Passing

Cincinnati, known for it's cultural heritage, had a great venue in Newport, KY in the 1980s, The Jockey Club.
It was owned by a couple brothers and when approached by a young man who wanted to book punk acts, they said yes. That young man was Bill Leist.
While Leist was young & idealistic, the men who owned the venue had been around. They had hosted country, metal, rock, so punk? They said the country audience was generally the worst & the punk audience about the best.
Well, till the last show when the audience tore the place apart for souvenirs. The brothers had sold the building to the cab company next door who wanted to expand their parking facilities.
Leist was able to bring in touring acts and then he got bands from the local scene to do opening acts. The Damned, Black Flag, The Ramones, Tupelo Chain Sex, Jah Wobble, Johnny Thunders, The Cramps, DOA, White Zombie, Husker Du, The Dead Kennedys shared the stage with the likes of SS-20, The Auburnaires, The Afghan Whigs, The Mortals, Sluggo, Doc & the Pods, The Thangs, The Edge, Dementia Precox, The Ass Ponys & Leist's own, The Reduced.
Bill Leist died 12/29/14. He was preceded in death by The Jockey Club, Shorty & his brother.
It seemed like forever but was less than 10 years. Probably the most comparable scene was Jim Tarbell's Ludlow Garage about 10 years earlier.

To learn more about this club, it's quirky management & the crazy audience, check out Stories for Shorty