Hurry | photo by John Vettese for WXPN
Scenes and sounds from Everybody Hits’ Final Out
After five years, 300+ concerts, and scores of musicians immortalized on photographer Scott Troyan’s baseball cards, Everybody Hits — Fishtown’s storied indoor batting cage by day, DIY music venue by night — closed its doors and rolled down its gates for good on Saturday afternoon.
The shuttering happened as the building Everybody Hits occupies is being sold, but regulars of the Cages didn’t go into the night without one last gig for good measure.
On Saturday afternoon, an Everything Hits Everything Must Go Sale was expanded to include The Final Out, a don’t-call-it-a-show event featuring short sets from three regulars of the space.
Perry Shall has played the Cages in various configurations over the years, and brought his thrashing hard rock band HOUND to open the proceedings. Power pop faves Hurry followed, playing new songs and waxing nostalgic about all their record release parties held at Everybody Hits, reminiscing about some of their best (and worst) moments at the space, and inviting founder David Gavigan to the microphone for a cover of John Fogerty’s “Centerfield.”
“This place has always brought people together,” said Gavigan, and that spirit was in the air throughout the day — friends and acquaintances embraced beneath the giant papier-mâché baseball propped up in back, shared smokes out front, pored over show posters and picked up excess bats and balls up for grabs around the room.
Punk trio Amanda X closed out the afternoon with a set of rippers stretching from their first album (the tumbling “Parsnip”) to their most recent single (the fired-up “Vivid”). Bassist-vocalist Kat Bean told a story about her first encounter with Gavigan, via phone, when she was on tour and wanted to book a homecoming for Amanda X. “I said ‘You don’t know me at all, but I’m in a band,’ and [he] just cut me off and says ‘FUCK yeah,” Bean said. For the grand finale, and the last song ever played live at Everybody Hits, Troyan joined Amanda X on guitar for an apropos cover of Semisonic’s “Closing Time,” with Gavigan once again taking the mic to belt the final chorus.
Streamers flew across the room, bats and balls were signed in sharpie, team photos were taken, and everyone headed out into the afternoon — no one in tears, but no one denying the formidable impact the space had on the city’s independent music community. “Thank you everyone for coming and supporting your scene,” said Bean. “It’s very important.” “And on to the next thing,” added Cat Park
Check out more scenes from the Final Out at Everybody Hits, beginning with a video of HOUND performing “Death Lends A Hand” from their album Born Under 76. For more, check out this report by the Inquirer’s Cassie Owens, with photographs by Elizabeth Robertson and Tyger Williams.