We're embarking on a monumental occasion and want to reward our loyal fans who've been there for us along the way! It's been 10 years of non-stop, unforgettable, head-banging, heart-pumping music magic, and of course plenty rock. and roll. We asked our biggest fans to share their favorite memories of Brooklyn Bowl and were overwhelmed by the number of entries we received! Seven lucky fans shared stories that really showcased some of the finest nights in Brooklyn Bowl's history. Now we need you to help us pick our winner!
1. John Vigoa Out of all the great moments I've experienced over the years at Brooklyn Bowl I would say my favorite memory happened last year on August 19th. Just three days before I was packing up a rental car in Astoria with camping gear, food, clothes, and beer when my phone started going crazy with texts and notifications asking if I've heard the news? I read one of the texts from my buddy Michael- "Curveball just got canceled." I froze. My favorite band Phish just had to cancel their 3-day festival in Watkins Glen due to some crap called water turbidity. I had no idea what the hell that was, let alone what I was reading. It slowly hit me that the weekend I had planned out and had been counting down the days to for no less than half a year was no longer happening. I called my girlfriend- a newly converted Phan who was maybe more excited than me. When I got home we both started crying in the kitchen, not knowing what to do next. The next day, August 17th, was my birthday. 10 of my closest friends had bought tickets to the festival and took off from work to come celebrate and have the best music weekend of our lives. They all scrambled to try and find a backup plan that could take our minds off the disappointment of the cancellation. We went out that Friday and Saturday but I was just not into anything that we did. In my eyes, the weekend was a complete loss. At one point during this whole first-world problem sob story I checked my phone and saw I had an email from you guys. I saw that you were having a free Phish-themed party for all of us Curvivors. You were playing the full 8/17/96 show (my 6th birthday) from The Clifford Ball. I turned to my girl, smiled and said, "this is what I want to do to celebrate." I sent a group text to my friends and they said they were in. We arrive and the place is filled with other fans suffering the same depression but we are all laughing, comparing show counts and song stats, and getting excited for the music to start. It was like a big group therapy session. People dressed in their favorite Phish tees, people giving out hugs, everyone making friends, some making jokes about the band really throwing us a curveball, etc. We get a lane, the music starts and the place goes nuts. The catharsis of that night was one I will not shortly forget. We were singing every single song at the top of our lungs and dancing like madmen. I will never forget the moment when I stepped aside from my group during the peak of Slave to the Traffic Light and looked around to take it all in alone. I felt absolute bliss as I saw my girlfriend and my best friends laughing, bowling, eating, drinking, and an entire audience of people having the best possible night of their lives in the wake of such a letdown. You guys provided us an outlet to grieve and move on with our lives through the healing power of music. I teared up again- this time out of sheer happiness. I just wanted to take this time to thank you and your staff for that evening. It was the best night I've ever had in your venue because of the thoughtfulness of the concept, the extra-friendliness of the staff towards us, and for gifting me the best consolation birthday present I've ever gotten. Thanks for keeping rock and roll alive in NYC and I look forward to celebrating another 10 years with you all. 2. Rylan Summit My favorite memory at Brooklyn Bowl has to be the New Years Eve show with Delta Spirit. The evening starts before arriving at Brooklyn Bowl. My partner at the time and I decided last minute to head to the show without tickets and hopefully grab some at the door. Our typical pre-show ritual of riding the subway to Brooklyn, hopping off to grab pizza and beer then jump over to to the venue. This time, I was nervous as hell. We were trying to see one of my favorite bands at my favorite NYC venue without tickets. I remember it being rather cold while standing in line and I couldn't stop fidgeting. My partner made note of that. What if we didn't get tickets on NYE?! Would I be ridiculed for the rest of the relationship for a failed attempt on NYE? NOPE! Luckily, tickets were made available and we scored a pair! We wandered into the venue nice and early and made our way to our spot strategically located near the front and under the balloon drop. this was going to be magical. And it was. The music went on and was incredible and with a little extra NYE magic. My partner and I kissed when the clock struck twelve and the balloons gently bounced off our heads. Miles of smiles and love were shared throughout the evening. Between my partner and I as well as the crowd surrounding us. To top off the evening, while we were walking around after the show, we ran into Matthew Logan Vasquez in the hallway with his wife. They were recently married and celebrating as well. Matthew shared his time with us to chat and his bottle of champagne. We took a couple obligatory selfies which I haven't needed in order to remember this night and this show. The events and emotions throughout the night will remain vivid memories for me. Especially, since I left NYC and moved to Colorado. This night is tops on a long list of amazing shows I've been lucky enough to attend at Brooklyn Bowl. The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Umphrey's McGee, Soulive, Bowlive, and many, many more. Congrats on the 10 year anniversary of Brooklyn Bowl! It is well deserved. Brooklyn Bowl has created so many wonderful memories for myself and I'm absolutely certain many others as well. 3. Ashley Baier Joe Russo's Almost Dead's first show on January 26, 2013 is the only correct answer here. From the downbeat of Bertha everyone knew it was on. This band was launched at the Bowl and I think this performance is the most important to ever take place inside its walls. 4. Charles Driza During Governors Ball weekend 2015, I purchased Big Gigantic tickets for Brooklyn Bowl months in advance. A friends bachelor party popped up before the concert at Brooklyn Bowl and I had to go to Newport RI. I wanted to see the show so badly that I took an Uber from Newport RI back to Brooklyn that night and made it to Brooklyn Bowl for midnight just in time to see the show with my now Fiance! It was one of the best shows of my life and will be hard to beat. We saw Cherub for the first time and watched Big Gigantic from 10 feet away! I doubt that will ever happen again. Best venue, best concert, and changed my life forever! 5. Evan Meyers Although I've been to the bowl many times over the years, my favorite memory is relatively recent. When Trey recently came to town and played two quick shows, I miraculously managed to wrangle a single ticket for each performance. With my hero coming to not only one of my favorite local spots, but also a teeny tiny spot for Trey to play I was shocked to see the place not all that packed when I first arrived and immediately plotted myself super close to the stage. Sure it was cool to lean against the stage when favs like Toubob Krewe came to town, but this is TREY!!! I didn't realize how different of an opportunity this would be until Trey actually walked out on stage. If you listen to the live phish recordings of night one you can clearly hear my moments of sheer joy and disbelief in several uncontrollable "YEAH"s shouted at the top of my lungs every other second before the music starts. I'll never forget the way Trey's face lit up as he looked up to see the crowd and I let out that first YEAH! Listening back to those moments before the show started on the recording remind me of how lucky we are to have such a gem in Brooklyn Bowl. It usually takes decades for a place to be considered legendary, but the bowl was legendary from the day it opened its doors. 6. Cemile Kavountzis The other night I told someone, "Brooklyn Bowl is my absolute favorite place in New York City!" because it's always fun. I have so many good memories, catching up with a friend I made in Sydney so many miles away for a hip-hop show, a random Talking Heads cover band this fall, so many jam bands! But my favorite memory is Madonnathon I'm guessing six years ago. I had made a new group of friends at Dance Parade a few months earlier in the East Village and they were going out as a group to Madonnathon for someone's birthday, but everyone was dressing up as Madonna girls and boys in lace unitards. We danced so much it was such a magic night out. I felt so in love with my friends and so in love with the city in a way that epitomized what New York is. 7. Darren Bleckner On April 4th, 2013 while my friend and I were attending a boring NIT finals game at MSG, my phone buzzed with a Twitter notification from Pretty Lights. He tweeted about a secret set going down at Brooklyn Bowl within the next hour. I showed my friend and we immediatley booked it from MSG over to Williamsburg to get in line for what was sure to be one of the more intimate PL shows we'd ever experience. It had been a few years since Pretty Lights put out a full-length album and we knew he was recording it in NOLA and BK. The set featured mostly unknown music from the upcoming classic "A Color Map of the Sun." The crowd vibed for the 60+ minute secret set unaware at the time that that would be the last album of his career. On top of that, it was one of the last straight DJ sets of his career, as well as Derek, went on to create Pretty Lights and the Analog Futures Band and Pretty Lights Live bringing a whole new element to his music live. I've seen countless amazing bands and shows at Brooklyn Bowl over the last decade and the ironic part of it all is the one that stands out the most is a DJ Set. Don't forget to VOTE for your favorite memory to give one lucky fan the chance to win BIG for our 10th Anniversary! Reminder of what they'll win: - 6-night pass for you and a friend to Bowlive ft. Soulive on July 11, 12, 13 and 18, 19, 20! - Bowling for you and up to 9 of your friends during one night of Bowlive of your choice plus a platter of fried chicken and pitcher of beer while you bowl - Signed Bowlive poster - Brooklyn Bowl T-Shirt - 10 pairs of tickets to any upcoming Brooklyn Bowl show of their choice within the calendar year. Official winner will be chosen on Monday, July 8 at 12PM. Thank you ALL for being part of 10 incredible years at Brooklyn Bowl! Must be 21+ to enter. This contest is only applicable for Brooklyn Bowl Williamsburg. By entering this contest you agree to share your name and memory with Brooklyn Bowl and their social media fanbase. No purchase necessary.