The Guild Theatre, a once-popular movie palace in Menlo Park that closed its doors in 2019 after a 93-year run, is set to reopen as a concert venue.
The newly remodeled 500-plus-capacity theater, located at 949 El Camino Real, will begin hosting shows in mid-January.
The venue has just announced its first batch of concerts, stretching into October 2022. The complete list is shown below.
Tickets for all announced gigs go on sale at 12 noon Dec. 1 at guildtheatre.com.
Built in 1926, the Guild is now owned and operated by the nonprofit Peninsula Arts Guild and has an exclusive partnership with ticket platform DICE.
“We’re thrilled to see the project finally come to fruition,” says Peninsula Arts Guild president Drew Dunlevie. “We started the nonprofit four years ago with the simple goal of bringing some entertainment and culture to an underserved market here in the mid-Peninsula. We also look forward to supporting many artists’ philanthropic endeavors. We like to say we’re solving for fun and good.”
Upgrades to the venue include a Meyer Sound system that was specifically designed for the room.
The general manager for the venue is Tom Bailey, who has a long history of working at venues in the Bay Area and elsewhere. Notably, he was the general manager at Port Chester, N.Y.,’s 95-year-old Capitol Theatre.
“The Guild Theatre will be a first-rate venue in all respects, from state-of-the-art sound and lights, to a unique, stylish, and spacious ‘green room’ setup for our talent, to top-quality beverage options (at reasonable prices!) for our patrons,” Bailey says. “We intend to make Menlo Park a nightlife destination with great live music, and hope to become a cornerstone of this community.”
Here’s the list of scheduled shows:
JANUARY18 – STRFKR26 – Son Volt29 – Molly Tuttle
FEBRUARY5 – Superblue: Kurt Elling Ft. Charlie Hunter6-7 – Three Dog Night16 – Aaron Lee Tasjan18 – The Samples19 – Berlin25 – Robert Glasper27 – Eric Krasno + Son Little (Backed by The Sweet Sounds of the Assembly)
MARCH1 – Fat Tuesday Mardi Gras Dance Party (with Jazz Mafia)4 – Low Cut Connie26 – The Blasters31 – Sarah Shook & The Disarmers
APRIL4 – Steve Gunn + Jeff Parker13 – Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives15 – Orgōne29 – Tennessee Jet
MAY24 – The Dip
JULY23 – The Mother Hips
OCTOBER21-22 – Rocky Horror Picture Show (Featuring The Bawdy Caste)