Todd Abramson (
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Back in July of 1989, a bunch of scraggly kids from Washington state played at Maxwell’s in Hoboken, NJ. The band, Nirvana, played a short set of songs from their first album, “Bleach,” before Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic took turns smashing up the drum kit. It’s a concert that has taken on mythical status (you can look it up on YouTube), but the venue’s co-owner and booker, Todd Abramson, remembers it as “unremarkable.” This is partly because it was two years before “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” but mainly because these kinds of rock ’n’ roll antics, from bands well-known and not, have been the norm since Maxwell’s opened in 1978.
The indie-rock club and restaurant, once a bar frequented by Maxwell House coffee workers from a now-shuttered nearby plant, will close its doors Wednesday, much to the dismay of the artistic community both in New Jersey and New York.
“There were a lot of great times, but mixed with frustrations,” says Abramson, 51. “But I feel very fortunate to have done it because I see a lot of people who are very unhappy when they get up in the morning because of their job. That was rarely me!”
Gentrification has played a part in the closing. “Back in the day, there were a lot of bands in Hoboken, but musicians can’t afford to live here now,” says Abramson.
The unassuming club — the compact, low-ceilinged backroom has a capacity of just 200 — has a history of remarkable shows, including R.E.M., who played there in 1982 and ’83, and Yo La Tengo’s almost-annual Hanukkah gigs, which began in 2001 to raise money for charities. The eight-night series featured musical guests like Ronnie Spector and Ray Davies, and comics such as Amy Poehler, Sarah Silverman and Todd Barry.
Maxwell’s (1039 Washington St., Hoboken; 201-798-0406) will throw a free block party on Wednesday with DJ sets from Abramson, co-owner Steve Fallon and Yo La Tengo, plus a performance by local indie-rockers the Bongos, who got their start there and have re-formed for the gig. But the party will have a hard time beating some of the events that Maxwell’s has witnessed over the last 35 years. Here, Abramson shares some of them.
Bruce Springsteen, 1985 (“Glory Days” video filming)
“That was directed by John Sayles, who lived in Hoboken,” says Abramson, who began working at the club in 1986 (but frequented it in ’85). “The video actually features a very popular bartender who used to work at Maxwell’s — Martha Griffin. You can see her carrying a tray in the video. Throughout 1985, every Friday and Saturday was packed. Bands who I knew weren’t that popular would sell out. But the publicity from the video didn’t last long, and by early 1986, I had to explain to these acts that had been selling out that about 150 or more of those 200 people that came to see them were there because of the Springsteen video, so I couldn’t book them again as a headliner. That didn’t go over too well!”
Oasis, 1994
“It was their first American tour, and the show was sold out, but they were not impressed with some of the equipment and amenities we had. Noel or Liam [Gallagher], or one of their entourage [said] the dressing room was ‘absolute rubbish.’ At the end of the night, when they were walking out, I knew they would be up to no good, so I stood at the door collecting the random objects they were trying to steal. One of them had a pint glass, another tried to steal a chair!”
Weezer, 1994
“I got married on Sept. 24, 1994, and I wanted to book a show that wasn’t going to be well-attended so my colleagues could hang out at the wedding reception, down the street. My friend begged me to add a new band he was managing on that night’s bill — Weezer.By the time that show came around, they were blowing up because of their ‘Buddy Holly’ single and video, and MTV was there to film it. Somewhere on the MTV cutting-room floor is footage of me and my wife, in her wedding gown, showing up to that show.”
Korn, 1995
“This is one I regret. I had seen a band on TV called Sugar Ray who seemed fairly inoffensive. Then an agent called me and said he wanted me to book a tour with Sugar Ray and Korn. I just figured that Korn were the same sort of thing, but once I realized what they were about, I knew it was going to be bad. The room is small, the ceiling is low, and we’re not set up for mosh pits, stage diving and crowd surfing. It was a debacle. People were launching themselves off the speaker columns all night. Korn’s road manager had a nervous breakdown during the show. I’m surprised I didn’t get fired that night.”
White Stripes, 2000
“They played at Maxwell’s once, but Jack White wasn’t feeling very well. I don’t think the show was as good as some of the other White Stripes performances I saw later. There was one time they played the Bowery Ballroom, in particular, that blew me away. But Jack wasn’t happy the night they played Maxwell’s. Apparently, he hasn’t consented to play at Maxwell’s again because he feels that the people of Hoboken don’t dance!”
Beck, 2003
“This was a Valentine’s Day show he did before his ‘SNL’ performance. It was a secret show that they added because of a cancellation, I think. He did a lot of covers, like ‘Do You Realize?’ by the Flaming Lips, and I remember him studying the lyrics to ‘Kangaroo’ by Big Star very intently in the dressing room. I also remember one fan offered one of my waiters sex in the walk-in refrigerator if he could get her in [the club]. I guess it’s a very romantic thing to do on Valentine’s Day.”