Closed for Over a Decade, Beloved GR Music Venue Sets Reopening Date

While the pandemic has caused some music venues to close down, one beloved Grand Rapids institution is making a comeback.

Skelletones is back from the dead!

The music venue has set a grand reopening date of September 10, 2021. In the post to Facebook, they are sure to mention that date is "subject to change depending on the state of things". Bitter Truth, Worst Self, Iron Sharpens Iron, and Kaline are set to play the first show at Skelletones in over a decade.

Skelletones first opened on South Division Ave. in 2000. An "all ages night-club", the venue sought to be a safe haven for music fans and became the place where where many young musicians and bands got their start.

In August, original owner Mark Leech organized a GoFundMe campaign to bring back Skelletones, saying:

Skelletones  is and always has been a labor of love. A safe haven for young musicians to express themselves and a home away from home for anyone looking for a place to belong. Skelletones is and always will be all ages, all the time. We are rebuilding our PA system, lighting, electrical, bathrooms, stage and other necessities. We have already set aside the first $5,000 over the past two years of saving. Any help you can offer financially gets us all that much closer to the goal. We're hard at work and we'll see you all soon!

This fall, with reopening efforts under way, Leech shared they were going to reopen at Skelletone's original space:

WE ARE HOME! After a month of deliberation, negotiation and consideration (lots of big words this month), we have been able to take hold of our original downstairs space on South Division, next door to Vertigo! Now starts the next big word : renovation. The space has seen better days for sure. Time to get to work!

In a later update:

The space is secured and most legalities are done. We've invested our savings and used your support as wisely as we know how to get this going. Almost there!

While there is still work to do, a date is set for Skelletones to reopen!

If you'd like to support Skelletone's reopening efforts, you can donate to their GoFundMe, and they've got merch for sale here. Follow Skelletones on Facebook and Instagram for updates.

Welcome back, Skelletones! We hope to see you in September!