Naturally, Miami's erratic weather responds in the only way it knows how — it pours.
"It was the grayest day. We got the team together at 7 a.m. and worked for ten hours building a stage and a bar from scratch in an available warehouse behind ZeyZey," shares cofounder and creative director Pili Restrepo on what she oddly considers her favorite memory at the venue.
After a nearly 24-hour workday and an unexpected power outage mere minutes before the performance, Neil Frances successfully delivers an infectious set to a crowd blissfully unaware of the day's earlier chaos. That's the ethos of ZeyZey — creating a homey atmosphere for regulars, elevating production value for artists, and offering hospitality to everyone.
As the venue approaches its first anniversary, its commitment to catering to the cultural needs of locals remains unchanged. In an act of generosity unheard of on birthdays, ZeyZey will host a free concert this weekend featuring Puerto Rican bomba-fusion band El Laberinto del Coco out of sheer gratitude for how the 305 has shown up for the venue in the past year. Mainstays Wolf Tacos and beverage consultant Esther Merino's craft cocktails are set to keep the good eats rolling and pour one out in ZeyZey's name.
"We made it a free show as a thank you to Miami," emphasizes cofounder Josh Hackler. "This is a really amazing band, and they would otherwise be pretty pricey, but we're really doing this as a gift to the Miami community."
"People generally say, 'I've been waiting for something like this in Miami, it's so overdue,'" Anthony Hall says.
GrassFed Culture photo
"People generally say, 'I've been waiting for something like this in Miami; it's so overdue,'" Hall shares. "We try and keep our finger on the pulse of what our friends and peers are listening to and try to bring them."
ZeyZey bends over backward to bring you your slammed-fist music demands.
If you've lived long enough on the southeastern tip of Florida, you're not shocked when Miami's excluded from tour dates. Lucky for you, travel trivialities don't faze ZeyZey. The venue keeps its programming fresh with a Spirit Airlines partnership that flies out its headliners to Miami before jetting them off to their next show, making it possible for you and your favorite artist to meet. That's some next-level devotion.
This mutual obsession between ZeyZey and the Magic City has made its first year a hit and promises the venue's future will be as bright as the city's neon glow. Expansion plans — cheekily named ZeyZey 2.0 — are already underway and will see a doubling in the venue's capacity, an elevated VIP deck around its iconic Banyan tree, improved stage technology, and a brand-new bathroom trailer. (Regulars, IYKYK.)
"We've slowly found people who pour their heart and soul into ZeyZey," says Hall about the names and faces behind the venue's dedication to the Miami community. "Our general manager, Sarah Marshall, is an absolute superstar; working with Josh and Pili is the gift that keeps on giving. It's super inspiring and could literally choke you up."
ZeyZey's Anniversary Party. With El Laberinto del Coco. 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. Saturday, August 17, at ZeyZey, 353 NE 61st St., Miami; 305-456-2671; zeyzeymiami.com. Admission is free with RSVP via shotgun.live.
