Bay Area natives probably can recall their first show at the Fillmore, one of San Francisco’s most famous music halls and the site of performances that span generations of music – from Jimi Hendrix to The Roots. These days, music fans might go to Potrero Hill’s Bottom of the Hill club, the Tenderloin’s Great American Music Hall or Cafe du Nord in the Castro.
Those venues could be forced to close, owners say, if the state Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, better known as ABC, continues to impose rules that club attorneys argue are legally questionable and often unrelated to booze or safety issues.
Some of the clubs say they only recently learned about the new rules, which are not written into state law and haven’t been enforced in the past.
For example, ABC has decreed that at least half of the clubs’ revenue must come from food sales. The agency also is taking issue with minor operating changes, such as one club’s decision to open an hour later.
In almost every case, the San Francisco clubs who have been battling ABC have the support of neighbors and local leaders.
ABC officials, meanwhile, won’t comment on most pending cases but insist that they are not overstepping their authority. A spokesman said the agency is taking appropriate action to protect the public.
Yet the ABC rules have some in the industry worried about where local bands will get their first break and where young people will go to experience live music if the clubs cease to exist.
Tags: music