HISTORY

Knocking on Heaven’s Door is the world famous Bob Dylan song that has been covered and reshaped countless times. From hard-rock and blues to rap and reggae. That way, over the years, it has appealed to ever broadening audiences. Exactly the kind of people that Larry Delaere and Tony Naert wanted to reel in with their new bar. Wath they wanted was a meeting point where everyone could destress with good music.

In 1993 Larry and Tony opened the promptly named ‘Heavens’ Door bar’. Their approach, their music of choice and openness to any band who wanted a go on their stage, it all contributed to the fun and positive reputation that Heaven’s Door quickly got. One of the first bands who ever played there was ‘Sigmund Und Sein Freund’. In between drinking sessions, the now infamous coverband ‘Rock Stovrie’ from Meulebeke, was also conceived at the bar. These two bands alone represented at least two generations of great music.

Heaven’s Door used to be the go-to bar for the ‘Bergmannen’ (people who love the Belgian Ardennes), the ‘Kaaimannen’ (ski fanatics) and the ‘Aquaholics’ (a joke name for Aquarium fanatics with a healthy liver). Over the years, tons of birthday bashes, jam sessions, shows, pub crawls and fairground weekends provided a lot of amazing afternoons, evenings and nights. Those nights sometimes even resulted in the memorable ‘Crazy Nights’. For example: a beach party in the middle of winter, winning the local ‘berenfeesten’ in scottisch outfits, a Radio America night with Luc Van Dyck (who drew a whole new crowd to Heaven’s Door), one of the nights the local footbal club won and of course, the funeral of ‘Fonske the mouse’. Even the ‘Giraffe’ made an apperance sometimes.