SCOUTING YESTERDAY: Closure of iconic nightclub followed legendary run in downtown Sioux Falls
This week in South Dakota history: Nov. 29 - Dec. 5
Sioux Falls saw the closing of its most legendary rock ’n’ roll club 25 years ago this month.
The decision to shutter The Pomp Room was announced Dec. 2, 1998, by club manager Ward Ertz, who said a slowdown in business led to the closure of the iconic venue.
Originally opened in 1958 as “The Pump Room” at 131 S. Main Ave. by Chris and Mae Miller, the club was named after Chicago’s famous bar in the Ambassador Hotel. Changing the name to The Pomp Room in 1959, the Miller’s avoided legal proceedings threatened by the Chicago bar’s lawyers, according to the Argus Leader.
It changed hands in 1963 when Sioux Falls Police Sergeant Dale Dean purchased the bar from the Millers. The lawman moved the bar to a new location at 215 N. Dakota Ave. The new venue provided more space, allowing for bigger acts and more entertainment. It wouldn’t be long, however, until the club again had new ownership, purchased by Duane and Jeannie Ertz in 1971. After their purchase of The Pomp Room, the country western house band that had regularly performed there was fired as the new ownership began the venue’s era as a rock ‘n’ roll club.
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According to the South Dakota Rock And Roll Music Association, Jeannie booked the bands that played Monday through Saturday nights. The Medicine Show was the room’s first house band, while the title of longest running house band is shared between Priceless and Choosy Music, acts that each played for eight months. The first national act booked at the venue was The Association, famous for songs such as Never My Love and Along Comes Mary.
Under the Ertz’s family ownership, Sioux Falls was treated to many of the world’s most famous musicians in addition to the local and regional bands that frequented the club. Cheap Trick played the venue twice in one year, according to the Argus Leader. Quiet Riot, Steve Earle, Korn, Los Lobos and Marilyn Manson were among many of the other big name acts that played the stage.
The room was full of rowdy fans and musicians alike. On one occasion, according to the South Dakota Rock And Roll Music Association, Jeannie once had to confront an unruly Davy Jones of The Monkees. Jones laid into the owner, yelling “Do you know who I am?” to which Jeannie replied, “Do you know who I am?”
The club got bad reputation in the late 1980s, according to the Argus Leader. In a 1991 interview, then-manager Jon Ertz explained the difficulty of shedding that reputation
“It’s the people who say ‘I won’t go to the Pomp Room and I’ve never been’ that have nightmares about this place… The people who come here know better.”
That stigma was magnified on Oct. 21, 1990, when Pomp Room bouncer Scott Fodness was killed. Fodness and another bouncer had evicted a man from inside the bar before the incident. Fodness then attempted to stop a fight across the street, according to the Argus Leader, when Kenneth Fields stabbed and killed the 23 year old who also worked as a chef and kitchen manager at the Magnolia Café.
In 1993, Aerosmith and MTV gave the room a national audience, according to Sioux Falls radio station B102.7. Following the band’s show at the Sioux Falls Arena, which was touted as the biggest stage ever assembled there, Aerosmith booted a local band off the Pomp’s small black stage and played a four song set. The performance was documented by MTV’s Kurt Loder and aired on MTV News.
A documentary on the club itself was released in 2022. Made by South Dakotans Jesse Yost and Austin Kaus, “The Pomp Room: A Rock and Roll Bar Story” is a 140 minute film comprised of interviews and memorabilia collected over the bar’s 27-year run.
The doors closed for the last time following a sold-out New Year’s Eve performance by disco-revival band The Glory Holes and opener 12 1/2 Charlies. “There are so many stories,” said Ward’s brother Fred, “It’s almost like a Cheers, but a different atmosphere. There’s tears in everybody’s eyes if you look deep enough.”
Notable events in South Dakota history
Nov. 29, 1898 — The Volga Tribune reports a freight train was broken into while parked in town during the overnight hours. The bandit made off with a gallon and a half of oysters and 15 bottles of beer.
Dec. 3, 1973 — The Rapid City Journal reports U.S. Sen. James Abourezk and 13 other senators have written a letter to President Richard Nixon seeking action and an explanation as to why oil industry profits were up 63 percent in the third quarter while Americans are being asked to turn down their heat, slow down their cars and turn off their Christmas lights in order to conserve energy.
Dec. 4, 1923 — The Lead Daily Call reports the origin of a tombstone near Vivian predating the settlement of South Dakota has been revealed. According to Gomer Davis, who lived near the tombstone’s location, the stone was brought by a homesteader from Wisconsin. The homesteader was a candy maker, and it was common practice at the time to use tombstones, turned over, to cool the sweets.
Dec. 5, 1948 - The Daily Plainsman reports that tucked into South Dakota’s 1939 legal code is a statute which outlaws dueling. The paper was unable to find any instances of duels since statehood, but should one choose that option to uphold their honor they faced prison time and would be barred from civil or military office or employment in the state - in addition to their potential loss.