Last Call on Buenos Ave
Venues come and go. I know that. But I saw the Brick by Brick announcement today and this one hit a little different, because I have stood in that room. Obituary, Abbath, and Midnight, back in 2019, and I had an absolute blast.
Brick by Brick announced Wednesday that its run at 1130 Buenos Ave is ending. “After 12 incredible years, our chapter on Buenos Ave is coming to an end,” reads the statement, signed by Jordan and Shannon. The last shows on Buenos are The Cybertronic Spree on August 12, followed by a local metal send-off on August 13 with The Undertaking, Blackcast, Helsott, Cascade Effect, and an all-star jam. No reason was given.
Is it permanently closing? Hard to say. The statement never uses the word closing. It says the Buenos Ave chapter is ending, and it signs off with “See you soon.” That is either a relocation or a very soft goodbye, and right now nobody outside that building knows which one.
Either way it is a huge bummer, and not just for San Diego. Brick has hosted hundreds, if not thousands, of metal shows in the twelve years since it reopened under three former As I Lay Dying members: Phil Sgrosso, Nick Hipa, and Jordan Mancino. Twelve years is nothing to sneeze at. The room pulled off the thing that is actually hard to pull off. It is intimate, but it has just enough space to ensure the mosh pit gets rolling.
Southern California cannot afford to lose rooms like that. Bands that fill 300 to 600 capacity venues do not get a safety net. They get whatever independent room will have them, and there are fewer of those every year.
So here is to hoping Brick opens at a different location in the San Diego area soon, so low and mid tier metal bands still have a consistent place to land. August 13 is the last night on Buenos. If you have history in that room, go stand in it one more time.
Source: Brick by Brick