The Grey Eagle started in the old paint room of a Chevrolet dealership.
That was Black Mountain in 1994, a neighborhood bar for local musicians and the occasional touring songwriter. In the fall of 1998, it said goodbye with a Halloween show and moved 12 miles to Asheville. It reopened in June 1999 on the river, and it has been booking shows ever since. By its own count, more than 10,000 bands and artists have played the stage, including the Avett Brothers, Band of Horses, and Slick Rick. It's also Asheville's longest-running all-ages venue.
The room itself is a big dance floor, an intimate stage that can go seated or standing, and a patio with its own shows. The Grey Eagle Taqueria is built into the venue, serving Latin-American food made from local farms.
The venue carries NIVA's Live Independent Certified seal, which means no multinational conglomerate and no publicly traded parent.
185 Clingman Ave, Asheville. Check the calendar for tonight's show. Started in a paint room. Still independent.
