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Fitzgerald's
Rating Details »
Categories: Dive Bars, Music Venues
Neighborhood: The Heights2706 White Oak Dr
at Studewood
Houston, TX 77007
(713) 862-3838
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Music:
- Live
- Best Nights:
- Thu, Fri
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Smoking:
- Outdoor Area/ Patio Only
- Coat Check:
- No
14 reviews for Fitzgerald's
Fitzgerald's is still the only place in town to catch 30 foot Fall twice a year. That alone gives it some authority when it comes to Houston music venues.
If you're looking for a dive with reasonable drink prices, a great stage upstairs, and some great people watching, Fitz is the place. Venues this size come and go in Houston, but Fitz has been around since before i was born. Hopefully it can continue, but honestly, they almost never book anything I want to see. In high school, I was here practically every weekend seeing a punk rock or metal show, now, not only are there no good metal or punk shows, there's hardly any good shows period.
Discipline problems, confrontations with artists (KRS-One, I'm looking in your direction...), police raids, and mounting frustration must have lead to the decision to target a different crowd, which is disappointing. Hopefully this place doesn't fall victim to the Washington Ave Douchification syndrome in the near future. Nothing could be worse than turning Fitzgerald's into the next Pub Fiction.
Seriously, though, go check out 30 foot Fall. Houston legends.
Pretty cool little place. Everybody says its really dirty and disgusting but its really not that much worse than any other bar. Im guessing they are basing some of their rating on cleanliness, if not all on the bathrooms, i didnt think it was that much worse than even the nicest bars in town. Then again I pee standing up. The world is my urinal.
They have the multiple stages (upstairs and downstairs) so as to have multiple bands playing at the same time. I didnt notice any clashing with the music from upstairs and the band downstairs. They have some really good prices on drinks.
They have a cool outside area. The rest has been pretty much detailed in other reviews.
Of course it's a dump... it's Fitzgerald's. It's rock and roll. You don't go here for a beautiful setting, or great drinks, or a sophisticated, well-dressed crowd.
You go to Fitzgerald's for the music. And they still deliver. Whoever does their booking knows what they're doing. I can't remember the first show I saw here; I think it was Beethoven performing his First Symphony.
But it's still the same as it ever was: Creaky, dirty, somewhat disgusting. Just like rock and roll.
What an awesome venue and if I listed even the highlights off of my "bands I've seen here" list, this would be the longest review EVER.
The venue began as two: Fitzgerald's and Zelda's. Zelda's was downstairs and hosted garage bands. You could pay for stage time, then were given a number of tickets to sell to your friends. Your band was paid according to the number of tickets that were turned in that night. Pretty cool deal for high school garage bands. Fitzgerald's was upstairs. Well known bands from Houston played here. Read: all of the residents of one particular street in Houston were all in bands and all played at Fitzgerald's (and a tiny handful of other clubs).
Today it's pretty much the same. Awesome two-story house on a corner lot. 50% of the attendees are out on the balcony at any given time; especially now that you have to smoke outside. The floor still threatens to fall into the first story. Note: if it survived all of the Sprawl (Houston ska-esque band) shows, it is built to last. The bathrooms have moved around upstairs, but are still haunted by the same mean-spirited bathroom poltergeists. Hope that: the locks work, there is toilet paper, there are no random puddles, and the light is working. If it's a combo of all of the above...good luck.
Okay for my extremely short list of favorite shows I've seen here: No Doubt (1991-opened up for a local band, De Schmog), the final Bouffant Jellyfish performance, all 9 million Sprawl shows between the years of 1990-1994, and last year's annual 30 Foot Fall Christmas show (watched from a dubious position backstage). OHHH, and the performance art of The Tie Guy and his tie art on the ceiling over the stage at Zelda's. RIP to both.
Oh, I'd give this place five stars just for my sheer love AND loathing of this place, but since the crowd had stayed the same age over the years and I have not, I now find angsty 18 year olds annoying to no end.
Most of the reviews of Fitzgerald's are of how good it was back in the day. From what everyone says it used to be Houston's CBGB's. Now, it's just a local dive bar that occasionally has some really good bands perform and predominantly has mediocre bands perform.
Add to that the fact that the place is falling apart and hasn't had any remodeling done to it (and no - the addition of an open grill in the back yard doesn't count); to boot they don't ever promote the club.
I can see this place going the same way The Engine Room did which is unfortunate 'cause there is a lot of Houston Rock History tied up into Fitz's. I'd like to see the place make a modest re-investment into the building itself and start running some radio ads. Then we could have the club get back it's former glory.
Now on the plus, the bartenders are all a decent lot, the crowd is cool and friendly and you're right in the Heights so that makes the club a good cornerstone for hopping the venues in the neighborhood.
I am a big fan of Fitz. I know it's all ages and that can be annoying, being out numbered by a bunch of teenagers, but when there is a band I want to see and they are playing here, I will be there. They have a downstairs and an upstairs. The downstairs is smaller and upstairs the larger venue. Fitz has been around a long time and it shows on the outside and the creaking floors and walls inside. It is really run down folks, but what gets me is the downstairs bar is bigger and easier to get drinks from than the upstairs bar. It's frustrating the smaller bar is in the larger venue. The bar upstairs is in the back and is split in the middle by the sound board for the bands. There is a big patio out back with a bar and a menu for food. The second floor has a patio behind the bar that over looks White Oak.
Fitzgerald's gets some really good bands to play here. I have seen Del Castillo and Cowboy Mouth every time they come into town, and it's relatively affordable. I don't think I have ever paid more than $20.00 to see a show. I would say the best show I have ever seen at Fitz happened about mid March 2008, Channel One, Ryan Scoggins and the Trenchtown Texans, Los Skarnales, and to finish the night off The Aggrolites. Four bands for less than $20.00....Oh yeah that's what I'm talking about.
Fitzgerald's count me in, just keep booking quality shows.
I'm torn on what to write about this place. On the one hand, the abundance of all-ages shows makes me feel old. Nothing gives you a swift kick to the ego like realizing that you're outnumbered by kids who are "cooler" at 14 that you ever have been or will be. Plus, all the underage kids gets annoying for other, less self-centered reasons (the dramatic mini-fights that break out, the endless text messaging and camera-phoning). There's also the ongoing joke that the floor is going to cave in any minute, although it's not really something I worry about (even when I'm upstairs and the floor is audibly creaking).
On the other hand, I this place was a haven when I was 14, and I've seen some really awesome shows here. It's a little slice of Houston's musical history, and I would feel something close to disloyalty if I didn't stick up for this place. I was actually there last night, for the Aggrolites/Los Skarnales show, and if I may proffer a bit of constructive criticism: for the love of god please fix the air conditioning downstairs.
Other than that, it's really not bad. It's a venue that looks like a house, and oftentimes those are the best kinds of venues. It has a nice balcony on the second floor, decently clean bathrooms (kinda), and a full bar that will help you drink away any concerns you may have about the underaged clientele.
When my students (16-18 yrs old) start talking about going to Fitz, I know it's time to stop, going that is. It had its heyday and I'm sure some cool bands play there on occasion. But i draw the line at drinking/partying/socializing with teenagers. Call me pretentious but that does not make a good time for Jolyn!
Plus, it's run down, the bathrooms are small and gross and the place reeks of smoke even after the no smoking ban. There are lots of pretty options in the Heights area. But of course the parking is horrible!
My experience at Fitzgeralds is as a traveling musician so it may sound odd to everyone who just goes there for a drink and to see a band. I have some good memories of this dive: 1) They have a shower...Seriously. When you've been living in a van for months and you havent even seen water let alone changed your clothes in a week, a venue with a shower is like finding a monastery in the jungle. 2) Played there with TSOL and got to hear Ron and Jack telling stories about showing up to gigs bombed out of their minds while chain smoking. 3) There is an equally divey BBQ place a block away called Heights Camphouse. Mmm Poboys. Too bad they'll make you sick on stage.
Sure the place is dirty, about to fall down, and often loaded with Houston's most angst driven teenagers, but i imagine that most people that grew up in Houston and were the least bit 'alternative' have had at least one epic night at Fitz.
Oh the memories. I saw a lifelong friend of mine try to launch a rap career here while in high school, playing the mainstage to a house that was only about 1/3 full. I remember seeing GWAR here back in the day with a few friends on an impulse that turned out to be one of the wildest concerts i've ever seen. I saw many great local bands whose names i can't even remember and walked home soaked in sweat at 1:00 in the morning on a school night. I saw hip hop legend KRS-one here from the front row with my brother in what was an absolutely insane show. It was my brother's first concert. But i think my best memory is the multiple occasions that i saw the Impossibles here. They always brought out the biggest crowds. I remember people crammed into the bathroom just to listen because that was the only spot where there was any space.
Sure i haven't been to Fitz since i was 17 or 18, but this place is legendary for the Houston music scene.
I think this place's time has come and gone. I've been here a few times (not willingly, I promise) and it was always dirty and full of hassle. I am well over 21 and have Teas ID to prove it, but got trouble at the bar every time I ordered. The music was bad (performance and sound-quality-wise) and pretty much everyone besides me and my (lame) friend was very underage.
Fitz's could be cool again sometime - it's in a good location, has pretty good parking, and has a lot of visual appeal from the outside (it's in an old white house). For a while (like 2002-4ish?), there was a very close-knit group of people who used to come here for punk/punk lite shows and I heard good things. There was then a falling-out of some sort and that crowd left, and I'm just not sure it this place really has a "scene" again.
I mean, if you find out that your omgveryfavorite band is playing here, it's probably worth a visit. I just wouldn't stop by here after work or pop in uninvited to see what's going on.
When I was 15, I dragged my mother there to see ZsuZsu's Petals and a band called Spunk. 10 years later, it was still one of my fave music spots, and I saw countless blues, punk, and ska bands, as well as the genre-bending sounds of groups like Pain Teens, Carolyn Wonderland and others that defined the place as much as the scary wooden floors and the inexpensive drinks.
Check here: http://www.fitzlive.com/ for more information.
Underage smoking at its finest. I saw a band perform here many moons ago and on the way my buddy blew a stop sign and I also ended up in my first t-bone experience. Somehow we limped on to the venue and saw the show. Now when I drive by the place brings back memories... but I never consider actually going there again. If someone wants to try to change my mind... I'm open to it.
Definitely was not impressed by Fitzgerald's. I used to love places like this when I was in my late teens, which is saying a lot now that I am in my twenties. This place is dirty and run down. If I want to go see a concert, there are definitely some better venues in Houston. I like a good dive bar, but Fitzgerald's took a dive a little too far into the deep end.
