The Croc | |
 Exterior of the club (c. 2007) | |
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| Former names | Crocodile Cafe(1991-2007) |
|---|---|
| Address | 2505 1st Ave,Seattle, Washington, U.S.(2021-present) 2200 2nd Ave, Seattle(1991-2020) Seattle |
| Location | Belltown |
| Owner | Marcus Charles Susan Silver Sean Kinney Eric Howk Peggy Curtis[1] |
| Capacity | 1150[2] |
| Construction | |
| Opened | April 30, 1991 (1991-04-30) |
| Renovated | 2008-09 |
| Expanded | 2020-21 |
| Website | |
| Venue Website | |
The Crocodile (formerly theCrocodile Cafe, and sometimes calledThe Croc) is a music club at 2505 1st Avenue at Wall Street in theBelltown neighborhood ofSeattle,Washington, United States. Opened byStephanie Dorgan as the "Crocodile Cafe" on April 30, 1991, it quickly became a fixture of thecity's music scene. The Crocodile Cafe closed in December 2007,[3] before being reopened asThe Crocodile on March 19, 2009.[4] Since then, the club has been owned byAlice in Chains' drummerSean Kinney, managerSusan Silver,Portugal. The Man guitarist Eric Howk, Peggy Curtis, andCapitol Hill Block Party co-founderMarcus Charles. The Crocodile relocated to a bigger building at 2505 1st Avenue, four blocks away from its original location (2200 2nd Avenue).
In 2013,Rolling Stone ranked The Crocodile as the seventh best club in the U.S., andThe Guardian included the club in its list of the top 10 live music venues in Seattle. Artists such asNirvana,Pearl Jam,Alice in Chains,Soundgarden,Mad Season,R.E.M.,Ann Wilson,Mudhoney,Cheap Trick,Yoko Ono,Social Distortion,Green Day,The Strokes,Beastie Boys,Porcupine Tree,Alice Merton,Billie Eilish[5] andTom Morello[6] have performed at the club.
Originally a 550-capacity building named the Crocodile Cafe, it was located at the 2200 2nd Avenue on Blanchard Street in the Belltown neighborhood of Seattle.[7] The venue's first show featuredThe Posies andLove Battery;[8] the last,Robin Pecknold,J. Tillman, andDavid Bazan.[9] During its initial 16-year run, the Croc hosted numerous well-known acts includingMudhoney,[9]Tad,[9]Nirvana,[9]Palomar,Pearl Jam,[9]Sunny Day Real Estate,[9]Everclear,[9]Mad Season,[9]Green Day,[9]The Strokes,[9]Joanna Newsom,[10]Cheap Trick,[9]Indigo Girls,[11]Robyn Hitchcock,[9]Porcupine Tree,[12]Glenn Tilbrook,[13]Rhonda Vincent,[14]Death Cab for Cutie,[9]Yoko Ono,[9]Ann Wilson,[11]Sleater-Kinney,[9]R.E.M.,[9]Soft Boys,Built to Spill,[9]Neutral Milk Hotel,[15]Dinosaur Jr.,[11]Beastie Boys,[9]Corinne Bailey Rae,[11]Rachael Yamagata, Kevn Kinney ofDrivin N Cryin,Ventures,[11]Chris Knox,The Presidents of the United States of America,[9] andHarvey Danger, who chose the Cafe for their final performance.[16]
Mad Season played their first concert at the Crocodile Cafe on October 12, 1994 under the name The Gacy Bunch.[17]
In February 1996, Seattle's Popllama Records released the compilation albumBite Back: Live at the Crocodile Cafe, which featured bands such asThe Walkabouts,Girl Trouble,Flop, andGas Huffer.[9]
After opening the Crocodile Cafe, owner Stephanie Dorgan later marriedR.E.M. guitaristPeter Buck, who became a partner in the Crocodile. Buck often played there with his other band,The Minus 5. Dorgan and Buck divorced in 2006 and the Croc closed unexpectedly on December 15, 2007.[3]
The closing of the Crocodile Cafe, a fixture of the local music scene, caused widespread speculation in regard to the future of the establishment. After months of speculation, a group of business people and musicians includingAlice in Chains' drummerSean Kinney,[18][19] Alice in Chains managerSusan Silver,[18][19] Peggy Curtis,[20]Portugal. The Man guitarist Eric Howk, andCapitol Hill Block Party co-founderMarcus Charles purchased the establishment.[20] The new owners renamed it "The Crocodile" and reopened it on March 19, 2009 after much-needed renovation.[20][4] The venue was re-open to the public with two consecutive nights featuring all local bands.[4]
Soundgarden performed for the first time in over a decade at The Crocodile on March 24, 2009. Without singerChris Cornell, the band featured original membersKim Thayil,Matt Cameron andBen Shepherd and performed a 3-song set withTad lead vocalistTad Doyle on vocals as part ofTom Morello'sJustice Tour.[21]
In March 2013,Rolling Stone named The Crocodile as one of the best clubs in America, ranked at No. 7.[22]The Guardian included the club in its list of the "Top 10 live music venues in Seattle".[23]
On October 9, 2013, R&B singerJoJo performed "Smells Like Teen Spirit" during the final stop of her West Coast promotional tour.[24] It was a little more than 21 years since Nirvana last performed at the club on October 4, 1992 billed as a "secret opening act" though they actually did not play "Teen Spirit" despite getting requests to do so, making this one of the few performances of the song at the Crocodile.[25]
On August 22, 2018,Alice in Chains sent fans on ascavenger hunt to access a secret gig that the band would be performing in Seattle on August 24. Ten signed copies of their latest albumRainier Fog were hidden around the city as a ticket into the show, and the band asked the fans to keep an eye on theirInstagram story for details on these 10 hidden locations. Once all 10 albums were found, the band revealed that the secret gig would be at The Crocodile with limited tickets available with the purchase of their new album at a pop-up event at the same venue the next day.[26]
On August 23 and 24, 2018, The Crocodile hosted a pop-up shop and retrospective for Alice in Chains featuring rare photos, limited-edition merchandise, memorabilia and music gear that showcased the band's 30+ year career. The admission was free.[27]
In November 2020, the owners announced that the venue would be moving from its original Belltown location a few blocks away to the former site of the Sailors’ Union of the Pacific lodge at 1st Avenue and Wall Street.[28] Adam Wakeling, a managing partner of The Crocodile, and his partners secured a 20-year lease on the 30,000 square-foot building.[2]
On December 1, 2021, The Crocodile re-opened in its new location at 2505 1st Ave with a party for people in the music industry and press. The first shows in the new venue were performances from the comedy group Mega64 in the main 750-capacity showroom, and rapper MBNel in Madame Lou's, the 300-capacity venue downstairs. The Crocodile's new building also includes a café, 2 restaurant bars, 17 hotel rooms upstairs, as well as the "Here-After", a 100-seat theater/comedy club.[2]
The Crocodile Cafe appears onCameron Crowe's 1992 filmSingles.[2]
The Crocodile Cafe is referenced by Canadian singer-songwriterMae Moore in the song "Fine" from her 1995Dragonfly LP.[citation needed]
Scenes from the 1995 filmGeorgia starringJennifer Jason Leigh were shot at the venue.[11]
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47°36′49″N122°20′40″W / 47.613488°N 122.344373°W /47.613488; -122.344373
