Live Nation will bring its Punch Line Comedy Club to Tucson, remodeling the historic space at 119 E. Toole Ave. The new club will seat 250 people, and include a Ziggy’s Magic Pizza Shop and Stardust Lounge.
“With Rio Nuevo, it is our job to invest in our local economy,” said Edmund Marquez, vice chairman of Rio Nuevo. “We are honored and thrilled Live Nation has chosen Tucson, along with Sacramento, Philadelphia, Houston, and other cities.”
Marquez emphasized the club’s potential to attract national talent.
“This would bring some of the most famous comedians in the country to Tucson, like Dave Chappelle, Kev Hart, etcetera,” Marquez said. “We hope that our local comedy club fans can share in the excitement of our punchline comedy club in Tucson.”
Current tenants Borderlands Brewing and Playformance have occupied the building for over a decade.
Es Teran, owner and CEO of Borderlands Brewing, shared the following on social media Wednesday night:
“This is one of the hardest messages we’ve ever had to write. After more than a decade of serving Tucson with heart, with pride, and with an unwavering belief in our city, we’ve learned that our home at 119 E. Toole Ave. will be turned over to a national comedy chain backed by Live Nation.”
He also expanded upon the sentiment behind the space.
“It has left us saddened and searching for answers. This space was never just a bar. It was a place where we built something that mattered. A place that has provided meaningful employment to hundreds of Tucsonans over the years, many from underrepresented communities. A place that has been featured in The New York Times, TIME Magazine, and on national TV because of what it stood for. Community. Culture. Tucson.”
Within the last couple of years, Borderlands opened a new location in the Sam Hughes neighborhood, at 2500 E. Sixth St., and a brewcade-style taproom in the Foothills at 5605 E. River Rd. Additionally, there’s the restaurant/cocktail lounge concept, Sonora Moonshine Co., located in downtown Tucson.
Playformance also issued a statement via their email newsletter:
“Dearest Families,
As some of you may be aware, our building is in the process of being sold by our landlords to Live Nation to become the home of a comedy club called Punch Line and a pizza restaurant. This sale is supported by the Rio Nuevo board and it looks fairly certain to be happening. This means that Playformance and Borderlands will be required to move out of our 119 E Toole location. We learned about the agreement yesterday through an article on Tucson.com.
We have received verbal assurance from our landlords, Peach Properties, that we will be able to stay through the month of August. We are currently in the process of finding a new location to serve you and your family. We appreciate and value your partnership and have the needs of your family in the forefront of our minds and hearts[…]”
Rio Nuevo and Peach Properties toured the property and the tenants were aware, Marquez said. He also noted that Peach Properties gave them advance notice and is helping them find a new space.
Peach Properties has not responded to request for comment by time of article publication. However, KOLD reached them via video. Rio Nuevo and Peach Properties both received death threats after information surrounding the opening became publicly available.
Playformance followed up with another post on their Facebook page:
“We appreciate the outpouring of love and support. It has come to our attention that Rio Nuevo, Peach Properties, and members of the community who were involved in this decision have been receiving deeply unkind, and hurtful messages, and even death threats following the breaking of this news.
Those of you who have been part of Playformance might know that we understand that conflict and disagreement are part of life. We believe and teach that through thoughtful resolution and repair of conflict, we can become closer and gain a deeper understanding of another’s experience.
We value disagreement and discomfort as a teacher. Importantly, an important part of healthy relationships is that students in our programs are allowed to feel however they want but they are not allowed to do whatever they want, including causing harm or pain to others intentionally. Sometimes it feels good for a minute to hurt someone who has hurt you. Ultimately that feeling of pleasure wears off and what is left is more suffering and pain and a ruptured relationship. We are seeing lots of kids who do not know how to have healthy conflict and we work constantly on helping kids and families learn and practice maintaining respect in relationships while engaged in conflict and disagreement.
At Playformance we take care of the people. ALL the people. We aren’t all friends and we don’t all see the world the same way but we all deserve respect and consideration. Violence toward others is never tolerated. Hateful words are never tolerated. The words we choose matter and the way we act matters. Our actions show who we really are. 💗”
Playformance followed up with another email statement:
“We were not completely blindsided by the possibility of being displaced but were told about the possibility in mid-March.”
Stay tuned for Borderlands Brewing’s final day on Toole Avenue. In the meantime, they are still open.
On April 30, Teran emailed Tucson Foodie with another statement:
“We issued a statement last week from the heart, expressing sadness over being excluded from any collaboration or discussion around the Live Nation project. It was never intended as an accusation or blame towards anybody, but somehow it got twisted into a narrative about lack of notice which was never the message. I’ve felt personally misrepresented and a bit blindsided by how quickly things spiraled.
There’s been a lot of misinformation and negativity out there, and while we strongly condemn any threats or hateful messages that have come out of this, we genuinely appreciate the support the Tucson community has shown for Borderlands. That means a lot to us.
Our board met today and our chairman spoke directly with Fletcher. Rio Nuevo is open to working with us on a relocation within the district, but we will need to present a proposal and plan for them to consider at a future board meeting. The reality is we were not prepared for a sudden move and are now exploring all possible options to keep the brand and our community space alive but that will take time.”
[April 24, 2025, 3:20 p.m. update: added quote and information from Edmund Marquez, updated headline]
[April 26, 2025, 3:25 p.m. update: added link to KOLD video, quotes from Playformance]
[April 29, 2025, 9:18 p.m. update: added another email statement from Playformance]
[April 30, 2025, 2:22 p.m. update: added another email statement from Es Teran]
For more information, visit borderlandsbrewing.com.
Article written by:
Matt Sterner
More about MattAt a very young age, Matt Sterner was gifted with the artistic ability to masterfully roll a burrito to the highest of standards, but the wrapped medley of delicious innards wasn’t his first love. Matt’s first true love was a combination of reading, writing, and creating. He grew up reading comics, the ingredients list of his shampoo and conditioner bottles, choose-your-own-adventure books, and the Scrabble dictionary — something he found useful when challenging his grandmother to a game.
He attended college at New Mexico State University and graduated with a degree in Digital Filmmaking. One of his favorite classes was screenwriting because he became responsible for the story’s birth before it came to life on-screen. After school, Matt took on numerous positions at a local television station in Tucson. From dealing out stories about heartbreak to producing “fluffier” content for a lifestyle broadcast, he learned what it takes to adapt to the many emotions the world of media can stir. Since 2017, Matt has dabbled in the culinary world of Tucson as well as San Diego, California from time to time.
If you’re in the mood for strange stories, head over to his pride and joy, wonkytimes.com. And in case you’re curious — yes, after all of this time, he still manages to roll a killer burrito.
