Your favorite World Cafe Live at the Queen shows
In a little more than a month, the World Cafe Live era at the Queen Theater will come to an end.
As the doors close on May 25, it will have been 2,244 days since that rainy April Fools' Day in 2011 when even gray skies seemed full of promise.
It was really happening: An established Philadelphia music venue with deep ties to WXPN 88.5-FM was opening a spin-off in the heart of downtown Wilmington, promising a steady stream of national and local acts.
And don't forget to put the opening in perspective. It came a full year ahead of another big music-themed April Fools' Day announcement: The bombshell that Firefly Music Festival chose Dover as its home.
While World Cafe Live's model could not survive on Market Street in the end, their six-year run gained enough traction that another operator -- still unnamed -- has agreed to take control of the two-stage venue late next month, according to The Buccini/Pollin Group, owners of the building, which dates back to the 1800s.
With music fans staring at a quickly shrinking Queen band calendar -- there are only 13 shows left in its final month -- we reached out to Queen regulars for a trip down memory lane.
We asked for your favorite concert memories from the past six years as World Cafe Live packs up and heads back north. And you delivered.
"Raphael Saadiq came in May 2011 as a performer at the NON-COMMvention. He performed songs from his album at the time ["Stone Rollin'"]. I was impressed with the lighting and sound and unique visual look of the World Cafe Live at the Queen. I was a fan of the Philly location, but Wilmington was superior. Raphael's musicianship was superb! I'm praying the new ownership does this venue right." -- Hope Rose, Wilmington
"I have seen multiple excellent shows at the Queen. One of the first shows I saw was the North Mississippi Allstars with the unknown-at-the-time opening band Alabama Shakes. What an eye opener! Also, Lindsey Buckingham's solo performance was incredible. But the topper may have been Chris Stapleton's performance in 2015 -- a couple of months before the whole country discovered him when he sang with Justin Timberlake on one of the country music awards shows!" -- Kenneth Dickerson, Smyrna
"The Chris Stapleton show two years ago was great! It was before he blew up and was on tour supporting his last record. There were only about 100 people there! It felt like a private show for us. Also, I was one of the singers who had the fortunate opportunity to perform in the sold-out 'A Night Of Stardust: David Bowie Remembered' tribute show last year. What a night it was." -- Lance Davis, Philadelphia
"Seeing Lindsey Buckingham perform a solo acoustic show at the Queen remains one of my concert highlights. An intimate setting with a legend who was in great spirits and feeding off the crowd. He was having a good time and by the end he pulled out 'Shut Us Down,' a technically and emotionally challenging work that brought out his best performance of the night. I like to think the setting inspired him." Christian Zafiroglu, Philadelphia
"My daughter was diagnosed with Crohn's disease and after a lengthy battle with the symptoms, one of her first outings was to the Queen to see hometown-er Johnny Gallagher Jr. He put on an over-the-top show and was more than generous with his time, talking with my daughter and really making the evening remarkably memorable." -- James Berman, New Castle
"Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls was an insanely crazy show last year. The hardcore rocking energy in the room that night was intense. Same with Langhorne Slim and The Law -- absolute high-energy fun night. I think my most memorable night was seeing Jefferson Starship in 2013. I was lucky enough to meet band co-founder Paul Kantner, who sadly passed away last year." -- Donna Smits, Wilmington
"Ryan Bingham and Lucero a few years back. Ridiculous show. And also being able to play in three of the sold out Shine a Light shows. Never a bad time. I will forever be in debt to the Queen for the folks I have met there being involved with such wonderful shows. Music is sort of everything in a roundabout way." -- Davey Dickens Jr., Unionville, Pennsylvania
"There have been some amazing shows there: Chris Stapleton, Drive-By Truckers, Lucero, Ryan Bingham and Psychedelic Furs. I'm sure I am forgetting some. But Davey Dickens Jr. is right. My fondest memories are of the six Shine a Light shows we did. They are about how great the staff and [World Cafe Live founder] Hal [Real] were to work with, the cool vibe the room from the stage, and the incredible energy of the crowd." -- Rob Grant, Kennett Square, Pennsylvania
"I love New Orleans music. The Queen got so many bands that I have gone to NOLA to see -- right here in Wilmington. One of my favorites was surely Marcia Ball last September. An awesome performance, and so nice to see her up close and in such a small venue." -- Theresa Quezada, Newark
"Kiefer Sutherland! He was so humbled by the attendance -- great show!" Jaimie Watts, Wilmington
"I can't pick just one. It's like asking which kid is your favorite. I guess I'm going to go with those 2-1/2 days in 2011 when we hosted the NON-COMMvention. With 30 acts, it was a marathon of music. Keb' Mo' asking me, 'Which one's your wife?', holding the door for Conor Oberst, and being a witness of how perfect The Blind Boys of Alabama sing were just a few of the highlights." -- Brian Marine, Wilmington
"For me, it's the 2011 NON-COMMvention, which pretty much launched the all-too-short WCL run. Artists like Conor Oberst, Justin Townes Earle, The Civil Wars, Jose Gonzalez of Junip, the Sam Roberts Band and The Jayhawks -- all were amazing and right in our backyard. The highlight for me (besides the paint chips gently sprinkling from the vaunted ceiling as if to symbolize the reawakening of the beautiful Queen) was catching Raphael Saadiq and his incredibly tight band kicking things off and making noon feel more like midnight. I met him and his back-up singers later that night at the bar and they couldn't have been nicer or more interested in Wilmington and the local scene. All the way from Oakland, California. That was a magical three days for me, despite Thurston Moore's underwhelming set. Honorable mention to Built to Spill, Matthew Sweet and The Feelies shows." -- Rob Beatson, Brandywine Hundred
"I remember The English Beat walking off stage three songs in after repeatedly asking for the spotlight to be changed. My friend said, 'Maybe they're on a break?' I told her no. They came back after it was fixed." -- Beverly Zimmerman, Wilmington
"The Graham Parker & the Rumour show in 2013 was stellar. The band seemed just so happy to be there and that feeling was contagious with the audience." -- Clark Cummins, Wilmington
"I saw some great music at the Queen, including The Feelies and Drivin' N' Cryin'. But I have to say my favorite show was the Eddie Trunk from 'That Metal Show' from back in 2015 because it provided such a cool opportunity to meet and hang with other local metal fans." -- Dan Richmond, Wilmington
"The first Shine a Light benefit was the best show I saw, among many, at the Queen. Nobody in the sold out crowd knew what to expect that night, except to see many familiar faces from the Delaware music scene on stage. What we got was over 50 performers seamlessly and flawlessly rotating on and off stage while delivering a night of magic that we won't forget." -- Matt Jones, Wilmington
"You're all wrong. The correct answer is Built to Spill, followed very closely by the Beach House show from last month." -- Karl Malgiero, Wilmington
Contact Ryan Cormier of The News Journal at rcormier@delawareonline.com or (302) 324-2863. Follow him on Facebook (@ryancormier), Twitter (@ryancormier) and Instagram (@ryancormier).
FINAL WORLD CAFE LIVE AT THE QUEEN SHOWS
Tonight, Christine Havrilla & Gypsy Fuzz. $15.
Saturday, Anatomy of an Outcast and Rusty Blue. $5-$10.
April 28, Every Time I Die. $20-$23.
April 30, The Girlfriends. $15. (Upstairs.)
May 6, Lili Añel. $10-$13. (Upstairs.)
May 6, Krush. $14-$20.
May 12, Bruce in the USA. $20-$30.
May 13, Remembering the Uptown Theatre. $25.
May 13, Mary Fahl. $27. (Upstairs.)
May 18, Lucero. $23-$25.
May 20, Beru Revue. $23-$35.
May 23, Dark Star Orchestra. $25-$35.
May 25, World Cafe Live at the Queen's Farewell Show. Free.