| SOB's | |
| Address: | 204 Varick Street |
| Location: | New York, NY 10014 |
| Type: | Live music venue/Nightclub |
| Opened: | June 1982 |
| Owner: | Larry Gold |
| Seating Type: | Seating and Standing room |
| Seating Capacity: | 350–400 |
| Website: | http://sobs.com |
SOB's is a live world music venue and restaurant in the Hudson Square neighborhood of Manhattan. S.O.B.’s is an abbreviation of Sounds of Brazil.[1] [2] Larry Gold opened SOB's in June 1982 with the purpose of exposing the music of the Afro-Latino diaspora to as many people as possible. It has a standing capacity of 450, and a seating capacity of 160.[3] Gold remains the owner of the venue.
In its early days, SOB's existed on a barren stretch at the corner of Varick Street and Houston Street, just above the Houston Street subway station. The area, now known as Hudson Square, soon became trendy due to its proximity to the SoHo neighborhood. The venue's reputation began to grow with performances from Latin legends like Tito Puente, Marc Anthony, Celia Cruz and Eddie Palmieri. Brazilian artists including Seu Jorge, Jorge Ben, and Astrud Gilberto have performed at the venue, as well as more contemporary artists such as Isaac Delgado, Orquesta Aragon, Los Papines, Manolito Simonet, Septeto Nacional Ignacio Piñeiro, and Los Van Van.