Harpos Concert Theatre
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| Former names | Harper Theatre (1939-1976) |
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| Address | 14238 Harper Ave Detroit, Michigan United States |
| Coordinates | 42°24′14″N 82°57′58″W / 42.4039°N 82.9662°W |
| Owner | Ruzvelt Stevanovski |
| Opened | 1939 |
| Website | |
| harposlive | |
Harpos Concert Theatre is a music venue located at 14238 Harper Avenue, Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is known as a venue for heavy metal and industrial rock.
History
[edit]Harpos was built in 1939 as the Harper Theatre, an Art Moderne-styled movie theater operated by the Wisper-Westman circuit. Charles N. Agree, the architect of the earlier Grande and Vanity Ballrooms, designed the theatre. Contemporaries of the Harper Theatre included the Westown (1936), the Royal (1940), and the Dearborn (1941), all designed by Agree in similar style for the same company.[1]
The Harper Theatre opened on December 1, 1939, with showings of The Rains Came and Chicken Wagon Family. An advertisement in the Detroit Free Press advertised free parking, seating for 2000 in "streamlined seats," and accessibility features for hard-of-hearing guests.[2]
Around 1976, the Harper was converted to a disco club, and renamed Harpo's. The 80-foot (24 m) "HARPOS" marquee was modified from the original Harper marquee, along with a major interior renovation. At its reopening, Harpo's played rock-n-roll and disco, but quickly switched to metal under new ownership in 1979.[3][4]
Harpos has also been a stop for many professional wrestling shows since 2022 with its first show being Game Changer Wrestling's (GCW) Most Notorious pay-per-view on January 14, 2022 and was broadcast live on FITE TV.[5]
Recordings
[edit]Gary Moore performed at Harpos on June 23, 1984, during his Victims of the Future tour. Four songs of the live album We Want Moore! were recorded that evening and were released the same year.
Warrant recorded their live CD "Warrant Live 86-97" at Harpos on November 22, 1996.[6]
Heavy metal band Corrosion of Conformity filmed their live DVD Live Volume at Harpos on April 20, 2001.
Black Label Society filmed their live DVD Boozed, Broozed & Broken-Boned at Harpos on September 14, 2002; notably, during the recording of that show, the bar ran out of alcohol.[7][8]
Hatebreed filmed a live DVD at Harpos.
Acts Who Have Performed There
[edit]Bands that have performed there over the years have included Iron Maiden, U2, Canned Heat, Poison, Vince Neil, Dio, Motörhead, Slayer, Megadeth, Judas Priest, Anthrax, Twisted Sister, Ted Nugent, Cinderella, Ratt, Dokken, Skid Row, Slipknot, Sevendust, Disturbed, Godsmack, Outkast, Cheap Trick, Max Webster, Golden Earring, White Zombie, Danzig, The Misfits, Type O Negative, W.A.S.P., Brian Setzer, Paul Rodgers, Foghat, Rob Halford, Kick Axe, Robin Trower, Black Eyed Peas, Dead Kennedys, Mitch Ryder, Blue Öyster Cult, Alvin Lee, Bachman-Turner Overdrive, John Entwistle, INXS, Huey Lewis & The News, Eurythmics, Spin Doctors, Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Joan Jett, Ace Frehley, Sebastian Bach, Yngwie Malmsteen, Helix, Saxon, Night Ranger, Quiet Riot, Trixter, Slaughter, FireHouse, Jackyl, Y&T, Savatage, Kix, Shooting Star, Ian Hunter, Nazareth, Prong, Johnny Winter, Michael Schenker Group, Dream Theatre, Armored Saint, Molly Hatchet, Blackfoot, Joe Lynn Turner, Gwar, Powerman 5000, Dope, Hatebreed, Crossbreed, Coal Chamber, Mushroomhead, 40 Below Summer, Insane Clown Posse, Snoop Dogg, LL Cool J, Montell Jordan, Lil' Kim, Run DMC, Salt-n-Pepa, Vanilla Ice, Tech N9ne, Hopsin, Gorilla Zoe, Twista, Boondox, Twiztid, and King Gordy.
Esham, the originator of Detroit's own Acid Rap, who some consider to be the godfather of Detroit hip hop, is the first known rap artist to perform a hip hop show at this club in the early 1990s.
References
[edit]
- ^ Bulanda, George (April 10, 2012). "Remembering Detroit Architect Charles Agree". Hour Detroit Magazine. Retrieved May 26, 2023.
- ^ "Today's program at your favorite theater". Detroit Free Press. December 1, 1939. ProQuest 1816460923.
- ^ Clark, Christina (November 29, 2017). "The story of Harpos, Detroit's most notorious metal club". Detroit Metro Times. Retrieved May 26, 2023.
- ^ Angell, Dwight; Angell, Holly (July 25, 1976). "Twenty Detroit discos where you can Boogie, Bump, and Hustle 'til the grooves wear out". Detroit Free Press. ProQuest 1820662946.
- ^ "Preview: GCW Most Notorious (1/14/22)". Last Word On Sports. January 12, 2022.
- ^ Guy, Bobby (May 27, 2021). "Warrant's First and Only Live Album Was Recorded in Detroit". WRKR. Retrieved May 26, 2023.
- ^ "Black Label Society Boozed, Broozed, and Broken-Boned, Unblackened Concerts to Stream on YouTube". BW&BK. June 11, 2020.
- ^ "Zakk Wylde - Wikipedia: Fact or Fiction?". February 10, 2016. Archived from the original on December 15, 2021. Retrieved March 30, 2021 – via YouTube.
External links
[edit]- Official website
- Harpos Concert Theatre at Cinema Treasures
- Historical photographs of the Harper Theatre in the Detroit Public Library collection
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