“All great things must come to an end. Thanks for the memories and the truly good times. We love you all,” wrote Saturn Bar in an Instagram post Friday, November 20 after rumors had been circulating around town that the St. Claude establishment was up for sale.
Considered one of the St. Claude area’s “best kept secrets” the long-time downscale watering hole was a hot spot for hip college kids and hosted New Orleans best underground garage rock, punk, and metal bands.
It was most recently popular for its Mod Night events which took place in the cluttered junky garage aesthetic bar that was also adorned with psychedelic frescos and spun 1960s British Invasion sounds. Party organizers tried to keep the event alive via Zoom in the early stages of the pandemic.
“Saturn Bar was the epitome of rock and roll in the most sincere and classic way. Everyone was on an equal plain and Baliee [Broyard] and Rob made that a guarantee when you walked through those doors. The bands always got 100 percent of the door and drink tickets were plentiful. I’ve seen some of the best shows and played some of the best shows of my life there. I will never forget Saturn Bar and everything it gave all of us for as long as I live,” said Neil Berthier, formerly of Donovan Wolfington and now performing as PHONY.
Anne Gisleson wrote of the dive in a 2019 edition of The Oxford American, “The Saturn Bar is a rare social space these days in New Orleans. Opened in 1960 on the corner of Clouet Street and St. Claude Avenue by O’Neil Broyard, it’s retained a certain visceral continuity. Upon entering, you feel the texture and amber weight of lives lived, imaginations unloaded, lost loves lamented. Inseparable from the decades of dive-bar accumulation are paintings, many of them landscapes populated by fantastic and earthly creatures, narratives of wonder and discovery, creation and brutality.”
The bar and its name are currently up for sale, according to Broyard. Some of its merchandise and ephemera are on sale at etsy and benefit staff who have lost their jobs. (You can shop t-shirts, vintage memorabilia and more here.)
