After the Fenix closed in February 2001, reggae in this city practically died. True, the Ballard Firehouse has reggae shows, and the person who books these shows now is the same person who booked the shows at the Fenix, but the Firehouse reggae acts don't seem as glamorous and as constant as they were at the Fenix, where almost every big name on earth performed. I'm even sure that I saw Bob Marley perform there, which is impossible because the Fenix opened in the mid-'90s, and Bob Marley died in the early '80s. But still, my memory is certain that I saw Bob Marley at the Fenix--such was the caliber of reggae acts that visited the then biggest club in Pioneer Square.
The new Fenix is in a new location at 109 South Washington Street, and will open to the public on May 16, hosting a variety of music styles. It is now closer to (if not at the very heart of) Pioneer Square, next to Occidental Park, in a space that was once occupied by a short-lived African club called the Red Sea. But while the Red Sea's interiors were basic, the Fenix's are modern, with lots of fancy fixtures and levels. But all of this is secondary; what's important are the shows: Will the new Fenix bring back the great reggae that many of us--Africans, college students, local Rastas, and ska heads--miss so much? Only the future will answer that all-important question.
