Anaheim’s all-ages club Chain Reaction announced that it will officially close its doors this month.
“For almost 30 years, Chain Reaction has proudly fostered the alt-music scene by creating a space for a community that the outside world ‘just didn’t get’,” the Instagram post said. “From your local bands gaining their footing at their first shows, to the humble beginnings of huge acts you now love, we’re grateful to have held a place in this scene for as long as we did.”
“This call wasn’t made quickly. We wrestled with it and have ultimately made the decision to close our doors,” the post continued. “We want to thank every band, fan and attendee of our shows. We want to thank the scene that supported us for almost three decades. We want to thank you for the friendships and memories made in our special club. Thank you for supporting us through the years and when we needed it most. CHAIN REACTION FOREVER.”
The final show will be spearheaded by Rancho Santa Margarita-based band Movements and Militarie Gun, who will perform with Underbrook on Dec. 18 and Cherdomingo on Dec. 19. Tickets for the shows can be purchased at allages.com.
This isn’t the first time the 250-capacity club has announced plans to close its doors. In 2020, Chain Reaction announced it would close because it had been unable to host live music for seven months due to the coronavirus pandemic. The owner at the time and Fearless Records co-president Andy Serrao said that even with assistance from a Small Business Administration (SBA) loan, it would not be sufficient to stay afloat until the estimated lifting of restrictions, which was estimated for 2021-2022.
News of the closure in 2020 sparked a firestorm of support from bands such as Orange County rock band Stick To Your Guns, who rallied fellow bands Terror, Knocked Loose, Counterparts, Rotting Out, and Year of the Knife to come up with ways to keep the venue from going under. One of the ideas included partnering with Costa Mesa-based hockey-inspired apparel company Violent Gentlemen and Anaheim’s Blackcraft Cult clothing company to create specialty T-shirts that fans could purchase in support.
Orange County rock band Thrice also jumped in at the time to sell its own $25 Chain Reaction-themed shirt via its online store, featuring a photo of the band performing at the club and the slogan “Chain Forever.”
The apparel and venue crossover is similar to the latest collaboration between Dixon Flannel Co., based in Tempe, Arizona, which announced a bold blue, black & white plaid Chain Reaction flannel last week on its Facebook page.
“Some venues just hit different. Chain Reaction has been the heartbeat of Southern California’s underground music scene for decades,” the post said. “All-ages. No barriers. Just raw, loud, beautiful chaos where punk, hardcore, and community collide. We teamed up to put that energy into a flannel. Built on grit, creativity, and the people who feel at home where the crowd sings back. Rep the scene. Wear the story.”
The venue opened in 1996, tucked away in a strip mall off Lincoln Avenue, and was first known as Public Storage Coffee Lounge before changing its name to Chain Reaction. The all-ages location didn’t sell alcohol until more recently and offered young music fans, typically ages 15-20, a place to congregate. Young fans could often be seen skateboarding in the parking lot before shows with locals and travelers alike.
“I will never forget being a teenager telling my parents I was gonna be hanging out at Buena Park mall, but instead I was going to Chain to discover bands since it was all ages,” one user commented on the post. “I saw White Chapel, Animosity, Suicide Silence, Winds of Plague, As Blood Runs Black, Stick to Your Guns…etc. RIP Chain Reaction.”
Chain Reaction became one of Orange County’s venues for catching rising local, national, or international hardcore, metal, punk rock and ska bands. Several artists who have since landed in mainstream music got their start and built their followings at the venue, including bands such as Avenged Sevenfold, Young the Giant, Fall Out Boy, Rise Against and Yellowcard, who caught the ear of a scout at Capitol Records and signed them after their Chain Reaction performance.
“Fall Out Boy. The Used. Sugarcult. Pinhead Gunpowder. Cobra Starship. Circa Survive. Yellowcard. Motion City Soundtrack, Gym Class Heroes. Straylight Run. The Academy Is… Senses Fail. Rx Bandits. The Matches. I had some incredible intimate nights of music in this room. We will miss you, Chain,” another user commented.
