After 30 years on Ponce de Leon Ave., dance club MJQ Concourse reopens on Jan. 29 in the former Dante’s Down the Hatch space at Underground Atlanta.
The latest iteration of the legendary Atlanta nightclub features multiple dance floors and bars serving slightly more sophisticated drinks. At the same time, the new MJQ presents a time capsule that honors the iconic Dante’s Down the Hatch space at Underground Atlanta coupled with the vibe of “old Ponce.”
But the Downtown relocation and upgrades to drinks and design won’t change the identity of MJQ as a gritty little underground dance club where everyone is welcome, or its commitment to longtime regulars, co-owner Ryan Purcell insisted.
In 1994, George Chang opened MJQ in the basement of the Ponce de Leon Hotel, currently home to boutique hotel the Wylie. Three years later, Chang moved MJQ into the former Lou’s Blues Revue space and added “Concourse” to the name in honor of the Atlanta airport. MJQ Concourse became a hallmark of the city’s underground nightlife, especially for Atlanta’s queer community.
“I think that MJQ is one of the few places where you can experience Atlanta’s melting pot,” said Purcell. “We’re trying to create a safe space for everyone to co-mingle because that’s what Atlanta is. It was accepted and kind of how we are now — I mean, we want everybody to be there.”
The club will still maintain that old Ponce attitude, too, with its Wednesday “locals only” nights and a lack of VIP perks.
“There are a lot of celebrities who have come through the space and they just want to blend in,” Purcell said. “You’ll just find Woody Harrelson posted up next to the DJ booth.”
The most exclusive offering at MJQ’s new location is the ability to purchase tickets online and wait in the will-call line instead of the general admission line.
Purcell got involved with MJQ after the COVID-19 pandemic, first as a photographer and then as a party manager. At the time, the club’s trio of owners had whittled down to just Ben Rhoades.
“Pretty much all of my introductions to Atlanta nightlife [are] through MJQ,” Purcell said.
But within weeks of coming on board as a co-owner of MJQ and reopening the club to the public, Atlanta developer Portman Holdings signed a deal with the landlords to purchase the property on which the club and its live music venue, The Drunken Unicorn, resided. The purchase also included the properties of other popular nighttime haunts on Ponce, like The Bookhouse Pub and Friends on Ponce.
Purcell said he immediately shifted his focus to finding a location for MJQ, affording the club security and longevity against a changing Ponce. That’s when the owners of Underground Atlanta reached out to Purcell and MJQ partner Ryan Murphy about taking over Dante’s Down the Hatch — the space had sat dormant for 25 years because the owner was taking the time to find the right tenant.
It didn’t take much work to bring Dante’s into the future. The subterranean location at Underground Atlanta remained remarkably well preserved, even after 25 years.
The famed pirate ship became a spaceship, with its decks transformed into a loading bay aglow with neon lights. The most significant renovation saw the old Dante’s kitchen made over into a dance-oriented area complete with a bar and DJ booth. But not all of Dante’s eccentricities were lost with the MJQ renovation. Nods to Dante’s come in the form of an alligator head peeking out from the clouds and the Hatchling cocktail named in honor of Dante’s devotees.
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The move to Underground Atlanta wasn’t out of the blue. It’s also home to a few of MJQ’s former neighbors along Ponce and North Avenue, most significantly The Masquerade.
“That was a really big draw for me because I remember going to The Masquerade and then going to MJQ afterwards,” Purcell said of choosing to relocate the club to Underground Atlanta. “I think they really managed to capture that following.”
Within its new downtown Atlanta home, MJQ can rebuild that synergy it once had on Ponce with other music-driven establishments like The Masquerade. More space allowed MJQ to expand to four bars, build out larger dance floors, and include capacity to host unique and immersive events. You’ll find hidden-away nooks around MJQ now. An enclosed space adjacent to the main dance floor, for instance, offers people an experience with a reduced noise level and elevated cocktails.
“If you want to come here, get a drink and dance, you can absolutely do that. If you just want to immerse yourself in the space and find these Easter eggs around and just chill, you can do that too,” Purcell said. “We specifically built this space for the patrons that have already been coming to MJQ. We’ve had 30 years to know what people want.”
MJQ Concourse @ Underground Atlanta, 50 Lower Alabama St., Downtown. Open Wednesday – Saturday, 11 p.m. to 4 a.m.