Harvard Alums Buy Troubled Clubs

Who says that Harvard doesn't know how to party?

According to a report in the Boston Globe, Nicholas J. Saunders '99, Eli W. Bolotin '99 and Basil el-Baz '97 last week purchased the M-80 and Paradise nightclubs on Commonwealth Ave., a day before the complex was shut down for violations of city liquor regulations.

The previous owner of the club, Seth Greenberg of Boston, had been looking to sell the property after years of hassles over allegations of underage drinking and of overcrowding from Boston police and the city's Licensing Board.

Terms of the purchase were not disclosed, and none of the parties involved was available for comment yesterday.

Last Tuesday, the three alumni bought the club. Just one day later, though, the Licensing Board announced it was suspending the club's liquor license for six months.

"They had four violations and they were on probation," said Kathleen McNally, a Licensing Board member.

Pending approval by the board, the club will re-open this fall under the new management.

M-80 has a reputation for being an international club scene, with big-name music groups appearing at the neighboring Paradise. Past acts at the club include Billy Joel, Elvis Costello, the Police, Tom Petty, Dire Straits, U2, Prince, and Aerosmith.

The club attracted national attention in 1997 when New England Patriots quarterback Drew Bledsoe jumped off the stage into the crowd during an Everclear concert.

In the ensuing melee, a patron was badly injured.