CBGB, the New York City rock club where the Ramones, Patti Smith, Television, and tons of other American punk and underground rock bands launched their careers, will close its doors for good Sunday night after a show that Smith is headlining. According to the club's website, the show's sold out already. (Weirdly, there doesn't seem to be anything about it on Smith's website, but of course there are plenty of spontaneous poetics and William Blake paintings.) The Associated Press reports:
[Owner Hilly] Kristal plans to move the club far from its roots with a new CBGB's in Las Vegas. The owner plans to strip the current club down to the bare walls, bringing as much of it to Nevada as possible."We're going to take the urinals," he said. "I'll take whatever I can. The movers said, `You ought to take everything, and auction off what you don't want on eBay.' Why not? Somebody will."
Please, oh please, take Patti's clarinet with you. She doesn't need it, and a Vegas CBGB will sure need some memorabilia to compete with the likes of the Hard Rock Cafe.