Thunderbird Cafe ready to reopen
Almost three years later, the Thunderbird Cafe is ready to roll.
The Lawrenceville venue, which closed in the summer of 2016 for renovations, will finally reopen as the Thunderbird Cafe & Music Hall on April 6 with a show by Denver jamtronica act Sunsquabi and follow with former Lumineers cellist Neyla Pekarek, on her first solo tour, on April 13.
The Cafe will be open seven days a week as a bar and restaurant with a small stage in the back for solo artists and acoustic combos.
The Thunderbird Music Hall is an expanded 380-capacity concert venue with a new stage, multiple bars, lounge areas, food service, an elevator and an expanded green room. The shows, booked by Roxian Live, the inhouse promotion company, will encompass roots, indie-rock, blues, bluegrass, jam, jazz, funk and soul.
“We’ve expanded on what we originally created,” owner John Pergal said in a statement. “Our main goal with these renovations was first and foremost to create a space that is great for both the performer and the patron. From sight lines to acoustics, hospitality to entertainment, the overall concert experience will be enhanced.”
Mr. Pergal and his wife, Ami, acquired the neighborhood bar at 4053 Butler St. in 2000 and turned it into a popular music venue for the local roots/blues/Americana scene as well as national acts.
The Thunderbird announced its expansion plan in 2013 and ultimately scaled it back after Lawrenceville residents objected to the 1,000-capacity proposal, citing traffic congestion on Butler Street. The new Thunderbird doubles the capacity of the previous space.
Mr. Pergal is also working with a partnership group to open the nearly century-old The Roxian theater in McKees Rocks as a 1,500-seat music venue in May.
Meanwhile, a Squirrel Hill venue that was about to open next week has hit a major setback.
The Marquee, which was to occupy part of the former Squirrel Hill Theater on Forward Avenue, will not
open as planned in February and perhaps not at all.
On Friday, the Marquee posted on its Facebook page: “Due to an unforeseen construction issue that has come up during the final stages of this project, The Marquee will not be able to open for the foreseeable future.”
The Marquee was the project of Barry White, who was planning to move the live music events from his Squirrel Hill Sports Bar to the new space.
It was to have its grand opening weekend on Feb. 15 with Starship Mantis and Tribe Eternal. The shows are canceled, and refunds will be issued to ticket buyers. The Feb. 16 show with theCAUSE has been moved to the Sports Bar.
The Marquee management added, “We want to extend our sincerest apology to all of the bands who have or were hoping to have shows booked here and to all of music fans of Pittsburgh who have shown us such wonderful support over the past months. We greatly appreciate this support and feel that the Pittsburgh Music Community deserves better from its venues, and we still plan to be a part of that betterment. We know that having a space for live music in Squirrel Hill and in this theater specifically has been a dream for a long time, and we do hope to make it a reality sometime in the future. We will not be giving up on this project and hope to move forward using this as a learning experience.”
Shane McLaughlin, who was handling the bookings, said they cannot comment on the specifics at this time.