Posted on 04/17/2018 6:28:54 PM PDT by Mr_Moonlight
As small arts venues continue to struggle in New York, there’s a new reminder that not even big ones are immune to the same challenges. Times Square’s home for jazz, R&B and soul B.B. King Blues Club & Grill will have its final show on April 29 after an 18-year tenure on 42nd Street, owner Blue Note Entertainment Group announced on Tuesday. The company blamed escalating rent for the closure, and said it is looking to reopen B.B. King in a new Manhattan location.
The closing comes just after owner Blue Note opened a new Times Square venue Sony Hall, focusing on modern music across all genres, last month inside the former Diamond Horseshoe space. The company also operates the Highline Ballroom.
"It is with an extremely heavy heart that we share the news about B.B. King Blues Club's closing. Despite many sold out shows, the location's rent escalated to an unsustainable level, leaving us no choice but to close our doors,” says the club’s COO Tsion Bensusan in a statement.
“Unfortunately this has become a growing trend in New York City, with other iconic music venues and businesses falling victim to opportunistic property owners. This venue's legacy extends much further than the stage, playing a role in Times Square's revitalization two decades ago. It is a shame that wasn't taken into consideration regarding its future in the area.”
The rapid closing of small music venues and the challenging climate for New York City’s creative community prompted Mayor Bill de Blasio to appoint Ariel Palitz as the city’s first-ever Night Mayor, who started the job last month. Palitz is a former nightclub owner and has served on a Community Board, and now oversees a 12-person advisory board that is meeting with local businesses and activists to make its recommendations to the City Council and the mayor’s office.
The final April 29 show at B.B. King will be headlined by blues guitar icon Buddy Guy. Here’s the lineup of remaining performances, with some additional shows are yet to be announced. Tickets are on sale now via Ticketmaster.
I wonder what the greedy landlord will replace it with ... bring back the peep-shows once again? /sigh
Increasing pedestrian space at Times Square created a business boom in the neighborhood. It’s time to make all of Times Square car free and see economic activity reach the next level
I’ve seen BB 5 times.
Buddy Guy is great too.
The Thrill is Gone.
The club can handle 1000 people to a cocktail party. You need 2x3 feet for one person. They thus have at least 6000 square feet plus they must have kitchen space. I guess they have maybe 10,000 square feet.
Times Square rates are pushing $3,000 per sq ft per year per Jeffrey Roseman, “a founding partner of Newmark Grubb Knight Frank’s retail division, who predicted that benchmark will be surpassed this year..” That would be $30 million per year.
They can seat 550 people for their one show a day and their price runs about $50. For a whole year they might take in $10 million.
I can see how they have a rent problem.
They need to team up with “The Rent is TOO DAMN HIGH...” guy.
They need to team up with “The Rent is TOO DAMN HIGH...” guy.
Broadway ticket sales increased 40% since pedestrian space increased
I agree it’s too crowded with people buying things and enjoying themselves. The obvious solution is to reallocate even more space to people.
Economic activity would continue to increaeb
capitalism is a wonderful thing
So you miss the prostitutes and the strung out runaways of the old days?
yea.. the good ole days of dodging the crack whores, drug dealers, stepping over needles, broken glass, legions of rats and drunks, bums washing windshields with diapers and avoiding pick-pockets all while enjoying the stench of fresh urine.
Much prefferable to Olive Garden..
There were no prostitutes or strung out kids directly on 42nd St. Only dirty old men and Ratso Rizzo types. The others you mention were along 11th Avenue. I like that 11th Avenue now has grocery stores and decent restaurants and that the old tenements are full of young people but I loathe Times Square and that section of B’way. As my brother always says “It looks like Potterville.” It does! Mr. Potter won.
Broadway sucks! But then I guess maybe some out-of-towners like a musical called Frozen or other terrible shows designed for the lowest mentality going. Last year, there was ONE straight play on B’way. One! Then take a look at a play-listing page from the 60s or 70s and 80s and see the glorious musicals and dramas that ran across the Great White Way. I don’t necessarily blame the pedestrian walkway but that is part and parcel of the ruin of that area and how residents of the city now avoid it like the plague. Once there was a brilliant bookstore called The Drama Book Store that loomed over B’way. Now it is shunted onto either 40th or 41st Street; it is half the size of the original and it has completely lost what made it magical to me when I had my first apt. in NYC. It was a victim of the “revitalization” of Times Square. I doubt Mr. Guiliani even knew what it was and he should have as an opera nut.
so you’d rather have poverty than economic activity ?
Big fan of B.B. But not being from around that part of the country did not know he had a club there.
Maybe they should move to Memphis, Vegas or Atlanta which are places where blues thrives.
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