The Final Countdown – Spanish Moon’s 80s Night says farewell

Nearly everyone has a story about ’80s Night at Spanish Moon.

The dance night which features select songs from the decadent era has been running for 11 ˝ years.

Tonight, the Moon says farewell to the decade and the Thursday dance night with a Farewell party. The event is free, and ladies drink free until 10 p.m. Doors open at before 9 p.m.

Spanish Moon owner Shane Courrégé says it will be a sad night, and he will miss it.

“This really is the night that put the Spanish Moon on the map,” Courrégé says. “It got people aware of the bar and helped promote the music we’ve been trying to bring to Baton Rouge.”

Jeremy Woolsey, the current talent buyer for Mud and Water, created the night and hired Chris Culotta, a.k.a. DJ Bird, for the event in 2000.

At the time, Woolsey was still in college, and booking dance and DJ parties was the way he paid for other shows to come to the Spanish Moon and other venues around town. With 80s Night, Woolsey saw a great opportunity.

“I knew that if you gave Baton Rouge a consistent weekly event, it would catch on due to the small circles people in town run in,” Woolsey says. “I needed a DJ with flair—somebody who knew people and had some punk rock sensibilities. I wanted to separate from the cheesy retro that had worn out its welcome down the street. So, I reached out to Chris Culotta and got him on board.”

Woolsey says when the party was first conceived, there was a consistent entertainment level, and Baton Rouge did not have a ton of options.

Culotta took the brand of Star 80 to another level as Woolsey moved to New York City and then Australia.

“Chris really built it into the mega event it became, and I was glad to see Star 80 thrive,” Woolsey says.

Culotta continued to DJ and host the event until fall 2011. He now owns his own bar and venue in Lake Charles, called My Place American Pub.

Just What I Needed. from Crane Films on Vimeo.