Daily Loaf

As I began my journey to the entrance of the Ritz Theater for last Sunday, November 15’s Deadmau5 and Burns show, I honestly had no idea what to expect. I’d been to Bonnaroo the past two years and witnessed the dance tents that turned into techno and house rave parties by midnight. When Tiesto was in town, I heard he didn’t go on until after midnight, and I was hoping Deadmau5 wouldn’t live up to those shoes. I learned shortly after my 9 p.m. arrival that his performance time was 12:45 – 3am. Great, I thought; so I get to sit around and watch these fool’s wave glow sticks in front of each others’ face for almost four hours? Entertaining. But by the time I reached the Ritz’s main room, I noticed the elaborate light setup on the stage for both performers, and knew it would be worth the wait. [All photos and text by Mike Wilson.]

At 9 p.m., the venue was not even close to half-capacity, which I enjoyed because I didn’t have to deal with shoulder-to-shoulder moving space. Of course, right when I realized how comfortable it was, the mobs starting piling through both entrances and before I knew it, I was forced to hangout up in the VIP balcony to watch all these new, interesting friends dance until they dropped. Read the rest of this entry »

When the former Masquerade got a $2 million makeover and re-opened as The Ritz last June, it didn’t seem like many shows were making it to the marquee and some of us wondered whether the booking folks set the bar too high in their selections or if the 1,000-capacity place had become a bit too fancy for just any show with its new open and airy feel, higher stage, in-house lighting rig, and walls draped in red velour for superior sound quality. But gradually with help from No Clubs Productions, The Ritz began beefing up its events schedule and in a matter of months, went from hosting tribute acts to a range of top notch talents – Lady Gaga, of Montreal, Jesse McCartney, Ben Folds, Gogol Bordello, Ghostface Killah & Raekwon, Three Dog Night, Rabbit in the Moon and many others. The Ritz has also picked up several shows lost by Jannus Landing due to that venue’s pending legal issues. 1503 E. Seventh Ave., Tampa, 813-247-2555, ritzybor.com.

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