Pearl Jam, Death Cab For Cutie, more rally to save Seattle's Showbox Theater
Over 150 artists including members of Death Cab For Cutie and Pearl Jam have signed an open letter in an attempt to save Seattle’s icon music venue, The Showbox, from demolition.
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British Columbia based developers, The Onni Group, recently announced their plans to tear down the venue in exchange for a $100 million, 44-story luxury residential tower—a move that many artists simply won’t stand for.
The letter, posted by The Seattle Times on Friday, features over 150 signatures from different bands and artists as well as comments from the group’s leaders, Mike McCready of Pearl Jam, Duff McKagan of Guns n’ Roses, Ben Gibbard of Death Cab For Cutie, and Macklemore.
The group is working alongside Historic Seattle in an attempt to save the venue by declaring it a historical landmark.
“We have created a coalition to save The Showbox,” Gibbard writes in the letter. “Not just because we have great memories of playing and seeing shows there, but because we want it to be available for future generations of performers and music fans to create their own.”
“The Showbox is integral to the social fabric of the Seattle music scene,” McCready adds, stating the venue is just “as important as CBGBs, The First Avenue, Filmore East and West, The Troubadour, and Whisky.”
The group encourages people to contact the city council as well as Mayor Jenny Durkan.
“As our city continues to grow in density, it’s imperative that we protect the spaces that give Seattle its cultural identity,” Macklemore adds. “If we value our musical heritage and want to leave the next generation with a piece of authentic Seattle, this is our fight.”
You can read the full letter, below.
Seattles iconic music venue has housed many incredible artists and entertainers for nearly 80 years such as the Police, the Ramones, Eminem, Soundgarden, Prince, Robin Williams and more.
The Seattle City Council is expected to vote on the legislation on Monday.
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