The Channel Was the Fort Point Club Where Alice in Chains Played Before It Went Dark
A 1980s rock club on the water, a bankruptcy, a mob-linked owner who vanished in 1993, and a murder case solved 25 years later.
The Channel was a rock club on the edge of Fort Point Channel in South Boston, across the water from the Financial District. It opened in 1980 and was at its peak through the 1980s.
Who ran it?
Joe Cicerone, Harry Booras and Rich Clements founded it. In its heyday Jack Burke and the Booras brothers ran it. The authorities pulled its liquor license several times, with fines for serving minors.
How did the Channel end?
Badly. The club’s run ended in steps:
- 1990: the owners filed for bankruptcy.
- 1991: a group led by Steven A. DiSarro took over; mob boss Frank Salemme and his son had a financial stake.
- 1992: the last listed shows, including Alice in Chains and Stone Temple Pilots in November.
- 1993: it reopened as an adult club, and DiSarro disappeared on May 10.
In 2018, Salemme and Paul Weadick were sentenced to life in prison for DiSarro’s murder.
Where to see a show like that now
Fort Point today is restaurants and the Seaport. For standing-room rock, try Roadrunner, the Sinclair or the Paradise, and read about the Rat, Kenmore Square’s rock basement from the same era.
Sources: Wikipedia: The Channel (nightclub).
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