Stone Pony
| The Stone Pony | |
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The Stone Pony in 2016
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 Location of The Stone Pony in New Jersey
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| General information | |
| Status | Open |
| Type | Music Venue |
| Address | 913 Ocean Avenue |
| Town or city | Asbury Park, New Jersey |
| Country | United States |
| Coordinates | 40°13′12″N 74°00′02″W / 40.21995°N 74.00058°W |
| Elevation | 10 ft. |
| Opened | February 1973 |
| Website | |
| www |
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The Stone Pony, located in Asbury Park in Monmouth County, New Jersey, is one of New Jersey's best known music venues. It is known as a launch pad for many American music legends, including New Jersey natives Bruce Springsteen, Patti Scialfa, Jon Bon Jovi, and Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes.
Prior to becoming a music venue, the building housed a restaurant named Mrs. Jay's, next to which was Mrs. Jay's Beer Garden that was frequented by a polyglot community of tourists, high school and college students and bikers. During the mid 1960s, Mrs. Jay's management began to allow bands to perform. After the restaurant and beer garden went out of business in 1968, allegedly over a waitress wearing a see-through blouse, Mrs. Jay's moved two doors south and reopened a short time thereafter. The second incarnation of Mrs. Jays became a notorious biker hangout in its later days before being demolished in the late '80s. Harley-Davidsons lined entire blocks after cruising the circuit. The building that originally housed Mrs. Jay's remained dark until the fall of 1973 when it reopened under the Stone Pony banner. Among other local bands, the NJ cover band "The Colony" was one of the main house bands through much of 1974.
Since The Stone Pony opened in 1973, many of the world's most popular musical artists have played on its stage. In 1991, The Stone Pony had to file for bankruptcy because of a series of drunk driving lawsuits. However, the nightclub reopened in 1992. Because of its importance to the music world, there was a national outcry when there was talk of closing the Pony during the late 1990s. At that time, it was rumored that the popularity of establishments with live, original music was on the decline. The situation was touch and go for a while. The Pony was repeatedly opened and closed as developers targeted Asbury Park through the beginning of the new millennium. Musicians and patrons organized and rallied in support of The Stone Pony.
The club was renovated in 2000, preserving the character associated with its early years while adding a permanent exhibition of art and artifacts from the history of the city and the venue itself. State-of-the-art lighting and sound equipment were installed, and outside, facing the Atlantic Ocean, The Stone Pony Landing area was redone with a beach motif, tenting and a food facility. Fans and artists continued to support the Pony, and the Asbury Park Music Awards returned to the Stone Pony. Eventually, the music community prevailed, a vibrant live music scene reemerged and the crowds returned. "A visit to The Stone Pony has been considered a pilgrimage to rock 'n' roll fans around the world," said then New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman as she officially reopened the club on Memorial Day weekend 2000. "It is a place that is important—not just to us, but to the world."
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Wikipedia