In today’s venue spotlight you’ll find the downright legendary 9:30 Club! This D.C. venue has topped best nightclub lists in major music publications including Rolling Stone, Billboard, and Pollstar more times than any other club in the country. It is also said to be the most attended club of its size in the world.
The 9:30 Club first opened in 1980 in a D.C. area rife with drugs, peppered with peep shows, and scarred with boarded up buildings from the ’68 riots. Still, an otherwise ill-suited room was transformed into what would become a truly beloved venue. With its capacity of just 200, the original 9:30 Club was instrumental in breaking acts like Nirvana, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Public Enemy, and R.E.M..
Faced with increasingly fierce competition, the 9:30 Club eventually found a new home when venue owners secured the old gospel radio station WUST’s building. Decades before, this building was home to Duke Ellington’s club and the 9:30 team used it to create an extraordinary music nightclub. In January 1996, The Smashing Pumpkins played two sold-out shows in the new 1200-cap room to launch the 9:30 Club in its current location.
To this day, the 9:30 Club is an inimitable place which bands aspire to play and music fans love to visit. Now in its 38th year, this exceptional venue is a destination for locals as well as people across the country. The venue’s stage has been graced by legends such as Bob Dylan, Dolly Parton, Al Green, and Willie Nelson, all while introducing upcoming talent. It has served as an intimate concert setting for artists that would normally play arenas, including Justin Timberlake, Foo Fighters, and Green Day. And it, of course, has served as a stepping stone for younger, prolific acts like the XX, Greta Van Fleet, Tank and the Bangas, and Shakey Graves.
We are proud to spotlight the 9:30 Club and excited that they will present The Get Up Kids as part of Independent Venue Week on Sunday July 15. Find your tickets here.
