Final encore for 4040

The lights will soon dim and the stage fall silent at the 4040 indie rock club's temporary location on Locust Street, but the club's experience has taught the University community two important lessons. The first is that there is significant demand for an alcohol-free concert venue in University City. Sean Agnew's 4040 filled a void in the campus entertainment landscape, and should be moved to an appropriate building on or near campus -- on a permanent basis -- as soon as possible. The nearly six months 4040 has been in business also suggest that the club's very success can rapidly become a liability. According to residents of the 4000 block of Locust Street, 4040's clientele would often loiter in front of the club for hours. In the process, concert-goers would disrupt foot traffic and litter the street with large amounts of trash. Enthusiastic fans and their rubbish are natural byproducts of a successful music establishment. The challenge then -- for the University and for the club's management -- is to choose a new site that enhances access to the musical acts while minimizing unfortunate side effects. The Rotunda at 4012 Walnut Street, which recently played host to a 4040 event, is such a location. The building lies adjacent to only one residential property, thereby inconveniencing few students, and its courtyard provides ample room for music lovers to congregate before and after shows. As for the trash -- well, that's something club management will have to tackle as responsible members of the University City business community. While 4040's supporters and detractors have been very vocal about the club's merits and faults, compromise is possible. The key is for 4040's next home to be its last, so that in future years students are not inconvenienced by a rock club being suddenly dropped in their backyard, and that those who wish to live near such a venue may, in time, form their own residential communities