ANN ARBOR, MI - The rumors and speculation are true: One of Ann Arbor's most iconic venues, the Blind Pig, is for sale.

Swisher Commercial listed the Blind Pig and the adjoining 8 Ball Saloon for sale on Thursday, Feb. 23. No price was listed for the building, and no one was available for immediate comment.

From its early days as a venue catering to prominent blues and rockabilly artists like Koko Taylor, Otis Rush and Lightnin' Slim to its explosion in popularity in the early 1990s following a legendary performance from an up-and-coming band named Nirvana, the Blind Pig has been a showcase for local music and underground acts before they caught their big break. The grunge trio later went on to cite the club as their number one venue of choice, providing it with a spike in popularity.

The laundry list of notable bands and artists to fill the venue over the past five decades reads like a who's who of rock artists from their time: Smashing Pumpkins, Jack White and The White Stripes, the Rollins Band, Buddy Guy, Sonic Youth, Modest Mouse, Kid Rock, Yo La Tengo, Bo Diddley, Soundgarden and Pearl Jam, to name a few.

The club was opened by two University of Michigan seniors, Tom Isaia and Jerry Delgiudice, in 1971, according to a chronology posted on its Web page. The pair purchased an abandoned furniture store and named it Blind Pig after a slang term for police officers that had been bribed by speakeasy proprietors during 1920s prohibition.

When it opened, the Blind Pig was a cafe by day and a club by night, featuring blues music performed by some of the greats, including Koko Taylor, Boogie Woogie Red, Hound Dog Taylor and Roosevelt Sykes.

In 1981, a local couple, Roy and Betty Goffett, bought and then expanded the business by purchasing an adjacent building and bringing the stage from the basement to the upper level. They also built an additional bar, the 8 Ball Saloon, downstairs.

Artists like Laith Al Saadi had speculated for months about the venue being up for sale via social media, but ownership would not confirm the sale.

Al Saadi referred to the Blind Pig as one of his favorite rock and roll venues, with memories of playing and attending shows dates back more than a couple of decades to when he was a student at Community High School.

"When the Blind Pig is full of people, that stage has an energy and electricity," Al-Saadi said in January. "I think just the closeness of the crowd and people trying to watch from all angles is what makes it so special. And also, it's a part of history.

"For me, growing up in Ann Arbor, that was the place you wanted to be able to play at when you were in high school," he added. "It still kind of has that mojo."

Al Saadi said the possibility of the city's last "true rock venue" closing down is a difficult one to imagine.

"I just think it's a shame we could be losing our last real live music venue in town," Al Saadi said. "I'm a little scared of what that block is going to turn into with the (potential) sale of the Kiwanis building, because I have a feeling it's going to quickly be gentrified."

Longtime local music organizer and Tree Town Sound Radio Show host Matthew Altruda said the potential closing of the venue is symptomatic of the problems many popular concert venues are facing, including Chicago's Double Door, and New York City's Roseland Ballroom.

Altruda estimated he has seen "hundreds" of shows at the Blind Pig since he arrived in Ann Arbor in 1993.

"It's not really the Blind Pig changing, it's the music scene that's changing," Altruda said. "You see iconic venues closing all over America. It's alarming, to say the least.

"I feel like with the internet, YouTube and having millions of choices for entertainment so abundantly available, live music is competing against so much," he added. "People don't just take chances with music like they used to. I feel like the Blind Pig has survived all of these changes, and tried as hard as they could, and I tip my hat to them for sticking to their guns for as long as they have."

Altruda named off countless shows he's seen over the past two-and-a-half decades as some of his favorites, including electronic duo Ratatat's 2006 performance, local favorite Vulfpek's first performance at the venue and an "incredible" performance from hip-hop pioneer KRS-One.

While some had negative opinions about the venue's stringent regulations of alcohol sales, Altruda said Betty Goffett, Jason Berry and those organizing performances have long been great advocates for the local music scene.

"Everyone has their own opinion about the Blind Pig, but it's our 'Sandlot,'" Altruda said. "At the end of the day, they love what they do there."

Scott Morgan, the former frontman of influential Detroit/Ann Arbor garage rock band The Rationals, has countless memories of playing shows at the Blind Pig that date back more than 25 years.

The venue has changed immensely in its configuration since then, Morgan said, but still remains a sanctuary for young artists trying to make their name.

"When you've got bands that play their own material, I think it's just healthy," Morgan said. "Otherwise, you're at the mercy of whatever the music industry wants to force down your throat. I think it's a microcosm of what's going on in our country with the rapidly diminishing middle class. A lot of the townie people just stopped going out to shows and having drinks.

"If they close down, I don't know what is going to happen," Morgan said. "The last thing they need is more high-priced condos. There are no other venues for music in Ann Arbor, other than The Ark."

A previous version of this article stated that R.E.M. had performed at the Blind Pig. This is incorrect. The band made its local debut at Joe's Star Lounge in 1982 and later performed at the Michigan Theater in 1984 and Crisler Arena in 1987.