Baltimore, MD’s famed The 8 x 10 Club has found a new set of owners. The venue, which opened in 1983 and has hosted Billy Joel, Phish, Chuck Berry, Dave Matthews Band, Nirvana, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Lenny Kravitz, Jimmy Cliff, Bo Diddley, Widespread Panic, Robert Cray and many others, was slated to close in late June. However, Rising Sun Presents, a Philadelphia-based live-music company, has assumed ownership and management of the club. 

To operate the 300-person club independent venue in the historic Federal Hill neighborhood of Baltimore, Rising Sun Presents will partner with Baltimore native and venue regular Cris Jacobs, a frequent presence at the space since his days with The Bridge, and longtime building owner Dave Rather “to further the mission that current owners Abigail Janssens and Brian Shupe have championed during their 21-year tenure at the venue. “

Rising Sun Presents, which was founded in 2022, is the team behind Ardmore Music Hall, a 600-capacity independent venue in the Philadelphia suburbs. RSP Managing Partner Chris Perella said, in a statement, that he sees “The 8×10 as a logical expansion that is also close to his heart: with strong family history in the Baltimore area and a lifelong love of the Orioles, he is excited to turn his team loose on Charm City.”

He goes on to say,  “We’ll focus on continuing the legacy that Abigail and Brian have fostered for the last two-plus decades, while adding the fine details and fan-focused touches that have become signature features of the RSP live music experience. 

“The 8X10 has helped shape who I am as a person and an artist,” Jacobs says. “It’s been that sacred space for creating music and building lifelong communities in Baltimore for decades. I honor the opportunity to help preserve and continue its legacy with the Rising Sun Presents team, who are truly some of the most righteous folks in the business.”

The venue will close for the summer with eyes on a October 2026 reopening. The new team will also include Jeremy Rusen, an 8×10 regular and local trades craftsman who will spend the summer leading venue improvement projects before becoming General Manager. In addition to upgrades to the venue itself, “improvements will center on team building, national tour bookings, signage, a membership program, and food & beverage updates.” 

“We believed the universe would deliver The 8×10 the right owners if we waited long enough, and it obviously did,” longtime owner Shupe said in a statement. “We trust that RSP will be loyal stewards and protect The 8×10 long into the future. We can’t wait to be at the club, this time in the audience.”