Whiskey Row in Prescott: Arizona's most legendary block

Scott Craven The Republic | azcentral.com

From the cow skull above the front door to a dimly lit, flag-draped interior that invites day drinking, Matt’s Saloon is more hideaway than tourist destination.

It also claims what would be one of the Row's most dubious stories — rock ‘n’ roll star stops in for a beer, jams onstage, sends bartender substantial "tip" — save for one fact.

It's all true.

On Sept. 29, 1989, Bruce Springsteen rolled into Prescott aboard a motorcycle and wound up in Matt’s Saloon. After speaking with bartender “Bubbles” Pechanec, who shared with the Boss her eight marriages and recent cancer diagnosis, Springsteen hit the stage for a 40-minute jam session before vanishing into the night.

It wasn’t long before Pechanec received a $100,000 check signed by Springsteen to help pay her expenses. The photos and newspaper stories from that night are still tacked to the wall of the biker bar, the bartender happy to point them out.