The Showbox

75 Years & Still Rockin’!

On July 24, 1939 the doors opened, and fans flocked to, Seattle’s newest entertainment hot spot – a beautiful art-deco gem named The Show Box. This year marks the 75th anniversary of The Showbox, one of Seattle’s few extant entertainment venues that can lay claim to having provided local music fans with such an astonishing breadth of entertainment over the decades. From the Jazz Age to the Grunge Era to the current wave of Seattle exports – neo-folk and hip hop – the storied ballroom has featured shows by touring icons such as Duke Ellington, Muddy Waters and the Ramones — as well as those by homegrown talents ranging from burlesque queen Gypsy Rose Lee, to grunge gods Pearl Jam, to the current dynamic duo on a course for world domination Macklemore & Ryan Lewis.

To commemorate this, 2014 will be a year-long celebration of the past, present, and future of The Showbox; the City that nurtured its growth; and the community of music fans that support it and keep it going year after year.

The Showbox 75th Celebration Starts Now!

What’s in a name?

The Showbox has weathered its share of ups and downs throughout the years and almost as many name changes at some of those peaks and valleys. Today it remains active as a significant contributor to Seattle’s music scene and is routinely recognized as one of the best, and most influential, clubs in the country. Ask a Seattleite to list their favorite music venues in the city and, without a doubt, The Showbox makes the cut.
2014 and the 75th anniversary mark the return to its roots and recognition that, regardless of what the name actually was at the moment, it has always been – The Showbox – in the hearts and minds of its fans.

(Re)Introducing Kerns Music Shop

In conjunction with The Showbox 75th and the move back to its origins, the lounge is taking on the name it originally held in 1946 – Kerns Music Shop – when a local trombone player named Johnny Kerns opened the store front which quickly became a gathering spot for musicians and music fans.

• First Chance to Buy. Our VIP members are always notified first about invite-only events and secret shows. In addition, you will always have ten days after the on-sale date to buy tickets, even if a show sells out immediately.
• Sold Out? Not So Fast. See a show on the calendar that you’d like to attend, but it’s sold out? Just let us know you’re interested, and if any tickets are refunded or released for sale, you’ll have first right of refusal.