Talk:The Middle East (nightclub)

Do not delete
I created this page because of Dead Links in Wikipedia - Several Pages were pointing to different The Middle East Articles - which may have been deleted. The Middle East is a central location for Punk and Alternative Music in Boston Area and in order to properly represent the music scene in Boston this page should exist.

The pages are the following -


 * Church of the SubGenius
 * The Mighty Mighty Bosstones
 * Central Square (Cambridge)
 * Live from the Middle East
 * Boston hardcore
 * Pneumatic Detach
 * Live at the Middle East
 * Live at the Middle East (Mr. Lif)

Do not delete
The fact that this establishment appears in the name of three albums recorded there, each of which has its own Wikipedia article and one of which is by the Bosstones (a very well known band, were in Clueless, etc.), justifies an article about it. Furthermore, I am sure a litle research could locate twenty or more musicians/groups who have Wikipedia artcles and who have played at the Middle East.

I would like to see it restructured so that the reader immediately understands that they are reading about one of the premier live music venues in New England and does not get the misimpression that this article is about a Lebanese restaurant. From an encyclopedic standpoint, the cuisine is a detail, not the crux of the entry.

It might also help to succinctly mention that The Middle East stands on a main thouroughfare between Boston and Cambridge and is popular not only with students at Harvard and MIT but with music fans throughout Greater Boston. House of Scandal 10:20, 18 December 2006 (UTC)

Thanks for the imput
I have just created a start page to get the article going - I will continue to work it but feel free to jump in. Markco1 10:32, 18 December 2006 (UTC)

Doubts to rest
I just added some quotes from Weekly Dig and Boston Phoenix that will put all doubts to rest. House of Scandal 10:34, 18 December 2006 (UTC)
 * I think the notability tag should remain for now so that others can comment and, one hopes, further improve the article. The venue may be sufficiently notable, but if so I think this is a brief Wikipedia article at most. I didn't add the notability tag, but I think it was a good idea, and I must say I'm not yet convinced this place is important enough for Wikipedia. Does it get referenced by important music publications or news media outside the Boston area? etc. BTW, a word of advice: All the detail about the various rooms of the venue is going to get  (rightly) challenged as unencyclopedic and non-notable sooner or later, and it does tend to make the article look kind of air-puffed. My advice to those who care about this article is to pare it down to what is truly important and not be afraid to let it be short article. Better to have it short but credible than puffed up with unncessary fill that risks the credibility of the entire article. --WikkiTikkiTavi 02:40, 19 December 2006 (UTC)

I am in support of streamlining the article and appreciate your comments. However, I am baffled and frustrated by the statement "I'm not yet convinced this place is important enough for Wikipedia." If major publications like the Boston Phoenix consistently name it as one of the premier music venues in New England, then it meets the criteria for inclusion on Wikipedia. Period.

And although it is occasionally "referenced by important music publications or news media outside the Boston area" that is not a requirement for inclusion on Wikipedia. And what music publications are important enough that to bestow notability by association? Is a mention in The Source or VIBE good enough or do we need The Middle East to appear on the cover of the Rolling Stone?

I respect your tendency to play devil's advocate, but I don't know why you are busting our balls on this issue when the burden of evidence has been met and reliable sources have been cited. My suggestion is you hit the "random article" button ten times and judge now this article rates in proven importance vis-à-vis what pops up. House of Scandal 03:53, 19 December 2006 (UTC)

Note: Middle East was mentioned in Rolling Stone - Cited in article. Markco1 19:12, 19 December 2006 (UTC)


 * Agree. As per all presented, The Middle East definitely meets notability guidelines.  It is a huge venue for many acts that go on to achieve fame or have already.--Loodog (talk) 19:42, 28 July 2008 (UTC)

Headlights photo
Do we really need to have a (bad) photo of some random band playing at the Middle East in the middle of the article? If there must be a photo can we pick a slightly more well-known group? There have been legendary performances at the ME. This smacks of self-promotion more than anything else. Inoculatedcities 21:31, 18 April 2007 (UTC)
 * Yeah yeah, it's a shitty photo. I have nothing to do with the band, I was just at their show the other night and noticed there wasn't a picture.  No problem if you odn't think it adds anything - I'm hoping to get a photo of the downstairs venue next time I'm there - but that was my rationale.  Of course, if a free image of the Bosstones or something appears, I'd be first in line to swap the photos.  I'll be back upstairs in a month, anyway, I'll see if I can't get a better photo. --badlydrawnjeff talk 22:08, 18 April 2007 (UTC)
 * Sorry to sound so pissy, Jeff, didn't mean to come across that way. Would love though if we could add higher-quality fair-use photos. Inoculatedcities 20:24, 20 April 2007 (UTC)
 * No, don't worry about it - it really is a shitty photo. The problem, however, is that we're not supposed to use fair use photos that are replaceable, as any showing a performance here unfortunately would be.  So I'll try to get a better photo in the meantime. --badlydrawnjeff talk 20:32, 20 April 2007 (UTC)
 * I think the photo doesn't detract and is fine until a better one is provided. - House of Scandal (talk) 13:44, 3 April 2008 (UTC)

WP:FOOD Tagging
This article talk page was automatically added with WikiProject Food and drink banner as it falls under Category:Restaurants or one of its subcategories. If you find this addition an error, Kindly undo the changes and update the inappropriate categories if needed. You can find the related request for tagging here -- TinucherianBot (talk) 11:26, 2 July 2008 (UTC)

The place is really much more important as a music value. BTW the Saters also own another the Somerville Armory.24.61.87.16 (talk) 22:55, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

Rebuild
Did some clean up and added a New section about History. Might need some more cleanup. I also fixed broken links and references. I feel history could use more work but this is a good starting point. Markco1 (talk) 14:22, 9 September 2010 (UTC)

Billy Ruane Wikipedia profile
Billy Ruane's Wikipedia profile will be back but requires a full composition more than just a short couple of lines.RichardBond (talk) 20:51, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

Musicians
As this was a totally uncited list that really does nothing to raise the notability bar for the venue, and since the list of artists who have played there is really endless, I have removed it. The really notable artists are mentioned already. MSJapan (talk) 17:23, 28 March 2012 (UTC)