Iconic Herman's Hideaway concert venue will become a Latin dance club

One letter at a time, the 62-year history of Herman’s Hideaway was being erased on Wednesday.

In reverse order, a lone painter on a tall ladder was covering the familiar, gigantic white-on-blue letters that long covered the iconic concert venue's west-facing exterior wall. First the S, then the N that end the word HERMAN'S.

By 5 o'clock, only the HER remained. Soon the newly all-white brick facade will adorn a new logo and a new name: Coco Bongo's at Herman’s Hideaway.

A longstanding concert staple that hosted the first-ever Colorado shows by the Dave Matthews Band, Blues Traveler, Widespread Panic, Phish and many others is being remodeled and rebranded as a tropical Latin dance club.

Coco Bongo’s Booking Manager Manny Fleming, who opened Lime in 2018 at the Denver Pavilions, took occupancy of the building at 1578 S. Broadway on Monday. He said it will remain closed until its targeted Aug. 1 reopening.

The extensive internal remodel will include an LED-lit dance floor, palm trees and a smaller stage that is being retrofitted to primarily accommodate weekend DJ shows – though Fleming emphasized the new Coco Bongo’s will continue to present occasional local rock concerts familiar to the existing Herman's clientele. The back area that was occupied by a sound engineer has been cleared out for additional dancing space. He said the reimagined space should comfortably fit about 350.

He also emphasized that Coco Bongo’s at Herman’s Hideaway is not affiliated with Coco Bongo , the most popular disco in Mexico, known for its giant-screen projections and acrobat shows. The added apostrophe and ‘s,’ he said, is to distinguish the brands.

“We are going to bring a new format and new theme to the Denver community,” said Fleming, who describes the Coco Bongo’s vibe as “a little tropical getaway that will give you a taste of the ocean without having to go downtown.

“But we are also going to honor the legacy of Herman's Hideaway," he added. "We will be very open-minded about also having rock shows, top-40 nights and other themed nights.”

Mike Roth, grandson of bar namesake Herman Roth and now a third-generation owner of the Hideaway, has signed Coco Bongo’s to a three-to-five-year lease.

All previously scheduled Herman’s shows are now off, though Fleming said some announced events might yet be accommodated. One that can’t is a highly anticipated theatrical run of the Broadway musical “ Hedwig and the Angry Inch ,” which had been booked by Julia Tobey of Give 5 Productions to be staged environmentally from Aug. 1-17 at Herman’s Hideaway.

While Tobey was disappointed that Coco Bongo’s did not honor her contract with Roth, she said “Hedwig” will go on as scheduled at The Arch , located at 3001 Walnut St. in RiNo. She said her rock musical will only be the better for the change.

“This production is moving forward in a much larger venue with much higher production values,” Tobey said.

Herman Roth bought the Cunningham Lounge in 1962, renamed it after himself and converted it from a restaurant into what he called “a shot-and-beer joint.” Son Allan began hosting concerts in 1982, but Herman’s really took off as a destination concert venue with the rise of jam bands in the 1990s. Until the end, Herman’s typically hosted several concerts a week and was a haven for local bands just starting out, including Big Head Todd and the Monsters, The Fray, Flobots, Opie Gone Bad and the Psychodelic Zombiez.

Opie Gone Bad frontman Jake Schroeder said he has "so many great memories" of crowds lined up around the block to get into a bar that twice expanded like a teenager having a growth spurt.

"Even when it was just a tiny little bar, we opened there for the Subdudes," he said. "Then they doubled in size, and we played there again with Spencer Bohren and Big Head Todd." Schroeder remembers a New Year's Eve concert when 18 inches of snow didn't keep the fans away. "There was no Uber then, and the taxis were being all snotty," he said. "I remember giving rides home at 3:30 in the morning in the back of my truck to anyone who needed one. That was pretty cool."

For years, the Roths would make Herman’s available to any local band that wanted it, with an unusual pay scale that was often determined by how many butts those bands brought through the door. It has been estimated that Herman's Hideaway has now hosted about 33,000 bands.

When Herman Roth died in 1997, his tribute concert drew Chris Daniels, Hazel Miller, Nina Storey, Wendy Woo and more. After Allan Roth died in 2019, son Mike took over day-to-day operations.

For much of 2023, Herman’s was managed by an external group called Hermans Legacy LLC. It has been reported that the group invested about $170,000 into the bar, including new lighting and sound gear. But Tony Sainte, principal owner of the LLC, told The Denver Post at the time that his group struggled with attendance and bar sales. He ended the arrangement in January, which again put the lease up for grabs.

Mike Roth, who has made no official announcement confirming the rebranding of the club that has borne his grandfather’s name for 62 years, did not immediately return a call for comment. But the Herman’s Hideaway website was changed today to say the bar is "closed for renovations,” along with the message: “Fantastic things to come."

Schroeder, who heard the news in France, where he runs a nonprofit called D-Day Leadership Academy that brings underserved students to Normandy, said he wasn't exactly saddened by the news, "because that’s just the way things are.

"But I do feel bad for Mike Roth because he’s a nice guy, and I’m sure his heart is hurting a little bit right now. He and his father and his grandfather created a lot of opportunities for a lot of musicians, and that is significant."