At the time, the band had played in East Lansing and other college towns for several years, typically at local bars and the occasional frat party, with Rick’s being a common stop on the tour.

On that night, Vander Ark recalls the venue being packed to the brim — to the point where the temperature rose to dangerous levels. As he and his bandmates tossed T-shirts doused in cold water out to the crowd to keep them cool, he took time to consider the moment.

“It really felt, because we’d finally been able to pack that place, that we had made it,” he said. “It was the top of the Rick’s ladder we’d made it to — and the reality of it was we had a long way to go on the national scale — but I remember that it was an awesome feeling that we had come that far. We went from having a dozen people at our shows up to packing that place.”

In the next couple years The Verve Pipe exploded onto the national scene, playing for much larger crowds than they ever did in East Lansing.

However, if Vander Ark ever feels the itch to play in the city where The Verve Pipe began, he might not be able to.

“There’s no place to play; frankly, it’s really sad,” he said. “East Lansing is a void of live clubs. I’d love to play in East Lansing, but they’ve gotta come up with a good venue.”

History
East Lansing wasn’t always a ghost town when it comes to live entertainment.

Before the original location on M.A.C. closed in 2000, Small Planet was a popular draw for big name bands, and another common site for performances by The Verve Pipe. When the re-imagined Small Planet opened eight years later in Bath Township, the venue once again enjoyed success in bringing well-known acts to the area before it shut its doors for good in 2010.

And in December of 1981, an Irish rock band on the rise called U2 once played a show at Dooley’s — now Harper’s Restaurant & Brewpub, 131 Albert Ave. — before returning on a much larger scale last summer, performing to a sold-out Spartan Stadium during its 360° Tour.

And when Rick’s first opened, it was a hotbed of activity for reggae, blues, jazz and alternative acts.
The lengthy list of bands and artists that have played at Rick’s includes rocker Kid Rock, blues guitarist Buddy Guy, reggae musician Ziggy Marley and ska band Fishbone. But above them all, one of the most memorable bands to come through Rick’s was the Red Hot Chili Peppers, which frequented the bar in the band’s early stages.

The Chili Peppers first played at Rick’s on Nov. 12, 1985, a show that owner Joe Goodsir said was one of the rowdiest performances in the venue’s 32 years.

“(The) Chili Peppers were wild,” Goodsir remembered. “Their encore, they came out in nothing but a sock — that was kind of their trademark there for a while. But it was very high energy, very loud.”

Goodsir said the bar strived to put on performances from just about every single genre of music — save for one.

“For years, we would answer the phone as ‘Rick’s Café, home of alternative rock — we do everything but top 40,’” he said. “That’s what we prided ourselves on; New original music, seven nights a week.”

Shift
However, although the sign above Rick’s still boasts “Live Music!” Goodsir readily admits the bar no longer is the live performance haven it once was.

A shift in the music industry along with a change in demand from students has seen fewer and fewer live bands come through the doors of the infamous nightclub.

“Looking back at 1985, I would never have thought we’d have a DJ four nights a week on the calendar,” Goodsir said.

“Compared to what we did, that never would have been in my mind. But to be in business, you have to adapt to what your clientele wants, which seems to be DJs and dancing.”

He added most college students prefer to dance to top-40 hits than pay a little extra to get in the door for a live performance.

However, media arts and technology senior Evan Cox said he and his friends likely would rather see live bands perform over a DJ blaring music over the speakers.

“There’s definitely groups inside of our student base that would (prefer a DJ), but I know there’s a lot of people out there that actually care about the music they hear at the bar,” he said. “I feel like it’s pretty hard because many of my classmates have asked me where I go to see bands play and I honestly can’t tell them.”

One area bar still trying to bring in live bands is Harper’s, which typically will have a couple live performances each week.

Harper’s co-owner Trisha Riley said although she knows it’s cheaper to have a DJ every night as opposed to a live band, she feels it’s part of the atmosphere the restaurant has created to support live acts.

“I don’t want to change my brand based upon looking 100 percent at the bottom line,” she said. “I’ll probably never move off of live bands.”

Riley added even if it became financially impossible to continue having live bands, the restaurant likely would change over to a model that would utilize tickets being sold.

Goodsir said although it no longer is conducive for him to support live acts coming through Rick’s, he would love to see demand shift back to where the bar could return to its roots.

“Thinking back on those blues shows, trying to get those guys offstage, it’s two o’clock and the music’s still on and you’re worried about the police coming in — those bring back fond memories,” he said.