CBGB Sets New Closing Date, Move to Vegas

Hilly Kristal is making an amendment to his Bowery club's 16+ entry rule: 32-. After 32 years of providing a live arena for some of the country's best (and worst) musicians, CBGB has cemented the date on which it will close its doors for good.

Although October 31 was originally revealed to be the club's closing date, September 30 will mark the end for New York City's famous punk rock venue-- or sort of, anyway. After efforts failed to locate an affordable venue space in CBGB's hometown of New York City, Kristal has made the questionable decision to take it to Vegas.

"[The Vegas CBGB] won't be the same size or the same shape, but I am going to have all the things that matter there," Kristal said in a recent interview with MTV.com. "I am taking the bars with me, I am taking the stage - I'm taking the urinal that Joey [Ramone] pissed in with me. I'm going to take a lot of things - anything that makes this place CBGB."

If the business takes off in Nevada, Kristal plans to open a second CBGB in NYC, but it will likely be a while. In addition to the financial strains the Big Apple's rent brings, Kristal has chemotherapy to worry about. Three weeks ago, he was diagnosed with lung cancer, and surgery is on the plate, he explained to MTV. We wish him the best.

New Yorkers will have a chance to offer Kristal their support at CBGB's two-month closing festival. NYC indie concert promoters Rocks Off are in charge of booking the festival, which will run throughout August and September. According to a press release, "they are in touch with many of the artists who made CB's famous, and are hard at work putting together a final schedule that will do justice to the club's enduring impact in the many varieties of rock and roll it has helped to cultivate throughout the years."