Bottom of the Hill, the legendary Potrero Hill rock club that’s been a launching pad for emerging artists and a central hub for San Francisco’s independent music scene, will close at the end of the year after three decades.
State of play: Owners Ramona Downey, Kathleen Owen and Lynn Schwarz confirmed the decision in a heartfelt Instagram post Friday evening, sharing that next New Year’s Eve will be the venue’s final show.
- In an interview with the new media outlet Coyote, they described the choice as one of the hardest they’ve ever made, citing a mix of personal reasons, operating challenges and the common refrain reiterated by too many live music venue owners nowadays: People aren’t going out as much anymore.
The big picture: Its loss not only underscores the mounting pressures facing independent music spaces, but also signals a deeper erosion of the city’s counterculture rock ‘n’ roll scene — a lineage already marked by the erasure of places like the Hemlock Tavern (RIP)…