This past Sunday, March 21, 2021, we received a message from a source connected to the Rage Nightclub management stating that, “The RAGE space has a new tenant.”
According to this source, the owner(s) at Rocco’s WeHo signed a lease. He said the Rage space will be reimagined into a whole new concept from the makers of Rocco’s restaurant and bar located at 8900 Santa Monica Boulevard.
Then a WEHO TIMES reader directed our attention to a Facebook post by Grant Smith, a former Rage employee and (according to his FB page) a current DJ at The Abbey Food & Bar. He posted a photo of the now boarded up Rage space to reminisce about the place where he worked and played.
In the comments thread to Smith’s photo, a man by the name of Keith Djk Richko posted the following comment regarding the future of the Rage Nightclub building: “Rocco’s is remodeling and rebranding it ….my hubbs [sic] is gonna be doing the tech and lighting ….they are planning to open 6 months from now.”
It appears Richko’s “hubbs” is a man named Jon Rube who runs a Vegas Guide in Las Vegas. Mr Rube seems to be connected to Rocco’s, judging from his FB profile picture, which shows him at the popular WeHo space with one of the celebrity owners, Lance Bass. Rube announced on his FB timeline that “The cat is coming out of the bag – Get exclusive access at www.wehomegaclub.com.”
We were then led to a post by party promoter Paul Nicholls, of Paul Nicholls Entertainment, the man behind Rocco’s Paradise, a backlot outdoor party space at Rocco’s WeHo that launched during/because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nicholls blasted WeHo Mega Club teasers all over his social media yesterday—“So excited to embark on this new project with the incredible group of people behind Rocco’s WeHo,” he posted. “This is the Club our community has been waiting over a decade for! Be in the know at WeHoMegaClub.com Soon it will be time to dance again!”
Furthermore, part Rocco’s WeHo owner Lance Bass also posted a teaser on his own social media last night. “Coming soon to WeHo,” he posted mysteriously.
There have been numerous rumors surrounding the empty Rage Nightclub space on 8911 Santa Monica Boulevard since the legendary gay dance club closed permanently back in September of last year. We heard it was going to be demolished and turned into a typical WeHo condos on top, retail at the bottom. Then we heard that Hamburger Mary’s WeHo was moving to the space–a move that seemed to make sense, until Mary’s opened a gofundme account to raise money to stay afloat at the location they’re at today.
This could well be just another rumor or a series of mere coincidences—however the dots seem to connect WeHo Mega Club to Rocco’s WeHo, and Rocco’s WeHo to the Rage Nightclub space.
The WeHo Mega Club teaser boasts to be the “Biggest gay club in the USA” and that it is coming to WeHo. The question currently still remains despite the evidence shown here: Is WeHo Mega Club coming to the old Rage space? Is the Rage space really the biggest gay space in the USA? If not the Rage space, then where else can a gay dance club take shape in the city of West Hollywood?
It’s been all tease, no bite thus far (it’s too early to dig up a liquor license).
WeHo Mega Club is currently collecting personal information in exchange for the latest updates at: https://wehomegaclub.com.
We’ll keep you posted on further developments.
Wow. What a way to spoil it for the owners who were teasing about this new endeavor. It was supposed to be surprise WeHo Times. You literally spilled the T all over Santa Monica. For shame.
So exciting! I have spent the past 12 months documenting more than 1300 gay clubs from days gone by. It is so reassuring to see something so fresh coming to the gay community. I would love to include some info about this project in my #GayBarchives research. Hope for the future.
Rage catered to the immigrant/asian/latino community and, even if it was not the cutest crowd, it was always large. It will be interesting to see what crowds show up in its new incarnation.
Saying it was not a cute crowd because they were immigrant/asian/latino does not get more racist. What’s so lame about your statement is that you don’t even realize how racist you sound.
As a dj there from 2006-2020 Rage is not the largest space in West Hollywood. The Abbey takes that title unless the new owners are also buying or leasing the two businesses next door.
The Abbey does not have the largest dance floor not even close. That’s what this new place is claiming to be the largest dance club. The Abbey is a restaurant and bar first with a tiny dance area on the side. With the Factory gone, it’s fair to say that Rage has the largest dance area, especially if they move the bar to a wall and open up that front area. I still don’t think it qualifies as the largest in the USA, but who knows with everything shutting down it could be true.