NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) – Rock N Bowl has always had one foot in the past and one foot in the present, but some recent advances are bringing the iconic live music venue into the 21st century.
Rock N Bowl has been in its current location on the corner of Carrollton Avenue and Earhart Boulevard for eight years. The old location, 11 blocks away on the corner of Carrollton and Tulane Avenue, housed a bowling alley since the early 1940s.
When owner John Blancher made the move in 2009, he brought as much of the old location’s character as possible, including the old ball return system from one lane, which is mounted on a beam between two lanes.
That old system featured an above ground ball return and required the players to keep score manually, which Blancher said doesn’t sit well with modern bowlers.
The bowling system was itching for an upgrade, and Blancher said it was finally time to modernize.
“Just recently, we’ve hired some people to put together our own program,” he said. “We have iPads now at the lanes. They’re much more user-friendly. People today are so used to using iPads it just became a more amenable way of relating to our customer.”
It’s a far cry from the old scoring system, which “looks like Rosie the maid from the Jetsons,” Blancher said.
The next time you’re in Rock N Bowl, look up at the rafters between the ninth and 10th lanes to see the old scoring table. You’ll be surprised at how far the technology has progressed.