The life of most rock-‘n’-roll nightclubs is short. Few survive, even fewer thrive and become places of real import. In his new documentary “The Chameleon Club,” filmmaker Allen Clements, who first got to know the 27-year-old club as a performer on its stage just a few years ago, tries to find out why Lancaster’s famed concert venue has been among the lucky few.
Through interviews, newspaper clippings, fliers and well-sourced archival footage and animation, Clements covers the venue’s entire history in less than an hour, a length that undoubtedly leaves many favorite stories untold, but makes for a well-paced story that doesn’t get bogged down in minutia.