Anthology Reborn As Music Box
Anthology, the downtown concert venue and restaurant in San Diego that abruptly closed Jan. 1, 2013, after a six-year run, will reopen in September under new ownership as the Music Box .
Music Box GM and talent buyer Joe Rinaldi told the paper his key focus is to present a diverse array of established and rising music acts that cater to a broad audience.
“I think my main objective, which everyone involved with the Music Box is on board with, is for us to be a multi-genre venue,” Rinaldi said. He previously booked acts at the House of Blues and the Viper Room in Hollywood, as well as at such San Diego venues as 4th&B, The Merrow and the Hard Rock Hotel. We’ll do 28 shows at the Music Box between Sept. 17 and Nov. 22,” Rinaldi added.
Jazz and pop-jazz acts, which made up nearly half of Anthology’s bookings, will only have an intermittent presence at the Music Box. The jazz shows will be booked with Brian Ross, who oversees shows at The Loft @ UC San Diego. The Music Box will be 18-and-up or 21-and-up venue, depending on the show. The facility is undergoing extensive remodeling including expanding the capacity from 272 up to 705, the Union-Tribune said.
Veteran audio engineer John Edwards, who worked at Anthology for four years, will oversee sound at the Music Box. The venue’s huge video screen at the rear of the stage has been traded out for an LED screen and the curtains at the front of the stage have been removed. The size of the Music Box – 13,000 square feet, covering three floors – remains the same. However, all the seats, tables and booths from the ground level have been removed to create a larger, standing-room-only area, and the previously sloped floor has been flattened.
The horseshoe-shaped bar has been replaced by a horizontal bar, parallel to the venue’s north wall, which opens up more space, the paper said. The second floor will house five VIP opera boxes that can seat six to eight people.
What was the Taylor Guitar Room for small private parties on the third floor will now be used for audience meet-and-greets with Music Box performers. The third floor will accommodate general admission standing patrons along the railing overlooking the stage. Depending on the show, between 20 and 40 tables, seating 40 to 120 people, can be set up. There will be a balcony and lounge area for those wanting a break from the music. There will also be food service at the Music Box, the Union-Tribune said.
