ICE HOUSE SMUD ICH
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The Comedy Store was founded by comedians back in the 1970s and has been giving people giggles ever since. It has a big history in Hollywood, hosting special events for the stars and having a reputation for giving comedians a boost, including Tim Allen, Billy Crystal and Dave Chappelle. Buss said he expects tickets for the first performances and events at the new Ice House to drop on their website by Feb. 1. Typically, tickets go on sale a month before the show’s date, but in the case of their grand reopening, Buss expects they will have no trouble selling out. People are excited to come and performers are itching to get on the stage, Buss said.
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But over the last several months, the club has finally finished its long-awaited reshaping and is ready to turn the lights back on. After looking into several spaces, Buss decided to purchase the 63-year-old Pasadena venue, which is dubbed as the oldest comedy club in the country, from longtime owner Bob Fisher. For Margaret Cho, the club’s first big headliner to perform Thursday night, the details in a comedy club make the comic’s experience and the fan experience feel like they’re being taken seriously. The club sat in limbo until recently — during which time Buss’ mother, JoAnn Mueller, also passed away, before the club reopened.
The Laugh Factory, Los Angeles, CA
Guests pass through the red-brick walls of the revamped bar and patio area into the revived main room. Despite the club’s new mainstage set up, dubbed the Legendary Room, it still retains an intimate vibe where stand-up idols and up-and-comers have thrived on the raw energy and laughter of a working class clientele. Once again the building is outfitted with mics in the ceiling to capture the roar of one of L.A.’s loudest laughing crowds. It's a sound new owner Johnny Buss — the oldest son of the late Lakers owner Jerry Buss — has been waiting to hear since he bought the place in 2019. Although it just opened, the club already boasts a packed schedule with well-known comics.
How The Ice House comedy club in Pasadena…
At first, he thought they would wait it out, but by the summer, it had become increasingly clear that the Ice House wasn’t going to reopen anytime soon. Instead of looking at that fact negatively, Buss seized the opportunity to use that time to renovate the property. Currently, The Ice House is set to re-open in the Spring of 2022 with a spectacular line up of comics and a block party to celebrate the city of Pasadena and the businesses that we all know and love. You will know this to be true if you ever find yourself in his office. As you walk through the frosted glass doors, your eyes will land on a multitude of framed and autographed photos on the wall. Johnny reflects back on his time with The Lakers, The Sparks, and The Lazers with much fondness but admits that his heart has always pulled him in a different direction.
After a year and a half of supply chain-riddled construction delays and permit delays through the city of Pasadena, Buss expects the Ice House to be ready in early February. His new renovations come with a new era for the Ice House that will include not just comedy, but live music, dancing and stage-show productions. Growing up in the age of early television, watching comedy icons like Bob Hope and Jack Benny, Buss recalled that stand-up was something his family could enjoy. So, when Buss retired from co-owning the LA Lakers, he purchased Pasadena’s iconic Ice House Comedy Club off North Mentor Avenue. To mark the special occasion, a ribbon-cutting ceremony organized by the Pasadena Chamber will take place followed by a weekend of sold-out shows featuring headliner Gabriel Iglesias.
"It's just a great venue where musicians can get their fingers wet, and audiences can enjoy themselves comfortably," said Jack Torrey, co-leader of the Cactus Blossoms, who showed up to Wednesday's concert. Icehouse patrons and a wide cross section of the Twin Cities music community swiftly responded to the evection threat this week by voicing and pledging support for the club and eatery. "The last two years have been very tough on the local music scene," Liebeck said.
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When the lights hit the stage and he was finally able to open the doors to the legendary Ice House comedy club in Pasadena on Feb. 16, new owner Johnny Buss admitted that while the audience was laughing, he was getting a little emotional. Originally opened in 1960 as a folk music venue that occasionally hosted comedians, the Ice House transformed into a stand-up comedy club in 1978. Since opening in 1960, many well known comedians have graced the Ice House Comedy Club stage. As the oldest comedy club in the nation, Ice House Comedy Pasadena recently saw a renovation under new ownership from Johnny Buss, featuring updated interiors and a whole new entrance while preserving the historic structures and design elements. Headliner Johnny Buss shared his 40-year passion for comedy clubs, beginning as a pledge with his father, the late Dr. Jerry Buss, to whom the reborn Ice House is now dedicated.
Meet the Owner
The lineup of performers booked to appear can be seen on the club’s website, icehousecomedy.com. The legendary Ice House Comedy Club, which has been closed since 2019 for renovations, will be opening next year on February 9, the owner of the club confirmed. The site’s “Now Hiring” page reveals openings in traditional areas including wait staff and line cooks but also features calls for an executive chef, sous chef and VIP coordinator. The club will feature a new VIP Lounge capable of seating up to 30 people in a private setting that includes its own self-serve bar, and a room-assigned food and cocktail server. A giant privacy glass window will allow VIP patrons to see the stage but prevent the general showroom seating from seeing into the lounge. The club’s spiffed-up site (icehousecomedy.com) offers images of how the main showroom will appear, with individualized seating and carpeted floors replacing the wood floors and seating along long, continuous rails.

As fans of comedy, Johnny and Jerry had seriously discussed opening a comedy club together in the past. So after purchasing The Ice House in 2019 — and giving it a $4 million facelift during a three-year closure, mostly due to the COVID-19 pandemic — Buss finally has the club he and his father had always dreamed about. PASADENA, Calif. — The Ice House, regarded as the oldest comedy club in the country, has been given a new lease on life under the new ownership of Johnny Buss.
The team’s name stemmed from the up-and-coming laser light show industry which he believed would depict a perfect synergy of the lightning-fast pace of indoor soccer. It became a pre-game ritual for every Lazer’s home game to have a laser show displayed on the walls of the Forum. This even intrigued Neil Diamond enough to visit the Lazers offices in order to investigate and ultimately incorporate this new laser technology into his own onstage live performances. Now Buss is bringing all of his successful, trail blazing experience to the Ice House with the intent to increase the legendary status that is already a part of this iconic comedy club while living out his lifetime dream of owning a comedy club. Though the Ice House is known as a place for comedy, it was also a stage where folk acts, magicians and other performers wielded wands and banjos, honing their craft in the ‘60s and ‘70s before stand-up emerged as the entertainment of choice.
All seating will now be reserved, with bottle service and an expanded, higher-end menu adding to the experience. The team has created a new tunnel for patrons to enter the club, replacing the past experience of walking through a nearby alley and lining up in the front parking lot. That approach added a touch of mystery to a night at the Ice House, but Buss and company are going for an upscale vibe across the board. Though it's always served its purpose as a training ground, the Ice House is also going to be a place where stars can mingle while they watch famous funny people perform. “It's a little easier for me with the club because the Ice House has a legendary history. My phone rings off the hook when people want to perform,” Toler said.
In 2019 The Ice House increased its LEGENDARY status when it was purchased by Johnny Buss. Son of Dr. Jerry Buss and co-owner of LA’s most iconic professional sports team the Los Angeles Lakers. While president of the Los Angeles Sparks the team brought back-to-back WNBA Championships to the city of champions. Prior to the Sparks Buss served as president of Los Angeles Lazers of the Major Indoor Soccer League.
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