Caravan of Dreams

Story by Victor Drabicky
Photos by David Dunai

When rumors that Caravan of Dreams was shutting its doors surfaced a few years back, local musical acts were outraged.

Caravan of Dreams was the premier, and maybe only, music venue in Tarrant County that seemed to have any self respect. The atmosphere was always good, the facilities were always clean and the business was always professionally handled.
So why would it close?

Two women pass the corner of the Caravan of Dreams Wednesday night. Caravan of Dreams is located at 312 Houston St. in downtown Fort Worth.

With nobody giving reason for the closing, local artists packed the room for its last few days of life, each vying for the crucial last night on stage. Somehow, amid of all the scrambling for the shows, the closing date came and went, and the rumors of the closing disappeared.

Nearly two years have passed since the rumors first surfaced, and Caravan of Dreams remains the premier music venue in Tarrant County and possibly all of north Texas.

Caravan’s attention to perfection is obvious the moment you enter the room. From the mirrored walls to the always seemingly brand new carpet, everything is spotless. Night after night, the room is packed with smoking patrons that often have one drink too many and make a mess of the place. Yet the next day, any evidence of the mess is long gone.

If cleanliness is not Caravan’s biggest attribute, then atmosphere is. The people, lighting and sound are nearly perfect. The standard doorman, overweight, under bathed and seemingly never happy about his job, has been replaced with a clean-cut gentlemen that is more than happy to check your ID and take your ticket stub. His warm welcome and playful teasing of age or driver’s license picture can make even a patron with the poorest demeanor smile just slightly.

But the doorman is just the beginning. The wait staff is more than helpful, and despite the crowded room they are usually pretty quick with their service. Amazingly, after spending the entire night on their feet, dealing with frequently less than enjoyable patrons, they still manage a smile and a “thank you” as you leave the room.

Tables fill outside of the two-story building where Caravan of Dreams is located.

If, by some small chance, the doorman or the wait staff didn’t cheer you up, the room itself will.

The spectrum of feelings from the dimly and often candlelit room can span from romantic to relaxed and is always welcoming. The mirrored and mural painted walls, coupled with comfortable chairs, make for a more than enjoyable stay.

When the show does start, there is not a bad seat in the house. The well-designed circular stage allows the entire room to easily see the band and seems to encourage audience members to walk right up to the stage to get a close-up picture of the entertainment.

If you would prefer to stay in your seat rather than push your way to the front, you will still be able to enjoy the show. The Caravan of Dreams sound system makes almost any band sound good. The crisp, clean sound is loud but never overpowering. You will have no problem hearing anything coming from the stage, but at the same time, your eardrums won’t have permanent damage from the volume. It is nice to see a venue finally realize that loud music doesn’t necessarily mean good music.

However, not everything at Caravan of Dreams is perfect. If there is a down side, it is the bands. Caravan of Dreams offers a little of everything. The problem is they spread themselves too thin. While Caravan does host a few worthy bands such as Sugarbomb, Blue October and the Zac Maloy Band, they too often host the likes of The Radiators, Leo Kottke and Bertha Coolidge.

Attention to detail and an overall great atmosphere has taken Caravan of Dreams from the brink of closing to the top of the list of best music venues in just a few short years. Congratulations on realizing that if the bands and the fans are happy, success will follow.

Victor Drabicky is a senior broadcast journalism major from Farmersville.
He can be reached at (v.m.drabicky@student.tcu.edu).