April 11, 2002 - 'PLJ turns down the volume - Most radio stations push their big shows as the biggest. WPLJ (95.5 FM) does the opposite. Tomorrow, for instance, 'PLJ is presenting Sheryl Crow at the China Club - a venue far smaller than she would play on any tour. In the last few years it has presented Billy Joel, Alanis Morissette, Dave Matthews, Sarah McLachlan, Barry Manilow, Elton John and numerous others at similarly small places. Next week it's the Goo Goo Dolls. "With big shows, where everyone plays for a few minutes, a lot of the audience doesn't care about some artists and wants more of others," says Tom Cuddy, vice president of programming at WPLJ. "We decided to give the audience more of someone they really want to hear." The appeal for audience is obvious. As Cuddy notes, you'd pay heavily to get as close to Dave Matthews in an arena or stadium as you can in a club. Many shows are also set up so the audience can ask questions, which rarely happens in arenas. "We've found the artists like it, too," says Cuddy. "It gives them a break from big places and lets them get a little closer to the fans, like when they started." Obviously, artists don't do this for nothing, and 'PLJ doesn't even sell the tickets. They're given away in on-air promotions. The payback comes from greater listenership and establishing a signature event. "It's a win all around," says Cuddy. "We usually tie in to something the artist is promoting, like a new CD. We've tracked sales afterward and they always go up." Perhaps because tickets aren't sold to the public, the 'PLJ shows may sometimes seem quiet. But the station is used to that. It gets the same reaction to its Arbitron ratings, which fall around midpack in overall numbers. "We don't have a lot of teen listeners," says Cuddy. "So we don't get the biggest totals. But our bread and butter is listeners 25 to 54, where we're consistently in the top six. We're one of the most profitable FMs in New York."

April 12, 2002 - Just because Mo Vaughn is on the disabled list doesn't mean he can't have a good time. The Mets' first baseman, who has a broken bone in his hand, kicked back at the China Club till the wee hours of Monday night with John Elway, former quarterback of the Denver Broncos, and 'N Sync's Joey Fatone.

April 18, 2002 - Former Yankee David Cone showed up at the China Club Tuesday with Baltimore Orioles pitching ace Scott Erickson. There to greet him were Bronx Bombers Dave Wells, Shane Spencer and Nick Johnson, who face Erickson tonight. Also on hand were Met Mo Vaughn and Braves Javy Lopez, Albie Lopez, Andruw Jones and Vinnie Castilla.

March 1, 2002 - VICTORY LAP: Apolo Anton Ohno, who won the gold and silver medals in short-track speed skating at Salt Lake City, warmed up to New York City last night at the China Club. Keeping him company at the art auction benefit was Jamaican beauty and Ford model Tessa Henry. It seems that Apolomania has struck the whole world - Lycos, the search engine giant, says the 19 year old is the athlete whose name generates the most interest on the Internet.

February 3, 2002 - Jewel headlined a WPLJ concert at the China Club and sang at a benefit for Gay Men's Health Crisis.

December 14 , 2001 - China Club owner Danny Fried and his fiancee, actress Mary Fox, will marry in Montego Bay, Jamaica, in February. The two celebrated their coming nuptials the other night at the midtown club with a group of friends who included Alex Rodrigues and New York´s most famous fiancee of the moment, Liza Minnelli, who was with her new husband, producer David Gest.

November 23, 2001 - ´N Sync´s Justin Timberlake, Joey Fatone and Chris Kirkpatrick were surrounded by female fans in the new rooftop tent at the China Club.

October 26, 2001 - ´N Sync´s Joey Fatone took on Backstreet Boy Kevin Richardson in a dance duel at China Club. Onlookers watched as Richardson and Fatone took turns busting moves. Female onlookers couldn´t agree on a victor.

August 27, 2001 - Eric Lindros, the newest New York Ranger, was at the China Club last week with a few of his new teammates, including Brian Leetch and Mike Richter. He bumped into Pavel Brendl, the first round Ranger dreaft choice who had been traded to the Flyers for Lindros. They´ll be foes once the season starts, but that night they became friends, especially when talk turned to where Brendl might live in Philadelphia. Lindros put his beefy arm around Brendl´s shoulder, bought him a beer and told him all about his house.

October 28, 2000 - History of China Club...While on the subject of the Yankees, one of the surest places in town to spot the likes of Jeter and Tino Martinez is, and has been, the China Club. And after 15 years, the Eigth Ave. hot spot is being celebrated in Monday´s New York magazine as one of the hippest places.

The club´s colorful past, and stories of owners Michael Barrett and Danny Fried, are on display, along with a guest list that over the years has included Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder, Steven Tyler, Prince, Elton John, Bruce Willis, Stevie Nicks, Lawrence Taylor, the New York Rangers, David Bowie, Jay-Z and ´N Sync.

For example, 80´s rocker Billy Squier recalls when the China Club was originally located on the upper West Side, in the Beacon Theatre basement. "You always knew something could happen because musicians felt like it was our place, our hang, so anyone who was in town would go there. Jimmy Page would come in and we´d get up and play." One night, Squier got a call from the clubasking him to come down because Axl Rose wanted to meet him. "So I go over," Squier says, "and Axl says to me, ´I gotta thank you, ´cause the first time I got l*** it was to one of your songs.´" In another area, Barrett and Fried claim that mob related tales are just part of the business. Like the time during their second year when they attempted to break up a skirmish between a young man and four bigger men. A week later, Barrett and Fried received a package consisting of two beautiful silk robes. A not inside read: "You looked after my kid, we´re gonna look after you." Barrett says, "Not long after that, a guy came in one night and said, ´If you ever have a problem, just let us know.´ But of course, after that, we never did." Naturally, Barrett doesn´t name names.

As for Taylor, one night the former Giants linebacker ran up an $800 bill. He had no cash and no credit cards, so he left his $75,000 weekly paycheck as collateral, and didn´t return to pick it up for months. Then there was the night Madonna and Sean Penn had to be whisked out the back door and into a van that Barrett says he drove down 75th Street, in reverse, and illegally across Central Park on 72nd Street. "If you don´t get them out peacefully, they wont come back," says Barrett. "[I´ve had] some amnesia-induced evenings," at the China Club, says Geraldo Rivera. "Let´s just put it this way - the China Club is a place that´s never disappointed."