By now, most of you have heard about the closing of Common Grounds (AKA Covered Dish). This leaves a huge gap in a community that, among others things, is known for its music scene stretching back to before I moved here in 1988. When it closes its doors, there will literally be no place for the types of bands I get my old ass off the couch to see. I haven’t seen a show at the O’Dome in at least a decade and it takes a lot to get me out to the smaller clubs.
The glory days (for me and most others my age) were when it was the Covered Dish, run to the point of exhaustion by the indomitable Bill Bryson. Bill managed to convince touring bands, who would generally shoot from Jax to Orlando (yikes) and Tampa before heading back up to the upper 47, to come through Hogtown. This was how I was able to have long convos with Ira Kaplan (Yo La Tengo), Mo Tucker (Velvet Underground, of course), and meet other heroes of mine, such as Mike Watt and Robyn Hitchcock. I did not stick around long enough to meet Robert Pollard, who was so pants-shitting drunk the night I saw Guided By Voices that I left before the set was over. My love for GBV took a big hit that night.
My memories of Covered Dish involved fire-code-pushing crowds and that cool, little balcony around the side. With Common Grounds, that balcony went away, as did most of the crowds, which probably explains a lot about why they are closing now. Nevertheless, I would take my then-middle-school son to every Against Me! show that came to town (now those were packed), and would make it out for the occasional Son Volt or Dumptsaphunk show in the intervening years.
Who knows what will happen with that place next, but surely Gainesville does not need another place to line dance. Please share your memories of Common Grounds/Covered Dish below.
liveoakblues
Live Oak Blues 