They played the Rialto? From Devo to Mojo to Arlo, big-time musicians performed here.
Given that the venue seats about 450 people, sells one beer at a time and boasts a pair of two-person restrooms, it’s hard to imagine the Rialto Theater ever hosting Jane’s Addiction — a band that would eventually headline Lollapalooza.
But in its ‘80s to ’90s heydey, the Rialto attracted some of the most famous names in rock and country to its humble stage, some of them years away from stardom but others already well-established in the pop-music pantheon.
As the Rialto revives its live music schedule, it’s worth scrolling through the list of celebrated alumni.
Here’s a list by year:
1988
▪ Joe Satriani
▪ Robyn Hitchcock and the Egyptians
▪ Buddy Guy
▪ Thomas Dolby
▪ Devo
▪ Bonnie Raitt
As one of her five encores, Raitt played “Angel from Montgomery” and told the Rialto crowd, “I’ve got to do the songs that give me the blues before I do the blues.”
1989
▪ Jane’s Addiction
▪ Melissa Etheridge
▪ Janis Ian
▪ Cowboy Junkies
▪ Poi Dog Pondering
▪ Mojo Nixon & Skid Roper
The raucous duo performed “Elvis is Everywhere” with a poster of The King propped onstage. They followed this with “Debbie Gibson is Pregnant with my Two-Headed Love Child.”
1990
▪ Leon Redbone
▪ John Prine
▪ World Party
▪ Suicidal Tendencies
▪ Danzig
▪ Iggy Pop
The “Godfather of Punk” played “Lust for Life” and “I Wanna Be Your Dog” while pulling down his pants and shouting “Raw! Raw! Raw!”
1991
▪ Alison Krauss
▪ Roger McGuinn
▪ Arlo Guthrie
1992
▪ Mike Cross
▪ Tori Amos
1993
▪ Widespread Panic
▪ Spyro Gyra
▪ Lucinda Williams
Five years before Williams’ “Car Wheels on a Gravel Road,” perhaps her best-known album, she didn’t even headline her Rialto show. That honor went to Texas progressive country singer Joe Ely.
Live music returns to Raleigh’s reopened Rialto Theater this weekend. What to know.
