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After 17 years of sweaty gigs, late nights and dance-floor chaos, the Bowery Electric is officially closing its doors—and immediately reopening with a new identity. On January 30, the East Village staple will end its run as a rock club and nightclub hybrid.
But less than three weeks later, on February 18, the same address at 327 Bowery will relaunch as the Bowery Palace, a 100-seat theater designed for something a little more intimate than amps and mosh pits.
The inaugural act won’t be a touring band or DJ residency, but a deeply personal stage show from co-owner Jesse Malin. His autobiographical production, Silver Manhattan, will run five nights a week through March 29, marking the venue’s transition into a theater space.
Written by Malin and Lauren Ludwig and directed by Ellie Heyman, Silver Manhattan is a 90-minute coming-of-age story rooted in downtown New York that mixes music and memory. The show is inspired by Malin’s forthcoming memoir, Almost Grown: A New York Memoir, which will be released on April 7, and will feature rotating “very special guests” throughout its run. Performances are scheduled Wednesday through Saturday at 8pm, with Sunday shows at 7pm.
The shift in format mirrors Malin’s personal life. Nearly three years ago, Malin suffered a rare spinal-cord stroke that left him paralyzed from the waist down, making him pause on large-scale touring. Since returning to the stage, he’s focused on projects that bring the audience closer—think smaller rooms and fewer seats.
There’s also history baked into the move. Malin grew up around the Bowery, played CBGB as a teenager and comes from a family tied to the neighborhood’s bar scene. Reimagining the Bowery Electric as a theater keeps the space alive while acknowledging that the Bowery itself has changed: fewer dive bars, more luxury storefronts and a shrinking number of places where live music once thrived.
For fans of the venue, it’s the end of one era and the start of another, but it’s not lights out just yet.