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It's The End Of The Tent At Billy's Antiques, Weekend Party And Funeral Planned
By
Jen Carlson
Published Mar 8, 2012
Modified Mar 8, 2012
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By
Jen Carlson
Published Mar 8, 2012
Modified Mar 8, 2012
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Photo via jglsongs flickr
We knew this day was coming: Billy's Antiques will be losing its tarps this weekend. Filmmaker Jenner Furst has alerted us that this will not go down without some noise, however, and this Friday, the day before their removal, there will be a big blowout under the tents. We're told this will be "an unforgettable night of bands and speakers in the tent, celebrating the mystical and iconic landmark before it disappears forever" (details below). On Saturday at 3 p.m., the tarps will then be placed in a coffin and paraded around the neighborhood—which is a very New Orleans thing to do!
The tarps and fabric, enduring over 30 years of New York weather, both cultural and environmental, will be taken down forever. In a gothic burial ceremony, the “Flesh” of the tent will be peeled from the skeletal “Bones” of the structure and placed in a coffin. The coffin will be paraded around the block by pallbearers, while a funeral march is strummed by guitarist and tentmatriarch Lorraine Leckie. The coffin will be chained to the inside fence, and the remaining hollow structure will be painted fire-engine red in the days to follow.
Furst is the director of "the only feature film to ever capture this place in it's dark splendor" (produced by Paul Sevigny) called Dirty Old Town. You may want to at least watch the clip below before attending any of this weekend's events (you can also watch the whole thing on iTunes).
The party tomorrow night will be from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m., and you can find the details below, including for the after party (it states "invitation only" but we were assured we could pass it along to you—just expect it to be a clusterfuck).
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billy's antiques
end of the tent
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Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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