Iconic Poughkeepsie music venue The Chance, which had been open since 1980, hosted its final show on Sunday (10/29)–or at least its final show at The Chance as we’ve known it for decades. Hatebreed headlined the venue on 10/26 and last night (10/29), the latter of which was billed as the “last show ever at The Chance Theater.” The venue’s new owners tell Times Union that they plan to renovate the interior and keep the theater as an “entertainment space,” though Jay Blumenfeld, chief operating officer at Chai Developers, says he would like “to cater to a more general public as opposed to what’s there right now,” which for many years has leaned towards heavier rock, punk, and metal.
“We’ve floated the idea of having comedy shows, but we want the public and stakeholders holders in the city to give their opinion,” Blumenfeld adds.
Longtime owner Frank Pallett, who purchased the venue in 1994, passed away in August 2021 at 51, and his younger sister, Carolyn Pallett Brophy, who also helped run the venue, died about two months later. Ownership was then passed to Frank’s wife Michelle.
“Frank made The Chance literally a world-famous venue, which is really amazing because Poughkeepsie is a C market, not an A market,” said Chuck Hicks, who worked security at the venue for 14 years. “But being right between Albany and New York City made it ideal geographically, so he was able to get a lot of bands that probably would have bypassed us.”
Watch some videos of Hatebreed playing The Chance’s final show and stay tuned for any further updates on the venue.