If you haven't heard yet, the NYC landmark, CBGBs will be officially shutting down at the end of the month. The last show to ever grace the nasty, graffiti-covered stage took place last weekend. There is so much to say about the club and so much has already been written all over the web that I've decided to keep this very simple.
Its somewhat embarassing that people let this happen. The club was supposed to shut down last summer, but a group of artists rallied to keep the lease and doors open for one more year. I was fortunate enough to attend a Gorilla Biscuits reunion benefit show that blew my mind away. Its sad that a club that was so important to the development of so many artists and genres of music (punk, hardcore, indie, etc.) could close down due to financial reasons. I'm not blaming anyone. The owners of the property pumped up the rental price until it was just not affordable for Hilly Kristal. I probably should not be too critical, as I don't have all of the details, but I know that there are many extremely wealthy musicians, who should have set up some sort of fund to keep CBs open. Frankly, I think Mayor Bloomberg should have stepped in and done more to help.
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