RIP CBGB. did you ever see a show there?

BDx13 - 10-16-2006 at 09:54 AM

CBGB hosts last concert before eviction
By JAKE COYLE, AP Entertainment Writer

NEW YORK - The final chords reverberated off the black, sticker-covered walls of CBGB as the grungy, iconic club toasted the end of its 33-year residence in New York. Rock poet Patti Smith headlined the Sunday night concert, CBGB's last before eviction by its landlord ? the Bowery Residents Committee, a homeless advocacy group that owns the property. The club will close Oct. 31.

Hundreds of music fans packed the small downtown club Sunday, while reporters hovered outside. The mood was both somber and raucous at CBGB, hailed by many as the birthplace of punk.

"This place is not a ... temple," Smith said during the concert. "It is what it is."

She refused to wax nostalgic, instead claiming at a pre-show news conference that doubled as a sound check that "CBGB's is a state of mind" that will carry on elsewhere for a new generation. She later noted with relish that CBGB, at 33, was the same age as Jesus.

Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea surprised the audience, joining Smith's band for much of her second set. Having turned 44 at midnight, he was treated to a loud, enthusiastic "Happy Birthday" by the band and crowd.

Much of the concert was filled with reminders of changed times. Sirius Satellite Radio broadcast the show live, and digital cameras populated the audience.

Nevertheless, Smith often struck a '60s vibe, urging change and awareness of issues such as the disputed treatment of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay. She sang covers of the Who's "My Generation" and the Rolling Stones' "Gimme Shelter" with obvious parallels to CBGB.

The club was founded by Hilly Kristal in 1973 and over the years helped spawn the careers of such acts as the Ramones, Blondie, the Talking Heads and Television. Though its glory days are long gone, it has remained a symbolic fixture on the Manhattan music scene.

The crowd paid tribute to many of the bands forever connected to the club ? including several chants of "Hey ho, let's go!" from the Ramones' classic "Blitzkrieg Bop."

Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth of the Talking Heads were on hand, as was E Street Band guitarist Little Steven Van Zandt, who had battled to keep the club open during the protracted dispute over its future.

The Bowery Residents Committee's decision not to renew CBGB's lease when it ran out in August 2005 sparked protests, tributes and vigils for more than a year. Kristal recently gave up his legal fight to stay.

Though weary from his battle with lung cancer, he remains combative about his club's exodus from the Bowery, and said Sunday he was "very disappointed" in Mayor Michael Bloomberg for not saving the club.

Still, he says he remains focused on "generating the energy" for CBGB, which he plans to move to Las Vegas. It's very much alive as a brand, too. Kristal will transplant its store, CBGB Fashions, to a new location a few blocks away on Nov. 1.

"I'm thinking about tomorrow and the next day and the next day, and going on to do more with CBGB's," Kristal said Sunday.

Frantz said he and his wife, Weymouth, had to attend the finale because CBGB is like the "center of gravity for us." He reflected on the club where the Talking Heads got their big break.

"It just had a super cool ambiance or electric vibe ... even though it was pretty much a dump," Frantz said.

With a capacity of barely 300, CBGB was founded as a place of freedom for different musical acts. Smith said Kristal "always gave us a job, just like tonight."

"He was our champion and in those days, there were very few," she added.

Though its letters stand for the music Kristal originally planned to present there ? country, bluegrass and blues ? it quickly came to represent the physical epicenter of early punk and the storied downtown scene of 1970s New York.

Smith's final encore was a quiet poem listing many of the musicians who have died in the years since they played CBGB, but perhaps the more fitting send-off came right before it. The band played the punk staple "Gloria," verging back and forth between choruses of "Gloria! G-L-O-R-I-A!" and "Hey ho, let's go!"

The crowd shook its fists high for the Ramones' classic ? an anthem to CBGB and so much more

crazyfists28 - 10-16-2006 at 09:55 AM

saw life of agony last june for their cd release show...

defstarsteve - 10-16-2006 at 09:59 AM

leeway bad brains

XHonusWagnerX - 10-16-2006 at 10:02 AM

BAD BRAINS!! I made it just under the wire!

brooklyn - 10-16-2006 at 10:37 AM

AF, Madball, Business, Sheer Terror, Merauder, SFA, Warzone, All Out War, 25 Ta Life, GBH, Life Of Agony, 7 Year Bitch, Lament, CroMags, OS101, Crown of Thornz, ...

JawnDiablo - 10-16-2006 at 12:38 PM

final sheer terror
joe coffee in 2002

Discipline - 10-16-2006 at 01:37 PM

No, never.

Always wanted to. I remember back in '97 I was going to go for my 21st birthday. Murphy's Law, Subzero, and a couple of other bands were playing. I hopped in the car and was gonna drive out there. My car broke down about half an hour after crossing the border and I had to spend every cent I had to my name to fix it up to get home. Needless to say I was not impressed.

Discipline - 10-16-2006 at 01:44 PM

From Paul Bearer on myspace:

Quote:

I PRETTY MUCH GOT MY MUSICAL START AT CBGB.WHEREAS,IT WASN'T THE FIRST VENUE THAT I HAD EVER PLAYED AT,NOR SEEN A SHOW,IT WAS THE CONSTANT IN MY LIFE FOR A GOOD AMOUNT OF YEARS.I COULD GO ON FOR DAYS ABOUT CERTAIN BANDS,SHOWS,AND FRIENDS THAT I'VE MEADE THROUGH THAT VENUE...BUT,WHAT'S THE POINT?

WHY DIDN'T HILLY BUY THE PLACE YEARS AGO?
WHY DIDN'T HE HAVE A BOOKING AGENT/PROMOTER THAT ACTUALLY GAVE A FUCK?HE COULD'VE HIRED SOME YOUNG BUCK PROMOTER TO KEEP THAT PLACE PACKED AT LEAST 4 NIGHTS A WEEK.NOPE...STAND BY THE OLD GUARD OF "WHATEVER".

AND THAT'S MY RESPONSE TO THE CLOSING OF YOUR CLUB.

WHATEVER.

I HEARD SOME QUOTE ON THE RADIO,THIS MORNING,FROM PATTI SMITH,RECORDED LIVE FROM THE SHOW LAST NIGHT...SOMETHING ABOUT HOW SHE FEELS THAT IT'S NOW UP TO "THE NEW KIDS" WHO WILL "HAVE THEIR OWN CLUBS"...YEAH...IF THE "NEW KIDS" SHE'S TALKING ABOUT ARE CLEAR CHANNEL,SHE'S ABSOLUTELY RIGHT.HEY,PAT - HAVE YA TAKEN A GOOD LOOK AROUND THE NEIGHBORHOOD,LATELY?I THOUGHT IT WAS PERFECT TO HAVE ANOTHER CLUELESS RELIC CLOSE THE DUMP.

TAKE YOUR WARPED,PIECE OF SHIT STAGE,YOUR SMOKE AND GRIME STAINED WALLS,AND YOUR FILTH CLOGGED URINALS TO VEGAS...LAS VEGAS IS A TOWN WITH NO SOUL.YOU SHOULD FEEL VERY COMFORTABLE THERE

clevohardcore - 10-16-2006 at 01:45 PM

never.

JUICE MAYNE MSHC - 10-16-2006 at 02:29 PM

First...I've only walked past CBGB a couple times...no show

Second...Paul Bearer really should have his own radio show or properly released spoken word album or TV show similar to Henry Rollins' show on IFC. I really think he could become massively famous because he has a unique view on a lot of things...famous in the same vein as Howard Stern or George Carlin.

defstarsteve - 10-16-2006 at 02:39 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by JUICE MAYNE MSHC
First...I've only walked past CBGB a couple times...no show

Second...Paul Bearer really should have his own radio show or properly released spoken word album or TV show similar to Henry Rollins' show on IFC. I really think he could become massively famous because he has a unique view on a lot of things...famous in the same vein as Howard Stern or George Carlin.

nonononono
let's keep him to ourselves
the masses have corrupted every other god damn part of our little sub culture
can't we keep anything...
and I think if he became that popular he'd take himself out for having so many god damn pussy ass fans

JUICE MAYNE MSHC - 10-16-2006 at 03:16 PM

the dude deserves to be rich...keeping him to ourselves makes him no money. I don't think Paul Bearer being famous would ruin anything in the hardcore scene...not anymore ruined than it already is.

Discipline - 10-16-2006 at 03:27 PM

He's done spoken word shows before. Write him and try to convince him to tape them and release them on cd. Until then you can always buy that LP of his stange banter.

JawnDiablo - 10-16-2006 at 05:08 PM

I agree.

Dave - 10-16-2006 at 07:53 PM

i got to see SOIA on Sept. 04 2005 (my birthday), with F.V.K. & someone else?? i can remember. it was great. although i thought that the club would have been bigger.....

Spoiler - 10-16-2006 at 09:58 PM

no,never....I was planning a trip there when Sheer Terror did their first reunion show....but I canceled my plans when I found out how much it would cost to fly at the time....I really wish I had of found a way to go now.

I hope someone torches the fuckin place

and fuck LA

BDx13 - 10-16-2006 at 10:10 PM

my best estimate is that i've been to about 45 shows there.
figure i lived there for 10 years, easily three shows a year, plus a number of trips up before i moved there.

newbreedbrian - 10-16-2006 at 11:09 PM

always wanted to, but sadly no

Six66Mike - 10-17-2006 at 12:49 AM

I watched a few shows on the CBGB webstream

RomanticViolence - 10-17-2006 at 09:10 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by newbreedbrian
always wanted to, but sadly no

I've never been there either.

BDx13 - 10-17-2006 at 09:57 AM

the awning ws gone the day after...

Discipline - 10-17-2006 at 12:14 PM

Place should've been made an historic landmark.

newbreedbrian - 10-17-2006 at 11:56 PM

that truly is the end of an era.

confused13 - 10-18-2006 at 11:10 AM

I went to the GB/Bold show on 3. Sep. 06 - the trip was a gift from friends and family for my 30th birthday. It was (and probably will be) the greatest gift i ever got.

MyOwnWay - 10-18-2006 at 10:15 PM

I was there just a few months ago for District 9 and No Redeeming Social Value.

I'm glad I went.

JawnDiablo - 10-19-2006 at 05:50 AM

best sound system
worst bathroom
always guaranteed to see someone semi famous about
saw marky ramone there once and allen blake / stigma there another time. stigma is a damn nice dude by the way. the dude will talk to anyone and is so down tp tarth

BDx13 - 10-19-2006 at 10:12 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by juandiablo
the dude will talk to anyone

you got that right.

dummkopf - 10-19-2006 at 11:20 AM

Actually I saw plenty of shows there - too many to mention - , including the last 2 ever. Patti Smith on Sunday and Blondie/Dictators on Saturday. Furthermore did I meet my now wife at this shithole back in 2001 + I took my parents there :cool:

BDx13 - 10-19-2006 at 11:35 AM

nice to see your parents brough their horns with them!
do they live in deutschland or here as well?

dummkopf - 10-19-2006 at 11:43 AM

they live in krautrock country - AND THEY DIDN'T know what they were doing

oh, forgot to mention that I met a celeb at CB's too. He goes by the name of BD

beaner - 10-19-2006 at 11:47 AM

nope

joemaconmovies - 10-20-2006 at 05:42 PM

i was there for the welch boys, false prophets, the generators, and the dead kennedys.

crazyfists28 - 10-20-2006 at 06:00 PM

really wanna see the generators

SlobDylan - 10-20-2006 at 06:30 PM

I've seen a bunch of great shows there. It's sad it's gone.

Discipline - 10-20-2006 at 08:13 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by joemaconmovies
i was there for the welch boys, false prophets, the generators, and the dead kennedys.

Words can't describe how jealous I am.