FRICTION NYC

There were no crowds, no media, no noise, no Debbie Harry, no Patti Smith, no Richard Hell, and certainly no music outside of CBGB’s last night. Instead the club stood as a shell of its former incarnation (literally) as the CBGB OMFUG awning that once dominated the intersection of Bowery and Bleeker for 33 years was gone. The only hint of the former club was the shell of the awning behind which “CBGB’s forever” was spraypainted green, while the rolling metal doors buttoned up the club and served as a tribute at the same time. A few passerbys stopped to pay their final respects to the legendary institution, some reminisced about shows they saw there, while others gossiped about the fate of the Hilly Kristal’s venue. Regardless of CB’s spotty booking over the last 15 years and t-shirt sales at Urban Outfitters, a piece of New York City died on October 15, 2006. Instead of a bunch of punks hanging outside the venue on a rusted-out car, a Saab wagon sat in it’s place, a true sign that things change.