CBGB’s Last Show Before Eviction
Further to the news bite from yesterday, legendary punk/alt club CBGB has hosted its last show before it closes on October 31.
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.
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