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Blondie, Institute Play CBGB Rally Today

With CBGB’s lease to expire at midnight tonight, the landmark club’s staunchest supporters are braving today’s possible thunderstorms and tornadoes for an event aimed at bolstering the venue’s tenuous hold on its current location. Bands expected to perform at the 3 p.m. rally in Washington Square Park include Blondie, the Bouncing Souls, and the Gavin Rossdale-fronted Institute. Steven Van Zandt of the E Street Band and Sopranos fame is slated to speak alongside Tina Weymouth and Chris Franz of the Talking Heads. According to Newsday, the protesting may be for naught, as the head of the Bowery Residents Committee (the group that owns the CBGB building), Muzzy Rosenblatt, gave a vague prognosis for the punk club. “Well decide what to do on Thursday,” Rosenblatt said. In the same article, Newsday quoted Mayor Mike Bloomberg as saying “CBGB is a great New York City institution… We are trying to bring both sides together… I don’t think they belong any place else other than New York City.” Events related to the Save CBGB cause are scheduled through September 28; today, the Dandy Warhols announced a CBGB performance on Sept. 15, during this year’s CMJ Music Marathon.

Links:
CBGB official site
Save CBGB

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