The Saint was a music venue located in Asbury Park, New Jersey.Pike, H. (2002, July 14). Glory days revisited;Springsteen's Asbury Park poised to reclaim its status as a major music venue. Boston Herald (MA), p. 65. It was reminiscent of places like The Cellar Door in Washington, DC, CBGB, CB's 313 Gallery, and The Living Room in New York City, and featured live music.Crespi, J. (2013, November 5). Brothers Moving at The Saint in Asbury Park, New Jersey. SRO Magazine. Retrieved July 8, 2015.Staff (2014, December 17). The Saint turns 20. Arcade Radio Asbury Park. Retrieved July 8, 2015.Chiminec, N. (2010, October 3). The Touring Musician's Guide to Asbury Park. Bandsonabudget.com. Retrieved July 8, 2015.Staff (2014). The Saint. DJoyBeat.com Retrieved July 8, 2015. The Saint was founded by Adam Jon Weisberg along with business partner Scott Stamper, and opened its doors on November 18, 1994.Biese, A. (2011, November 13). Asbury Music Awards given at The Stone Pony. Asbury Park Press. Retrieved November 14, 2011. Stamper bought out Weisberg in 2013 and became the sole owner.Jordan, C. (2015, November 18). Iconic Saint of Asbury Park launches fundraising drive. Asbury Park Press. Retrieved November 23, 2015.Woliver, R. (2000, August 13). Asbury Music Awards Return to Stone Pony. New York Times. Retrieved December 18, 2010.Fried, J. (1999, June 13). Back when's club is right now, again. New York Times, NJ1. He is also a co-founder (along with Weisberg and Gordon Brown) of the Wave Gathering Music Festival.La Gorce, T. (2007, May 13). Still Rocking Hard in Asbury Park as the Bands Play On. New York Times. Retrieved January 2, 2011. The club closed its doors on November 18, 2022, after losing its liquor license.

Background The Saint was an early site of the annual Asbury Park Music Awards ceremony founded by Stamper in collaboration with Pete Mantas. The awards ceremony, modeled after the Grammy Awards,Nash, M. (2005, October 30). The Shore's Grammy Awards. New York Times, p. N12.DeMasters, K. (1999, August 15) Top of the Pops at the Shore. New York Times. Retrieved January 4, 2011. features the presentation of awards between performances of live, original music. The event was originally called "The Golden T-Bird Awards" and was first held in 1993 at a small club on Main Street called the T-Bird Cafe. The awards ceremony was later moved to the Saint and renamed "The Asbury Music Awards" in 1995. When the event's attendance exceeded the Saint's capacity, the ceremony was rotated among larger venues, including The Fastlane, The Tradewinds, and The Stone Pony but the Saint remained a co-sponsor of the event.Pfeiffer, J. (2010, December 1). Asbury Music Awards and Musical Heritage Kickoff. The Aquarian. Retrieved December 18, 2010.

The Saint has been credited with helping to keep the local music scene alive when newspapers said that the heyday of live music was over, and even The Stone Pony intermittently closed.Goodnough, Abby (1998, March 01). Live Music's Glory Days Pass It By; Suburbs Are Tuning Out, Even at Springsteen's Old Haunt. New York Times. Retrieved December 19, 2010. It has been described as a landmark, the bedrock of the Asbury Park music scene, and an important venue for introducing emerging artists. It has also been called Asbury Park's "rock n’roll version of “Cheers,” where musicians and fans hang out together and everybody does know your name."Mikle, J. (2008, November 18). You say its your birthday? in The Rhythm Room. Asbury Park Press, Retrieved March 27, 2011.

The Saint showcased a variety of new and well-known, local, national, and international actsRothenberg, D. & G. Wien (2006). Beyond the Palace. Bloomington, IN: Trafford Publishing. that toured through the region. The club was describmed as more of a concert venue than a bar, and was described by music critics as one of the top five rock clubs in New Jersey.

The Saint had recording capability.

Some bands also performed on 90.5 The Night, Brookdale Public Radio before they performed at the Saint.

Shows designated as "Asbury Cafe" were acoustic, seated shows during which talking was not permitted while the acts were playing.

Age, attire, and nature of the audience varied with the bands, but was generally eclectic.DeMasters, K. . (2001, August 19). A Revival, Musically at Least, Sparks Asbury Park. New York Times. Retrieved December 18, 2010.

A 2020 GoFundMe campaign was started in an attempt to help ease COVID-19 shutdown struggles. On November 18, 2022, the owners of the Saint announced that they had lost their lease and liquor license, citing issues stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. In April 2023, that owners stated their intent to reopen in a new location. However, as of , this has yet to happen.

Notable acts

Notable acts who have performed there include The Airborne Toxic Event, Nicole Atkins, Ben Folds Five, Bif Naked, Tracy Bonham, Buckethead, Cake, Cannibal Corpse, Ryan Cassata, Jen Chapin, Citizen Cope, Cowboy Mouth, Creed, The Dandy Warhols, Kimya Dawson, Deftones, Joe DeRosa, Dub Trio, The Duke Spirit, Everlast, Finger Eleven, Five for Fighting, The Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger, Green Jellÿ, Guster, John S. Hall, Robert Hazard, HelenaMaria, Hoobastank, Incubus, Jewel, Freedy Johnston, Joydrop, Kings of Leon, LP, The Lemonheads, Tony Levin, Toby Lightman, Lunachicks, Marcy Playground, Matthew Good Band, Anne McCue, Shannon McNally, Mindless Self Indulgence, Mod Fun, Modern English, Moe, Allie Moss, Moxy Früvous, Mucky Pup, Nada Surf, Leona Naess, Mieka Pauley, The Pierces, Rachel Platten, Queens of the Stone Age, Joey Ramone, Scars on 45, Maia Sharp, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, April Smith and the Great Picture Show, Bruce Springsteen, Stereophonics, The String Cheese Incident, Kasim Sulton, Tegan and Sara, The The, They Might Be Giants, The Trashcan Sinatras, Derek Trucks, Ween, Wussy, and Zebrahead.

See also Wave Gathering

References

External links The Saint