SAN FRANCISCO (CelebrityAccess) Punch Line Comedy Club, which Bill Graham opened in San Francisco more than four decades ago along Battery Street, is expected to close at the end of summer as a new location is sought, according to Live Nation.
Live Nation told SFGate that the staff was informed that the club would close in August because the company could not reach a lease agreement with the property owners. A new location has not been found but a spokesman said the Punch Line will reopen “asap.” Live Nation also operates Cobb’s Comedy Club in the city’s North Beach neighborhood.
“We’re currently in search of a new home to preserve our decades-long tradition of entertaining comedy fans in San Francisco and the Bay Area,” Punch Line talent buyer Molly Schminke said in a statement. “It’s a sad moment for us, but we’re excited at the future’s potential. … Our best days are yet to come.”
The Punch Line is known as a gathering place for local comics every Sunday, with newcomers hoping desperately for a slot.
“In some ways, it’s knowing the direction this city is going and knowing how money is eating up the things many people hold dear,” comedian Joey Avery told SFGate. “To some degree, it feels like it’s only a matter of time before it comes to your place.”
Graham opened the Punch Line in 1978 as a dressing room for the venue he owned next door, the Old Waldorf. Over the years it has been a launch pad for acts like Robin Williams, Ellen DeGeneres, Chris Rock, Drew Carey, Chelsea Handler, and Dana Carvey and home to the famed extended marathon sets of Dave Chappelle.
