New York nightclub is closed before party for Jay-Z

Patrons were lined up for the party, but the artist wasn't expected.
NEW YORK (AP) -- Authorities closed a big Manhattan nightclub a half-hour before it was to host a party with hundreds of people celebrating hip hop titan Jay-Z's new album Wednesday night, a club manager and a witness said.
Police and fire department spokespeople had no immediate comment on the shutdown of Avalon in the city's Chelsea neighborhood, which prompted testy exchanges as angry patrons were told to leave.
The club, a converted church, hosts a variety of parties, concerts and other events. It has a dance floor that holds about 700 people and other spaces that hold several hundred more, according to a director, Carmelo Citron.
Lined up
Wednesday's shutdown came as patrons were lined up outside, waiting for the 10 p.m. start of a party to celebrate the recent release of the new album, "Kingdom Come," Citron said. He said the artist was not expected at the event.
Citron said the club was ordered to close because of ongoing problems with its certificate of occupancy. He said the trouble centered on a "clerical issue," and managers had tried to resolve it for the past several weeks.
The scene became heated as police dispersed the patrons, many of whom had prepaid for admission, Citron said.
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