Review: Ground Zero Night Club

Ground Xero, Springfield's only gamer-friendly club, features non-stop EBM, Goth, Electronic, Synthpop, DarkWave, Metal, and Industrial music, and hosts regular live concerts from both local and internationally acclaimed performers and bands.

There's plenty of room to dance, and two lounge areas if you want a little seclusion. With plenty of tables and comfortable seating, you can play any tabletop game, from dice to card games and more, as it suits you, or have a go at a video game in the caged lounge. You are even welcome to bring your own gaming system and share the fun. Bring a set of darts, and play a few rounds with friends on their resident dart board, or bring in your laptop computer and surf the net with their free WiFi.

Offering four different juices, coffee, and several soda options, you can stay as long as you like and not let liquor touch your lips. If you want an alcoholic drink, Zac at the bar mixes the best Bloody Mary in town, and can whip up something to suit your tastes if you tell him what you are in the mood for, even if you don't know what it's called. One of the only places in town that offers Absinthe and other rare liquors, the drink prices are quite reasonable.

The decor is ideal; black with red accent fabric, muted lighting, and chains hanging from the ceiling for spice.

Everyone over 21 is welcome, and the owners of GX don't believe in prejudice, so no matter your lifestyle, gender, faith, race, status in life, or sexual preference, the folks at GX want you to drop in for a fun time. The average crowd includes hippies, goths, punks, freaks, geeks, and professionals, and there's always time for a little one on one chat with a new friend.

Some fabulous bands play at GX on a regular basis, and I've been privileged to be able to see several amazingly talented groups. New bands and those on tour are welcome to ask if they can preform at the club, but they are picky about who they let play, so applying bands had better be good.

Ground Xero is open from Wednesday to Sunday each week, from 7pm to 1:15am. They're also available for venue rental by appointment for private events like weddings, parties, and more on Mondays & Tuesdays, and all other days of the week if their schedule is clear on your preferred day. They fill up quickly, so be sure to book ahead to get your spot.

Current weekly events include Zero Lounge (downtempo music and hookas) on Wednesdays, Industrial Dance Machine on Thursdays (EBM & Industrial music), and World of Darkness gaming on Sundays (18 and up, no liquor). Fridays and Saturdays are the days when you are most likely to find a concert, and there are specialty events that can be found on their calendar regularly. Wednesdays & Thursdays are both lady's night, ladies get in free.

A little known night club on north-central Springfield, Ground Xero is the only locally-owned bar that started up with less than $75,000, but you wouldn't know it to look at the place.

You can find Ground Xero on Myspace at GXProductions and on Second Life via the link on their website. Find out who's performing this week by calling them at 417.865.1787.

[where: 1107 east commercial, Springfield, MO 65802] Map
* Photo used with permission. © GXProductions