Beloved St. Petersburg music venue Ringside Cafe has closed

ST. PETERSBURG — After 35 years, the popular Ringside Café bar and music venue has closed its doors for good.

The bar, known for its strong drinks and local music programming, was in its third location. He ran Fourth Street in St. Petersburg for 25 years before closing in 2013, making way for what is now a Trader Joe's.

It then moved downtown to Second Street N near Jannus Live. But in 2021 it was replaced again by what is now the 1970s-themed club Good Night John Boy. It moved a block away and reopened in July 2022 at 350 First Ave. N, opposite Williams Park.

Ringside Cafe's 2023 New Year's Eve party was its last, and the owners informed employees and local musicians that it was permanently closed this time.

Rising prices for everything from food to insurance have made its commitment to reasonably priced food and drinks without cover charges difficult, said owner Greg Pugh.

“I have nothing bad to say. Nobody did anything,” Pugh said. “I had a great time and I'm feeling good and moving on. I played with the toy for quite a long time.

Ringside has built a strong following for its eclectic mix of blues-rock, funk, reggae and pop music drawn from local and national acts. Slide guitar phenomenon Derek Trucks played there in 1992. The late Billy Preston, one of the best session keyboardists of the 1960s who played on “Let It Be” for the Beatles, played at Ringside, as did blues greats Delbert McClinton and LA Jones. .

The original establishment was founded in 1988 by the late restaurateur Linda “Raz” Bernard in a strange multi-level configuration formed from a former amateur boxing gym which gave it its name. It was popular for its friendly bartenders and evening music.

Pugh bought the place with his wife, Kelly, in 1993, after the original owners did the renovation, and named it Ringside Café. His philosophy was to keep prices low on food and drinks, with no entry fees for groups “because we want people to come back and bring their friends.”

He attributes his success to his employees and enthusiastic audiences who crowded a small space to see their favorite artists.

“We had to build a bigger stage at the Fourth Street location for Roomful of Blues,” said Pugh, the Grammy-nominated band with a 50-year career. “We had a line out the door and in the parking lot and one guy said to me, 'I saw Roomful of Blues in Boston and I followed them to New York. But I didn't expect to see them at Ringside Café. »

After moving to its third location, the downtown St. Petersburg crowd tended to be younger than Ringside's typical audience. And these days, most bars charge an entry fee for a group and charge $15 for drinks.

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“I couldn’t see myself charging that much and living on my own,” Pugh said. “It bothers me, even as a consumer. We can't just push people to their limits to spend a lot of money because everyone else is doing it.

The long history means that almost everyone in the city has a memory of Ringside. Couples met there and brought Pugh Ringside themed cookies from their wedding. When he called the city's utility department to turn off the building's water last week, Pugh said he ended up spending 40 minutes with the employee who answered the phone and had to tell him all his memories of Ringside.

There was live music every night and it wasn't just any band, it was good live music, said Mike Edwards, founder of Uncle John's Band. Founded in 1989, Edwards' band is the reigning king of jam bands in the Tampa Bay area and named #3 in the country of the best Grateful Dead tribute bands from the Pro Tribute Bands fansite.

Edwards, 67, said the original Ringside Cafe was primarily a blues bar, so they didn't fit in at first, but the venue eventually turned out to have a strong Dead Heads fan base. They have played at Ringside every Thursday night for the past 15 months.

“I was shocked. It's a real shame,” Edwards said of the close. “We played all three places and they each had their appeal. It was always fun and you always knew that when you would present, you would hear a very good live band.

With expensive high-rises sprawling throughout downtown St. Petersburg, Edwards sees the live music scene moving west along Central Avenue into the city's warehouse district, full of trendy restaurants and bars that won't draw as many noise complaints from nearby residents. . Uncle John's Band recently played shows at the Bayboro Brewing Co. on Fifth Avenue S, and he can see how this area could be the new music scene.

“These guys that are moving into million-dollar condos, I wish they would look at what they're moving into instead of complaining about it,” Edwards said. “I think the face of the city will change dramatically over the next four years. »