Although rumors of its demise had circulated on local music blogs for some time, Seattle music fans and club employees were shocked when legendary venue the Crocodile Café closed suddenly over the weekend.
According to reports out the Northwest, café employees received voicemails on Sunday from owner Stephanie Dorgan, telling them not to report for work because the Croc been closed due to financial difficulties.
The Crocodile Cafe opened in 1991, and hosted shows by Beck, Death Cab for Cutie, Presidents of the United States of America, Everclear, Ann Wilson, Yoko Ono and Dido, among thousands of others. In 1992, the club hosted a show featuring Mudhoney and Nirvana with a three dollar cover charge.