Bars & clubs / West Side (Greenfield & Joy)
Backstreet
Closed – archive entry · 2011
Legendary West Side gay disco opened in 1979, which booked stars like Sylvester and drew up to 1,200 dancers on Saturdays.
01 / The story of this place
Make time for these
Backstreet opened in August 1979 in a strip mall at Greenfield Road and Joy Road, named for its back-door entrance. In the 1980s it booked disco acts such as Sylvester, Patrick Cowley and Paul Parker and drew up to 1,200 people on Saturday nights, rivaling Menjo's in a 'war' over sound systems and drink prices. The club later became a straight venue, and the last event under the Backstreet name in the original space took place on October 28, 2011. The name was revived in 2019 on Livernois Avenue, in the building that Arcenciel now occupies.
- Booked Sylvester, Patrick Cowley and Paul Parker
- Up to 1,200 dancers on Saturday nights
- Legendary rivalry with Menjo's
Sources & fact check · Checked: 2026-09-25
An independently written bilingual guide. This collection is not an attendance-based ranking.
03 / Events
Events at this place
Published events automatically linked from our event guide. Times are local to the venue.
We have no published upcoming events linked to this place yet. That does not mean the venue has no events; check its official calendar too.
Source and former website ↗