The Bottleneck

History

The Bottleneck is the rock club at 737 New Hampshire St., Lawrence, Kansas, in a building that had been a paper warehouse and a roller rink. It operated as Off The Wall Hall (punk and bluegrass bills from the late 1970s; setlist.fm dates under that name run about 1979–1983), briefly as Dynamo Ballroom, then Cogburns, and was renamed the Bottleneck in the mid-1980s; a Hüsker Dü venue-notes page says the Bottleneck name is dated to 1985 but Cogburns flyers still appear in 1986. A 2024 Kansan guide says the name nodded to the beer selection. Acts associated with the room include Red Hot Chili Peppers, Smashing Pumpkins, and Foo Fighters. The Embarrassment and Get Smart! played the earlier Off The Wall Hall. (thirdav.com Off The Wall notes; University Daily Kansan guide, July 27, 2024; Wikipedia, The Embarrassment)