What began as a humble all-ages live music venue in Anaheim, California in the late 1990s under the name Public Storage Coffee Lounge evolved into Chain Reaction, a go-to spot for emo and alternative music just behind the Orange Curtain.

The first show we have in our database there is AFI in 1998. Sadly on Friday the Chain will host its final show.

Tucked into a strip mall on Lincoln Avenue, Chain Reaction quickly became known for being the launching pad for groups before they broke, and its intimate nature where crowds stood close enough to see the whites of the eyes of the bands.

These bands came in all flavors: punk, hardcore, metal and indie rock who were either too green or had too small of a following to play larger venues in Hollywood.

Likewise many of the OC kids in the crowd did not want to trek all the way to the Sunset Strip (or weren't allowed to), while some enjoyed the fact that cool new bands were playing in their backyard just five minutes from Disneyland.

The space was barely more than a simple room with a no-nonsense stage and a bar, but for nearly three decades it functioned as a proving ground for bands to cut their teeth and a spot where locals of every age could see live music.

Chain Reaction’s promoters, regulars and repeat performers often described it as the heart of the alternative scene in Orange County, a venue that supported community over pretense and filthy lucre.

While playing at iconic venues like the Whisky, The Roxy and The Troubadour might be aspirational for young bands plotting their US tours, often they were met with the harsh reality that either they were flatly refused to book gigs at such vaunted venues or they had to pay-to-play by selling their own tickets in order to getting a show.

Before social media or streaming that might be tough for a band who didn't have fans in LA.

Chain Reaction was an oasis for these baby bands who had the talent but had yet to build a scene.

That is why now-known groups like At The Drive-In, Death Cab for Cutie, Taking Back Sunday, Plain White T’s, Sugarcult, The Used, Yellowcard, and Fall Out Boy not only played the 250 capacity club in the early 2000s, but returned.

Unfortunately in 2020, during the Covid-19 pandemic, live music venues around the country were mandated to shutter. Chain Reaction warned it would be forced to close indefinitely without a miracle windfall of financial help.

Local bands, merch companies and promoters rallied to support its reopening once the plague had lifted by selling shirts, hoodies and other goodies to pull in revenue for the venue.

Collaborations with community brands and various boosts of donations from touring acts helped keep the doors open after the hiatus, but it proved not to be enough.

Andy Serrao, the club's owner, who is also the head honcho at Fearless Records, and Chain Reaction's manager Kevin O’Connell poured their own money into covering the venue’s rent. But a few weeks ago they announced the sad news.

"Our final shows will be on December 18th and 19th with Movements," they wrote on their Instagram.

"For almost 30 years, Chain Reaction has proudly fostered the alt-music scene by creating a space for a community that the outside world 'just didn't get.' From your local bands gaining their footing at their first shows, to the humble beginnings of huge acts you now love, we're grateful to have held a place in this scene for as long as we did.

"This call wasn’t made quickly. We wrestled with it and have ultimately made the decision to close our doors."

Of the bands that played there when they were starting off was Paramore who rocked the joint a year after they formed in 2005 during the All We Know Is Falling Tour and the following year on the Winter Go West Tour.

How dear is the venue to Setlist?

Our very own Bree Wilde, Director of Editorial, went to shows there 34 times between 2001-2009. She saw Fall Out Boy there 3x, Yellowcard 7x, the Ataris twice, among many others including New Found Glory who recorded their first live record there, Kill It Live in 2013.

RIP Chain Reaction, you will be missed.

Other Venue Spotlights: The Apollo Theater, Aragon Ballroom, The Bluebird Cafe, Carnegie Hall, Chain Reaction, Commodore Ballroom, First Avenue, The Fillmore, The Gorge, The Hollywood Bowl, Hollywood Forever Cemetery, Hollywood Palladium, KIA Forum, Madison Square Garden, Massey Hall, The Metro, Nippon Budokan, O2 Arena, O2 Academy Brixton, Pappy & Harriet's Palace, Radio City Music Hall, Red Rocks, Royal Albert Hall, The Ryman Auditorium, Slane Castle, The Sphere, Staples Center, Stubb's Bar-B-Q, Sydney's Qudos Bank Arena, The Viper Room, The Whisky, 9:30 Club