They put a parking lot on a piece of land Where the supermarket used to stand Before that they put up a bowling alley On the site that used to be the local palais That's where the big bands used to come and play My sister went there on a Saturday
Come dancing All her boyfriends used to come and call Why not come dancing It's only natural
Most venues have a life cycle. For every Carnegie Hall or McSorley's, places that continue to thrive while barely changing after more than a century in business, countless more music halls and bars open up, do well for a while if they're lucky and they know what they're doing, and eventually close or evolve into something completely different.
The Goldhawk was both a bar and a live venue. After eight years in business, its reputation was firmly established on both counts. As a venue, it was home to the coziest, most inviting back room performance space and lounge that I've ever known, and I've been to a few. As a bar, it was Cheers to many regulars, with an eclectic crowd. Business was a little off during this time of economic downturn, as it has been at most places, but to most people who frequented the place and knew it well, it did not seem like The Goldhawk was done.
That's probably why the bar's closing hurts so much. When CBGB closed after more than thirty years, it was the end of an era, but the place was long past its prime. The club wisely prolonged its closing into a seemingly never-ending marketing event that both burnished its reputation and made them quite a bit of dough while they already had one foot out the door.
The Goldhawk Bar & Lounge did not at all seem to be on its last legs when it was announced on June 11 that it would close up shop in exactly thirty days. To the owners' credit, that month's notice was appreciated by all who were affected by the impending closing. Many of the key artists who had performed there often did farewell shows during the final weeks. The last several days were a blur: the weekly Tuesday open-mic night was jammed beyond capacity, the live bands had great crowds all week, and virtually every person I talked to there expressed a bit of sadness and disbelief that a place so vibrant and unique was about to disappear.
So the place lasted a hair more than eight years, and I was a resident DJ there for all but the first 10 months of that time. I'm proud to have been associated with such a special place for so long. I'm humbled that owners who really, really know their music entrusted me with the tunes for so many special occasions. Thank you Fran, Al, and Mike for the opportunity.
And I'm thankful I got to run the party at what may go down as the greatest event in the history of The Goldhawk, its closing night. Kerry, Butch, Justin, Andy, and especially Margaret kept the bar working smoothly all night long, despite an alcohol stock that was rapidly depleting. There was a fun but bittersweet vibe in the air. A little like New Year's Eve, except that the moment we were anxious about was not midnight, but last call.
The day they knocked down the palais My sister stood and cried The day they knocked down the palais Part of my childhood died, just died
When last call came, I had time for two more songs. Of course I knew in advance what they would be. The Specials' "Enjoy Yourself" was one of the bar's unofficial theme songs from the start, and its advice to "Enjoy yourself--it's later than you think" was all too appropriate. To close it out, in the town of Frank Sinatra's birth, and the bar run by the singer of Skanatra, it was practically preordained that it had to end with "My Way."
There's more I want to write about the place, and hopefully soon I will have time to share some other memories. Keep a look out on my home page for future gigs at new and different venues. For now, enjoy the playlist. Goldhawk, we miss you already.
9:00 Rock And Roll Music - THE BEATLES You Only Live Once - THE STROKES When The World Is Running Down, You Make The Best Of What's Still Around - THE POLICE My Ever-Changing Moods - THE STYLE COUNCIL Cruel To Be Kind - NICK LOWE Oliver's Army - ELVIS COSTELLO & THE ATTRACTIONS Don't Do Me Like That - TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS Don't Look Back - THE REMAINS Good Times Bad Times - LED ZEPPELIN Summertime Blues - THE WHO Vehicle - IDES OF MARCH Rockin' In The Free World - NEIL YOUNG Salute Your Solution - THE RACONTEURS 4 Songs & A Fight - THE SOUNDS We Are All Made Of Stars - MOBY Take Me, I'm Yours - SQUEEZE Roll With It - OASIS Radiation Vibe - FOUNTAINS OF WAYNE
10:00 Pop Song 89 - R.E.M. There's No Other Way - BLUR Atomic - BLONDIE Heads Will Roll - THE YEAH YEAH YEAHS Head On - PIXIES Good Enough - DODGY Just Got Lucky - JOBOXERS Sole Salvation - THE ENGLISH BEAT Sherry Darling - BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN The Bulrushes - THE BONGOS Black And White - THE dB'S Starry Eyes - THE RECORDS Mr. Brightside - THE KILLERS The '59 Sound - THE GASLIGHT ANTHEM Alex Chilton - THE REPLACEMENTS Way Down Now - WORLD PARTY Sympathy For The Devil - THE ROLLING STONES
11:00 I'm A Man - THE SPENCER DAVIS GROUP Move On Up - CURTIS MAYFIELD That Lady (Part 1 & 2) - THE ISLEY BROTHERS Doing It To Death - JAMES BROWN Don't Stop Till You Get Enough - MICHAEL JACKSON 1999 - PRINCE Mercy - DUFFY Girls & Boys - BLUR Get Myself Into It - THE RAPTURE Time To Pretend - MGMT Daylight - MATT & KIM Young Folks - PETER, BJORN & JOHN Monday Morning - THE FUNDAMENTALS
12:00 Is It Any Wonder? - KEANE Saturday Night (Is The Loneliest Night In The Week) - FRANK SINATRA United States Of Whatever - LIAM LYNCH Surrender - CHEAP TRICK We're An American Band - GRAND FUNK RAILROAD Roadrunner - MODERN LOVERS Vacation - THE GO-GO'S Sheena Is A Punk Rocker - RAMONES This Charming Man - THE SMITHS Inbetween Days - THE CURE Don't You Want Me - THE HUMAN LEAGUE Cruel Summer - BANANARAMA The Look Of Love (Part 1) - ABC DARE - GORILLAZ The Seed (2.0) - THE ROOTS FEATURING CODY CHESNUTT The Way You Move - OUTKAST (BIG BOI) FEATURING SLEEPY BROWN Sir Duke - STEVIE WONDER Thank You (Falletinme Be Mice Elf Agin) - SLY & THE FAMILY STONE
1:00 Twenty-Five Miles - EDWIN STARR Love Child - SUPREMES Shake Your Body (Down To The Ground) - THE JACKSONS Low Rider - WAR Give It To Me Baby - RICK JAMES Let's Go - THE CARS Your Love - THE OUTFIELD Rock The Casbah - THE CLASH Faith - GEORGE MICHAEL Breakout - SWING OUT SISTER Surfin' Bird - THE TRASHMEN You Never Can Tell - CHUCK BERRY Burning Love - ELVIS PRESLEY Right Back Where We Started From - MAXINE NIGHTINGALE More Today Than Yesterday - SPIRAL STARECASE Car Wash - CHRISTINA AGUILERA & MISSY ELLIOTT SexyBack - JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE
2:00 Changes - 2PAC Regulate - WARREN G. FEATURING NATE DOGG Damn It Feels Good To Be A Gangsta - GETO BOYS Superstition - STEVIE WONDER Freedom 90 - GEORGE MICHAEL * Matt Azzarto speech: "We raised the bar" * Ooh La La - FACES Baba O'Riley - THE WHO Silly Love Songs - WINGS Our House - MADNESS Come Dancing - THE KINKS Town Called Malice - THE JAM Enjoy Yourself - THE SPECIALS My Way - FRANK SINATRA
