REVIEW: Studio 80 doesn’t appeal to millennials

Studio 80 opened recently in Clear Lake and gives the locals an outlet to express their love for the ’80s. The venue is fantastic, but I don’t know if it can last at the “cursed” location – nothing ever lasts there.

The atmosphere of the club is totally ’80s with their lava lamps, music videos and a light-up dance floor. The staff is friendly, but the drinks are overpriced for how weak they are. The large patio is relaxing and seems to be the place most of the young crowd hangs out. I’ve been to the club at least 6 times since it’s soft opening, and my friends and I usually stay on the patio most of the night. Unfortunately, my main problem is that they need a new DJ, one that stays there and has a broad knowledge of music.

Studio has themed nights throughout the week, and my friends and I decided to go for Wednesday ’80s and ’90s country night after we left Big Texas. However, Studio is competing with its next door neighbor, Big Texas, on one of its most popular nights. Since the venue was dead, I approached the DJ and asked him to play some Shania Twain, Tim McGraw, and other artists from the time period, but he didn’t have them.

Who goes to ’90s country night and doesn’t bring Shania with them? You know who does have Shania? Pretty much any other bar in the surrounding area with a jukebox, or Big Texas. Studio really needs to stop trying to compete with Big Texas and embrace that there are two clubs in the same shopping center. They share a parking lot, so why not share the customers.

This past week, I went to the ’90s night, and I even dressed up in an ’90s outfit. I wore my flannel around my waist, a choker and my Garbage shirt; this is the outfit I wear most of the time anyway so it was nothing special. It seems like everyone else had the same idea – I mean all of these things are back in style now anyway.

The music was not what we expected, and we didn’t recognize any songs until NSYNC came on. It was mainly ’90s Latino music, which is fine, but there was no Selena, and no one was dancing. Since the place was dead again I approached the DJ once more with a flannel pocket full of music requests from the group. It was a different DJ this time, and he did not have any of the music the crowd wanted to hear.

When I asked the DJ why he did not have any No Doubt or Garbage, because it seems like an ongoing issue, he said that he could only play hits from the Top 40 of the time, and they had to have certain beats per minute (BPM) so attendees can dance. This policy is understandable but I don’t think the DJ had a broad knowledge of music. He literally just played “Black Hole Sun,” which does not have a very high BPM for dancing but is a classic.

I think there is a disconnect between the people attending the club, and the people running the club. Studio is used to catering to an older crowd, but it is young people who are coming to the venue.

Because of this disconnect, I do not think the club will last as long as expected, especially in that location. The Fort Worth/Dallas area has a different clientele than the Clear Lake/Seabrook area. Most bars around here are stocked full of bikers, Columbia shirts and bros in baseball caps. If customers decide to go to Studio spur of the moment wearing their normal weekend clothes, they will be politely turned away at the door.

The dress code that is enforced is a sure fire way to stop the younger crowd from attending because there are no hats, no solid shirts and no shorts below the knee allowed inside. The young crowd tends to bar hop and does not always know where they will end up. On the other hand, the older crowd tends to make an event of going out and plans to dress to impress.

The club is trying to keep the young “hoodrats” out of the venue, but they don’t understand that it is a young crowd in the area and they spend more on shots and drinks than the old crowd. The older crowd already lived through the ’80s and doesn’t make it look nearly as fun as the millennials expect it to have been.

Don’t get me wrong, I really enjoy going to Studio 80, and everyone should go check it out. Just understand that it’s not a final destination for the night as the owners expected. Studio 80 is one stop on the way to a more accepting local bar, that’s for a younger scene and has a jukebox.