Brian McCollum

Detroit Free Press Pop Music Critic

Good thing they never took down the Magic Stick sign: The much-loved Detroit club will return in September, as the Populux dance club has been permanently closed amid ongoing controversy.

The decision comes just 15 months after Populux replaced the Magic Stick on the upper floor of the Majestic entertainment complex in Midtown, and less than two weeks after an anti-Black Lives Matter post appeared on the new club's Twitter account. The incident — which drew national attention and prompted artists to cancel in protest — was the final straw for a venue already under fire from some corners of the local music community, said Amir Daiza, the longtime promoter and restaurateur who operated Populux.

Venue officials remain convinced the tweet was the result of unauthorized access. A "John Doe" lawsuit was filed Monday in Wayne County Circuit Court, paving the way for a subpoena process that could force Internet providers to divulge names of individuals who accessed the Populux Twitter account that night. Criminal complaints were also filed with the FBI, the Wayne County Sheriff's Office and the Detroit Police Department.

"We want to catch the perpetrator," said Dave Zainea, whose family owns the Majestic complex, home to the Majestic Theatre, Majestic Cafe and Garden Bowl. "We think it was done deliberately to get back at (Populux) management."

• Related:Populux club officials: 'We don't endorse hate'

The demise of Populux means the return of the Magic Stick, a name associated for more than two decades with alternative music and homegrown rock. The revived Stick will be run by the Zaineas, who leased the Populux space to Daiza and gave him free rein to operate the dance club.

With all parties deeming the Populux name unsalvageable, Daiza told the Majestic board last week he was willing to step away. Both sides said the parting is amicable.

"It's best to let it go and bring back what they had before," Daiza said Wednesday.

Dan McGowan, a partner with Daiza in Populux, will continue to work with the Majestic and Zaineas. McGowan's company, Crofoot Presents, runs the Crofoot club in Pontiac and the Mo Pop indie music festival, and books shows at the Masonic Temple in Detroit.

The former Populux space will remain closed through September as the decor is renovated to meet the "aesthetic of a rock venue," possibly including the return of the Magic Stick's trademark pool tables, Zainea said. The reopened club will feature an eclectic schedule of indie rock, hip-hop, dance music and jam bands, he said.

Populux had been dogged by controversy from the outset in spring 2015, when the nostalgic Stick name was retired and more than $400,000 was spent to create a sleek dance venue where rock bands such as the White Stripes once cut their teeth.

And while all involved say Populux did strong business, the club caught a regular stream of flak from some on Detroit's electronic music scene.

"My perception, based on what people were saying and posts I was reading, is that people were skeptical about its authenticity and its programming," said Adriel Thornton, a longtime Detroit artist and promoter. "There were concerns about it being another (electronic dance music) club opening in the city when we have a lot of independent promoters and event producers very interested in maintaining the integrity of our scene."

Daiza conceded the point, and said Populux didn't wind up matching "the vision I was hoping for."

"Techno and house are very underground," he said. "Once this music becomes popular, it's not as cool anymore. And that's what we were doing — bringing this music to a mainstream audience."

But the boiling point came with the profanity-laced July 8 tweet, which blasted the Black Lives Matter movement and blamed that night's Dallas police killings on "all you libtards." Populux was closed that weekend as Majestic officials disavowed the tweet's "racist venom and bigotry" and emphasized their commitment to diversity.

The anti-BLM tweet may be standard vitriol in the rough-and-tumble of politics on social media. But for a club operating in the progressive world of electronic music, it was an instant and deep bruise — one ultimately deemed not fixable.

Zainea said the downtime could mean up to $300,000 in lost sales.

In the long run, he said, "that problem is going to become a very good opportunity for fans, and a chance to bring the complex back as a whole."

Daiza, who has helped start eateries like Ferndale's Imperial and Public House, said his next venture will be restaurant-related.

"I've always done things that are fun," Daiza said. "It wasn't going to be fun to keep going with Populux."

Contact Brian McCollum: 313-223-4450 or bmccollum@freepress.com