The music stops at Beirut’s fabled nightclubs

At some of Beirut’s most popular nightclubs, where the Middle East’s jet set would gather and dance into the early hours, the music has stopped and disco balls are gathering dust above abandoned dance floors and gutted buildings.

Lebanon’s party goers are now largely restricted to pubs, as nightclubs reel from the triple blow of the pandemic, a massive explosion at the city’s port on Aug. 4 that caused extensive damage and a crippling financial crisis.

The economic meltdown has wiped out thousands of jobs, erased around 90% of the local currency’s value against the U.S. dollar and left over…