In the past week things seem to be moving ever so quickly and pointing to the possible demise of the once artists’ outlet of Sugarland. Beginning on Wednesday night on August 1st, there was something in the air that felt different and it wasn’t the b.o. for a change. The crowd’s attitude was definitely off as they barely played into the hands of the hosts, promoters, and DJs while standing around looking bored out of their minds. The following morning it came to light that longtime managers Paul Irvine and Troy Carson were relieved of their duties with Glammy award winning bartender Mary Jo Cameltoe following suit by leaving on her own accord.
As the day progressed more and more names dropped from Sugarland’s line-up including Krystal Something-Something‘s BacKspace performers who regularly held Sundays down with a supportive and eager audience. That night on Thursday, Misty Meaner and Mocha Lite announced this was going to be their last time hosting a party at the venue with their final performances at Jonathan and BPro‘s Flash Pop! the following day.
Seeing the type of crowd that attended on Friday only proved further that the club’s vibe changed almost overnight and not for the better. When it comes to nightlife talents they will play to you but the key is to play back for it considered to be a success. What does this all mean? In my opinion, there are tons of factors that all point to the owners of Sugarland wanting it to die as quickly as possible in order for them to sell the land to property developers.
For beginners, within the last year the re-gentrification of the once run-down industrial park has led the club to receive many noise complaints from new neighbors who sit at home in their lush Yuppie condos and give off an attitude that exudes, “Not In My Backyard.” The roof of Sugarland used to be the smokers’ den but has since been closed off since early Spring and the owners have stated they have no plans to fix it.
The owners also have another bar in their pockets which they hope to turn into the new happening gay spot in Williamsburg. All recent renovations (and word from gay nightlife talents) say that The Cove will not be what its managers and owners intend as it shows little fanfare in wanting to flip flop and go the gay way. Gay hotspots come and go and it’s certainly no surprise that Sugarland will most likely shut its doors for good, sooner rather than later, but the shock in all of this is that it all happened so quickly and little appreciation was shown by the owners towards the men and women who built up the club over the years with their endless talents whether on stage or off.
