a look in the “Nightlife” chapter.

Most of the arts are centered downtown in Richmond, but Chesterfield, Henrico, and Hanover counties all have at least one theater within their borders.