CBGB Summer Festival in the Works
Yesterday morning, Gothamist revealed the juicy scoop that the legendary CBGB, which shuttered in 2006 after more than three decades on the Bowery, is rumored to make an illustrious return. Apparently the brand is aiming to find a new Manhattan home (Lower East Side?), though obviously not its now-posh 315 Bowery digs. This blockbuster news begs the age-old conundrum of whether beloved bars can legitimately survive when moving to a fresh location. Can the club remain viable without Hilly, despite having access to some of the old bar fixtures? At the very least, it seems CB’s would need to take over another falling-down shithole. Or, as EV Grieve asserts, maybe just reclaim the 313 Bowery gallery space which is still on the market.
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Anyway, there’s much more to this story than meets the eye. We are hearing whispers that there are in fact much bigger plans in play regarding the alleged relaunch. An eagle-eyed Boogie tipster sent along the following Shepard Fairey-inspired bill which advertises a CBGB music festival this summer (July 3 -7). “CBGB Is Coming.” Shouldn’t it be phrased as “returning”?
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Further details on the mysterious event are not available at the moment, but we understand that it’ll play an integral role in re-establishing the brand.