Beachland Ballroom & Tavern: A love story
The Beachland is the greatest music venue in the world. Apologies from all of us here to all the other music clubs in the land. You can only compete for second place. The Beachland did not reach this lofty position due to its fine selection of beer, wine and spirits. Nor is it the charm and history of the place’s original mission as a home for Croatian immigrants that rockets us to the top.
The sound and acoustics of the Ballroom are unparalleled. The intimacy of the Tavern evokes a sense of being in your friend’s basement watching a high school band. Only the bands at the Tavern are national acts using a state-of-the-art sound system designed by Big Audio Mike. Yes, Mike performs magic seven nights a week with his encyclopedic knowledge of sound and deep love for music. But even that is not what has led the Beachland to conquer all concert halls.
It’s Love. That is the secret ingredient. Mark Leddy and Cindy Barber are alchemists. They took their incredible love for music, for Cleveland, for the North Collinwood neighborhood that Beachland calls home, and for all who are fortunate enough to walk through Beachland’s door and created something timeless and beautiful. To understand the Beachland you must understand its parents.
Mark Leddy is a soul brother. He’s the coolest cat in Collinwood. Few people know this because that’s how cool he is. No need to flaunt it or advertise it to the general public. It took me a couple months to realize that Mark’s veins are not filled with blood. Rather it is music that flows through him, powers him, and enables him to continue bringing incredible music to our little pocket of Cleveland. Mark is old school and stubborn. Refusing to yield to financial incentives and never compromising on his mission to bring great live music to the Beachland on a nightly basis, regardless of genre. The man is music and welcomes all great music into his home and shares it with his neighbors for a small fee that barely keeps the lights on.
Cindy Barber is the patron saint of Waterloo and the matriarch to motherless Collinwood. Her good deeds are not catalogued, nor heralded, or measurable. The love that flows out of this woman to all who cross her path is incredible. Given freely with no strings, she has changed lives, inspired others to love thy neighbor, and resurrected a neighborhood that had fallen on hard times. When you walk into the Beachland, you enter Cindy’s home and get to experience how her love has transcended all the inherent challenges of operating a music club in a time and city where the Beachland should not exist. And yet she’s here. The Beachland’s here. And if you’re lucky you will be too. Just be prepared to get infected with the Beachland Bug. It’s symptoms include spontaneous dancing, singing along with an amazing band, and the instantaneous sense of community that come from experiencing the power of live music in a club built on a foundation of Pure Love.
That is why no club has a prayer of competing with the Beachland. Come and experience it if you are brave enough to handle the power of live music mixed with infinite love. Be forewarned and be prepared. It will change you. And for the better.
Get the Beachland Experience. And afterwards talk to your neighbor and ask her, “Are You Experienced?”