The Fire began in 1999 when Karen Lauria Saillant, opera singer, vocal coach & director, took one of the 2 pool tables out of the pool room of The Philadelphia Bar & Grille, her husband's shot & beer bar, (when he became severely handicapped due to an altercation in front of their home in center city, where he had saved her & her son from an attack) & replaced it with a tiny stage where she brought her singing students who were not opera singers to perform. Karen was left running their family tavern by herself while she & her sons also cared for her husband at home in a coma. By 2001, The Fire had become a pioneering new rock club in the Northern Liberties section of Philadelphia. Today The Fire is the only woman owned music venue in Philly (& one of few in USA) & the oldest original music venue in Philly
The Fire is an artist-friendly venue with a passion for developing new talent, both local & touring. The Fire will soon be organizing tours for Philly's top talent in Italy. The Fire stage has hosted many artists on their rise to stardom: John Legend, My Chemical Romance, Maroon 5, Jason Mraz, OK GO, Iron and Wine, Amos Lee, Cold War Kids, Rilo Kiley, Tegan and Sara, Bill Kreutzmann (Grateful Dead), Santigold, Damien Rice, Dr. Dog, Mutlu, Schoolly D & many more. The Fire is proud to host a very diverse calendar, with Monday as the longest running & most passionately supportive open mic location in Philly. With 8 regular shows a week, The Fire features rock, folk, country, indie rock, punk, goth, hip-hop, heavy metal, dance parties and everything in between. The Fire, now celebrating its 23rd year, is a warm, fun & friendly place to be. It is THE place in Philly to catch musicians on their way to stardom.
