Type Night club Capacity 600 | Genre(s) Various | |
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Address 2709 Elm Street
Dallas, Texas, United States Owner Clint and Whitney Barlow Seating type Bi-level standing and seating | ||
Trees is an American live music venue opened in 1990 in the Deep Ellum district of downtown Dallas, Texas. In addition to hosting international touring musical ensembles such as Nirvana, Snoop Dogg, The Flaming Lips, Death Grips, Daughter, The Wailers, Nick Jonas, and Run the Jewels, the venue has received numerous accolades from the Dallas Observer.
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History
Trees first opened its doors as a venue in May 1990. Named for its trunk-like support beams, Trees hosted bands including Nirvana, Radiohead, Mazzy Star, and The Afghan Whigs during its initial run as a venue before the club closed in May 2005. It was reopened on August 14, 2009 by Clint Barlow, former drummer for Vanilla Ice and spouse Whitney Barlow. Since its resurrection, the venue has seen acts including Hiatus Kaiyote, Matt Corby, Charlie Puth, Robert DeLong, Charli XCX, and Jess Glynne.
Notable Events
Nirvana Trees Incident
On October 19, 1991, Nirvana played an infamous set at Trees to a completely sold out crowd. As the show was booked before the band released their breakout hit album, Nevermind, the venue was not large enough to accommodate the amount of fans that came. Nirvana's tour manager demanded last minute that Trees hire heightened security, as there was no barrier between the stage and the crowd.
Turner Van Blarcum was one of the security guards assigned to keep fans off of the stage, but once Nirvana's set began, fans began to bombard them. Kurt Cobain motioned for the fans to move toward the band as security tried to push the crowd away. Cobain then dove into the crowd, jumping off Van Blarcum's back. As Van Blarcum and other security tried to pull Cobain back onto the stage, Cobain struck Van Blarcum in the head with his guitar. Van Blarcum then punched Cobain in the jaw, and the other two bandmates confronted Blarcum.
The audience erupted into madness, while Cobain stayed onstage, making noises with his guitar for a minute before throwing it into the band's drum set. Trees staff approached drummer Dave Grohl and bassist Krist Novoselic backstage, asking them to return to the stage. They agreed, but had to find Cobain, who was hiding in a broom closet. Trees staff brought him to the stage to finish the show. Once the show was over and the band were in a cab, a heated Van Blarcum punched the cab's window, shattering the glass all over the band. Ultimately, the band paid for both Van Blarcum's medical bills and for damage done to the venue.
The Bomb Factory
After its initial closure in 1999, The Bomb Factory was reopened by current Trees owners Clint and Whitney Barlow on Thursday, March 26, 2015. The 4300 capacity venue was renovated before its resurrection, with the introduction of eight VIP suites, air conditioning, a new roof, a mezzanine section, and brand new lights and sound systems. The Bomb Factory is Trees' sister venue. Erykah Badu performed at the venue on opening day.