Is This Shreveport Nightclub About to Rise From the Ashes?
Phoenix Underground closed their elevator doors back in April of 2016 after a decade of being Shreveport's premier nightclub. After five years away, is the club making a comeback?
To say there's a little bit of speculation about the popular nightclub returning would be a massive understatement. Over the weekend, Phoenix Underground was all over my news feed, with hundreds of Shreveporters expressing their excitement over the potential re-opening. This buzz was due in large part to Phoenix Underground's cryptic Facebook status on Friday evening.
It was only two words, but those two words were enough to send social media into a frenzy. The status read, "Guess What!!!!!"
With those two words, an eruption of responses quickly followed, with everyone speculating as to what that status could mean. All signs undoubtedly point towards a Phoenix Underground comeback, and thanks to a few eagle-eyed Shreveporters, we've been able to come close to putting the puzzle pieces together.
So why is this so exciting? For me, it's actually two things:
The first being that Phoenix Underground was simply THE place to be from 2006-2016. There has never been a nightclub in Shreveport like Phoenix Underground. Who could forget the lights, the sounds, the crowds, and of course, the elevator rides? Those who were lucky enough to spend their weekends at Phoenix Underground know how special that place was, and those who were too young to get in before it closed have heard all of the stories. I cannot tell you how many times I've heard people say that they wish they were able to experience Phoenix Underground.
The second reason this news is so exciting is because Shreveport has been without a nightclub since Phoenix Underground closed. Phoenix was the only place that ever came close to capturing a true nightclub feel, and our city hasn't had anything close to that environment overt the last five years.
Now, back to the speculation currently surrounding Phoenix Underground. The status they shared on Friday is alone is enough reason to assume Phoenix Underground is coming back. However, as of this writing, Shreveporters are still trying to figure out what that means. Will Phoenix Underground reopen at the same building? Will Tim Huck continue to own the club? When could the reopening take place?
Like I mentioned earlier, thanks to a few eagle-eyed commenters, the answers to some of your questions might have been right in front of us the entire time.
Lets start with the potential location. There's no doubt in my mind that Phoenix Underground would reopen their original location on Spring Street, if we lived in a perfect world. However, we do not live in a perfect world, and that building was incredibly old and expensive to maintain. I would be shocked if Phoenix Underground reopened in the original location for that reason alone. So where could they potentially bring back Phoenix Underground?
Two words: Brick Town. One word: Kokopellis.
Both of those iconic Shreveport nightclubs were found in the most beautiful nightclub venue in downtown Shreveport. 400 Commerce Street. That venue has been vacant since 2017 and was recently sold to new ownership. Also, the building currently has a plethora of construction workers coming in and out all day every day, and, someone who may have heard of has been seen going back and forth from the building. That guy's name? Tim Huck.
If you needed any more signs, there's one more, and for me, it pretty much seals the deal. This weekend, Phoenix Underground changed their address on their Facebook page. The address that appears now? 400 Commerce Street.
At this point, it's clear to me that it's a safe bet to say that Phoenix Underground is coming back to Shreveport, and that news should have every one young and old excited. Shreveport needs a true nightclub, and Phoenix Underground is exactly that. If the nightclub does decide to relocate to 400 Commerce, I would imagine a name change of sorts is in the works. After all Phoenix Underground was literally underground. Also, if this ends up being true, and Phoenix is back, when could they possibly open? Once again, just looking at all the info we have so far, and trying to piece the puzzle together, I would assume the club is shooting to open before December. With so much work being done inside of that venue, along with the cryptic teases on social media, they have to be close. Also, Phoenix Underground was famous for their New Years Eve parties, and I can't imagine they would miss the opportunity to ring in 2022 by throwing the biggest party in Shreveport-Bossier.
So, is Phoenix Underground rising from the ashes as we speak? It looks like we're finally going to have a true nightclub in Shreveport again and that should make everyone excited.