RIP - Knitting Factory NYC

Little by little, the clubs of my youth are slipping away. Gone are the Peppermint Lounge, Reggae Lounge and the Mud Club. Gone are the Ritz, Tramps, and Chicago Blues. Shed a tear for CBGBs.

Now, the Knitting Factory on Leonard Street has shut its doors for the last time. This was a great three stage venue that usually had good shows. It had fair drink prices, and good crowds. I%26#39;ll miss three floors of SKA, the Toasters, Rudie Crew and many of the other bands I saw there.

But, the Knit may rise like Lazarus from the dead. They have purchased the old Luna Lounge in Williamsburg and are in the process of renovation. Opening date is anyone%26#39;s guess.

One of the things that makes New York vibrant is its music scene. It%26#39;s sad to see one of the better clubs closing. SOB.

RIP - Knitting Factory NYC

Wow, that blows!

Thanks for the info.

RIP - Knitting Factory NYC

It is sad, it is known all over the world for its amazing acts and intimate setting... Am so glad I got to go there on our visit last April...

love and light...

Blame the greedy landlords!

The Cutting Room is also closing, they are looking for new space in Tribeca. The rent was untenable.

And how about the Rainbow Room? 4 million to 8 million a year rent, takes a lot of food to pay for that!

So, bye-bye, Miss American Pie

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That is sad. I still miss The Fez 鈥?remember that little fire trap? Good times. I keep hearing Mercury Lounge is about to loose their lease too 鈥?something about condos. I hope Bowery Ballroom can hang in there...

That said - there are lots of really great smaller venues in Brooklyn. I%26#39;m sure the Knitting Factory will do well there.

I%26#39;ll tip my drink to Tramps and add the long-lost Cooler to the list. You know you%26#39;ve been in this city too long when you remember resenting the Bowery Ballroom when it opened. The same goes for Coney Island High.

I will say that NYC%26#39;s music scene has been anything but vibrant in years. Who can afford to have a band?

I forgot one of my faves. Anyone also remember Wetlands. The club had a VW bus parked in the middle and an ';activist area'; with all sorts of petitions. They also had a downstairs lounge which always smelled liked Jamaica [and I don%26#39;t mean Queens.]

Lastly, Wetlands was always incredibly hot. Most of us called it Sweat Glands.

Wetlands always seemed like such an anomaly in the city- like it would have been happier in San Francisco or something with all the hippies and all-ages shows. I was never a fan, but am still sad to see it gone.

And one of my favorites, The Bottom Line.

Thanks, NYU!!!

Mine was the Palladium..I%26#39;ll never get over it. EVER!

It wasn%26#39;t my favorite club by any means...though my 18th birthday was held there. (This was pre-Giuliani 18 year olds got away with that sort of thing.) I will never forget the first time there...it was everything I had hoped a NYC megaclub would be.

Meanwhile Limelight still stands...go figure. In the early 90%26#39;s I would do promotional work in the offices during the day, and the way the floors would creak was nuts..it%26#39;s a wonder nothing ever caved in.

Nonetheless...I would be wicked peeved if I ever went to the corner of 20th %26amp; 6th and found some pretentious designer made it into their new flagship store or something.

But to end on an optimistic note..it%26#39;s the opportunity to reinvent, and seek out new fun. There%26#39;s never gonna be another 1994..but there will also never be another 2009.

Who knows..maybe in 15 years we%26#39;ll be sitting here mourning the loss of the giant Forever 21 in Times Square; and cracking nostalgic Starbucks jokes.