Thunder Chicken/Alibi/Top of the Rock/Club 911/The Red Zone?

Do you remember Thunder Chicken, Thunder Bird Diner, Alibi, Top of the Rock, Club 911, The Red Zone, or DV8 Nightclub? They all lived in one building and are now gone.

Restaurants and Clubs Come and Go in West Michigan

It seems every week there is a restaurant closing in West Michigan. Then another one moves into the location or they turn into something else. Opening a successful restaurant is one of the toughest businesses to get into.

Night clubs are notorious for starting well in Michigan, and once the local law enforcement realizes people are having fun they start camping out down the street to pull over drivers that may have been drinking and soon people stop going and then they close.

One GR Building Has Been Restaurants and Clubs and None Made It There

There was one building located at 5707 Alpine Avenue on the north side of Grand Rapids that has been a couple of restaurants and several different nightclubs over the years.

Read More: Elmdale A Street, Road, Or Avenue In Grand Rapids?

According to the If You Grew Up in Grand Rapids/Kent Count, then You Remember Facebook Page, the building pictured above started as a restaurant named Thunder Chicken in 1974. It lasted about a year before being renamed the Thunder Bird Diner in 1975. The diner lasted another year before turning into a nightclub called Alibi which had a decent run until 1983.

In 1983, the club was named Top of the Rock and I performed there a few times in a band called Lazy Bones but that was in the late 80s. Lots of fights got the place closed down but I remember having a blast playing there. The club was then named Club 911 in 1992, and three short years later, it reopened as The Red Zone. It seems no matter who opened the club, it would start great then fights would break out and get it shut down. There was even a report of one person dying at the club. The club's last run was in 1997 when it was called DV8 Nightclub. After several owners and name changes it just couldn't cut it.

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In the early days, some big names performed like Bob Seger and Kiss.

Many bands performed like the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Journey, Huey Lewis and the News, and more. If you would like to take a trip down memory lane click here.

What is in the Building Now?

The building is no longer a restaurant or nightclub but it is still standing. The building is now an auto body and glass replacement center by the name of Gerber Collision and Glass.