La Luna (or LaLuna) was a
rock-'n'-roll nightclub
A nightclub or dance club is a club that is open at night, usually for drinking, dancing and other entertainment. Nightclubs often have a Bar (establishment), bar and discotheque (usually simply known as disco) with a dance floor, laser lighti ...
in
Portland
Portland most commonly refers to:
*Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon
*Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine
*Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel
Portland may also r ...
,
Oregon
Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...
, United States from 1992 to 1999.
Willamette Week described it as "For most of the 1990s, this inner-Southeast club was the center of gravity for the Portland music scene."
During its years of operation, La Luna featured bands and performers including:
Elliott Smith
Steven Paul Smith (August 6, 1969 – October 21, 2003), known as Elliott Smith, was an American musician and singer-songwriter. He was born in Omaha, Nebraska, raised primarily in Texas, and lived much of his life in Portland, Oregon, whe ...
,
Radiohead
Radiohead are an English rock band formed in Abingdon-on-Thames, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, in 1985. The band members are Thom Yorke (vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards); brothers Jonny Greenwood (guitar, keyboards, other instruments) and Colin Gre ...
,
PJ Harvey
Polly Jean Harvey (born 9 October 1969) is an English singer-songwriter. Primarily known as a vocalist and guitarist, she is also proficient with a wide range of instruments.
Harvey began her career in 1988 when she joined local band Automat ...
,
Green Day
Green Day is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Rodeo, California, in 1987 by lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong and bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt, with drummer Tré Cool joining in 1990. In 1994, their majo ...
,
The Smashing Pumpkins
The Smashing Pumpkins (also simply known as Smashing Pumpkins) are an American alternative rock band formed in Chicago in 1988 by frontman and guitarist Billy Corgan, guitarist James Iha, bassist D'arcy Wretzky and drummer Jimmy Chamberlin. The ...
,
The Dandy Warhols
The Dandy Warhols are an American psychedelic rock, psychedelic/ band, formed in Portland, Oregon, Portland, Oregon, in 1994 by singer-guitarist Courtney Taylor-Taylor and guitarist Peter Holmström. They were later joined by keyboardist Zia Mc ...
, and
Hole
A hole is an opening in or through a particular medium, usually a solid Body (physics), body. Holes occur through natural and artificial processes, and may be useful for various purposes, or may represent a problem needing to be addressed in m ...
.
Located at the corner of Southeast Ninth Avenue and Southeast Pine Street, La Luna's main performance space could accommodate around 1,000 spectators. It was previously known as the Ninth Street Exit (in the 1970s) and the Pine Street Theater (1980–1991).
It was called RKCNDY Portland (Rock Candy) for most of 1992.
It later returned to its original name, the Pine Street Theater (2000–02), before being redubbed Solid State (2004–05) during its final years of operation.
The balcony served as a smaller performance space for more intimate shows and featured musicians like Smith.
An eatery named the La Luna Cafe opened in 2020 and is currently located in the same building.
See also
*
Music of Oregon
References
1992 establishments in Oregon
1999 disestablishments in Oregon
Defunct nightclubs in Portland, Oregon
Defunct music venues in Portland, Oregon
Southeast Portland, Oregon
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