Saving CBGB?
Unless you have been living blissfully under a rock, you probably know that yesterday was the start of a six week long campaign to save CBGB, the seminal east village punk club that is in danger of losing their lease at the end of August. The campaign consists of almost-daily benefit concerts to try to raise money, mostly to pay for the legal fees involved in renegotiating their lease. Tons of punk and rock bands, new and old, are crawling out of the woodwork show their solidarity; you can find the full listing here. I personally know a few people coming in from out of town to see The Dead Boys play at the end of the month, so that promises to be a rockin
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i’m with you, dana (except for the williamsburg part). :) having been to cbgb’s many times, i still can’t say i really care whether it stays or goes. i was much more attached to the bottom line, and really didn’t give it much thought when that place closed up shop, either. music and music venues are always going to exist in this city, and we’re always going to patronize them, and so if they shift around every few years well then so be it.
and though i’m certainly one to get sucked into nostalgia from time to time (i have great memories of shows at all sorts of places that don’t exist anymore: bottom line, the academy, tramps, the wetlands…), ultimately it’s about the music and not about the particular venue that that music is played in.
yeah and it’s important to point out that there are a few other small venues in NYC that have been around for a while like Sin-e and Arlene’s Grocery that continue to have pretty good sound and stay well taken care of and current. Both of those places have quite a history as well and I would rather see shows there anyday. I just hope they don’t move CBGB’s to Vegas–that would be the ultimate insult.