Is the New Limelight a Sign of Things to Come?

By Gamal Hennessy

Most of the iconic New York clubs are gone. Studio 54 is a theater now. Palladium was torn down and replaced with an NYU dorm. CBGB became a John Varvatos boutique. There were recent rumors that Limelight would be turned into a shopping mall. Just before the specter of mediocrity fell upon us again, a new deal was announced to turn Limelight into a corporate event space. Will other clubs turn to corporate sponsorship to deal with rising costs and outside pressure? If they do, what happens to our nightlife?

Limelight was a staple in New York club scene. Housed in a historic church, it drew the biggest names in house and techno music. It was the playground for the Club Kids of the 80’s and 90’s and became one of the most prominent clubs in the country. It was also infamous as a criminal haven. The venue was closed several times on drug related charges and was connected to Michael Alig’s murder of Angel Melendez. The venue reopened as Avalon in 2003 and closed again a few years later. In January of this year, there were reports of the whole space being torn down and turned in to a shopping mall. New York was set to lose another influential club in an era of shrinking nightlife.

A group of investors has offered another option. Instead of leeching the heart out of Chelsea with a huge JC Penney, the new plans for Limelight include a space for film, TV, corporate and special events. With 30,000 square feet, it’s easy to see the club used during the Tribeca Film Festival, or parties for the Grammy’s and other events. It could have concerts, fashion shows and launch parties of every type. Would it go back to being a focal point for dance music? Probably not. Would it be little more than a glorified crack house? Probably not. Corporate sponsorship may not be the ideal legacy for Limelight, but it’s better than being a Spencer’s Gifts…

You might not like the idea of a corporation taking over a club space, but this isn’t a new phenomenon. Corporations already wield huge influence over sporting events, stadiums and live concert venues. Most of the clubs and lounges in the city are taken over by corporate parties during the holidays. You even see a corporate presence during non holiday periods. I was at 230 Fifth over the summer and there were sections for Citibank and Goldman Sachs and several other banks, complete with easel signs. I thought I took a wrong turn and went to the Javits Center by mistake. Big companies already have their hands in nightlife. The question now is how it will affect us.

Corporations have money and manpower to control, alter and maintain a space. While most of them don’t want to be in the club business, they might see the traditional club spaces as good investments for marketing, promotion and as pure real estate plays. If New York continues to turn its back on nightlife, more owners might see the logic in making money in corporate entertainment as opposed to nightlife. If that happens, how will that affect the economic and cultural impact on the city as a whole? Where will our underground music, dance, fashion and art come from? Where will the 65 million club entries go if they don’t work for a corporation? Will we be shut out of the party?

Have fun.
Gamal


Source: Good Night Mr. Lewis

A Different Perspective on the Latest Nightclub Murder

By Gamal Hennessy

News wires, newspapers and blogs all over the world ran last week’s story of Ingrid Rivera’s murder at the hands of a bar back. The combination of celebrity association (Lil’ Kim wasn’t involved), sex (reports say there wasn’t any) and violence makes this story titillating and easy to add to the universal gossip mill of the internet. It is also very easy to use this incident as an example of the threat nightlife poses to society at large. What might be lost in the overall discussion is that while Ingrid Rivera’s murder was tragic, death inside a New York nightclub or bar is very rare.

The consensus among media outlets is that Syed Rahman, an employee of Spotlight Live, lured Ms. Rivera to the roof of the club during a birthday party for rapper Lil’ Kim. He tried to make sexual advances towards her that she rejected. At that point, Syed attacked her, killing her with a blow to the head. Her body was found two days later in a utility shed on the roof. Syed was arrested that same day and reportedly confessed to the crime.

An associated story detailed the deaths associated with New York nightlife over the past 20 years. While there were little over 100 people killed between 1988 and this point in 2008, there are three things that are worth noting. First, an unusual number of incidents involve club security or other worker inside the club. Second of the 100 people killed, 87 of them died in the Happy Land fire of 1990, which means the other 13-25 deaths accounted for all the murders that took place in more than 1,000 local nightlife establishments. Finally, there is an estimated 65,000,000 entries into New York bars, lounges and nightclubs every year in New York, which means while there have literally been millions of people in New York nightlife almost every one of them makes it back home.

We are not saying that Ms. Rivera’s death or any of the deaths associated with nightlife are an acceptable part of the industry. We are not saying that initiatives like the recent nightlife security plan are not necessary. What we are saying is that while murder in nightclubs is abhorrent, it is also very rare. We don’t want opponents of our nightlife to use this crime as ammunition to close clubs down.

Have fun.
Gamal