Last Call, San Francisco

At midnight tonight, when the blue moon is full, we will cheer like drunken fools while the ball drops ‘till  day breaks, we will count down the seconds ’till blackouts and headaches, and we’ll try, as always, to put the worst of the last year behind us, and say hello to first day of the rest of our lives!

But first we must say our goodbyes.

Four years ago, on New Year’s Eve, a bar called Annie’s Cocktail Lounge was busy raising the roof of their Boardman alley address for the last time. Tomorrow they would pull up stakes and move the whole operation down the street to 5^th and Folsom, reclaiming the home of the legendary Covered Wagon Saloon, and putting the current tenant, Cherry Bar, out of our misery. They would re-open the following month as Annie’s Social Club, and for the next four years we would not want for Rock and Roll. Up and coming local acts played along side big name touring bands, and there were so many amazing shows, so many good times.

But like all good times they went by far too fast.

Tonight is New Year’s Eve once again, and once again it’s last call for Annie’s. Only this time there will be no new incarnation, no grand re-opening, this time goodbye is just goodbye.

So come on down tonight for the last hurrah! There will be DJs, drinking, commiseration, camaraderie, and karaoke, all free of charge. It’ll be a night you’ll wish you could remember.

But to me last night was the night that mattered; the last live show.

The bands held nothing back, the crowd was electric, I was kicked in the stomach, assaulted by my peers, leapt upon by the singer of Everything Must Go and at one point I honestly thought I might die in a fire.

It was awesome.

And as Jesse Morris of the Man Cougars pointed out, if we could have packed the room like that every night, Annie’s would not have had to close.

It was a great bar, staffed by wonderful people, and owned by the Queen of Rock and Roll herself. Thank you, Annie, for keeping the local music scene alive, and may the new year bring you good fortune in all your endeavors.

We salute you.

If you’ve had a particularly awesome Annie’s experience, tell us all about it in the comments! We wanna hear your stories.