10/23: Crescent Ballroom marks 3rd anniversary with free show

The Crescent Ballroom is celebrating its third anniversary Thursday with a birthday bash headlined by Gardens & Villa. And Charlie Levy, who owns and operates the downtown Phoenix venue, says he can't believe it's been three years already.

"It seems like a year," Levy says. "But it goes both ways. At other times, it seems like the Crescent has been around since Phoenix started. There have been so many shows and great memories and people who have gone through there, if we closed tomorrow, it would feel like we'd been there forever."

Not that he has plans on closing tomorrow.

"Hopefully, I'll be there for the 30th anniversary," Levy says. "I'll be there with my walker."

Adopting an old-man voice, he says. "Remember when Gardens & Villa played there? Now, they're in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame."

It's been three amazing years, he says, "And the amount of special shows and nights we've had there, it's really too many to count. In my wildest dreams, I could never have imagined Crescent becoming what it is. And we're even more excited for next year. We're still so young that no one's jaded yet."

In addition to Gardens & Villa, Thursday's party features local acts A Cloud for Climbing and Bear State, DJ My Funeral and "Life's a Drag" with Olivia Gardens.

"We wanted to do something a little bit special for our staff and for the people that come to Crescent," Levy says. "And we wanted to do something a little bit different. So we decided to put together a show with an obviously really cool band from California and a few locals that normally don't play Crescent. We added our new favorite DJ with my new favorite DJ name, DJ My Funeral. And we had drag that night, so it's the perfect Crescent mix -- a band from out of town, some local bands, drag queens and DJ My Funeral. There's a little something for everyone."

And it's free, which as Levy is quick to add, is important.

"Who wants to pay for a party?," he asks, with a laugh. "If you have to pay for a party, it's not really a party. No one invites you to a party and makes you pay."

Details: 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 23. Crescent Ballroom, 308 N. Second Ave., Phoenix. Free. 602-716-2222, crescentphx.com.