Say goodbye to singing “Piano Man” at the top of your lungs near Fort Lauderdale’s Las Olas Boulevard — and say good night to John Boy.
Howl at the Moon, a dueling piano bar chain that tickled the ivories here for about a year, permanently closed on Feb. 28, said Mike Weymouth, its landlord and president of The Las Olas Co., in a Tuesday email to the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
“We are beyond grateful for the unforgettable nights, packed dance floors, song requests, birthdays, bachelorettes and all the memories made with you,” the bar posted on social media on Feb. 26, where it initially announced its closing, and said its nearest location in Orlando will remain open.
In its place at 270 SE Sixth Ave. will rise the retro dance lounge Good Night John Boy, a shag-carpeted time machine to the era of corded rotary telephones, disco balls and Farrah Fawcett posters, the Ohio-born chain bar affirmed in an emailed statement. It will mark the boogie wonderland’s second South Florida location, after one opened last May near Delray Beach’s Atlantic Avenue.
“I can happily confirm that we plan to expand GNJB into Fort Lauderdale with an expected targeted opening of October,” said Michael Schwartz, co-owner and a bar spokesperson.
When it first debuted in December 2024, the 5,000-square-foot Howl at the Moon featured the singalong joys of “Sweet Caroline” and took song requests backed by a seven-piece house band.
The restaurant-bar gave no reason for closing, abruptly shuttering two weeks before a planned St. Patrick’s Day party on March 13-14, according to a Facebook post. Howl at the Moon president Bradd O’Brien could not be reached for comment despite attempts by phone and text message.
Howl’s short-lived Fort Lauderdale return came with high expectations for a local comeback, O’Brien told the Sun Sentinel in October 2024. The brand previously had a decade-long run at Fort Lauderdale’s Beach Place before closing in 2009, throwing lively dueling-piano shows fueled by tips, alcohol, bawdy jokes and comedic crosstalk that sometimes embarrassed customers.
To be more sensitive to modern audiences, O’Brien said that Howl’s revival would take fewer song requests while softening the onstage comedy bits, adding that its modern music and food menu of wings and flatbreads would also drive the bar’s success.
“There’s no bits, no joking vulgar humor like we did in the past,” O’Brien said in a 2022 interview. “Las Olas needs quality nightlife energy and we’re the ones to bring it.”
Those with outstanding Howl reservations can email ftlevents@howlatthemoon.com, while those wanting to redeem party bookings at a different location can email nationalpm@howlatthemoon.com. Those with prepurchased gift cards can use them at remaining locations, the Feb. 26 post added.
Staff writer Phillip Valys can be reached at pvalys@sunsentinel.com or X/Twitter @philvalys.