Along the Route is our ongoing series documenting the shops, bars, restaurants, venues, parks, and places we think you should know along the route of upcoming races. The first installment of ATR is for the 2022 RBC Brooklyn Half.
Kings Theatre
When it comes to live music venues, New York City is the Mecca. Our historic and legendary theaters and arenas attract top acts from around the world. It's a tour date ever musician has circled in sharpie on their calendar.
While Manhattan may be the first borough to come to mind when thinking of venues (The Garden, T5, Bowery Ballroom, Beacon Theater, Radio City, to name a few), it would be unwise to sleep on what Brooklyn has to offer.
Ever been to a show at King's Theatre? A few of us here at Bandit have and the experiences were... transcendental. (Parts of our minds can still be found melted into the back row from Explosions In The Sky's 2016 performance.)
When you enter into the theater from the bustling streets of Flatbush, you’re met with an ornate spectacle of epic proportions. Does the vibe seem like it’s out of the Palace of Versaille? Well then we’d say you know your stuff because Versaille and the Paris Opera House were the inspiration for the architecture design from when it was originally built in 1929.
REBIRTH
After almost five decades of service, on August 30, 1977, the Kings theater closed. The fantastic decor, that was once the crown jewel of the Loews theater franchise, was in complete disarray.
Link out - See what Kings looked like prior to restoration.
Then in 2010, there was a massive restoration effort by the City of New York to bring the theater back to its former splendor and with dedicated time, effort, and money. The painstaking attention to detail is seen in every aspect of the theater, from tracking down the original carpet manufacturers from the 1920s through to ensuring all the new tapestries were based off of archival photographs and remnants. No detail was overlooked across the 68,000-square-foot spectacle and it shows.
When should you visit?
- Like all world-class theaters, Kings’ has an A-list and eclectic list of upcoming acts. We recommend checking their calendar for the latest
- Some office favs that are coming up are Interpol, Sigur Rós, and Beach House
What else should you know?
- Starting later this month, there are Kings Theatre Historic Tours. We highly recommend you take the time to experience the beauty unencumbered by crowds. Also, it looks like you can upgrade the tour with 2 drinks and access to a private speakeasy.
