the even dingier Bowery neighborhood. The band onstage, four guys in leather jackets and torn jeans, was the Ramones. McNeil sat at a nearby table, watching the set It was unforgettable.
But as McNeil soon would discover, it was just a typical night at CBGB's, the club that Roll Hall of Fame inductees Blondie, the Talking Heads and the Ramones.
"Every night was memorable, except I don't of the punk-rock history "Please Kill Me."
After Sunday, memories are all that will remain when the of business after 33 years.
Although its boom years are long gone, CBGB's part barroom, home to more than a few rock 'n' of high-profile backers, including E Street Band guitarist Little Steven Van Zandt, battled to keep the legendary club open. But in the end, it was a simple landlord-tenant "I knew the closing was inevitable, because my lawyers said, 'You can't win this case. The law is that your lease is up, and they don't even need a reason to put you out,' " said Kristal.
that blanket the interior. Kristal, who is battling lung cancer, wears a black-and- white CBGB's T-shirt with a He once managed the Village Vanguard, the renowned jazz club where he booked acts including Miles Davis. Things were a bit different at his new club: "In rock, the bands were creative - but at first, they didn't play so was Television, soon followed by Patti Smith.
Punk poet Smith will play the closing night as well, a booking that Kristal described as effortless. (Smith's show will be broadcast live on Sirius satellite radio, channel 24, beginning at 9 p.m.
Sunday.
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