Goodbye NYC. Hello Las Vegas!
Last night Patti Smith headlined the final night of CBGB. Though not it’s original mission, it gave birth to the NY punk scene and became the very center of the punk universe. Originally it was to be a country, bluegrass and blues club (hence the name) until the punks invaded. Many familiar faces came by to pay tribute including Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth of the Talking Heads. Sadly I was not able to attend.
My feelings for this place are mixed. Just as they are for most of us who’ve played here. It’s a dump. It’s hard to get people thru the door because there are always a half dozen shitty bands on the bill to wait thru until the band they came to see plays. The hey-day of it being the center of the punk rock universe is long gone long. But aside from all of that, there is no denying its place in rock history and the energy you feel seething from the sticker and graffiti filled walls.
As for the question of it relocating to Las Vegas, that was gonna happen anyway. No matter the outcome of the lease battle with the Bowery Residency Committee, owner Hilly Kristal had been talking about a CBGB ‘West’ for a while. It was not ever intended to be a replacement of our dingy little shrine. Rather it was always meant to be an annex. And, if it’s set up as a Punk museum and store, it really won’t be all that different than what the Bowery location had become.
CBGB has been a brand name and way more than just a club for a long time. The bulk of the clubs money over the years has come from T-Shirt sales and tourists who would pay the cover charge just to go and take pictures in the bathroom. They wanted nothing to do with whatever struggling band was sweating on stage. They just wanted to say that they were there and take home a souvenir.
Although I’m completely pissed that NYC and the BRC let this happen and I was a big supporter of trying to keep the club at its famous address, I’m not overly keen on CBGB finding a new New York home. It was that original Bowery shit-hole that made it Mecca and that time is gone. Anything else, in my humble opinion, would be a lame attempt to recreate those glory days of The Ramones, Talking Heads, Television and whatnot.
I hate to say it, but we need to let this one go. NYC has made it nearly impossible for another true underground musical revolution to happen. With its shiny veneer and pristine attitude, the grit is nearly gone having been swept into tiny corners here and there. Yes, we should let the next generation of clubs come in and give it a shot. However, unlike the CBGB phenomenon, it is unlikely that any of them will have the same historical impact.
For those of you who can’t bear a NYC without CBGB, there will still be a store (CBGB Fashions) here to buy all sorts of merchandise and keep the memory of this place alive. Currently located at 315 Bowery in CB’s Gallery, it will move to a new spot on Broadway & Bond Street after November 1, 2006.
See Also:
Hoboken Shines for CBGB
New Year’s Eve 2005 @ CBGB
CBGB Website
CBGB MySpace
