The Tabernacle
Encyclopedia
The Tabernacle, informally known as The Tabby, is a mid-size concert hall, in the U.S.
city
of Atlanta, currently managed by concert promoter Live Nation
. It has a seating capacity of 2,600 people.
It has been a venue for notable acts, including The Black Crowes
, Fergie, Adele
, Robbie Williams
, Alice in Chains
, Bob Dylan
, Prince
& The New Power Generation and Atlanta's own Sevendust
, among others.
Along with music concerts, the venue also holds many comedy tours annually including Bob Saget
, Lisa Lampanelli
, Cheech & Chong and Stephen Lynch
.
was recruited from Virginia
to become pastor of Third Baptist Church in Atlanta in March 1898. Within a year he had founded a new Baptist Tabernacle church on the southwest corner of Luckie and Harris streets (now the middle of Centennial Olympic Park
). Rev. Broughton was closely associated with the church in its early years, leading the local press to refer to it as "Broughton's Tabernacle," though this was never the official name of the church or any of its buildings. The new church was quite successful and had to be expanded several times to accommodate growth.
Seeing need for further growth, Broughton sought another location closer to the center of town, which led to the current property on Luckie St. However his Board of Deacons found the price too high and declined to buy it. As a result Broughton himself and a few of his deacons bought the property on July 7, 1906 and gave it to the church. The Atlanta Constitution reported the $52,000 transaction on its front page, reporting it as "one of the most important real estate and church transactions ever made in Atlanta" and described an auditorium "eight or ten stories in height" and estimated construction cost at $250,000.
The building was designed by noted Chattanooga architect Reuben Harrison Hunt, along with three other buildings for the same site including a nurses dormitory and a hospital building. (None of these other buildings survive to the present day). The plans were revealed in November 1907 and depict a church building somewhat larger than what was finally constructed, extending all the way to the corner of Luckie and Spring Street (see photo).
Ground-breaking ceremonies were held for the new building on August 17, 1909, at which time the construction cost had been revised to $125,000. At the time the membership of the church was 1,850 (up from 350 at its founding ten years before). Broughton, who was preaching at Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church
at the time, was not present at the ground-breaking.
The cornerstone for the building was laid at the end of the 1910 Bible Conference held at the church. Immediately after a sermon by F. B. Meyer
on March 9, 1910, an "immense crowd" adjourned to the construction site. Meyer said at the ceremony, "I believe that this will be an historic occasion, not only in the history of the church, but not unworthy to be chronicled in the history of this great and beautiful city." Paul Dwight Moody
(son of D.L. Moody) also spoke at the ceremony. Broughton placed some papers in the stone including that day's program, the membership roll of the church and a list of officers. He capped the stone and sealed it with mortar.
The structure measures 147 by 130 feet with an exterior of red brick trimmed by granite. The style is neoclassical
with Ionic columns
and arches on the facade. The auditorium would seat 4,000 people (including the galleries) and the Sunday school
facilities below could seat 3,000. The rostrum could accommodate a chorus of 500 people and featured a pipe organ
that cost $15,000. The original planned opening was in May 1911, but this was eventually delayed.
The first services in the new building were held on September 3, 1911 beginning with a Sunday school at 9:30 (attended by 2,000). The doors opened for the main service at 10:40 am, by which time some people had been waiting two hours to enter. A week-long dedication for the church was held from September 10–17, 1911, during which as many as 8,000 people crowded into the auditorium and hundreds more were turned away.
On the very first day in the new building, Broughton gave a sermon criticizing local politicians for standing in the way of prohibition
. Aside from the temperance movement
, Broughton was outspoken on other political issues, and over the coming years he would have guest speakers appear at the Tabernacle toward this end. These included (then Vice President elect) Calvin Coolidge
, Frank Hanly
and others. Guest religious speakers appeared as well including Russell Conwell
, G. Campbell Morgan Billy Sunday
and George Washington Truett
.
The congregation reached its peak in the 1950s with a membership of over 3,000. However, the phenomenon of white flight
caused the church to go into decline in the decades afterward. By the 1980s, attendance at the church had dwindled to around 500, and it had trouble attracting a permanent pastor.
An attempt by the city government to give the building historic status was resisted in 1989, the members citing a loan plan necessary to insure the survival of the church. The congregation's troubles continued after that, leading a later pastor to attempt a fast
to encourage donations to save the church. (At this time the church was making ends meet via revenue from the two adjacent parking lots which it owned). These efforts were ultimately unsuccessful. In December 1991 the congregation, then numbering about 100, voted to cease having services there and ordered the trustees to find a buyer for the building.
The building's history as a church ended on Friday, October 14, 1994 when it was sold (along with the offices and the two parking lots) for $2.2 million to a group of investors led by James B. Cumming who intended to redevelop the area in conjunction with the 1996 Summer Olympics
. Its position just across from Centennial Olympic Park made it very attractive as a potential Olympic entertainment venue.
visited Atlanta with other investors and cut a deal to open a House of Blues
in the building in time for the Olympics. Prior to this, Atlanta had not been a planned expansion location for House of Blues. Tigrett gave his partner Lance Sterling the go-ahead for the project with only 45 days available, even after Sterling had told him even 60 days was too short a time. Despite this short lead time, the venue was ready when the Olympics opened in July 1996.
The first act to perform (on July 19 & 20) was The Blues Brothers
(with Dan Aykroyd
, James Belushi
and John Goodman
)' along with featured performers such as James Cotton
, Luther "Guitar Jr." Johnson
, Booker T. & the M.G.'s
, Eddie Floyd
, Tommy "Pipes" McDonald, Billy Boy Arnold
and Paul Shaffer
. Other well-known performers during the Olympic run included James Brown
, Johnny Cash
, Al Green
and Jerry Lee Lewis
. Lesser-known acts who appeared included Burning Spear
, Johnny Clegg and Juluka
, Third World
, Tito Puente
and His Latin Jazz All-Stars, and Celia Cruz
. At the close of the Olympics, Bob Dylan
performed two shows on August 3 & 4.
Civic leaders in Atlanta had high hopes that House of Blues would continue as a permanent downtown attraction, especially when the lease was extended through January 1997. But immediately after the Olympics were finished, word came that it would shut down. Efforts were launched to convince Tigrett to continue in Atlanta, but the local investment money he insisted upon ($4 million by some accounts) could not be found.
Some concerts were held at the venue under the House of Blues name beginning in 1997 through the efforts of Lance Sterling. The trial run began on Wednesday, November 12, 1997 with a concert by Hall & Oates
. House of Blues ended its relationship with Atlanta when its lease expired for the last time in January 1998. City leaders continued negotiations with Sterling, who said "This is the premier venue in the Southeast. I am personally committed to making downtown Atlanta a venue, and I'm calling everybody I know to make this happen."
Eventually Sterling (whose home is in California) found the business was conflicting with his family life. "I would spend a week there and a week home. It was just too much," he said. He sold his interest in the building to SFX Entertainment (now Live Nation) on December 17, 1999.
At the same time as the SFX sale, local music promoters Alex Cooley and Peter Conlon announced that they would move their Cotton Club to the basement of the building (the former Sunday school room) as an additional feature of the venue. Cotton Club reopened Friday, February 11, 2000 with a show by Staind
. Cotton Club operated in the lower level of The Tabernacle until November 20, 2004. The last performer was Helmet
.
The Tabernacle continues as a major concert venue in Atlanta into 2010.
tore through downtown Atlanta
. Windows were blown out and the roof was severely damaged. A broken water pipe caused additional damage. It was the first tornado to hit the downtown area since weather record keeping began in late 1878, or unofficially at any time in the city's history.
Major repairs and restoration
took less than two months, working around the clock. Because the ornate plasterwork on the ceiling could not be repaired, drywall and molding
were used to re-create the same designs. The original painter from the 1996 opening was found to repaint the repaired sections. Upgrades were also done to electrical and other systems.
and Paste
magazines.
It has also won numerous "Best of Atlanta" awards over the years:
reference the club and the culture surrounding it in their song "Luckie ST.".
Singer, songwriter and producer Butch Walker
references The Tabernacle on his live CD/DVD, Leavin' The Game On Luckie Street
, which was recorded at the venue in 2007.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
city
City
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
of Atlanta, currently managed by concert promoter Live Nation
Live Nation
Live Nation is a live-events company based in Beverly Hills, California, focused on concert promotions. Live Nation formed in 2005 as a spin-off from Clear Channel Communications, which then merged with Ticketmaster in 2010 to become Live Nation Entertainment....
. It has a seating capacity of 2,600 people.
It has been a venue for notable acts, including The Black Crowes
The Black Crowes
The Black Crowes are an American rock band formed in 1989. Their discography includes nine studio albums, four live albums and several charting singles. The band was signed to Def American Recordings in 1989 by producer George Drakoulias and released their debut album, Shake Your Money Maker, the...
, Fergie, Adele
Adele (singer)
Adele Laurie Blue Adkins , known professionally as Adele, is an English singer-songwriter. She was the first recipient of the Brit Awards Critics' Choice and was named the number-one predicted breakthrough act of 2008 in an annual BBC poll of music critics, Sound of 2008...
, Robbie Williams
Robbie Williams
Robert Peter "Robbie" Williams is an English singer-songwriter, vocal coach and occasional actor. He is a member of the pop group Take That. Williams rose to fame in the band's first run in the early- to mid-1990s. After many disagreements with the management and certain group members, Williams...
, Alice in Chains
Alice in Chains
Alice in Chains is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1987 by guitarist and songwriter Jerry Cantrell and original lead vocalist Layne Staley. The initial lineup was rounded out by drummer Sean Kinney, and bassist Mike Starr...
, Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
, Prince
Prince (musician)
Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...
& The New Power Generation and Atlanta's own Sevendust
Sevendust
Sevendust is an American heavy metal band from Atlanta, Georgia. Formed in 1994 by bassist Vince Hornsby, drummer Morgan Rose and guitarist John Connolly. After their first demo, lead vocalist Lajon Witherspoon and guitarist Clint Lowery joined the group...
, among others.
Along with music concerts, the venue also holds many comedy tours annually including Bob Saget
Bob Saget
Robert Lane "Bob" Saget is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and television host. Although he is best known for his roles as Danny Tanner in Full House, host of America's Funniest Home Videos and Future Ted Mosby on How I Met Your Mother, Saget is also known outside of television for his blue...
, Lisa Lampanelli
Lisa Lampanelli
Lisa Lampanelli is an American stand-up comedian and insult comic. She is noted for her racy and raunchy style of comedy, which frequently includes taboo subjects such as race and homosexuality....
, Cheech & Chong and Stephen Lynch
Stephen Lynch (musician)
Stephen Andrew Lynch , is an American stand-up comedian, musician and Tony Award-nominated actor who is known for his songs mocking daily life and popular culture. Lynch has released two studio albums and two live albums along with a live DVD...
.
Baptist Tabernacle (1898 - 1994)
Dr. Len G. BroughtonLen G. Broughton
Leonard Gaston Broughton was a fundamentalist Baptist minister, medical doctor, founder of Tabernacle Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia and of Tabernacle Infirmary, which later became Georgia Baptist Hospital....
was recruited from Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
to become pastor of Third Baptist Church in Atlanta in March 1898. Within a year he had founded a new Baptist Tabernacle church on the southwest corner of Luckie and Harris streets (now the middle of Centennial Olympic Park
Centennial Olympic Park
Centennial Olympic Park is a 21 acre public park located in downtown Atlanta, Georgia, USA that is owned and operated by the Georgia World Congress Center Authority. The park was built by the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games as part of the infrastructure improvements for the Centennial...
). Rev. Broughton was closely associated with the church in its early years, leading the local press to refer to it as "Broughton's Tabernacle," though this was never the official name of the church or any of its buildings. The new church was quite successful and had to be expanded several times to accommodate growth.
Seeing need for further growth, Broughton sought another location closer to the center of town, which led to the current property on Luckie St. However his Board of Deacons found the price too high and declined to buy it. As a result Broughton himself and a few of his deacons bought the property on July 7, 1906 and gave it to the church. The Atlanta Constitution reported the $52,000 transaction on its front page, reporting it as "one of the most important real estate and church transactions ever made in Atlanta" and described an auditorium "eight or ten stories in height" and estimated construction cost at $250,000.
The building was designed by noted Chattanooga architect Reuben Harrison Hunt, along with three other buildings for the same site including a nurses dormitory and a hospital building. (None of these other buildings survive to the present day). The plans were revealed in November 1907 and depict a church building somewhat larger than what was finally constructed, extending all the way to the corner of Luckie and Spring Street (see photo).
Ground-breaking ceremonies were held for the new building on August 17, 1909, at which time the construction cost had been revised to $125,000. At the time the membership of the church was 1,850 (up from 350 at its founding ten years before). Broughton, who was preaching at Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church
Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church
The Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church is a large congregation of the Presbyterian Church . The church was founded in 1808 as the Cedar Street Presbyterian Church and has been located on Fifth Avenue at 55th Street in midtown Manhattan since 1875. It has approximately 3,250 members from a variety...
at the time, was not present at the ground-breaking.
The cornerstone for the building was laid at the end of the 1910 Bible Conference held at the church. Immediately after a sermon by F. B. Meyer
Frederick Brotherton Meyer
Frederick Brotherton Meyer , a contemporary and friend of D. L. Moody and A. C. Dixon, was a Baptist pastor and evangelist in England involved in ministry and inner city mission work on both sides of the Atlantic...
on March 9, 1910, an "immense crowd" adjourned to the construction site. Meyer said at the ceremony, "I believe that this will be an historic occasion, not only in the history of the church, but not unworthy to be chronicled in the history of this great and beautiful city." Paul Dwight Moody
Paul Dwight Moody
Paul Dwight Moody , son of famed evangelical minister Dwight L. Moody, served as pastor at South Congregational Church in St. Johnsbury, VT from 1912 to 1917 and as the 10th president of Middlebury College from 1921 until 1943...
(son of D.L. Moody) also spoke at the ceremony. Broughton placed some papers in the stone including that day's program, the membership roll of the church and a list of officers. He capped the stone and sealed it with mortar.
The structure measures 147 by 130 feet with an exterior of red brick trimmed by granite. The style is neoclassical
Neoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
with Ionic columns
Ionic order
The Ionic order forms one of the three orders or organizational systems of classical architecture, the other two canonic orders being the Doric and the Corinthian...
and arches on the facade. The auditorium would seat 4,000 people (including the galleries) and the Sunday school
Sunday school
Sunday school is the generic name for many different types of religious education pursued on Sundays by various denominations.-England:The first Sunday school may have been opened in 1751 in St. Mary's Church, Nottingham. Another early start was made by Hannah Ball, a native of High Wycombe in...
facilities below could seat 3,000. The rostrum could accommodate a chorus of 500 people and featured a pipe organ
Pipe organ
The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air through pipes selected via a keyboard. Because each organ pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ranks, each of which has a common timbre and volume throughout the keyboard compass...
that cost $15,000. The original planned opening was in May 1911, but this was eventually delayed.
The first services in the new building were held on September 3, 1911 beginning with a Sunday school at 9:30 (attended by 2,000). The doors opened for the main service at 10:40 am, by which time some people had been waiting two hours to enter. A week-long dedication for the church was held from September 10–17, 1911, during which as many as 8,000 people crowded into the auditorium and hundreds more were turned away.
On the very first day in the new building, Broughton gave a sermon criticizing local politicians for standing in the way of prohibition
Prohibition
Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, is the practice of prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, import, export, sale, and consumption of alcohol and alcoholic beverages. The term can also apply to the periods in the histories of the countries during which the...
. Aside from the temperance movement
Temperance movement
A temperance movement is a social movement urging reduced use of alcoholic beverages. Temperance movements may criticize excessive alcohol use, promote complete abstinence , or pressure the government to enact anti-alcohol legislation or complete prohibition of alcohol.-Temperance movement by...
, Broughton was outspoken on other political issues, and over the coming years he would have guest speakers appear at the Tabernacle toward this end. These included (then Vice President elect) Calvin Coolidge
Calvin Coolidge
John Calvin Coolidge, Jr. was the 30th President of the United States . A Republican lawyer from Vermont, Coolidge worked his way up the ladder of Massachusetts state politics, eventually becoming governor of that state...
, Frank Hanly
Frank Hanly
James Franklin Hanly was a United States politician who served as a congressman from Indiana from 1895 until 1897, and was the 26th Governor of Indiana from 1905 to 1909...
and others. Guest religious speakers appeared as well including Russell Conwell
Russell Conwell
Russell Herman Conwell was an American Baptist minister, orator, philanthropist, lawyer, and writer. He is best remembered as the founder and first president of Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as the Pastor of The Baptist Temple, and for his inspirational lecture Acres of Diamonds...
, G. Campbell Morgan Billy Sunday
Billy Sunday
William Ashley "Billy" Sunday was an American athlete who, after being a popular outfielder in baseball's National League during the 1880s, became the most celebrated and influential American evangelist during the first two decades of the 20th century.Born into poverty in Iowa, Sunday spent some...
and George Washington Truett
George Washington Truett
George Washington Truett also George W. Truett served as the President of the Southern Baptist Convention from 1927-1929, minister and writer. He was one of the most significant Southern Baptist preachers of his era...
.
The congregation reached its peak in the 1950s with a membership of over 3,000. However, the phenomenon of white flight
White flight
White flight has been a term that originated in the United States, starting in the mid-20th century, and applied to the large-scale migration of whites of various European ancestries from racially mixed urban regions to more racially homogeneous suburban or exurban regions. It was first seen as...
caused the church to go into decline in the decades afterward. By the 1980s, attendance at the church had dwindled to around 500, and it had trouble attracting a permanent pastor.
An attempt by the city government to give the building historic status was resisted in 1989, the members citing a loan plan necessary to insure the survival of the church. The congregation's troubles continued after that, leading a later pastor to attempt a fast
Fasting
Fasting is primarily the act of willingly abstaining from some or all food, drink, or both, for a period of time. An absolute fast is normally defined as abstinence from all food and liquid for a defined period, usually a single day , or several days. Other fasts may be only partially restrictive,...
to encourage donations to save the church. (At this time the church was making ends meet via revenue from the two adjacent parking lots which it owned). These efforts were ultimately unsuccessful. In December 1991 the congregation, then numbering about 100, voted to cease having services there and ordered the trustees to find a buyer for the building.
The building's history as a church ended on Friday, October 14, 1994 when it was sold (along with the offices and the two parking lots) for $2.2 million to a group of investors led by James B. Cumming who intended to redevelop the area in conjunction with the 1996 Summer Olympics
1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....
. Its position just across from Centennial Olympic Park made it very attractive as a potential Olympic entertainment venue.
House of Blues (1996 - 1997)
At least two different teams attempted to develop the building as a venue for the Olympics with little success. As the event approached, it looked for a time that no deal would come together. Then, in April 1996, Isaac TigrettIsaac Tigrett
Isaac Tigrett of Jackson, Tennessee is a businessman best known as founder of Hard Rock Café and House of Blues.Tigrett belonged to a well-to-do business family. He was raised in Tennessee until the age of fifteen...
visited Atlanta with other investors and cut a deal to open a House of Blues
House of Blues
House of Blues is a chain of 13 live music concert halls and restaurants in major markets throughout the United States. House of Blues first location was in Cambridge's Harvard Square. It was opened in 1992 by Isaac Tigrett, co-founder of Hard Rock Cafe, and Dan Aykroyd, star of The Blues Brothers...
in the building in time for the Olympics. Prior to this, Atlanta had not been a planned expansion location for House of Blues. Tigrett gave his partner Lance Sterling the go-ahead for the project with only 45 days available, even after Sterling had told him even 60 days was too short a time. Despite this short lead time, the venue was ready when the Olympics opened in July 1996.
The first act to perform (on July 19 & 20) was The Blues Brothers
The Blues Brothers
The Blues Brothers are an American blues and soul revivalist band founded in 1978 by comedy actors Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi as part of a musical sketch on Saturday Night Live...
(with Dan Aykroyd
Dan Aykroyd
Daniel Edward "Dan" Aykroyd, CM is a Canadian comedian, actor, screenwriter, musician, winemaker and ufologist. He was an original cast member of Saturday Night Live, an originator of The Blues Brothers and Ghostbusters and has had a long career as a film actor and screenwriter.-Early...
, James Belushi
James Belushi
James Adam "Jim" Belushi is an American actor, comedian, and musician. He is the younger brother of comic actor John Belushi.-Early life:Belushi was born in Chicago...
and John Goodman
John Goodman
John Stephen Goodman is an American film, television, and stage actor. He is best known for his role as Dan Conner on the television series Roseanne for which he won a Best Actor Golden Globe Award in 1993, and for appearances in the films of the Coen brothers, with prominent roles in Raising...
)' along with featured performers such as James Cotton
James Cotton
James Cotton is an American blues harmonica player, singer and songwriter, who has performed and recorded with many of the great blues artists of his time as well as with his own band.-Career:...
, Luther "Guitar Jr." Johnson
Luther Johnson (Guitar Junior)
Luther Johnson is an American Chicago blues singer and guitarist, who performs under the name Luther "Guitar Junior" Johnson....
, Booker T. & the M.G.'s
Booker T. & the M.G.'s
Booker T. & the M.G.'s is an instrumental R&B band that was influential in shaping the sound of southern soul and Memphis soul. Original members of the group were Booker T. Jones , Steve Cropper , Lewie Steinberg , and Al Jackson, Jr....
, Eddie Floyd
Eddie Floyd
Eddie Lee Floyd is an American soul/R&B singer and songwriter, best known for his work on the Stax record label in the 1960s and 1970s and the song "Knock on Wood".-Biography:...
, Tommy "Pipes" McDonald, Billy Boy Arnold
Billy Boy Arnold
Billy Boy Arnold is an American blues harmonica player, singer and songwriter.-Biography:...
and Paul Shaffer
Paul Shaffer
Paul Allen Wood Shaffer, CM is a Canadian musician, actor, voice actor, author, comedian, and composer who has been David Letterman's sidekick since 1982.-Early years:...
. Other well-known performers during the Olympic run included James Brown
James Brown
James Joseph Brown was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and recording artist. He is the originator of Funk and is recognized as a major figure in the 20th century popular music for both his vocals and dancing. He has been referred to as "The Godfather of Soul," "Mr...
, Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash
John R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
, Al Green
Al Green
Albert Greene , better known as Al Green, is an American gospel and soul music singer. He reached the peak of his popularity in the 1970s, with hit singles such as "You Oughta Be With Me", "I'm Still In Love With You", "Love and Happiness", and "Let's Stay Together"...
and Jerry Lee Lewis
Jerry Lee Lewis
Jerry Lee Lewis is an American rock and roll and country music singer-songwriter and pianist. An early pioneer of rock and roll music, Lewis's career faltered after he married his young cousin, and he afterwards made a career extension to country and western music. He is known by the nickname 'The...
. Lesser-known acts who appeared included Burning Spear
Burning Spear
Winston Rodney, OD , also known as Burning Spear, is a Jamaican roots reggae singer and musician. Burning Spear is known for his Rastafari movement messages.-History:...
, Johnny Clegg and Juluka
Juluka
Juluka was a South African music band formed in 1969 by Johnny Clegg and Sipho Mchunu. Juluka means "sweat", and was the name of a bull owned by Mchunu.-Career:...
, Third World
Third World (band)
Third World is a Jamaican reggae band formed in 1973. Their sound is influenced by soul, funk and disco.-History:Third World started when keyboard player Michael "Ibo" Cooper and guitarist Stephen "Cat" Coore, who had originally played in The Alley Cats then Inner Circle, subsequently left to form...
, Tito Puente
Tito Puente
Tito Puente, , born Ernesto Antonio Puente, was a Latin jazz and Salsa musician. The son of native Puerto Ricans Ernest and Ercilia Puente, of Spanish Harlem in New York City, Puente is often credited as "El Rey de los Timbales" and "The King of Latin Music"...
and His Latin Jazz All-Stars, and Celia Cruz
Celia Cruz
Celia Cruz was a Cuban-American salsa singer, and was one of the most successful Salsa performers of the 20th century, having earned twenty-three gold albums...
. At the close of the Olympics, Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
performed two shows on August 3 & 4.
Civic leaders in Atlanta had high hopes that House of Blues would continue as a permanent downtown attraction, especially when the lease was extended through January 1997. But immediately after the Olympics were finished, word came that it would shut down. Efforts were launched to convince Tigrett to continue in Atlanta, but the local investment money he insisted upon ($4 million by some accounts) could not be found.
Some concerts were held at the venue under the House of Blues name beginning in 1997 through the efforts of Lance Sterling. The trial run began on Wednesday, November 12, 1997 with a concert by Hall & Oates
Hall & Oates
Hall & Oates are an American musical duo composed of Daryl Hall and John Oates. They achieved their greatest fame in the late 1970s and early to mid-1980s. Both sing and play instruments. They specialized in a fusion of rock and roll and rhythm and blues styles, which they dubbed "rock and soul."...
. House of Blues ended its relationship with Atlanta when its lease expired for the last time in January 1998. City leaders continued negotiations with Sterling, who said "This is the premier venue in the Southeast. I am personally committed to making downtown Atlanta a venue, and I'm calling everybody I know to make this happen."
The Tabernacle (1998 - present)
On March 11, 1998 Lance Sterling announced that he had entered into a 30 year lease agreement and was investing $2 million of his own money to develop the building. The venue was renamed The Tabernacle at this time. The reopening was set for March 28, the same day that Centennial Olympic Park was set to reopen across the street. The Tabernacle operated as a successful concert venue under Sterling's management for almost two years.Eventually Sterling (whose home is in California) found the business was conflicting with his family life. "I would spend a week there and a week home. It was just too much," he said. He sold his interest in the building to SFX Entertainment (now Live Nation) on December 17, 1999.
At the same time as the SFX sale, local music promoters Alex Cooley and Peter Conlon announced that they would move their Cotton Club to the basement of the building (the former Sunday school room) as an additional feature of the venue. Cotton Club reopened Friday, February 11, 2000 with a show by Staind
Staind
Staind is an American rock band that was formed in 1995 in Springfield, Massachusetts. For 16 years, the band consisted of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Aaron Lewis, lead guitarist Mike Mushok, bassist Johnny April, and drummer Jon Wysocki...
. Cotton Club operated in the lower level of The Tabernacle until November 20, 2004. The last performer was Helmet
Helmet (band)
Helmet is an alternative metal band from New York City formed in 1989. Founded by vocalist and lead guitarist Page Hamilton, Helmet has had numerous lineup changes, and Hamilton has been the only constant member....
.
The Tabernacle continues as a major concert venue in Atlanta into 2010.
March 2008 tornado
On March 14, 2008, the Tabernacle sustained extensive damage when a tornadoTornado
A tornado is a violent, dangerous, rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. They are often referred to as a twister or a cyclone, although the word cyclone is used in meteorology in a wider...
tore through downtown Atlanta
Downtown Atlanta
Downtown Atlanta is the first and largest of the three financial districts in the city of Atlanta. Downtown Atlanta is the location of many corporate or regional headquarters, city, county, state and federal government facilities, sporting facilities, and is the central tourist attraction of the city...
. Windows were blown out and the roof was severely damaged. A broken water pipe caused additional damage. It was the first tornado to hit the downtown area since weather record keeping began in late 1878, or unofficially at any time in the city's history.
Major repairs and restoration
Building restoration
Building restoration describes a particular treatment approach and philosophy within the field of architectural conservation. According the U.S...
took less than two months, working around the clock. Because the ornate plasterwork on the ceiling could not be repaired, drywall and molding
Molding (decorative)
Molding or moulding is a strip of material with various profiles used to cover transitions between surfaces or for decoration. It is traditionally made from solid milled wood or plaster but may be made from plastic or reformed wood...
were used to re-create the same designs. The original painter from the 1996 opening was found to repaint the repaired sections. Upgrades were also done to electrical and other systems.
Awards
The Tabernacle has been named one of the best concert venues in the nation by Rolling StoneRolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
and Paste
Paste (magazine)
Paste is a monthly music and entertainment digital magazine published in the United States by Wolfgang's Vault. Its tagline is "Signs of Life in Music, Film and Culture."-History:...
magazines.
It has also won numerous "Best of Atlanta" awards over the years:
- The TechniqueThe TechniqueThe Technique, also known as the "Nique," is the official student newspaper of the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia and has referred to itself as "the South's liveliest college newspaper" since 1945...
Best of Tech: 2003 Best Concert Venue - Creative LoafingCreative LoafingCL Inc. is the Tampa, Florida-based publisher of three city newsweeklies and their associated websites. Each of the papers focuses on local news, politics, arts and entertainment, and restaurants...
2003 Best New Use for an Old Building - TIE (Readers' Pick) - Creative Loafing 2004 Best Concert Venue (Citizens' Choice)
- Access Atlanta Best of the Big A: 2005 Best Live Music Club
- The Technique Best of Tech: 2006 Best Concert Venue
- Creative Loafing 2006 Best Concert Venue (Readers' Pick)
- The Technique Best of Tech: 2007 Best Concert Venue
- The Technique Best of Tech: 2009 Best Concert Venue (Student Pick)
- Creative Loafing 2010 Best Concert Venue (Reader Pick)
In popular culture
Pop-rockers CartelCartel (band)
Cartel is a American pop rock band from Conyers, Georgia that formed in 2003. The band is best known for their single "Honestly", featured on their 2005 debut album Chroma, and for their 2007 appearance on MTV's Band in a Bubble....
reference the club and the culture surrounding it in their song "Luckie ST.".
Singer, songwriter and producer Butch Walker
Butch Walker
Butch Walker is an American recording artist, songwriter, and record producer. He was the lead guitarist for the metal band SouthGang from the late 80s to early 90s as well as the lead vocalist and guitarist for rock band Marvelous 3 from 1997 until 2001.-Career:Walker grew up in Cartersville,...
references The Tabernacle on his live CD/DVD, Leavin' The Game On Luckie Street
Leavin' the Game on Luckie Street
Leavin' the Game on Luckie Street is a live album by recording American singer-songwriter Butch Walker and his band the Let's Go Out Tonites, only released online. The concert was recorded in Atlanta on April 20, 2007 at The Tabernacle in Atlanta, Georgia...
, which was recorded at the venue in 2007.