SNL on CBGB’s Demise
This past weekend’s Saturday Night Live featured a series of shorts called “New York Stories”, one of which featured Lou Reed and Patti Smith discussing the eminent demise of CBGB’s. I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but SNL pretty much nailed exactly how annoying I find the types who complain about CB’s demise as if it means the end to Rock and Roll itself–I laughed pretty damn hard!
I’ve written here before about how I find CB’s to be one of the crappiest clubs in NYC, a trashy hole in the wall with an awful sound system and not one surface I would want to touch my bare skin to. And I’m not germaphobic, I’ve frequented some pretty crappy clubs for the sake of good music, but my argument is that CB’s hasn’t really gotten a great band in ages–the size of the venue and it’s condition and lack of a decent sound system has seen to that. If the owners of the club had invested in fixing the place up, or even moving it to another location and setting it up properly, the big bands and the revenue would have followed.
I for one won’t be sorry to see CBGB’s close. Sure it’s the end of an era, but in my opinion that era ended long ago it’s best to put it’s corpse to bed. New York has so many great venues for up and coming bands–like Arlene’s Grocery and Mercury Lounge, not to mention fantastic mid size venues like Bowery Ballroom, Webster Hall and Irving Plaza–that I don’t think anyone will really even miss CB’s. When is the last time you went there for a show and how was it? What’s you favorite intimate venue to see a band in NYC?
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Dana, I’m with you on this! It is a fitting example of nostalgia, based totally on the past. What people fail to realize is that CBs has been capitalizing on that nostalgia by making no improvements to the customer experience, which in most cases is a sure-fire way to fail as a business).
A lot of parallels can be made to the desire to build new stadiums for baseball in Boston. The Red Sox play in an old old old stadium that is not nearly as profitable or viable as newer stadiums like Camden Yards or Jacobs Field. Fenway was built for the sake of modern profitability. While the purists respect and prefer that, baseball as a business is extremely expensive, and cannot survive long term with antiquated arenas. Whenever the idea to build a new stadium is brought up, people get pissed! Luckily, their merchandising sales rank among the highest, so they make money hand over fist anyway.
Returning to the original point… CBs is a vestige from a long-gone era, and its purpose has been replaced by better and nicer venues situated all around our city.
I find myself going to Irving Plaza a lot. Just about all my favorite bands play there. I think it’s a perfect place to see a show. Webster Hall used to be called “The Ritz” at one time and I’ve seen quite a few shows there as well during the mid 80s.
You also forgot to mention Roseland Ballroom. Another cool place to see a show.
Cheers!
Hey V–thanks for the comments. I consider Roseland, along with Hammerstein and Nokia to be larger venues, which is why I didn’t mention them. You don’t get many unsigned, not national acts at those kinds of clubs. Even though they are great, I didn’t think they were applicable.