13 years ago today (10/15/06), Patti Smith performs the final concert at CBGB. The club closes after an extended dispute between club owner Hilly Kristal and the Bowery Residents Committee, which tried to charge Kristal $19,000 in alleged back rent. New York commerce, over the protest of tearful rock fans who hoped to have the building preserved as a historical landmark. Opened in 1973, the club whose letters was for r Country, BlueGrass, and Blues instead laid the foundation for a whole other scene of music as punk and new wave bands like Ramones, Television, Patti Smith Group, Blondie, and Talking Heads all got their live starts there. Ironically today, the building s currently occupied by Patagonia, an outdoorsy clothing store. Watch Patti Smith perform “Elegie,” the last song ever performed at the club.
