Bob Dylan. Guns N Roses. David Bowie. Chubby Checker. Duran Duran. Iggy Pop. Dio. Ozzy Osborne. Judas Priest. Ted Nugent. DMX. INXS. The Red Hot Chili Peppers. Motorhead. Megadeath. Stone Temple Pilots. Cheap Trick. Meat Loaf. Tesla. U2. Ratt. Hatebreed. Lou Graham. Joan Jett. The Ramones. The Black Crowes. The Misfits. Limp Bizkit. Cyndi Lauper. The Band. The Police. Foghat. The Kinks. James Brown. Stevie Ray Vaughan. Eddie Money. Ace Frehley of Kiss. These are just some of the thousands of musicians – from household names to local bands – that have graced the stage at legendary Poughkeepsie music venue The Chance.
Sadly, the historic rock club, built in 1921 and in business since 1970 (then named Sal’s Last Chance Saloon) will be closing its doors at the end of October.
The building has been for sale for many years, and in August of this year it was sold to Chai Developers. Reportedly, the new owners plan an interior renovation and a return to using the theater for entertainment, but nothing is certain at this point. Die-hard fans like myself can only hope a cornerstone of the Hudson Valley music scene will one day reopen its stage.
The Chance complex was owned and operated by Frank and Carolyn Pallet who both passed away from covid two years ago. It has not been the same since. Carolyn and Frank were a couple of my best friends and I miss them both very much. I had the opportunity to work there, alongside Bob Morph who did the lighting there, And also passed away many years ago. He taught me everything I know about how to do lighting.
We can only hope that the new owners will continue to host rock shows after the renovations are made to the building. A lot of people may not be aware that The Chance also had other clubs in the same venue complex like Club Crannell, The Platinum Lounge, and The Loft. It also had a restaurant called The Nuddy which had great food but closed years back.
The Chance has had a lot of positive supporters over the years, like Stephen Keeler from Rock Fantasy in Middletown, a local rock vinyl, CD, and smoke shop. Another huge supporter is Tigman from the classic rock station WPDH 101.5. They’re just a couple of the countless locals that helped keep The Chance alive for decades.
It saddens me and I’m sure it saddens many other people that The Chance is closing their doors. Before it does, there are two completely sold-out shows taking place: one on October 26th (tickets were gone in 3 hours) and another on October 29th with the band Hatebreed from Connecticut. Hatebreed is from New Haven and started in 1994. They are a metalcore band, with a mix of fast riffs, hard vocals, and super-speed drumming. Hatebreed has been a staple in the Hudson Valley, playing at skate parks, bars, and clubs all over this area since they first began, and The Chance is one of their favorite places to play.
This is a monumental, historic, epic event. The first show will include special guests All Out War from the Hudson Valley and Fuming Mouth. The second show will include Sick Bay and Internal Bleeding which are all great opening bands that will kick off each show.
Hatebreed is just finishing their Weight Of The False Self 2023 tour in support of their hard-hitting album. Hatebreed is also celebrating their 20 Years of Brutality Tour. In July 2023 they released The Rise of Brutality/Supremacy as a special 2 CD set in the UK on Dissonance Productions, and is on sale now with different art combining the 2 releases.
Since their start in the music scene, Hatebreed has released eight studio albums, over 16 singles, a DVD, plus numerous appearances on various band compilations. Their drummer Matt Bryne is also a hometown native of the Hudson Valley who also played in All Out War many years ago. Matt also has a side project called Albino Love Slaves which is a different type of music, and they also play in the Hudson Valley.
I hope everyone attending these final shows has a wonderful time, and I hope The Chance one day reopens its doors even under new management. I wish them all a great show and a great future.
Join the family! 
