24 Aug 6th - Aug 12th, 2026 phoenixnewtimes.com PHOENIX NEW TIMES | NEWS | FEATURE | FOOD & DRINK | ARTS & CULTURE | MUSIC | CONCERTS | CANNABIS | now super popular. I remember seeing Mumford & Sons there and Ratatat there.” Corritore says The Rhythm Room’s varied concert offerings helped secure its place in the Phoenix music scene. “It all seemed to fit together into a nice collage of something that could serve the community and institutionalize the value of The Rhythm Room.” ‘I have nothing but gratitude’ Corritore says closing The Rhythm Room wasn’t a snap decision. The club’s first-ever summer shutdown this year, prompted by rising operating costs and slower business during Phoenix’s hotter months, gave him time to reflect on the future. “This year I will celebrate my 70th birthday, and I’m going to give myself permission to live life with a more measured, less hectic pace,” Corritore said in his statement. Corritore tells New Times the realities of owning a music venue also factored into his decision. “I think it’s time to just take things at a more relaxing pace rather than always hustling to make the next bills or payroll,” Corritore says. “Owning a club and having the responsibilities of all that in today’s world, it’s a little bit too hard.” Corritore says Phoenix nightlife has changed dramatically since the Rhythm Room opened in the early 1990s, making it increasingly difficult to operate an indepen- dent music venue. “People were going out every night of the week back then. It was glorious. Our bartenders couldn’t get drinks served fast enough. But it’s a different world now,” Corritore says. “People don’t drink like they used to. And sadly, it’s an alcohol-driven business.” Corritore says leaving the Rhythm Room behind won’t be easy. In his statement, he singled out longtime manager Lynsey Curtis while thanking the staff, artists, promoters and audiences who helped build the club over the past 35 years. “To say that I’m going to miss all of this would be a huge understatement,” Corritore says in his statement. “I look back at the many amazing achievements of the Rhythm Room and all of the people that it’s touched and I have nothing but gratitude.” Although he’s stepping away from owning a club, Corritore says he isn’t retiring from music. He plans to continue performing, promoting concerts and hosting his long-running weekly KJZZ-FM radio show, “Those Lowdown Blues.” “I think if you close one door, another one’s going to open up,” he says. “Stuff is going to happen.” As for what comes next for the Rhythm Room’s property, Corritore says no decisions have been made. “I’m talking with various people and I’ve got some things that might happen, but I don’t have anything to report,” he says. “It’s really not about that. It’s about needing to retire.” For now, Corritore says he’s focusing on giving the Rhythm Room the sendoff it deserves. ‘We’re going to go out with a bang’ Before the Rhythm Room closes, Corritore plans to celebrate its 35-year legacy. “Until the end of May, we’ll be booking shows. We plan on just having a wonderful last run,” Corritore told New Times. “So it should be pretty powerful.” One of the first major events will be a dual celebration of Corritore’s 70th birthday and the Rhythm Room’s 35th anniversary on Sept. 25. Blues artists Billy Flynn, Tia Carroll, Willie Buck, Carla Denise and Oscar Wilson are among the musicians scheduled to perform. Corritore hopes longtime regulars will use The Rhythm Room’s remaining months to experience the venue a few more times before its final bow next May. “This announcement makes it easier for everybody because all of a sudden they realize this is a finite amount of time to go appreciate the room and remember the good times,” Corritore says. “It’s not done yet.” He says the farewell season is less about mourning the club’s impending closure than celebrating everything the Rhythm Room has meant to Arizona musicians and concertgoers over the past 35 years. “We plan on having just a wonderful last run, a finale season,” Corritore says. “It’s been an amazing run, and we’re going to go out with a bang.” Rhythm Room owner, bluesman and harmonica player Bob Corritore. (Dragin Trasic) Farewell Tour from p 22
