Congress the Band Middle East Downstairs Cambridge

The Middle East Downstairs is part of an American entertainment complex that consists of five adjacent dinings and live music venues. The complex is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and officially opened for the public in 1970. The seating capacity of the Downstairs is 575. It is one of the dedicated concert spaces that sit alongside ZuZu and The Corner, two restaurants hosting live music and food services. The Middle East Downstairs has featured a variety of musicians since the year 1987.

The Middle East Downstairs was first established as a Lebanese restaurant. The Sater family later bought it in the 1970s and soon began to book local rock groups. Soon the venue expanded into a full-fledged entertainment complex. It is now called the city’s “hippest nightspot” by the Boston Globe. It is the best-known venue for various music genres such as blues, jazz, funk, ska, pop, punk, and reggae. The Middle East Downstairs hosts many famous national artists and some Lebanese musicians, and belly dancers.

There have been several live recordings done at the Middle East Downstairs which includes Dinosaur Jr’s Live at the Middle East DVD, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones’ Live from The Middle East, Harry and the Potters’ Live at the Yule Ball EP, Mr. Lif’s Live at the Middle East, and Scissorfight “Instant Live, Middle East-Cambridge, MA,11/13/04.” Some of the notable awards won by the venue are the 2008 Improper Bostonian Awards (Boston’s Best Rock Club), 2009 City Voter (Best Live Music Venue), 2010 Boston Phoenix Best (Best Hip-Hop Venue), and 2010 WBZ’s A list (Best Live Music Venue).