The tenets of punk rock and pinball have always been part of the core ethos of The Silver Ballroom—the Bevo bar where the punk soundtrack is punctuated by the sounds of a dozen or so pinball machines pinging, whirring, and spouting out signature lines from featured characters.
When the bar opened in April 2010, Silver Ballroom was one of the few bars in the greater St. Louis area where people could come together, drink, and play pinball. Fifteen years later, the bar is papered with a wall-spanning collage of vintage flyers for local punk rock shows, and the machines still flash, ding, and roll out their small silver balls for patrons. It only makes sense for the bar to highlight both of their key offerings as part of their anniversary celebrations.
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Owner Steve “Doc” Dachroeden says the bar will welcome 13 bands to Silver Ballroom’s 15th birthday party, which will start at 1 p.m. on April 26. An outdoor stage in the parking lot directly across from the bar, behind the Bevo Mill, will host punk and metal acts Better Days, Blusch, Breakmouth Annie, Call Letters, The Disappeared, The Haddonfields, Jeffy and the Sunken Heads, Nagat, Night Parks, Samurai Five, Soma, and Ultraman.
“Mostly everybody that hangs out here at the Ballroom is in a band, and every band on the lineup is made up of people who hang out here, so that should be pretty cool,” Dachroeden says.
The final act of the day is the “Band From the Pub” supergroup, which will feature members from all of the bands on the bill coming together to play songs from The Silver Ballroom’s old-school punk jukebox—a fitting tribute from the folks who know it best.
“You’ll probably hear a lot of songs that we all know from The Jam, X, Stiff Little Fingers, and Buzzcocks,” Dachroeden says.
Beyond the great lineup, Dachroeden notes that the bar will have booths set up in the lot featuring 16 different local vendors, including BBQ offerings and food from longtime Silver Ballroom fixture Tiny Chef. Inside, all of the bar’s pinball machines will be set to free play, so folks can get their pinball fix in between sets.
Getting to 15 years is no easy task, especially as a neighborhood dive bar. Dachroeden is grateful for the support the bar has received over the years and sees this celebration as a testament to all of the people who make The Silver Ballroom a great place to hang out.
“We’re super proud to be a fixture in the neighborhood,” Dachroeden says. “It’s a big milestone and being here for this long deserves a party.”
For more information about The Silver Ballroom’s 15th anniversary celebration, keep an eye on their Facebook and Instagram pages.
