The Stone Pony

ABOUT

The Stone Pony is a rock club at 913 Ocean Avenue in Asbury Park, New Jersey, near the corner of Second Avenue and a short walk from the boardwalk. The indoor club holds about 850 people and has concerts all year, from local New Jersey bands to national touring acts. Next to it, the outdoor Summer Stage holds about 4,500 people and hosts larger concerts in the warmer months.

SIGNIFICANCE

The Stone Pony opened on February 8, 1974. Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes became one of its first house bands, and their May 30, 1976 show there was broadcast on radio stations across the Northeast. Bruce Springsteen did not start his career at the club, but he has joined bands on its stage since the 1970s, often without notice to the public. The club closed in 1991 and again in 1998, when the building briefly became a dance club called Vinyl, and reopened in May 2000.

MUSIC & CHARACTER

SOURCES

Details compiled from public sources. Run this venue? Get in touch to confirm or correct the listing.

1. Billboard: The Stone Pony at 50 (8 Mar 2024) (website)Jukes played regularly from 1974 as one of the first house bands; Vinyl dance club 1998 to 1999; capacities 850 and 4,500.
2. New York Times oral history of The Stone Pony (17 Oct 2018, WRAL syndication) (website)Springsteen jam sessions since the earliest days; closed September 1991 after liability lawsuits, reopened a year later; closed 1998.
3. The Stone Pony: history and FAQ (website)Opened February 8, 1974 (Jack Roig, Butch Pielka); Asbury Jukes a house band; closed 1991, reopened 1992; closed 1998 (Vinyl), reopened Memorial Day 2000; ~850-capacity indoor club and Summer Stage.
4. The Stone Pony: Summer Stage FAQ (website)Summer Stage capacity approximately 4,500; indoor Stone Pony roughly 850.