Iggy Pop, The Clash, U2, R.E.M., Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nirvana and Fugazi have all played the room, and for many fans that means bragging rights: "I saw them when…"

Built in 1926 by William and Andrew Karzas, the Aragon has been for the last 30 years, one of America’s premiere dance halls. Dapper gentlemen and elegant ladies swayed to the sounds of Frank Sinatra, Tommy Dorsey, Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman and Ted Weems as lighted stars twinkled above.

With a name and overall design that captured the romance of a Spanish palace, the Aragon saw a weekly attendance of 18,000 in its peak decades.

A fire at the neighboring Normandy Cocktail Lounge in 1958 caused $50,000 in damages to the Aragon and things were never really the same.

William Karzas sold the dance hall in 1964, and for the next few years the room hosted a skating rink and boxing and wrestling matches.

A subsequent owner worked out a deal with an investment group, and in 1966 the grand Aragon was rechristened as the Cheetah Club, a psychedelic disco that catered to the "turned on" moderns of the day. This incarnation lasted until 1968.

1969-1972 saw more turnovers in ownership, but by this time the rock groups were in place. In 1970, Hair creator Michael Butler launched a sort of "Rock and Drug Bazaar" that hosted the Grateful Dead, The Byrds, Jethro Tull and other "head" bands of the era. It all lasted for under a year, as the general chaos of the drug scene meant a virtual ban on rock until 1973. Then Willy Miranda and Jose Palomar purchased the site and, in partnership with JAM Productions, have successfully managed to keep the Aragon a premiere rock venue.

Now back to the "cavernous shed" and "less than spectacular sound" complaints: they may have merit as long as one realizes that the room was designed as (and has been restored to) a ballroom—an architecturally grand hall built for dancing to the great big bands. That said, the right engineer could achieve some pretty amazing results—even if he is running sound for a complicated rock show.

Stunning sets by David Bowie, The Verve, Bad Religion and The Strokes (all witnessed by this writer in the past 10 years) have been heard loud and clear at the Brawlroom.