CBGB closed in 2006, but the wound is still open, apparently... because people are still saying goodbye. Those old punks just can't let go! We received a press release from Clic Gallery in SoHo about their upcoming Bruno Hadjadj show, called "Bye Bye CBGB," which opens on January 30th. Instead of looking back at the glory days, however, the show focuses on the final 48 hours at the club.
On October 14th, 2006 people came from all other the world to say “Bye Bye” to CBGBs before the club shut its doors for good. Indoors, there were 48-hours of star-studded performances, but it was the emotionally-charged going-ons right outside the club’s doors that captivated multimedia artist Bruno Hadjadj. Using sketches, photography, and videos, he immortalized the anonymous throngs who queued up outside to pay their final respects. For two days people dedicated poems, artworks, mementos, and performances to the legacy of the greatest rock club of all time. Hadjadj’s resultant body of work not only tells the tale of an era coming to an end, but also pays testament to the incredible endurance of CBGBs influence.
Hadjadj says his show is "a final goodbye to one of the last relics of New York punk rock and 1970s/1980s underground culture." You hear that everyone, this is IT this time. Click through for a preview, and then we shall never speak of it again.
