Reunion show in H.B. will commemorate Golden Bear nightclub’s influence
It was a music venue immortalized in song, with artists such as Bob Dylan, Neil Young and Janis Joplin performing at the Golden Bear nightclub, which stood for six decades in downtown Huntington Beach.
For much of that time, the Bear — which opened in the 1920s as a roadside restaurant off Main Street and then moved to Pacific Coast Highway — hosted the likes of B.B. King, Jimi Hendrix and Jimmy Buffett, ensuring its place in music-industry lore.
But the celebrated music hall, which rose to prominence as one of the country’s best-sounding rooms, closed and was demolished in 1986 due to building instability and redevelopment pressures.
This weekend, some 90 years after the Bear opened, its former owners will join longtime residents and music enthusiasts in commemorating the club during a reunion show at Don the Beachcomber in Huntington Beach.
Country rock band Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen and rockabilly guitarist Bill Kirchen will fly in from the East Coast for the special concert Saturday night.
The reunion, planned by Don the Beachcomber promoter B&B’s Musical Thrills, will host former Golden Bear general manager Kevin Kirby and his wife and former co-owner, Carole Babiracki-Kirby, former sound man El Roy and Orange County music historian Jim Washburn.
Along with the concert, the Kirbys, who owned the Golden Bear from 1974 to 1986, will share books and memorabilia they collected over the years, including candid pictures of John Denver, Tom Waits and Peter Frampton, all of whom played inside the nightclub’s brick walls.
Another Golden Bear reunion show in 2009 featured Doors keyboardist Ray Manzarek, Chris Hillman, a founding member of the Byrds, and songwriter Jack Tempchin, who co-wrote the Eagles hit “Already Gone” and wrote “Peaceful Easy Feeling.”
Don the Beachcomber, with the chain’s 80-year history, vintage cocktails, fine dining and varied musical lineup, is a natural fit as today’s go-to Orange County venue to hear folk, blues, swing, rockabilly and country and scout touring and local musicians, the Kirbys said.
“This is going to be the new Golden Bear,” Kevin Kirby said as he stood in the restaurant’s Polynesian-themed dining room. “I can see that there’s a family here, and that’s what gives a place a soul.”
The restaurant brings the musical community together at a tiki lounge known for its special cocktails and Polynesian and Cantonese-influenced dishes, said B&B’s Musical Thrills promoter Christopher Burkhardt.
The staff of 13 waitresses and 12 cooks contributes to the hangout’s hospitality, he added.
“This whole place is so close to what we had,” said Babiracki-Kirby, who noted that Don the Beachcomber, like the Golden Bear, seats 300 people. “It’s so cool to see that music is alive here.”
The music business, she said, was about musicians who wanted to take their sound to the people and preferred playing at small venues because they could earn cash up and down the coast.
One advertisement could sell out a concert, she said. Just 30 minutes after placing Peter Gabriel’s name on the Bear’s marquee, the concert sold out.
There are other memories the Kirbys enjoy sharing with fans and former employees.
Like the time Cher showed up unannounced and watched the Average White Band perform. Or when Don McLean sang “American Pie.” Or when poet Charles Bukowski read vulgar poetry and hurled cold beers at the audience.
But most vivid is the day of the Golden Bear’s closure 30 years ago, when it rained inside the bar.
It was almost like the Bear was crying during an emotional goodbye, Babiracki-Kirby said.
“We had the golden years,” Kirby said, looking at his wife. “Now this place is its future.”
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IF YOU GO
What: Golden Bear Reunion
When: 7 p.m. Saturday
Where: Don the Beachcomber, 16278 Pacific Coast Hwy., Huntington Beach
Cost: Tickets start at $20
Information: (562) 592-1321 or donthebeachcomber.com
Twitter: @KathleenLuppi
