http://www.amphitheaterybor.com/

Amp is closing. I can't believe this. In the 6 months since I moved to Ybor, I've seen more and more of the nightclubs close. The whole idea of moving to Ybor was so I could drink my but off :cheers: :cheers: :cheers: and get ripped :nuts: :nuts: :nuts: and walk home without getting a DUI :banana: :banana: :banana:

Now I have to drive to Clearwater to go to Shepherds?? :ohno: Where's the fun in that? :bash:

Anyone have any insight as to why they are closing?

Why are they closing?

Ask the city...

This may help to further clean up that area of town. In the overall picture, this is probably a good thing.

If by clean up you mean make sure no one is around then you are right. The Amp was not my kind of place, but options are always nice. Now there will be another big vacancy in Ybor.

emoore - places are always closing down in ybor, that is the nature of the business. Turnaround time is key here. Take this oppurtunity to find other places to go to.

Don't abandon ybor, and don't try to clean it up!

If you liked that kind of music and/or atmosphere, Prana is pretty good... Not my cup of tea, but it's the most similar to Amp in my opinion. Also they have a really nice outdoor bar on the roof with an awesome view of downtown.

Prana sucks. It's like 4 levels of the same hip hop trash with a rooftop balcony that plays Reggae. Amp was mostly techno with a small hip hop lounge.

I can't stand Hip Hop/Reggaeton. Now just about every club is Hip Hop.

Pretty soon all that will be left in Ybor is the Homeless people making Palm Flowers and the Scientologists.

Join the crowd, my friend. Those of us that don't like hip hop are definitely in the minority these days, unfortunately, as many clubs have switched over to that format exclusively.

However, AKBTampa has a point - the shelf life of a club is typically relatively short, especially in Ybor. Remember the Rubb? Frankie's Patio? Spurs? The Pleasure Dome? Bar Tampa? Tracks? Platforms? Harpo's?

Most of those bars / clubs were pretty popular at one point, some for several years, before ultimately dimming their lights.

Of course, the Castle will never die...that would take a crucifix and a wooden stake. :nuts:

Why are they closing?

It just sounds better to not mention nearly 2 million owed in mortgage and taxes.

Ah, TRE got to the heart of the matter there. I was about to say the same, I was there two Saturdays ago when ATB played (killer show by the way), and that's when I found out it was closing. The owner claims he's losing $30k/night that he's open.
Hard to believe, but if it's what he says then it's what I have to go on. Can't lose that kind of dough for very long, even though Amp is one of several clubs he owns.

Really pisses me off. The Amp was the ONLY club I could go to and hear great trance and house on a regular basis and not have to drive over an hour each way (because I'm in no state to drive when I leave). Now the only place I can do that is my living room, and since my girlfriend doesn't like trance I can't even listen to it there. Be honest with you it's almost enough to make me leave this two-bit burg. Everything good is going away... people moving into my neighborhood had damn well better be interesting people who make it a decent neighborhood and not stay cloistered in their homes at all hours.

In retrospect Amp never had a normal 'rave' atmosphere anyway, drug use aside (they bounce e-tards out of there pretty quick, which is great imo). It was always a "go-see-and-be-seen" club. Too many people went there for a great show (Tiesto last year anyone?) and stood around the bar the whole time like they were at MacDinton's. Hoping they'd be seen in their new club shirt. The place was losing money because this town evidently doesn't have more than a handful of folks who 'get' electronic music. I'm surprised 93.3 hasn't turned Saturday Night House Party into another hip-hop show, but that's probably just a matter of time.

I have lots more insights about why they're closing but... I've rambled enough. Just makes me sick.

:cheers: its a shame they are closing. As far as Tampa goes all my friends from Miami that would come up loved that place. Of course I thought it was the end of the world when Bar Tampa closed

It probably has more to do with bad management than with anything else. It would be hard to lose that kind of money, even with zero sales.