Showco Haunts & Hangouts

Where the family gathered off the clock

Showco life didn’t end when the shop closed or the trucks were loaded. There were bars, clubs, restaurants, patios, pools, and late-night stops where the crew unwound, compared stories, and occasionally found a little trouble. Some were Dallas institutions; others were overseas haunts shared with the bands and crews Showco worked beside. These are the places that became part of the family story.

Greenville Avenue Country Club — GACC

3619 Greenville Avenue, Dallas

Known simply as the GACC, the Greenville Avenue Country Club was a comfortable, unpretentious Dallas favorite with food, drinks, live music, a patio, and its famous swimming pool. One of the great Showco-era snapshots is Donnie “DK” Kretzschmar’s 1967 Camaro sitting in the parking lot in 1985—the kind of image that brings the place, and the people around it, right back to life.

The Golden Lion — Fulham, London, England

57 Fulham High Street, London SW6 3JJ

In the 1970s, the Golden Lion was one of London’s great rock-and-roll pubs—an off-duty gathering place for musicians, road crews, and production people. Near Manticore Studios, it became closely tied to Led Zeppelin and the world around them. Robert Plant and John Paul Jones attended a roadies’ charity raffle there in 1978, and Showco memories connect the pub with members and crews from The Who and other British acts.

Schmidt’s — Dallas

Schmidt’s was part of the Dallas off-road circuit—the kind of place where Showco people could land after work, catch up between tours, and keep a night going. Like so many crew favorites, what mattered most wasn’t the sign outside but who was around the table.

Mother Daughter’s — Dallas

Mother Daughter’s was part of the Dallas after-hours circuit for Showco people—a place to land after work, meet up between tours, and let the night run long. It belongs here for the same reason the best crew stories do: because everyone remembers who was there, even when nobody remembers what time they left.

Add a place to the story

Where did the crew go after work? Which table, booth, pool, patio, or neighborhood spot became part of Showco lore? Share a story or correction—the place, approximate years, photographs, and the people who were there can help bring another piece of the Showco family story back to life.