DORI MONSON

Guns N’ Roses’ Duff McKagan wants to save the Showbox

Jul 26, 2018, 3:17 PM | Updated: 4:51 pm

Seattle rock star, Guns N' Roses...

When Duff McKagan is not playing with Guns 'n' Roses, he lives in Seattle. (AP)

(AP)

No sooner had Guns N’ Roses’ Duff McKagan’s plane from Reykjavik — the last stop on an eight-week tour of Europe for the band — landed Wednesday night than McKagan, taking advantage of access to wifi, checked his phone to find that his “texts just blew up.”

While McKagan was in the air, the Seattle community found out that the Showbox may face the chopping block to make way for a new apartment building. An application has been filed to turn the 79-year-old First Avenue theatre into a 44-story high-rise.

McKagan told his longtime friend, KIRO Radio’s Dori Monson, that it was far more than just fellow musicians who texted him in shock over the news.

RELATED: Showbox supporters mount opposition to demolition proposal

“It wasn’t all musicians at all — it was architects, it was builders, people just who have gone to shows there,” McKagan said. “They’ve had experiences there that have flavored their lives in a positive way, and a city has to keep those kinds of things.”

McKagan immediately took to Twitter to protest against progress that comes “at the cost of the soul of the city.”

Seattle has long been at the forefront of trends in the music world, McKagan said, and the Showbox is an irreplaceable piece of that history and culture. McKagan, who has been vocal in the past about his views on Seattle politics, added that in the midst of heated political disagreement in the city, the Showbox serves to bring people together.

“We’ve got to all agree that music, and the soul of music, have flavored Seattle and its character so much,” he said. “We can argue about politics and all that stuff until we’re blue, but we can all agree that music is a big part of the soul of our city, and the Showbox is at the center of that.”

The rock star remembers going to his first concert at the Showbox at just 15.

“We all have been to the Showbox 20 times, and I’ve been there 120,” he said. “I’ve played there a bunch of times and I grew up going to shows there.”

In its eight-decade history, the Showbox has featured everyone from Jazz era artists like Duke Ellington and Nat King Cole, to classic ’80s rockers such as Blondie and the Police, to more recent icons such as Coldplay, Daft Punk, and Lady Gaga.

There are very few historic theatres left in Seattle, McKagan said, naming the Moore and Paramount as some of the last holdouts. With a capacity of just 1,100, the Showbox creates an intimacy between artist and audience that few other venues have.

“You feel that history of the place, and the sound, the acoustics are so good … it’s a real communal type of building, you’re playing with the people there,” he said. “Those places are becoming fewer and far between. We’re really blessed in Seattle to have that place.”

RELATED: Citizens fight to save historic Providence Heights campus

It looks like the best way to stop the bulldozers may be to hurry up and get the stamp of historical significance on the iconic theatre. A petition on Change.org to name the Showbox an official City of Seattle landmark has already garnered over 37,000 signatures.

Progress can be made, McKagan said, without robbing Seattle of its culture and turning the city into a collection of uniform, personality-less skyscrapers. He suggests building up while keeping the Showbox as the bottom level.

“We can’t stop progress — I don’t have my head in the sand — but keep the Showbox as your first level, your storefront,” and build up, McKagan said. “Or just make it a historic landmark.”

In his extensive travels while on tour, in particular during the eight weeks he just spent in Europe, McKagan has witnessed the way that other world-class cities, such as Madrid and Moscow, are able to grow and modernize while still retaining their historic buildings.

“There is development all around it, but there are these key places … that are going to stay there,” he said. “The Showbox is definitely in that category of a place that’s got to stay there.”

Dori Monson Show

Dori Monson

Dori Monson stage show...

MyNorthwest Staff

Watch: Dori Monson’s ‘What are the Odds?’ stage show

In 2019, Dori Monson hosted a stage show - 'What are the Odds?' - which introduced you to the people who helped shape his improbable career.

1 year ago

Dori Monson welcomes the Moose back to KIRO. Follow @http://twitter.com/Mynorthwest...

MyNorthwest Staff

A collection of the all-time best Dori Monson stories

With the passing of Dori Monson, a collection of some of his top stories to remember all the hard work Dori brought to Seattle.

1 year ago

Alaska, fishing...

KIRO Newsradio staff

Listen: Friends, colleagues offer tribute to KIRO Newsradio’s Dori Monson

All day Monday, KIRO Newsradio's John Curley talked to friends, news makers, and more in tribute to Dori Monson.

1 year ago

Dori Monson Shorecrest...

Dori Monson Show

How to support charities reflecting Dori Monson’s values, passions

In tribute to Dori Monson, learn more about how you can support these three charities which best reflect his values, passions, and advocacy.

1 year ago

From left, Producer Nicole Thompson and KIRO host Dori Monson. (Courtesy of the Monson family)...

MyNorthwest Staff

Broadcasters, politicians, coworkers and friends remember Dori Monson

Dori Monson, a longtime KIRO Newsradio host, passed away Saturday. He is remembered by public figures, broadcasters, coworkers, and listeners.

1 year ago

Dori Monson...

MyNorthwest Staff

Longtime KIRO Newsradio host Dori Monson dies at age 61

We are deeply saddened to announce Dori Monson's sudden passing on Saturday, December 31, 2022, at a Seattle hospital.

1 year ago

Guns N’ Roses’ Duff McKagan wants to save the Showbox