Thursday September 8th, the Tenderloin Museum's Anniversary Gala returns to the iconic Phoenix Hotel to ring in 7 years of our grassroots community history museum.
Let's celebrate by gathering for an evening of live music, art, refreshments, luminous neon, and a sampling of the museum's current and future projects in one of the neighborhood's most singularly enchanting and richly storied venues. Please consider purchasing a ticket to support the Tenderloin Museum into 2023 and beyond.
In honor of TLM's 2022 live music series Sounds of the Tenderloin, this year will feature not one but two talented musical acts to bring alive the Phoenix's vintage ambiance. Our headlining performer will be singer, painter, and private detective, the one and only Mr. Lucky! Backed by his band the Cocktail Party, Mr. Lucky performs as a sort of archetypal lounge singer, a wry and self-aware entertainer whose act thrills with its old time panache and spectacle--a natural match for the Phoenix Hotel's pitch perfect kitsch and throwback Sunset Strip vibe. The TL figures into Lucky's noirish backstory, too: back in the '70s he stalked the Geary St. strip of theater bars and organ lounges like the Blue Lamp, and later he reveled in the dark, moody atmosphere of Eddy St. after hours joint, the 181 Club.
From 5-6pm, the Alcatraz Islanders will get the party started with a set of Hawaiian and mainland jazz from the Swing era. Led by steel guitarist Mikiya Matsuda, this local instrumental ensemble plays lush, melodious tunes with authentic vintage sounds sure to charm gala attendees in the Phoenix's leafy, poolside courtyard.
We'll also have an assortment of photos, artworks, and mementos from recent programs and gallery shows on display, plus our friends and partners at SF Neon will be sharing neon art and artifacts.
To celebrate as safely as possible this event will be held entirely outdoors. Please join us for this special evening to support the Tenderloin Museum and to meet up with other advocates for the Tenderloin neighborhood.