Roxy Revival

When the Tower Records on Sunset Strip closed, Nic Adler feared that the Roxy Theater might be next, reports Tricia Romano in the New York Times (12/6/09). It had been 36 years since Nic’s father, Lou, opened the Roxy in partnership with none other than David Geffen. So hot was the Roxy that they really had no competition. But the days when John Lennon was a regular and Guns N’ Roses made its name there were long gone.

Lou blames Seattle grunge for ending his party: "It became uncool to wear latex," he says. "And instantly, we had lost a whole scene, just like that." The "scene" has since moved about six miles east of the Strip, to "the hipper Silver Lake and Echo Park" areas. Nic understood the magnitude of the challenge: "We had built such a perception on the Sunset Strip that we were so passé … It wasn’t going to be like, we’re Twittering, so now we’re cool."

Nic’s first move was simply booking hipper, indie acts like D.J. Steve Aoki and Them Crooked Vultures. He softened the club’s attitude, allowing customer to take pictures during performances, for instance. And, yes, he started using Twitter, @theroxy, both to announce shows as well as monitor customer complaints, "leaving free drinks for people under their Twitter handles." He even attends city council meetings and joined the local business association. "I was handed a legend," says Nic, "and I am expected to continue that legacy."