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Blind Pig

From ArborWiki

The bar that every college town, by law, must have: Smoky, loud, sticky floor, and the local place for live rock music.

Regular schedule of local and big-name/small-venue bands, mucho more original music than cover bands. The usual beer & drink specials for a college rock bar. Downstairs is the The 8 Ball Saloon, quieter and with pool tables.

[edit] History

The Blind Pig was opened in 1971 when two students at the neighboring University of Michigan, Tom Isaia and Jerry Delgiudice, bought and renovated an abandoned furniture store. The facility was primarily a coffee shop at first, converting to a bar at night and serving relatively upscale drinks. Until the 1980s, the Blind Pig hosted almost exclusively blues acts to provide music, drawing an eclectic crowd from the surrounding area. Delgiudice started the still-functional Blind Pig Records recording label in 1975 to showcase music by many of the local blues acts who performed regularly at the club.

Isaiah and Delgiudice sold the venue in 1981 to locals Roy and Betty Goffett, who more than doubled the club's space by purchasing an adjacent building, opening the 8-Ball Saloon on the lower level and moving the stage to the more spacious top floor. The expansion made the venue more conducive to crowd-heavy rock shows, and acts such as Joan Baez, Bo Diddley and George Thorogood.