Exterior of 60 North Park Avenue 20+ years after Backstreet Blues closed:
More recently known as The Vibe Lounge and The New Vibe Lounge, Backstreet Blues was located at 60 North Park Avenue in Rockville Centre. A small barlocated across the street from the Rockville Centre train station around Front Street and North Park Avenue, Backstreet Blues was often rented out for independently-promoted live concerts by promoter Christian McKnight in the early 2000s.
Among the notable artists who performed at Backstreet Blues were My Chemical Romance, Brand New, Taking Back Sunday, Thursday, Rilo Kiley, Coheed & Cambria, Nada Surf, Superdrag, Underoath, Murder By Death, Atreyu, Yellowcard, Something Corporate (featuring Andrew McMahon), The Starting Line, Cipher (a band with Long Beach roots), Mustard Plug, Every Time I Die, and The Reunion Show.
The Vibe Lounge would later play host to The Lemon Twigs, Glassjaw, The Dollyrots, The Toasters, Big D & The Kids Table, The Front Bottoms, Rookie Of The Year, Colour Revolt, Ryan Cabrera, Punchline, Hawthorne Heights, Beatallica, The Ataris, Bulletboys, Warrior Soul, Jeffrey Gaines, and Set It Off.
Coheed & Cambria live at Backstreet Blues in 2002:
Atreyu live at Backstreet Blues in 2002:
Blood Red live at Backstreet Blues in 2002:
Sources:
https://www.concertarchives.org/venues/backstreet-blues?page=2#concert-table
https://www.setlist.fm/venue/backstreet-blues-rockville-centre-ny-usa-23d40c4f.html
https://www.concertarchives.org/venues/vibe-lounge
https://www.instagram.com/goldenhourbooking/reel/DHTeDJsxPQy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGuR1KC6XmA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSaf0Fj7SH4
Researched by Darren Paltrowitz, April 8, 2025.
Situated above Michael's Billiards at 4060 Austin Blvd in Island Park, New York, Barnum Ballroom remains an active venue for comedy and live music. However, it has not featured national talent or widely-known headliners recently; some of its talent bookings were handled by Michael "Eppy" Epstein of My Father's Place. Among the notable performers who have performed at the Barnum Ballroom are Midge Ure, Television's Richard Lloyd, Zebra's Randy Jackson, The Blues Project, Adam Bomb, and former Judas Priest vocalist Tim "Ripper" Owens.
Sources:
https://www.facebook.com/barnumballroom
https://barnum-ballroom.wheree.com
https://www.facebook.com/groups/468717757151215
https://www.setlist.fm/search?query=barnum+ballroom
https://www.yelp.com/biz/barnum-ballroom-island-park
https://www.facebook.com/barnumballroom/videos/673603041015403
https://streetlightcircus.com/event/4866702/619998852/streetlight-circus-with-adam-bomb
Researched by Darren Paltrowitz, April 9, 2025.