Latecomers were turned away to the club's last show Wednesday night, asked to wait in the former Z Bar space next door until doorman Eric Waxwood could let people in without violating the fire code. Those spurned tried to hold out hope.

"It'll be open for drinks after tomorrow," one person said while waiting outside.

Not true, Waxwood said. The 10-act, six hour show dubbed "The Last Blast" was the final bow for the Abbey. The money collected from the show will help owner Steve Giannino pay off the club's debt, which had been eased after a series of benefit shows in September.

Brighton resident Steve Kurimay went to Abbey shows for eight years, mostly to see his friends' bands– almost all were on Wednesday's bill.

"It's just sad," Kurimay said. "This was one of the few places that the rock scene felt comfortable and not pretentious. You didn't have to be a part of a scene, but you made a lot of friends."

Waxwood, who performed with his band Auto Interiors, had worked the door on Saturdays for the past seven years.

"Not only was (the club) supportive and gave me a job, but the Giannino family was supportive," he said. "And I met my wife here."

Relative newcomers and veterans alike thrashed out mostly garage-tinged rock with impromptu collaborations ruling the night. All lamented the club's imminent demise, with booking manager and Coffin Lids frontman "Skinny Mike" Feudale's farewell standing out.

"Abbey Lounge, my heart is broken tonight," he said. "But you guys satisfy what we're all about."

Muck and the Mires frontman Evan Shore said their set was the band's 36th appearance at the club, while newer acts cited the Abbey as an important proving ground.

"We're a young band," said Drew "Kazoo" Pilarski, singer for The Sprained Ankles, "and most of our best moments have been here."

Others went for a more confrontational send-off, with The Konks bidding farewell with a nearly half-hour rendition of Flipper's "Sex Bomb" while imploring the audience to light-up in defiance of a smoking ban that many say has crippled drinking spots such as the Abbey.

By the end of the night, a fresh piece of drywall in one of the restrooms had been covered in goodbye messages.

With the Abbey Lounge suddenly absent from the local scene, both band members and concertgoers said the nurturing atmosphere would not be easily replaced. Bands were given the opportunity to set up their own bills, and the club even released a few records.

"Through the years we had all these bands come up through us," said John Giannino, one of the owner's sons. "It's a blow for all of us."

Triple Thick, which played its first show at the club in 1999, brought the night to a close. Skinny Mike and Konks frontman Kurt Davis were among the dozen on stage who along with the entire audience belted out "Louie Louie," the Abbey's last song.