Fitzgerald's

Mr. Bungle playing at Fitz in 1999

Fitzgerald's is one of the oldest and widely recognized live music venues in the Greater Houston area. The club has been at the top of the live music scene in Houston since it opened in 1977. Fitzgerald's is commonly referred to as "Fitz".

Fitzgerald's boasts two fully equipped event rooms — one upstairs and one downstairs (often referred to by locals as "Zelda's") — both complete with stage, professional sound and lights, and two premium stocked bars. The stages at Fitzgerald's have seen thousands of up-and-coming acts, regionally successful artists, and national tours come across them over the years. ZZ Top, David Allan Coe, James Brown, Etta James, Dennis Miller and many more helped get things off the ground in the late 70s and early 80s. R.E.M., The Ramones, Cross Canadian Ragweed, Mr. Bungle, Sonic Youth, Godsmack, Soundgarden, Weezer, Tina Turner, Mudvayne, Blues Traveler, Butthole Surfers, Keith Urban, L7, Nonpoint, Devin the Dude, Iron & Wine, Dillinger Escape Plan, EOTO, Aesop Rock, The Books, Staind, AFI, Sleater-Kinney, KRS-One, The Black Lips, The Donnas, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Bun B, Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!, Os Mutantes, Foals, Tomahawk, Big Boi, Dresden Dolls, Warpaint, Del the Funky Homosapien, Man Man, Uh Huh Her, The Raveonettes, Pansy Division, Fantômas, Yelle, Prince Paul, OK Go, The Walkmen, Andy Dick, The Misfits, UK Subs, Death, Lucero, Man or Astroman?, Theophilus London, The Jesus Lizard, Daniel Johnston, Cracker, The Sword, MC Chris, Voodoo Glow Skulls, Peelander-Z, Toro y Moi, CocoRosie, Clara C, Omar Rodriguez Lopez, The Oh Sees, Yann Tiersen, Anamanaguchi, The Drums, Mindscape, and hundreds of other now nationally recognized rock, country, hip-hop, and blues artists have all had their turn on the stages of Fitzgerald's.^[1] Several successful Texas bands such as Blue October, Canvas, Ian Moore, Johnny Goudie and Vallejo played their early shows at Fitzgerald's.

History

Fitzgerald's was built in 1918, and for over half a century it was home to the Dom Polski, a Polish center and dance hall. In 1977, Sara Fitzgerald took over the property and opened one of Houston's oldest and best known live music venues. The building and business was leased from September 2010 until Jan 2016. Sara Fitzgerald took over the reins again in early 2016 and is currently renovating and revitalizing the venue, while staying at full operation.

Notes

Fitz is located at 2706 White Oak Dr, Houston, TX 77007.

Joe King Carrasco played many shows at Fitzgerald's. I remember watching Joe King dive from the balcony and crowd surf back to the stage on an undulating sea of ecstatic fans.

"The House is a Rockin'" by Stevie Ray Vaughan is rumored to have been inspired by Fitzgerald's.

A 2007 Houston Press article stated that Elvis Presley had performed at Fitzgerald's before Sara Fitzgerald took over, but this is not true. Presley never performed at the venue.

External links

• Fitzgerald's website
• Aftermath of a Fitzgerald's riot in 1990
• The Jesus Lizard at Fitzgerald's
• When We Ruled H-Town News Spot

Coordinates: 29°46′55″N 95°23′17″W / 29.7819°N 95.3880°W / 29.7819; -95.3880