Skies Remain Blue Over at the Always-Hip Rainbow

It’s funny how some of the best clubs are the forgotten ones--those that have been around for decades but are overshadowed by L.A.’s burning desire to focus on what’s momentarily hip. So many of the great nightspots simply keep plugging away year after year, until that second or third or sometimes fourth wave comes along and returns them to the spotlight for a brief time.

Well, somewhere over (at) the Rainbow, the skies seem to be blue. For 24 years, the famous bar and grill next to the Roxy on the Sunset Strip has maintained a steady flow of loyalists who don’t care what’s happening in the world outside the roomy club. Each year, hipsters, rockers, actors and every variation of the same dine and dance at the two-level venue, united by a shared love for music that rocks hard.

Last week, a black-haired Drew Barrymore was nestled into a back booth late at night, while the upstairs dance floor was filled with men and women wildly air-guitaring to the deejay’s offering of White Zombie, Nine Inch Nails, Toadies and Alanis Morissette tracks. With eyes closed, the flailing gyrators appeared to be in their own private mecca.

Since its inception in 1972, every rocker who’s worth his weight in spandex has passed through the Rainbow. Today, you can still catch members of Guns N’ Roses grabbing a bite during the day. At night, the place is a full-fledged celebration of rock, with the Rainbow’s three deejays continually piping a loud and steady mix of the best contemporary and past rock music into the club.

To this day, James Brown hangs at the Rainbow whenever he’s in town. And if that ain’t hip, then what is?

* Rainbow Bar and Grill, 9015 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood. All ages, no cover before 9 p.m.; $5 after 9 p.m. Sundays-Thursdays; $10 after 9 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays. (310) 278-4232.

Club Buzz: Rockabilly fans might want to check out the Derby’s “Rockabilly Tuesdays.” Upcoming shows at the Los Feliz club include the Radio Ranch Straight Shooters Tuesday, the Tailgators on April 16 and the Derailers on April 23. . . . Sinatra-style crooner Bernie Meisinger is back at the Union every Tuesday. The shows are always free at the West Hollywood club (and Meisinger’s worth paying for).

* The Derby, (213) 663-8979; Union, (213) 654-1001.