In looking through my journalistic portfolio, I found this story I wrote about the closure of Machine Nightclub in Fenway for my Feature Writing class in early 2021. Giving it another read brought me back to the joys of the late 2010's LGBTQ+ nightlife in Boston, so I wanted to post it on my blog for others to join me in my pre-pandemic nostalgia. Enjoy.
On a typical Friday night in 2019, Machine Nightclub drew endless lines of clubgoers across Boylston Street. Machine's disco lights were home to countless queer Bostonians and college students seeking out an inclusive party space in the heart of Fenway. But for the past year, the ancient building that formerly housed Machine has remained fenced off from the city, waiting to be converted into residential housing units.
A historic relic of the LGBTQ+ community in Fenway, Machine Nightclub was previously one of many gay clubs in the neighborhood. It first opened its doors more than 20 years ago and closed permanently at the onslaught of the coronavirus pandemic last March.
Former general manager Sean Caron said the owner, Henry Vara, "really made sure that the venue stayed around as long as it did. But the inevitable did happen," Caron said. "An offer too good to be true came through the pipelines for that place."
Frequent patrons of the nightclub said rumors of closure lingered in recent years as more gay-friendly bars closed across the city, leaving Machine as the last gay club standing in Fenway.
Caron described Machine's former location as "highly sought after," mentioning an offer from the Boston Red Sox several years prior to buy out the Boylston lot. The venue wouldn't be sold until SCAPE, a British-based development company, bought out Machine's owner months prior to the club's final closure in March 2020. The lot is set to be turned into rental housing, according to the Boston Planning and Development Agency.
"Gentrification is real," Caron said. "The way Fenway looked 20 years ago, the streets looked like tumbleweeds. Everything was flat, it was run-down, and kind of a shit area, to be honest. Now, you look at the skyrises, it's totally different, and we were one of the last old buildings to go."
Caron started working as a barback at Machine in 2001. He worked his way up to general manager after 10 years and stayed on staff until the club's closure in March 2020. The swift blow of the pandemic forced the club to close abruptly without a farewell celebration.
"I was a party kid from the '90s. So, Machine was basically my home away from home," Caron said. "I never thought about an ending, but I knew I was living a special life being in charge of that place for so long, because there's nothing really like it. Right now, where are you gonna go that's like Machine?"
Machine was also one of few nightclubs to offer regular 18+ nights on Fridays and Saturdays, giving young adults an escape from the typical college dorm party scene. Caron said the club began offering regular 18+ events about eight years prior to its closure.
"The first time I ever went to Machine was soon after I arrived in Boston," said Kaitlyn Fehr, a 21-year-old student at Emerson College from Reading, PA. "That night was one of their drag shows, and watching it really made me realize I wasn't in small-town Pennsylvania anymore."
Josh Sokol, a 22-year-old college student from rural Massachusetts, said Machine was the first gay club he ever visited.
"I moved to Boston for college in 2017; I had just turned 18 at the time. I was from a very small, conservative town," Sokol said. "My friends and I made a plan to go to Machine on one of the 18+ nights, and that was basically my first introduction to gay nightlife."
For queer youth like Sokol, an LGBTQ+ inclusive space can offer a unique sense of community, setting Machine apart from the typically straight-dominated college party spaces.
"The reality of the atmosphere of the club really hit me," Sokol said. "Even though I am gay and fully at peace with that, it was still a matter of 'Oh, I've never been in a place where so many queer people are able to be fully expressive in their identities.' To see that was a really eye-opening experience for me."
Fehr echoed much of the same sentiments as Sokol, saying the queer space felt welcoming to her.
"My roommates and I could just go to Machine and let loose," she said. "It was a unique space, especially because that semester I finally came to terms with being bisexual, so I felt much more welcomed there than at a dorm party filled with sweaty frat guys."
Machine was also known for its inclusivity of various LGBTQ+ groups, not just gay men. The club hosted regular lesbian nights for female-identifying individuals and was often referenced as a trans-inclusive space by its regular patrons.
"I had a lot of trans friends who felt very welcomed and safe there," Sokol said. "It's sad to say, but it's a rarity in the gay community for trans people to feel safe in queer spaces, which is unfortunate, but it's also the reality."
Additionally, the nightclub hosted frequent drag shows, like All-Star Mondays, with regular performers such as Raquel Supreeze and Violencia Exclamation Point.
"Literally, if it wasn't for Machine, I don't think a lot of things I've experienced in my drag career would've happened," Violencia said in an interview. "Just from me hosting shows at Machine, people started to notice who I was in the Boston scene."
Violencia said she first began performing at Machine's monthly drag competitions over a decade ago. The up-and-coming drag queen quickly made a name for herself at the club's "Dirty Sexy Mondays," until she was eventually booked for regular drag shows at Machine. She said the performers she met at Machine would eventually help her land a spot on Netflix's competitive drag series, "The Boulet Brothers' Dragula" in 2019.
"I'd say that was my biggest door-opening thing for me," she said "Outside of even just the Boston scene, it's a national show that Machine specifically helped me out with."
With the closure of Machine, there is a hole left in Boston's drag community, as the club was loved by many for its recurring drag shows. Violencia said many other drag performers she knew landed bigger jobs as a result of performing at Machine, much like she did.
"I can't help but think of the greater impact that the closure of Machine, or other gay nightclubs, has on local drag culture," Sokol said. "I follow a couple drag queens on Instagram, like local Boston drag queens. They're without work because these nightclubs are closing, and they've had to resort to finding their own platform to do their work."
The loss of Machine has not been easy to accept for many of its former patrons.
"When I heard the news of Machine closing, I thought 'Wow, the state of queer spaces and queer nightclubs in Boston is really deteriorating.' I mean, it has been for a long time," Sokol said. "That feels like a loss, not only to me personally, but to people like me everywhere who moved to Boston in search of queer spaces, and aren't going to be able to have that. And I think it's going to leave an impact bigger than a lot of people expect."
However, there is a possibility Machine Nightclub may reopen in future years—Boston liquor licenses are hard to acquire, and are often resold or repurposed, according to Caron. He said the owner may consider opening Machine again one day, perhaps at a new location. But in the present, Caron said he tries to remain grateful for the years he had at Machine.
"We're lucky we lasted that long," Caron said. "I would like to see it there another 20 years, but I also am thankful for what we did have."