Venue: I-Beam
Town: California, US

The I-Beam was a former popular nightclub and live music venue active from 1977 to 1994, and located in the Park Masonic Hall building on the second floor at 1748 Haight Street in the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood of San Francisco. The I-Beam served as one of San Francisco's earliest disco clubs, as well as serving as a "gay refuge". Before opening the club, Sanford Kellman had an impromptu party there and found that all the neighbors complained about the noise. Therefore, Sanford Kellman was required by the city government of San Francisco to soundproof the entire building at great expense, delaying the opening of the club for several months. The I-Beam began as a seven-night-a-week club, opening on October 20, 1977. On the opening night of the club, groups of bare-chested men in jeans and construction hats carried I-Beams on their shoulders into the club. It originated as a gay disco run by Sanford Kellman, a former astronomer. The club was named after Sanford Kellman's dog, "Beamer". Throughout the 1980s, the club served as a top outlet in the city for "imported modern rock". As the crowd left the I-Beam for the newer clubs South of Market such as the Trocadero Transfer and later on Dreamland, the I-Beam opened only for five days a week. Later in their history, on Friday and Saturday nights at the I-Beam hosted heterosexual dance parties. The club hosted I-Beam Sunday Night Tea Dances, which took place from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. on Sunday night. Free passes to this popular tea dance were routinely handed out in San Francisco. Michael Garrett was the first DJ to play there when it opened in 1977, immediately after which Tim Rivers was hired and played Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday nights. Eventually, a Sunday Tea Dance was added and Tim played the opening hours, 4 pm to 8 pm, after which Steve Fabus took over the 'tables. Steve played at the Sunday Night Tea Dance from 1977 to 1980. From 1980 to its end in 1992, Michael Garrett was the primary DJ-he played modern roc