Walking into the red illuminated rooms of the Rainbow Bar and Grill in West Hollywood, it almost feels like a transportation to the past.
The restaurant is a historical place for those who romanticize the past.
At first called the “Villa Nova” and hosting the likes of old Hollywood stars such as Judy Garland and Marilyn Monroe, it eventually became the Rainbow Bar and Grill
It became the place to be for celebrity hangouts in the ‘70s, from hosting Elton John’s birthday party to serving John Belushi his final meal.
However my personal hyperfixation is on the countless musicians who spent their time in the red leather booths of the iconic location and how the bar scene changed as the music scene on Sunset Strip changed.
The restaurant is located just down the street from historic music venues such as Whiskey-a-go-go and the Troubadour.
Directly next to the Rainbow Bar and Grill is the Roxy Theatre.
The Roxy Theatre is where The Ramones played their first concert in Los Angeles and where System of a Down played their first concert ever.
On the other side of Rainbow was Gazzari’s, now known as the nightclub, 1OAK.
Gazzari’s was the venue for many artists in the late ‘60s to early ‘90s including Tina Turner and Van Halen.
These venues often catapulted the career of many artists from the ‘60s to the ‘80s.
Whisky-a-go-go is a discotheque located on the corner of Sunset Blvd. and Clark St. in West Hollywood. It was owned by Elmer Valentines and Lou Adler who also founded the Roxy Theatre and invested in the Rainbow Bar and Grill alongside Mario Maglieri.
In 1966, they hired The Doors to be their house band and opened for Van Morrison at the beginning of his career when he was in the band, Them.
The Doors played at Whiskey nightly until they were eventually fired and signed by Elektra Records.
The venue hosted many more well known artists such as Oasis and Neil Diamond.
Lastly, I’d like to talk about the Troubadour.
The Troubadour is where Elton John performed his first concert in the United States.
The intimate venue also hosted the debut of Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, James Taylor, Billy Joel, Fiona Apple (U.S. debut) and Harry Styles (U.S. Solo Debut) where he performed with Stevie Nicks as a special guest.
The Troubadour has had countless artists perform there and because it is such a small space, this makes the shows extra special as fans get to experience an intimate show before the chaos of fame takes artists to larger (and probably safer) venues.
If you’re a music history enthusiast or just like to immerse yourself in the world of music during the ‘70s, Sunset Strip is the place to go. The history is rich and we are lucky to still have access to these places so definitely check it out and definitely don’t go alone.
