The Mason Jar
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The Mason Jar was a nightclub and music venue in Phoenix which featured rock music, alternative rock, punk rock, hip-hop, and heavy metal in the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s. Many famous bands including Nirvana, Rob Zombie, the Ramones, Joan Jett, Stone Temple Pilots, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pearl Jam, Tool, The Black Crowes, Los Lobos, and Meat Puppets performed at the venue.[1]
The Mason Jar was founded in 1979. Early Arizona acts included the Spiffs, Blue Shoes, Llory McDonald, and the Schoolboys (which later became Capitol Records recording act Icon). The Mason Jar was founded by Clyde Shields and then sold to Franco Gagliano after a couple of years of being in business. Gagliano is credited with growing the club and making the small venue a success with national touring bands. Gagliano, originally from Sicily, managed the club from inception until 2000. He was known for his pizzazz, personality, the clog shoes he wore,[2] and his love-hate relationships with the bands which played at the Mason Jar.
Initial success
Many bands came to the venue on their way to the Sunset Strip in Hollywood, California. Some ran out of money, never making it to Los Angeles, while others simply liked Phoenix and decided to stay. Tool, Los Lobos, Green Day, Kid Rock, Rage Against the Machine, Jane's Addiction, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Guns N' Roses, and dozens of other bands played at the Mason Jar before they achieved commercial success. Local bands including Billy Clone and the Same, The Beat Angels, Burning Flamingos, The Jetzons, Surgical Steel, Flotsam and Jetsam, Icon, The Results, and Sacred Reich also played there. Jason Newsted of Flotsam and Jetsam, who later became the bass player for Metallica, was a regular at the Mason Jar. The Manic Street Preachers were scheduled to play the final gig of their 1995 U.S. tour at the venue before the tour was canceled after the disappearance of Richey Edwards.[3]
