Golden Bear can rock again

There are plenty of old rock bands that seem to keep going and going ? and going.

The Rolling Stones are still touring, for instance. The Eagles were among the biggest touring bands of 2005. (Number 1, according to Billboard, was U2, who at this point aren’t exactly fresh faces to the music business.) Other must-see artists included Neil Diamond, Elton John and Jimmy Buffet.

These days, old rockers don’t fade away ? they crank the sound up, put in the ear plugs and get the audiences screaming.

And if old rockers can do that, why not the old places they used to rock, back before the ear plugs and the prime positions on Super Bowl halftime shows?

Why not Huntington Beach’s Golden Bear?

Yet another attempt to revive the vaunted nightclub is in the works, this time at the hands of a retired teacher, Doug Turner. He appeared before the City Council on Monday night to ask them to bring the Golden Bear back. The reception was relatively cool, with the council urging him to talk to developers first.

That response is understandable ? downtown Huntington Beach now has a specific development strategy and feel to it, plus more to come with Pacific City on the building horizon. But at the same time, that response is disappointing because adding a new Golden Bear to downtown Surf City ? one built to dampen the loud noises of live music, one built to handle crowds and concert-goers ? would add a fine touch to the city and a nice nod to a bygone Huntington Beach. City leaders should be encouraging this plan far more than they seem to be doing.

There are even clear dollars and cents reasons for building a new nightclub, as Huntington Beach Conference and Visitors Bureau president Doug Traub told the Independent. “Some kind of a music venue is needed [in Huntington Beach], there’s no question about that,” he said. Without it, the city’s ability to attract visitors, especially during the winter, is hampered.

In other words, why not figure out a way to build a new Golden Bear, one that fits into the new downtown Huntington Beach? After all, the Stones, the Eagles and Jimmy Buffet are all still making big bucks. Surf City ought to find its piece of the action.