Ballad of the lost NYC rock clubs
If you haven’t noticed, New York City is in gentrification hyper-drive. Pretty soon there will be enough glass block $2.5 Million condos for every foreign investor, wall street exec and trust fund kid who needs a crash pad.
Much of this is at the expense of art spaces, music venues, and independent retailers. If the rent increases ten-fold, who can keep a business open?
The closing of CBGBs was a very public affair. Patti Smith paid her respects, chairs were sold on eBay, a toilet was preserved that might end up in Vegas…
I was exposed to a lot of different bands at CBGBs – Rollins Band, Foetus (Jim Thurwell), Cop Shoot Cop, and many other bands I can’t remember the names of…
But, there are many other clubs and venues that went out with less fanfare.
Anyone remember…
Tramps – Any night of the week they’d be featuring rock, country, blues – you name it. I saw everyone from Frank Black to the Mavericks there. Unfortunately, I got shut-out of a Foo Fighters show once because they oversold it and the Fire Marshall got involved.
Wetlands – This place was green before it was a trendy marketing ploy. Most of the stuff was a bit too “jam band” for me, but I did get to see Philly’s Finest – the Dead Milkmen. Bitchin’ Camaro! Plus, one of the first shows that Oasis ever played in the U.S. I actually went to two shows that night. After Oasis I grabbed a subway uptown to see Killing Joke at the…
The Academy – It was right smack in the middle of the Times Square theater district before it was Disney-fied. So many great shows here – Happy Mondays, Afghan Whigs, Nine Inch Nails, etc…
At least the Beacon survives. Although, it was going to be torn down in the 80s. Many high-profile New Yorkers worked hard to save it. I was employed there as an usher there in college. $20 a night plus tips to watch concerts. Pretty good gig…
For the latest on the ever-changing NYC landscape check out this blog: Jeremiah’s Vanishing New York . This guy pounds the pavement on a daily basis giving updates on the charming old businesses that are getting driven out of the city.
