35 Years Ago: Soundgarden Played at The Tree Cafe in Portland, ME

Portland’s got some legendary venues in its concert history – and if you’ve been around long enough, you might just remember the Tree Café. Today, it's Zen Chinese Bistro, but back in the day, it was the place to catch up-and-coming bands. It had this cool, layered setup with an up-close-and-personal lower level and a balcony above, which encouraged a little daring “balcony hopping” if you’d had a couple of drinks.

The Tree Café wasn’t huge – maybe a couple hundred people could squeeze in – but it was packed with energy. Some pretty epic acts came through, including one very memorable night on Halloween in 1989 when a super unknown (see what I did there?) Seattle band named Soundgarden hit the stage. Yeah, before they were the Soundgarden who helped define the grunge era, they played this tiny Portland venue. Imagine seeing Chris Cornell just a few feet away in a small club.

It wasn’t just Soundgarden, though. The Tree Café saw the likes of Widespread Panic, Camper Van Beethoven and Concrete Blonde. It was the spot to catch bands on the rise before they blew up.

Tree Café joins the hall of fame of Portland’s gone-but-not-forgotten venues, alongside classic spots like Granny Killam’s, Stone Coast Brewery, and, of course, the iconic Zootz. These places might be long gone, but their legacy will live in on in Maine history.

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