For a couple of years, Ybor City has been suffocating from the glut of bars that line Seventh Avenue. Tampa's historic district, its one-time bohemian enclave, had become little more than a drinking mall, with one club undercutting the next by offering cheaper and cheaper specials. Recognizing the decline, Twilight committed to live music and started aggressively booking concerts by some extremely cool touring acts. The club has taken an eclectic approach, presenting Queens of the Stone Age, Toots & the Maytals, Robert Randolph & the Family Band, The Donnas, Robert Bradley's Blackwater Surprise, Porcupine Tree, Buzzcocks, Schleigho, Antibalas and an array of others in '03. The club has an upscale feel, which allows it to function as a dance club on weekend nights, and also sports a terrific sound and light system, which makes it a pleasure to witness shows there. Many of the concerts have been well attended, but we don't know what the overall bottom line has been. Still, we applaud owner Robert Solomon, promoter Rich McSherry and the rest of the staff for building a first-rate concert/showcase club on the strip. We're wishin' and a hopin' that it'll continue.
Twilight, 1507 E. Seventh Ave., Ybor City, 813-247-4225.
This article appears in Sep 25 – Oct 1, 2003.