March 13, 2000 was a dark day for Sioux Falls bands and music fans alike. It was the day the Pomp Room in downtown Sioux Falls was demolished to make way for a parking ramp. For years, the dark room with the squishy carpet had hosted the top local and regional bands plus some national acts like Cheap Trick in 1996, JazzFest 2014 headliners Gov't Mule played there back in 1997. The last time Tab Benoit played in Sioux Falls, he talked about playing the Pomp and having to kick beer bottles off the front of the stage so they had room to play. And of course on a now famous (thanks to MTV) day in June of 1993, Aerosmith dropped in after their show at the Sioux Falls Arena that night to play a four song surprise set: Mama Kin, Come Together, Love In An Elevator and Walk This Way.

Now, nearly 15 years after the final song was played, the final beer was spilled and the final bricks were cleared away, local filmmakers Austin Kaus and Jesse Yost are in the planning stages of making "The Pomp Room: The Documentary". They have been gathering mementos, old photos and videos and conducting interviews with the Ertz family who owned the Pomp Room, and will be throwing a Pomp Room reunion fundraiser concert at The District here in Sioux Falls on October 18th featuring four bands from the bar's heyday: the disco revival Glory Holes, The Cartwright Brothers who are still performing regularly featuring original satire music, award-winning metal band Jerkstore and regional rock legends Wakefield!

Yost says he used to sneak in before he was legal to the old Pomp Room to see his older brother Chris play as a member of Janitor Bob & the Armchair Cowboys while Kaus used to make every all-ages show he could just to be a part of the scene.

Even today, all these years later, if you mention the Pomp Room to anyone over the age of about 30, they've got a Pomp Room memory that they want to share with you. Yost and Kaus will have video booths set up Saturday night at the District for you to share those memories for possible inclusion in the documentary.

So bring that memorabilia and memories to the Pomp reunion show this weekend and make some new memories with four bands from the glory days of one of the legendary midwest live music clubs.

This is going to be a show for the ages as band rehearsals from the three 'reunion' bands have already begun.  Tickets are $18 in advance or $20 at the door. You can purchase your tickets at the Woodfire Grill at the District or online here.

Doors will open at 7pm with the Cartwright Brothers taking the stage at about 7:45 followed by Jerkstore, Wakefield and the Glory Holes.

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Photo Courtesy of Jesse Yost
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Photo Courtesy of Jesse Yost
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Mad Chapter
Photo Courtesy of Jesse Yost
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Photo Courtesy of Jesse Yost
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Photo Courtesy of Jesse Yost
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