The Middle East (nightclub)

The Middle East

Address	472 Massachusetts Avenue
Location	Cambridge, Massachusetts
Capacity	1,279 Downstairs – 575 Sonia – 350 Upstairs – 194 ZuZu – 100 Corner – 60
Opened	1970
Website
mideastoffers.com

The Middle East is an entertainment complex consisting of five adjacent dining and live music venues in the Central Square neighborhood of Cambridge, Massachusetts. Its three dedicated concert spaces, Upstairs, Downstairs, and Sonia, sit alongside ZuZu and The Corner, two restaurants that also host live music. Having featured a huge variety of musicians since 1987, the establishment was described in 2007 as "the nexus of metro Boston's rock-club scene for local and touring bands" by the Boston Phoenix.^[1]

The establishment was founded as a Lebanese restaurant which was purchased by the Sater family in the 1970s. Incentivized by a local music promoter Billy Ruane's birthday party, The Middle East began to book more local rock groups starting in 1987. It gradually expanded into a full-fledged entertainment complex as the owners purchased nearby properties and incorporated them into The Middle East brand, most recently turning T.T. the Bear's Place into The Middle East's Sonia in 2017.