Bar4 Closing -- South Slope bar & music venue says goodbye

Sad news for the South Slope:

Friends and family,

It is with great sadness that we announce that after 14 years as a neighborhood institution, music venue and beloved Slope staple, Bar 4 will be permanently closing its doors on August 15, 2013.

In 1999 President Bill Clinton’s impeachment trial ended in acquittal in the Senate, a little file-sharing website called Napster was sued by the RIAA on charges of copyright infringement and a wee Canadian boy named Justin Bieber turned 5.

Oh, and Bar 4 opened its doors at the dusty end of 7th Avenue in a pre-hip Park Slope.

For a decade-and-a-half this venue has been a launching pad for musicians who have gone on to international acclaim and played host to local acts with world class talent. The neighborhood has changed, and so have we. But as one era gives way to another we must face the financial realities that have confronted so many other good, hardworking Brooklynites.

We have been a home and refuge to many and we will be eternally grateful to the wellspring of goodwill, support and love so many of you have provided over the years.

We’ve hosted your dance parties, queer nights, vinyl DJ’s, killer comics, striving musicians (our epic open mic night is surpassed by none), lonely souls, love connections, breakups, burlesque ensembles, baby showers, Food Co-op revues, art shows, strip poker, Halloween freakouts, New Years Eve bonanzas, spontaneous weeknight drinkathons, bingo bouts, karaoke, karaoke, karaoke and did we mention our epic open mic nights?

We’ll miss seeing your faces, hanging your posters in our windows, cleaning up your broken glasses, taking your forgotten umbrellas home, looking at your Instagram photos (THAT’s something that wouldn’t have made any sense 14 years ago), doing shots with you and telling you to keep it down for our neighbors.

The next few weeks will be one long goodbye. Come share it with us. There will be homecomings, hugs, tears, pickle backs, and lots and lots of music. Stay tuned for the specifics as we work out our calendar, but rest assured you are invited to every last minute we have.

With love,
Ted, Larry, Erin, and The Entire Bar4 Family

They survived Hurricane Sandy, but are no match for gentrification. I guess it remains to be seen if someone might take over the space and leave the stage, though that seems doubtful.

Sad to see you go Bar4.