This is the Bitter End at 147 Bleecker Street, one of the classic heavyweights in NYC music clubs. With the demise of many legendary clubs (CBGB, The Bottom Line, Village Gate), only a handful of older clubs remain, and this is one of them. It is now the oldest rock club in New York, established in 1961 by Fred Weintraub. The current owner, Paul Colby, has been involved with the club since 1968.
The club is located on a strip of Bleecker Street with a number of music clubs: The Back Fence, Kenny’s Castaways, Terra Blues, and The Red Lion. At the Bitter End’s website, you can see a partial list of the roster of people who have played there (e.g. Bob Dylan, Billy Joel, Neil Young, The Indigo Girls, Joan Baez, Van Morrison, Joni Mitchell, Odetta, Bill Cosby, Woody Allen, George Carlin) – click here for a history. Typically several groups perform each night – last night I caught Girls Don’t Cry.
Small clubs which showcase new talent are absolutely critical for the music world, so for patrons and musicians alike, the closing of clubs is often seen as a benchmark of the negative impact of over-gentrification, and the survival of older (and newer) clubs is fiercely defended…
