Toad's Place

History

Toad’s Place is the standing-room club at 300 York Street, New Haven, beside Yale. The building had been the Yale Co-op and then restaurants including Hungry Charlie’s. Mike Spoerndle opened Toad’s in 1975 and turned it toward live music in 1976; Brian Phelps joined as manager that year and took control in 1995. Capacity is about 1,000. Documented nights include an unannounced Bruce Springsteen set in 1979, Billy Joel recording Songs in the Attic in 1980, early U2 U.S. shows, the Rolling Stones in 1989, and Bob Dylan in 1990. Foghat’s account lists the club for October 16, 2026. (Wikipedia; AP, Aug. 7, 2025; Music Museum of New England.)