For almost six years Super Toad Entertainment Center in Des Moines has been known to central Iowa music lovers as a place to go to see some of their favorite bands perform.But the end of an era has come, and today Super Toad will shut its doors for good.Super Toad provided the Des Moines area with a country-western atmosphere Thursday through Sunday, but it also brought in some big-name alternative and metal bands. Bands such as Godsmack, Slipknot and Bloodhound Gang are just a few of the acts that have played at the venue within the last couple of years.Owner Steve Greenfield says many factors came into play with the decision to close down. Among them was debt, building maintenance and the dropping popularity of country-western.”This whole building needs a ton of maintenance,” Greenfield says. “We’ve lost our lease, so it’s not economically feasible to put a lot of money into a facility where you just know you aren’t going to get any usage out of it.””Country music is slow right now, I think there is a revival around the corner, but it’s not here yet,” he adds. “Our country concerts weren’t producing like they were in the past.” Greenfield says that the alternative shows Super Toad hosted were almost always successful. But now that Super Toad is closing, it looks as if central Iowa’s concert scene will greatly suffer, as there is really no other in Des Moines for mid-sized bands such as Goldfinger and others to play.Cory “C-Bone” Brown, disc jockey at Des Moines radio station Lazer 1033, predicts the closing of Super Toad will have a definite impact on the music scene.”Now there’s one less venue for bands to play when and if they swing through Des Moines,” he says. “Bands like Staind, Static-X, Deftones, etc. are probably going to just skip Des Moines on their next tours.”Greenfield has already received numerous calls from concerned promoters who wanted Super Toad to be one of their tour stops next year.So where, if anywhere, will groups be able to play if they decide to come through Des Moines? Brown mentions the Val Air Ballroom and the Tri Point Center as possibilities. Orgy, who were supposed to be playing Super Toad in February will playing instead at Toad Holler in Des Moines. But Greenfield says that limited capacity might drag down Toad Holler as it only holds around 500 people.National acts won’t be the only ones to suffer from the closing of Super Toad though; local groups will feel the pinch as well.Cory Brown knows this firsthand. Brown has played Super Toad many times with his local band, Mudder, and was also the promoter of Lazer Live, which gave local groups the chance to play at Super Toad during the summer.In fact, the final round of the battle of the bands at Super Toad drew approximately 1,300 people, an almost unheard of number for a local show.”It’s hard just to find a venue that will allow local bands to play,” Brown says. “Super Toad gave local bands the chance to play on their huge stage with their nice sound system and lighting rig.”As for the future of Brown’s Lazer Live, he says that something might be put together for spring, but it’s up in the air without access to Super Toad.Fans across the area will be sad to see the staple of Des Moines music close down, but according to Greenfield, it might be the bands who hate to see it go the most.”They loved to play this place because it is a bar and has a bar atmosphere,” Greenfield explains. “They can get rowdy and have fun and really get down.”But fans will get one more chance to catch a live show at Super Toad. Buckcherry, who gained national popularity with their hit single “Lit Up,” will end things with a bang when they take the stage for an 8 p.m. show tonight. Tickets are $12 at the door and $10 in advance.