Hundreds gathered to bid farewell to the site of an iconic landmark that played a significant role in the growth of the industrial and goth scene, as well as the LGBTQIA+ community, in Raleigh.
The small brick building at 2 S. West Street in downtown may not look like much from the outside, but its basement holds decades of memories for those who attended The Fallout Shelter or FLEX. Soon, that building will be gone.
As part of the farewell event, Steve Halberstadt, the DJ who originally hosted the industrial dance nights the venue became famous for, worked to bring The Fallout Shelter back to life in its original location for one last night. More than three decades since it closed its doors, more than 250 people lined up to once again dance those youthful memories.
The photos show guests dressed in leggings and leather, posing in front of the iconic Fallout Shelter sign.
“It amazes me that three decades later people still want to come together and reminisce,” Halberstadt said. “It was like going back in time.”
Remembering Raleigh’s industrial and gothic scene
Many who attended industrial nights in Legends may not realize that the origins go back to The Fallout Shelter.
Fallout Shelter opened in 1985, but it would be a few years before Halberstadt brought its famous dance nights there.
He was throwing industrial goth dance parties in the clubhouse of his apartment complex.
“He put up a bunch of flyers and invited people to dance to music they didn’t hear anywhere else,” he said.
He expected about 20 people to come, and was blown away when more than 120 guests arrived. One of the guests was a person from WKNZ, who was familiar with The Fallout Shelter. Seeing an opportunity for collaboration, Halberstadt was invited to play industrial music on Monday nights at The Fallout Shelter.
“At the time, there weren’t any other clubs playing industrial music. It was new,” said Halberstadt. “He spoke to the younger crowd we tended to attract: college-aged.”
He said that the music spoke to the angst of the current political situations of the time and provided a way to “dance away your anger”.
‘Everyone felt safe:’ A place for people who felt like misfits
Even back in 1989, Halberstadt described the crowd as super inclusive and very diverse as well.
“There could be preparations, or people dressed in their best goth outfits. Punks, LGBTQIA+, old and young. Everyone felt safe there,” he said.
That, perhaps, is why, even three decades later, people are so fond of The Fallout Shelter.
“You could be a bit of a misfit, because you’re surrounded by other people, who may not be the same kind of misfit that you are, but they are misfits in their own way,” he said.
Due to the extreme spirit of welcome and openness, Halberstadt recalls that The Fallout Shelter drew a very diverse crowd.
Because there was no internet, this type of music and community spread by word of mouth.
“You had to look for something like this, and when you found it, it was like a gold mine that you had found,” he said.
Around 1992, The Fallout Shelter reached its peak in number. Grunge music became the new popular scene, and there weren’t that many new bands coming up that fit the industrial genre.
“That’s when the owner decided it was time to change,” said Halberstadt. “And after five years of having huge success with DJ nights, I was ready for a break too.”
That’s when Legends took over the torch, taking back the industrial and gothic nights.
“On that last night, someone even drew a little map showing people how to get to Legends, in case they wanted to keep dancing to industrial music,” he said.
FLEX nightclub provides a safe space for the LGBTQIA+ community
A few years later, FLEX took over the basement area and began providing a gathering space for Raleigh’s LGBTQIA+ community.
Just as the industrial nights from The Fallout Shelter moved to Legends, FLEX is also moving some of its programming to Legends, at least temporarily.
According to the FLEX website, it plans to reopen in a new space this fall and will provide updates on the location.
Meanwhile, FLEX also honored memories of their time at the soon-to-be-demolished site by hosting a ‘Last Night in the Basement’ party.
Thirty years later, The Fallout Shelter opens for the last time
Three decades later, the final night of The Fallout Shelter showed that his spirit hadn’t changed much.
“Since it is a basement, it has remained pretty much the same. It’s underground,” Halberstadt said. “That’s why it was so amazing to have a final reunion party in that space.”
This was the sixth reunion party he’s hosting in decades, but he said it was magical to have the final reunion in the same space where they started.
Although life has changed in the last 30 years, she says it felt amazing to see so many familiar faces.
“People who went to The Fallout Shelter are now in their 40s and 50s. We have careers and kids. Going out on Monday nights isn’t something we do as much anymore,” he said. “But so many people made the arrangements and got out, and it makes my heart happy that it had such an impact.”
Halberstadt says that the magic of the old days was resurrected on the dance floor, which was packed for more than five hours.
“The reviews from people who remember have been enthusiastic, and I’m very proud that I was able to make the atmosphere available, but it’s the customers who always do the magic and did it again,” he said.
In memory of those days, Halberstadt has recreated the original Fallout Shelter t-shirts. He had personally created 100, but they sold out that night. House of Swank agreed to create a second series of shirts, but they will It will only be available until August 3.