CBGB in Vegas? Hey Ho Let's Go

...on Sunday in New York after Patti Smith performs. CBGB is closing its doors and everyone wants the legendary punk club to come to Vegas to live happily ever after.

I do, too. I can even see it in my mind's eye: the famed urinals behind glass (perhaps turned to a catch tray to collect tourist's business cards), the cocktail waitresses all dressed like Debbie Harry's album covers and, oh, how about Richard Hell as the greeter at the door.

The only problem is that I just don't see any of it happening. Las Vegas has little affinity for the sort of New York institution that is or was CBGB. Don't get me wrong, I love Patti Smith, yet, she has never even played a concert in Vegas and it seems impossible to imagine any casino investing in the legacy of folks like Patti Smith, the Ramones, Television or Richard Hell. If you doubt me read about the fiasco that was Lou Reed's Vegas debut. We aren't that city. But it is a lovely dream. I had it once, too.

(Photo: Adam Rountree / AP)