Iconic Los Angeles nightclub Conga Room closed its doors for the last time Wednesday night, but not before filling its walls with one last celebration of Latin music. Drink glasses clinked. The hands clapped. The dresses swayed to the exuberant rhythm.
The evening, hosted by founder Brad Gluckstein and co-investors Paul Rodriguez and Jimmy Smits, featured live performances, including a jam session with salsero Jerry Rivera, Latin soul performer Andy Vargas and a set by salsa legend Gilberto Santa Rosa, known as El Caballero de salsa.
For the record:
8:49 am March 29, 2024An earlier version of this story said singer-songwriter Blessd performed at the event. He did not do it. The article also notes that the Conga Kids program has served 50,000 children in the last 10 years. It reaches about 50,000 children annually.
“Gilberto Santa Rosa is probably the next living legend behind Celia. [Cruz]”Gluckstein said in an interview prior to the event. “To close the Conga Room with tropical music, with Celia as the opening [in 1998] and Gilberto Santa Rosa to close, has a special meaning for me.”
Dancers have fun at the Conga Room during a farewell show after 25 years in the business.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles)
Salsa has always been a highly prized offering at the venue despite its reputation as a pan-Latin hub for music and entertainment. “If the blues was born in New Orleans and the South, they took a note and played it on a horn,” said Rodríguez, standing on stage dressed in a pinstriped suit and his trademark fedora. “But salsa was a rhythm they learned on the street. And they wore him out so much that they put him on a conga line and that's where the salsa started.”
In its heyday in the mid-aughts, the Conga Room enjoyed a status similar to that of Planet Hollywood or the Sunset Strip House of Blues: an intimate venue where Angelenos could go to drink, enjoy live music, and maybe even rub shoulders with a star. or two.
The confluence of celebrity investors like Smits, Rodriguez, Jennifer Lopez and drummer/percussionist Sheila E and the celebrity-obsessed culture of the '90s and '00s made the Conga Room an emblem of Los Angeles nightlife.
“It was nice to have the celebrity influence, especially in a city like Los Angeles, but it was always about the music,” Gluckstein said.
The dancers have fun in the final farewell act.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
The shoes shined on stage.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles)
Over the course of 25 years, from its original location on Wilshire Boulevard to its latest outpost at LA Live, Conga Room has delivered live shows to packed audiences. But the business model was destabilized by the pandemic as the club's regulars struggled to keep up with the cost of living, let alone go out at night. And where some artists were once content to play intimate performances in small and medium-sized venues, many are now prioritizing larger venues and bigger budgets.
“The cost for artists increased significantly after the pandemic,” Gluckstein said. “After the pandemic, artist royalties and monetization focused exclusively on concerts. National tours became the top priority for artists and we simply couldn't compete.
“Of course I'm excited about the closure. But what emerges for me is not sadness but an awareness that had been lost for many years of the inspiration behind the original Conga Room. In the end, it becomes a business and sometimes you lose that awareness.”
Actor Edward James Olmos, wearing a white hat, was present at the Conga Hall during his farewell show.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles)
The farewell celebration began with a dance performance by a dozen Conga Kids, spanning salsa, cumbia, Charleston and hip-hop. The African Diaspora Dance Curriculum and nonprofit organization annually reaches about 50,000 underserved elementary school students in Los Angeles and Orange counties.
“I would say that one of the fundamental reasons why the Conga Room is closing is that my focus has been on the impact we are having on [Conga] children,” Gluckstein said. “It's a music and dance program, but takeaway for kids is so much more.”
The night was also attended by a handful of notable figures, including legendary labor rights leader Dolores Huerta and actors Edward James Olmos and Constance Marie.
Elected officials, including U.S. Senator Alex Padilla of California and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, made remarks and reminisced about the club's 25 years of stewardship. Governor Gavin Newsom was there in spirit, having previously recorded a video message that was broadcast on stage. A lifetime achievement award was presented to actress Renée Victor before the night gave way to music and dancing.
Guests pose for photos in the Conga Room during their farewell show.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles)
“I firmly believe it will be difficult to replicate a Conga Room,” Gluckstein said. “I think we are the Troubadour or the Apollo of Latin music. I think it would be difficult for a venue to replicate a 25-year history like the Conga Room, the Apollo or the Troubadour. “It’s an understatement now when an artist decides to play a venue like this, whereas for us, for the first 20 years, it was a staple of our weekly set.”
“It's been a love story with you, Conga Room, and we will all miss you dearly, but the beat of the drum will live on in our hearts and through Conga Kids,” Gluckstein said onstage. “Thanks forever”.
