By By Jim Shea
Many Long Island concertgoers are heartbroken to hear they will be losing one of their stomping grounds.
On Sept. 20, the owners of The Downtown nightclub in Farmingdale officially announced they would be closing the club-effective immediately. This comes as a total surprise, since there were no warning signs that The Downtown would be shutting its doors or was in danger of closing.
“It’s a tough business,” said Jay Tea, who is the promotions director for The Downtown.
Tea says The Downtown simply went out of business because of the high cost of insurance combined with trying to keep up paying its staff.
“We had about an average of holding eight shows a week, so it was hard to keep up in order to stay in business,” Tea said.
The Downtown became a hallmark for concerts in Long Island over the course of the past four years, as major national acts such as Taking Back Sunday, Hatebreed and Glassjaw performed at the venue. The Downtown also provided local bands with a chance to display their talent on stage.
Sophomore Brent Zoeller agrees, “It was a great little place for local bands, along with bands that are not so popular.”
Zoeller says that although he’s been to two concerts at The Downtown, it left a lasting impression on him.
“It has a personalized atmosphere that most venues don’t have,” he said.
The irony about The Downtown going out of business is the closing comes just as another concert venue is struggling to stay in business. The much-publicized fight for famous venue CBGB in Manhattan made news this summer when CBGB’s landlord threatened to shut down the legendary rock/punk club because of back rent. Many artists-and even Mayor Michael Bloomberg-came together in support for CBGB.
With the loss of The Downtown, many bands are scrambling to find alternate venues for their shows. Right before The Downtown announced its closure, about 30 shows were scheduled for the venue, including Alien Ant Farm, Bayside, The Misfits and Henry Rollins.
According to Newsday, most of those shows will be transferred to the Crazy Donkey (Club Loaded), which is also located in Farmingdale.
Alternative solo artist Josh Kelley originally scheduled a show at The Downtown on the day it closed, but ticket holders caught a break, as the show was moved to the Crazy Donkey and admission was free.
While The Downtown was only four years old, the club has definitely left an impact on the Long Island music scene. Many of Long Island’s local bands will more than likely attribute The Downtown with helping them to jumpstart their careers.
No decision has been made about the club’s future, but Tea said it depends if the next owner will keep it as a concert venue. In closing, Tea said, “It was a fun ride while it lasted and we had a great four years here on Long Island.”
A sign on The Downtown marks its closure. (Madeline Kerins/The Chronicle)