Rage’s longtime manager, Ron Madril, says opening only for food service would have been a losing proposition. Ownership decided against operating the space as a restaurant, despite having a kitchen, as well as a front patio that might have accommodated outdoor dining. Overstreet declined to be interviewed for this story.Īfter the first safer-at-home orders were issued in March 2020, Rage never reopened. Two other neighboring gay bars renting from Overstreet, Flaming Saddles and Gold Coast, also permanently closed last year. The parties were reportedly unable to reach an agreement over back rent that had accrued during the pandemic. Rage permanently closed last September, largely due to a breakdown in negotiations between Rage owners Robert Maghame and Saeed Sattari and the club’s landlords, Monte Overstreet and John Cole, sources say. Last month, Bass inked a lease on 8911 Santa Monica Boulevard, the space occupied for nearly 40 years by gay nightlife staple Rage. “We are ready to provide that safe happy place for our community to come together and celebrate their lives every week!”
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“This past year really showed so many of us that we don’t just want but in fact need in-person engagement,” Bass tells Los Angeles via email. The erstwhile NSYNC star, who already co-owns West Hollywood gay bar Rocco’s, is now set to open a new nightclub-and he’s doing it in a storied location. Lance Bass is betting big on nightlife roaring back after the pandemic.