ML - Aspen Peak

2012 - Issue 2 - Winter

Aspen Peak - Niche Media - Aspen living at its peak

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PHOTOGRAPHY BYJODIE LOVE (POSTER);MICHAEL GOLDBERG (CONCERTS) On December 31, 2011, as the clock ticked down to midnight, Jane's Addiction front man Perry Farrell stood onstage, peering out over a screaming, sold-out crowd. A s rainbow-colored lasers flashed in the back- ground and leather-clad dancers pranced back and forth, the wiry rocker and his bandmate, a shirtless, tattooed Dave Navarro, launched into "Ted, Just Admit It..," a tune off the group's 1988 debut album, Nothing's Shocking. The audience sang every word back to them. While the scene resembled something straight out of Madison Square Garden (or any giant arena), it happened somewhere far tinier: Belly Up, a 6,000-square-foot club with 450 seats (including 80 reserved seats in a separate section) located near the base of Aspen Mountain. Its history of drawing supersize acts is as storied as the space. Since opening in January 2005, the club has hosted 300 shows annually, starring everyone from Jimmy Buffett and B.B. King to Jack White and Deadmau5. "I didn't enter this business with any great anticipation," says Belly Up owner Michael Goldberg, 63, who's also part owner of local sushi mainstay Matsuhisa. "But I certainly didn't think it would grow into the monster it's become." Just before Belly Up's eighth birthday and on the heels of the company's expanded role in booking gigs at various outdoor venues for the City of Aspen, Aspen Skiing Company, and the town of Snowmass, we caught up with Goldberg to talk about the club's past, present, and future—and how it put Aspen's music scene on the map. ASPEN PEAK: You're a restaurateur and the owner of two aviation companies. Why did you get into the music business? MICHAEL GOLDBERG: I love live music, and when the Double Diamond [Aspen's famed 1990s music venue] disappeared, it left a hole in the local scene. Plus, my brother, Steve, owns the original Belly Up in Solana Beach, California, and he knows the business. It just made sense. AP: What did your brother think about you bringing the club to Aspen? MG: When I asked him if I should do it, he gave a resounding no. But years before, I considered invest- ing in a restaurant, and he told me not to. So I didn't, and the restaurant turned out to be California Pizza Kitchen. Since then, I do the opposite of what Steve tells me. AP: When did you feel like Belly Up had offi- cially "made it"? MG: Our opening weekend in January 2005: The Roots and G. Love & Special Sauce played. Five 150 ASPENPEAK-MAGAZINE.COM Guitar slingers ZZ Top on the eve of 2009. "When the call arrived to perform on New Year's Eve, the answer was a flat, 'We can't, unless it's in Tampa Stadium… we're playing the half-time at The Orange Bowl. [And they answered,] 'Yeah, but it's with Michael Goldberg at Belly Up in Aspen.' [We said,] 'Book it. We'll get there. Goldberg will make it happen 'coz New Year's Eve at Belly Up is where it's at!' One private jet ride later, the last to get clearance to land in the midst of an oncoming blizzard, and we're plugging into loudly ring in the New One. And with the room full of raucous and rowdy revelers ready to rock, the night was pure Up, so turn out the lights and call the law. That's what I'm talkin' 'bout!" —BILLY GIBBONS OF ZZ TOP "B.B. King is simply iconic. T o have someone his age still perform as dynamically as he does, interspersed with the fun stories he tells on stage—which just so happen to be mostly about women—it's an incredible performance. And, it's notable that he always walks in and out of the front door of the club. He never uses the back door [to the green room] and always shakes fans' hands on the way out. " —MICHAEL GOLDBERG, OWNER OF BELLY UP " A gig at Belly Up is like no other. Where else can you see such top- level talent in such an intimate setting? Our shows are always special year's-end mayhem. The party's always on at Belly

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