Launchpad is a live music venue in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Located on Central Avenue SW in Downtown Albuquerque, it opened in 1997 and has become one of the city’s long-running clubs for underground and alternative music.
The venue is owned and booked by Joe Anderson. Its first concert featured Albuquerque punk bands Scared of Chaka, The Eyeliners and Bovine, setting the tone for a club that would become closely tied to the city’s punk, rock and metal scenes.
Launchpad has a capacity of around 300 people and functions mainly as a standing-room club. The stage measures 18 by 18 feet, keeping the audience close to the bands and giving shows a compact small-club atmosphere. The exterior is easily recognised by the large rocket sculpture above the entrance.
The programme covers rock, punk, metal, indie, electronic music and other genres, but heavy music has been a regular part of the calendar since the venue’s early years. Bands that have played Launchpad include Kreator, Destruction, Neurosis, Meshuggah, The Haunted, Mnemic, God Forbid, Overkill and Suffocation, alongside many New Mexico underground bands.
On 28 February 2008, a major fire destroyed the neighbouring Golden West Saloon. Launchpad and the adjacent El Rey Theatre suffered smoke and water damage, forcing the venue to close temporarily while repairs were carried out. Launchpad later reopened and continued operating from the same Central Avenue address.
In 2025, the venue marked its 28th anniversary with two nights of performances by more than twenty Albuquerque bands. The anniversary reflected Launchpad’s long role as a local stage for both touring acts and the city’s own underground music community.
ADDRESS:
618 Central Ave SW, Albuquerque, NM 87102, USA
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