Viper Room   

8852 W Sunset Blvd
West Hollywood, CA 90069
310-652-7869
www.viperroom.com

Directions   Email   Send to Cell  

Star actor Johnny Depp and his business partner Anthony Fox launched the Viper Room in West Hollywood in 1993, turning the former site of the Melody Room, an infamous jazz dive bar and stomping grounds for gangster Bugsy Malone and Mickey Cohen in the 1950s, into a celebrity-packed sensation overnight. The Viper Room was marked by tragedy early on in its history, however, when club regular and promising young actor River Phoenix collapsed and died outside of the venue on Halloween night 1993. On into the late '90s, scandal continued to thrive at the nightclub as celebrities sought refuge from limelight in the dark corners and black vinyl booths of the Viper Room, bringing in with them their own unique sets of personal drama and hordes of paparazzi. In 1999, the Viper Room underwent a massive makeover, dropping its doom decor for more of an art deco design. As a live music venue, the Viper Room remains one of LA's finest, with top bands performing nightly and star acts such as the Stone Temple Pilots, Pearl Jam, Oasis, Tom Petty, Iggy Pop stopping by for the occasional surprise appearance. DJ sets and dancing are also featured every weekend in the Viper Room's upstairs main room. -- Jesse Torres