I only got into the music scene about 2 years ago, and i kick myself over and over for not getting into it sooner. I've looking around the internet and learned about how so many bands came to Mabels, and i never knew about it, cuz i did't know anything about bands coming to town. Could anyone tell me exactly what Mabels was like and when it closed? I know it was on Green Street. Was it where Za's is now? I've heard some things, but i am curious on what is true. Information?

Mabels was actually where brothers is now. It was an AWESOME venue. The stage used to be on the north side of mabels where the windows are, but Brothers totally took that out. The upstairs was always there, which made it a great place to see bands, because you could always go stand up there and watch from over the railing. It used to be a lot darker than brothers, you know, your standard plain black floor and black walls and really dark lighting. When brothers moved in they refurbished the whole place and turned everything to light colored wood so there is really no hint of the previous place. The bathroom stalls had been totally written on by so many people and Mabels never painted over it so it was fun to read.

The last show I saw there was a few years ago, Braid's last show in Champaign. It was a sad one, and shortly after that they closed Mabels. I'm not sure about the exact reasons it closed.

Oh Mabels.... Mabels was located where "It's Brothers" is now, up on the second floor. I only saw two shows there. The first was, uh, ::cough:: Stabbing Westward (there go all my indie cred points) and the second one was the last Braid show in C-U (indie cred points regained!!). I think that Mabels had been around since the '60s. Before it officially closed the owner made an attempt to turn it into a strip club, but the University didn't much like the idea of having a strip club in the main drag of campus town, so new legislation in Champaign was created that stopped it. And then it just died.

· Nada Surf played at Mabel's in 1996.

· The logo for Mabel's was a black cat.

· The guy in charge of Mabel's now works at The Highdive.

NP: Angie Heaton ~ TEACH ME

Mabel's was cool, indeed.

- JB

Mabel's was great. With it being up above green st. it looked like the stage for TRL. I thought it rocked. Who was the guy that ran the place with the pink mohawk?

The last band I ever saw there was this little band called The Goody Patch. Anyone hear whatever happend to that band?



nate j.

I do remember the bar at Mabels always having the lacquered wood feel.

Burning Airlines + D-Plan waxed a show together there in 99' or was it 00'? That was yummy.

i used to love mabels; that place ruled. i too was at that last braid show there. i also saw burning airlines and the dismemberment plan there the day after my 21st birthday. being able to sit down upstairs was a life saver that day.

juice454 wrote:

Quoted message: I do remember the bar at Mabels always having the lacquered wood feel. Burning Airlines + D-Plan waxed a show together there in 99' or was it 00'? That was yummy.

didn't see your post until after mine. weird. that show would have been spring of 99. 'twas a great show, especially d plan, which was the first time i had seen them. i didn't even know much about them before that show.

MundayWas wrote:

Quoted message: The last band I ever saw there was this little band called The Goody Patch. Anyone hear whatever happend to that band? nate j.

ever hear of lorenzo goetz? that's ex-goody patch...
and mabels sound rocked
we jammed that stage.... to like no one because the owners were KING-sized pricks...