The Hard Rock Cafe in Pittsburgh will close permanently on February 13, 2025, after 23 years of offering music, dining, and entertainment. The establishment, which opened on June 24, 2002, has been an anchor tenant of Station Square on the South Side. The closure was confirmed in an emailed statement from Hard Rock International on Friday.
Outside of the collectible Hard Rock Pittsburgh pins, the venue was known for providing a stage to mid-sized touring bands that had outgrown Club Cafe and The Smiling Moose. Over the years, it became a right of passage for acts to pass through its stage.
The final concert for Pittsburgh’s Hard Rock Cafe will be February 13, 2025, and feature Joe Grushecky and The Houserockers, Billy Price, and Special Guests. Doors are at 7pm.
The stated reason is the expiration of the venue’s lease in February 2025. Its 55 employees have been offered opportunities to transfer to other Hard Rock locations. Hard Rock International, which operates 314 locations in 74 countries, did not indicate plans to relocate within Pittsburgh. The only other Hard Rock Cafe in Pennsylvania is located in Philadelphia.
The closure marks another loss for Station Square, which has seen other high-profile closures recently, including Joe’s Crab Shack in September and Buca di Beppo coinciding with the Italian restaurant chain’s bankruptcy.
The Hard Rock joins Cattivo and Club Cafe in music venues the music scene is losing this year.
Updated: Added details and time for the final show at The Hard Rock.