I'd heard about this, perhaps when we were out there, but plans are apparently afoot to move CBGB to Vegas. My initial reaction was something along the lines of "give it up." But, on the other hand, why not? One thing I've read (not mentioned in this article) is that Kristal is looking at space downtown, which is grittier, sleazier and overall just less overwhelmingly artificial than the Strip. Sure, CBGB Vegas won't be the legendary CBGB. But then, CBs today is not CBs from 10, 20, or 30 years ago. There is, I think, a difference from what a place is and what a place means (or signifies, if we wanna get all pretentious & shit). So I could, until this fall, go down to the Bowery and go to CBs because it's the same space where Television, Ramones, and Talking Heads played back in the 70s. Or I could go because it's the same space where I saw Big Black, Mekons, Pixies, etc, etc, and so on back in the 80s. That's a memory, a legacy, a history. All of which are important. But they don't necessarily have any direct connection to CBs of now, which seems mostly to be focusing on punk and its many offshoots, and on smaller and local bands. Vegas may not have a rock scene the size of NYC's but I'm sure they've got one. Losing his lease shouldn't mean that Hilly Kristal has to give up running CBGB if that's what he wants to keep on doing. And I doubt that CBs Vegas will be all that much more of a shrine to itself than the 2006 version of CBs in NYC is. Still, it is a cultural landmark and I think Bloomberg should've found some way to get him space in Manhattan.

(CBs article found on gothamist)