NJ says goodbye to legendary venue: Club Bene torn down
Club Bene was torn down today on Route 35 in South Amboy and with it, another legendary venue and a piece of our youth is gone. I remember seeing Pat Cooper there and wanting to see a young Bon Jovi perform as well. Among the many famous people to play Club Bene were George Carlin, Gilbert Gottfried, Meatloaf, David Brenner, The Ramones, and Warren Zevon, just to name a few.
Club Bene was owned and operated by the late Joe Beninato, who would usually be perched by the front door with a cigar in his mouth. It was the kind of place that you could dress up to go to if you wanted, but you didn’t have to. To me personally, it was the Jersey version of the Copcabana and I will miss it.
Below are some amazing pictures from Club Bene from past to present. A special thanks to Joe's granddaughter, Dina Mykietyn for sending us these photos.
Did you ever go to Club Bene? Who did you see perform there? Let us hear your stories in the comment section below.