The Croc | For good or ill, new Crocodile fits right in to Belltown club scene

The Crocodile is back — and in fine form.

The iconic rock club opened officially Saturday night with Hot Buttered Rum, after closing suddenly back in December.

It may still be called the Crocodile (sans the "Café" that no one used anyway), but it's a completely different animal now. Gone is the annoying pole that blocked a clear view to the stage. Gone also are the cafe setting and the stools.

The outside looks the same, with its characteristic green glowing sign. But inside, the Croc looks like an artist loft, with deep-red-painted walls, where old posters from concerts from the club's formidable years now hang. Also, the bathrooms are not like any nightclub I know — completely clean, painted white with shiny white tiles. I wonder how long that will last.

The new setup does allow for a better concert setting. Stand anywhere in the club, from the bottom floor by the stage or on the loft, and you get a clear view of the stage. It makes for a very intimate show, exciting This is exciting because the upcoming lineup is good. Rachael Yamagata comes March 31, the Ting Tings play April 12 and Damien Jurado performs May 8 — just to name a few of their hot shows.

However, something has been lost in the latest resurrection at 2200 Second Ave. The dingy, divey feeling of the old club is gone. In a renovation, everything must be made new — that's the point — but the Crocodile now melds in so nicely with the rest of yuppie Belltown that much of its old comfortableness is gone.

Hopefully, with fans wearing it in, that comfort can be found again.

Marian Liu: 206-464-3825 or mliu@seattletimes.com