by Mike Telin

Anyone who’s a fan of the long-running television sitcom Cheers will undoubtedly remember the show’s catchy theme song which includes the “philosophical” line,  ‘sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name.’ Since the BOP STOP began regularly presenting concerts during the fall of 2014, manager Gabe Pollack has taken that line to heart.

He’s usually the first person to say hello when you enter the inviting venue — if he doesn’t know your name, he soon will. And by the time you leave you’ll likely know the names of most of the other audience members, as well as those of the performers. Pollack is the venue’s Sam Malone, and his friendly staff is the supporting cast. Between June 27, 2014 and September 6, 2015 Pollack welcomed nearly 8,000 “Bop Stoppers” to performances at The Music Settlement’s West Side venue. [Read more…]