Punch Line San Francisco

Punch Line San Francisco

Punch Line San Francisco entrance
Former names The Old Waldorf
Address 444 Battery St
Location San Francisco, California
Coordinates 37°47′44″N 122°24′00″W / 37.795539°N 122.399965°W / 37.795539; -122.399965Coordinates: 37°47′44″N 122°24′00″W / 37.795539°N 122.399965°W / 37.795539; -122.399965
Owner Live Nation
Type Comedy club
Capacity Main room: 182
Opened 1978 (1978)
Website
www.punchlinecomedyclub.com

Punch Line San Francisco is a comedy club located at 444 Battery St in San Francisco's Financial District. It has a sister club in Sacramento, CA and is also associated with Cobb's Comedy Club in the North Beach neighborhood of San Francisco. It is San Francisco's oldest running comedy club.

History

The Punch Line was opened in 1978 by Bill Graham.[1] The building was adjacent to[2] the Old Waldorf, a music venue originally opened in 1976 whose owner (Jeff Pollack) booked all the acts he could find, including music legends such as U2, Metallica, Dire Straits, Elvis Costello, R.E.M., AC/DC, and more.[3]

The Punch Line San Francisco, the Punch Line Sacramento, and Cobb's Comedy Club were all owned and operated by Bill Graham Presents up until the death of Bill Graham in 1991.[4] The company was taken over by a group of employees who later sold it to SFX Promotions. It was subsequently sold to Clear Channel Entertainment.[5] On December 21, 2005, Clear Channel Communications completed the spin-off of Live Nation, formerly known as Clear Channel Entertainment. Live Nation is an independent company (NYSE: LYV) and is no longer owned by Clear Channel.

Comics such as Robin Williams, Ellen DeGeneres, Rosie O'Donnell, Drew Carey, Chris Rock, and Dana Carvey took their first comedic steps on the Punch Line stage.[6] The Punch Line's dedication to comic tradition has earned it the San Francisco Examiner and the San Francisco Chronicle's Readers' Choice Award for the Best Comedy Club. Today, The Punch Line is the only full-time comedy club in San Francisco.

Venue Info

The Punch Line San Francisco is open for business almost every Tuesday thru Sunday to ticket-holders ages 18+ with valid photo I.D. The box office is open on show days from 3:00 – 6:00 p.m. There is a two drink minimum per person. Cameras and video/audio recording devices are not permitted.

Sister Clubs

Cobb's Comedy Club is located in the North Beach neighborhood of San Francisco and has been a comedy staple in the city for more than 30 years.

Punch Line Sacramento is Sacramento’s premier comedy club, and was opened and operated by Bill Graham Presents in 1991 as an expansion of the Punch Line San Francisco.

Notable Comedians

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by expanding it with reliably sourced entries.

References

  1. ↑ http://santanamigos.pagesperso-orange.fr/venues.htm#Oldwaldorf
  2. ↑ http://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/The-funny-business-Punch-Line-celebrates-25-2554395.php
  3. ↑ http://santanamigos.pagesperso-orange.fr/venues.htm#Oldwaldorf
  4. ↑ http://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/The-funny-business-Punch-Line-celebrates-25-2554395.php
  5. ↑ http://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/The-funny-business-Punch-Line-celebrates-25-2554395.php
  6. ↑ http://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/The-funny-business-Punch-Line-celebrates-25-2554395.php
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