Blowback

Big news, folks. The Hurricane is reopening. The owners of Jerry’s Bait Shop have bought the place and intend to turn it back into a “raw rock bar” like the Hurricane of yore, according to my source. There was also mention of the owners not wanting to host hip-hop, like the old Hurricane did (with both good and bad results). They’ve scheduled a Halloween bash for October 31 with the local emo/grunge/metal bands National Fire Theory, MWK, Red Line Chemistry, the Effects and This Alibi.

You’ll remember a buyer wanted to turn the place into a posh Plaza bar. But that fell through sometime over the summer, reasons we have yet to uncover.

For their part, the Jerry’s guys sure seem excited. I just spoke with Justin Collet, the marketing and sales director for the Bait Shop, and he practically blasted my ear off with the declaration, “It’s the return of rock!” He said Jerry’s’ owners (John Kelly and Mike Rounkles) want to restore the ‘Cane to its glory days before DJs and hip-hop arrived, when it was a club “for musicians, by musicians.” They’ll also be booking “top national acts.”

I went out to the Bait Shop in Lenexa a couple times — once for this column and again for this one (the Night Ranger has been to the one in Lee’s Summit). As I often do, going there was about getting drunk and getting someone (or myself) naked. I half enjoyed and half loathed the experience and reported on it with a mixture of admiration and ridicule. That’s why you love me, though, isn’t it?

I won’t be a cynical bastard about this, though. It’s great that local music will again be heard at the Hurricane. Bless the Jerry’s guys. If it turns out to suck, we’ll let them know.