In May of 2024, the Iron Horse Music Hall is bringing back live music for the first time since closing its doors in March of 2020, at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Located at 20 Center Street, across from the First Churches of Northampton, the venue stands with its long glass windows and colorful posters, which feature its motto “Music Alone Shall Live” and the announcement of its intended spring 2024 reopening.
The previous owner, Northampton property magnate Eric Suher, sold the Iron Horse in September of 2023 to The Parlor Room Collective (PRCO), a non-profit devoted to enhancing “the health and vitality of our community through music.” The PRCO also manages The Parlor Room and The Parlor Room School of Music.
“The Iron Horse has been a symbolic and literal heart of music in western Massachusetts since its founding in 1979,” said the PRCO Executive Director, Chris Freeman, on the Iron Horse Website. “The Parlor Room Collective is proud to carry on the tradition of prodigious live music in this legendary venue through a mission-based approach. The Iron Horse will be an inclusive space that celebrates art, artists, and community.”
The non-profit has launched a fundraising campaign focused on accessibility, staffing and improving patron and artist experience. One of the highlights of their upcoming renovation is the addition of a new restaurant in collaboration with Dave Shrier, a co-owner of the Daily Operation restaurant in Easthampton. The PRCO is still accepting donations to meet its fundraising goal.
Jordi Herold, a Hampshire College alum, and John Riley opened the then 60-seat Iron Horse Coffeehouse in 1979. Herold was inspired to open the venue after visiting the Troubadour, a long-standing music venue in London. The two men eventually expanded the coffeehouse and the name was changed to the Iron Horse Music Hall. They sold the Iron Horse in 1994 and Suher purchased the property in 1995.
In an interview with the Valley Advocate, Herold described the early influence of the Iron Horse: “I think, in the language of today’s politics, the Horse was unwittingly transformative when it opened. People rallied around it. It was the nexus of music and personal community.”
The new venue revolutionized the Northampton music and arts scene by attracting musicians from an eclectic array of genres, including Tracy Chapman, John Mayer, 10,000 Maniacs, Steven Wright and Taj Mahal. Consequently, the club has served as a meeting place for various musicians, students and Pioneer Valley locals, united by a shared appreciation for music.
The Iron Horse will kick off this new era of Northampton music on May 15 with a jazz act featuring Rachael & Vilray with Taylor Ashton. Tickets go on sale March 5 for PRCO members and March 15 for the general public.
Wonderful to know the Iron Horse will continue. I was one of t
jordi’s first patrons in the 1970’s and saw great talent there. Thank you for this article.