A large void will be vastly obvious when the dust of COVID-19 finally settles and we are again allowed to see our favorite bands out in public and not through our handheld screens again.
“It is with a heavy heart today that I announce that Great Scott will not reopen” the posting starts on Allston rock venue Great Scott’s Facebook page from general manager Tim Philbin.
The message continues, recapping a 44 year run as one of the staples of places to catch a live show on this side of the Charles and just outside of the Fenway area. A venue constantly giving up and coming acts a shot at a real stage while playing host to touring acts that may not be able to fill larger rooms like Paradise or Brighton Music Hall.
For me, personally, Great Scott was a place that threw me full force into the Boston Music Community when I first moved back to the city from college. Living in Brookline, right on Beacon, it was the closest venue to me clocking in at just over a mile away. Close enough for a nice walk in the early evening to the venue and also close enough for me to find my way back home after a night of downing PBR tall boys paid for with dollar bills and quarters I could scrounge up after paying rent. Rubbing elbows with hipsters, before there was a word for them, punk rockers and college kids alike. It was a place…well a place where the music was the point of being there, the beer was cheap and the times were good.
It will always remain an institution and an extremely important part of so many Boston musician’s history and foray into the community. You will be missed, Great Scott.