It’s been many years since I’ve been to Masquerade, but news of it’s imminent demise is still depressing. With three floors divided into the themes (more in name than theme, really) Heaven, Hell and Purgatory, and a genre spanning booking policy, the club provided many amazing musical moments for a diverse assortment of Atlanta residents, and out-of-towners, in it’s twenty five years of business. I certainly made several trips to Atlanta, solely to see shows there, the most memorable being a Royal Trux, Cats and Dogs era show, where I found a brand new, S&M style, leather riding crop, on the random piece of antique farm equipment that they had out front. Being that it was the Masquerade, it didn’t seem all that strange, though.
Unfortunately, exactly as I had assumed, Masquerade is going to be turned into luxury apartments, as the march of gentrification continues unabated. The Masquerade building was constructed at the turn of the century and has housed numerous business ventures over the years, before making it’s mark as a hot spot for trend setting musical acts. The building maintained much of the structural details of it’s early history, making it a truly unique concert going experience. My condolences go to the music fans of Atlanta and surrounding areas. The good news is that the owners plan to carry on, though no specifics have been released.
Check out this link for some pics, to give you an idea of it’s impressive vibe
http://raverschoice.com/historic-masquerade-venue-confirmed-to-be-replaced-by-new-apartment-complex-atlanta-ga/
This footage doesn’t really give you any idea of the space itself, but, hey, it’s Nirvana.
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