March 24, 2006
Nation Announces Closing
With the stadium set to be built and a large part of the surrounding area ready to be redeveloped, we're bound to see a host of changes in the coming months. Of the businesses that have thrived in an otherwise desolate and industrial section of town, Nation nightclub is the first to go.
Nation, located mere blocks from the Navy Yard Metrorail station, has come to be known both for its cavernous, spartan feel and the diversity of the acts and events they hosted. From regular concerts to Velvet Nation, a Saturday night gay dance party, and Alchemy, a Thursday night staple of diverse electronica, Nation attracted a loyal following. Not all is lost, though, according to a statement issued by Nation's owners:
While Nation will disappear, the owners and promoters will not. The owners are actively scouting locations for a new club to help fill some of the void that will be felt by Nation closing. The promoters have been approached by other notable DC clubs hoping to host their parties.While I never had a chance to attend Nation's regular dance and electronica parties, my first ever D.C.-area concert was at the club. It was 2000, and I was a fresh-faced college junior in town for a summer internship. The Deftones came through, and I was lucky enough to catch them at Nation. I knew little of the city then, and trusting the few people I asked about the area of town where the club was located, I didn't much think I would make it back home alive. I did, and on top of that, it was an amazing concert.
Nation will surely be missed. Does anyone else have memories of the club, good or bad?
Image above taken from the Nation website.
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That's a shame - The Damned put on a great show there in 2002. There used to be a lot more live music there 10 or so years ago when it was still called the "Capitol Ballroom" ...back before the new 9:30 opened.
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I lost the ball in my eyebrow ring there when a crowdsurfer kicked me in the face.
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that's a bit of bummer. I'm not usually a fan of the acts that play at Nation, but hopefully the rumored new clubs by the owner(s) of DC9 can pick up some of the slack. It would help keep the local scene healthy.
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That place sucked. The location sucked even worse. Liked a lot of their shows though. Hopefully the new venue will be better.
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I went to their foam party in summer 2002. It was fun, until the next day my skin started to peel off my body. I should have taken a shower as soon as I got home instead of crashing into bed.
I've gone there for two concerts, Rammstein in July 2001 and Smashmouth in either '99 or 2000. The shows were great but the acoustics weren't so hot.
Also, does anyone else get annoyed when people mistakenly refer to it as "Nations" instead of Nation? It really bugs me.
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There were some great showes there...Avril Lavigne and Pink come to mind. (heh heh...just kidding).
The Jim Rose circus back in '96 or '97 or so was, uh, memorable. Mr Lifto...urg
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I went to my first rave at Nation. Once I discerned that i was in the very slim minority that was NOT on Ecstasy, it lost its charm and I went home.
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Not so sad to see it go, its not like it was tracks or anything.
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I remember coming to DC from a small little Rhode Island town as a freshman and going to (Velvet) Nation one of the first nights.
As I sidled up to the bar (despite the black X's on the back on one's hands, one could still get a drink), I got into an unwanted conversation with an older guy next to me, who advised not to come to the foam parties. I asked why not?
"Cum and needles."
I took his word and never went, though I used to go a lot on non-foam nights as a freshman/sophomore. Club scene gets old though when you can no longer drink 2x your weight in vodka and actually become aware of your surroundings. The 18-year-old in me will miss it, though.
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I've been dong Alchemy at Nation for the past 4 1/2 yeas so I have tons of memories of the place. Dancing on stage with Pigface being one of the most notorious.
I got to DJ for Siouxsie & the Banshes there and be a gibbering fool when I met my teen heroes David J, and John Koviak, and then fawn allover Patrick Codenys and Jean-Luc Demeyer.
When I first went there when it was Capital Ballroom. The Pietasters were playing Skalloween about 10 years ago. It was an amazing show.
Oh and hey TT. We've had Jay from Traxx reprising his role as baretnder (including oepn bar) for the past few years. So it's closing is kind of like loosing the last vestige of Traxx, too.
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I remember- at a Streetlight Manifesto show- the security standing at the front of the stage and pushing the crowd backwards until everyone toppled over each other and got trampled. I hate the club and the employees. I'm glad it's closing....maybe the few good bands that play there will be forced to play a better venue now.
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Bit o Honey on the deck with Scott Henry... ah, memories.
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I remember going to see Oakenfold some years back....crazy drunken complete exhaustion. TOTAL BLISS in those days!
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I saw Siouxsie & the Banshes there a few years ago- and realized how old I was when I was thrust into goth night. Those of us who were fans the first time around were there with regular clothes on and stuck out like sore thumbs. But I was psyched to realize that Siouxsie had a new fan set.
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I shall miss it, too, though not as much as Tracks. The owners of Nation got really lazy in the last few years and it was such a great space that it was a shame to see the minimum being done with it. It is obvious their hearts are no longer in the business. Maybe they could try selling tweed suits and raincoats at a discount shop or something like that.
I experienced so much romance there. Gosh, I'll never forget that. It was a blast.
Jay always gave me doubles. I love you Jay.
"Gimme a light show.".
"Can you feel it?"
"Let's dance."
"Where's the chill room?"
"Hug me."
"Let's do the bunny hop!"
"I like your camo UFO's"
"The Alphabet of your desires"
Hey, I saw Avril there and she was good. :)
I wonder if any of you ever think of me as I remember you. Ah, I shall never know.
Love,
David
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Saw a bunch of fun shows there back in the 90s (when it was Capitol Ballroom):
- George Clinton and the P-Funk All-Stars (crowd was AMAZING for that show)
- A Tribe Called Quest w/The Roots
- Morris Day and The Time (on Valentine's Day, no less!)
Always a good time, never any problems. The scene at the McDonald's down the street after the P-Funk show was almost as entertaining as the show itself.
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Saw a bunch of fun shows there back in the 90s (when it was Capitol Ballroom):
- George Clinton and the P-Funk All-Stars (crowd was AMAZING for that show)
- A Tribe Called Quest w/The Roots
- Morris Day and The Time (on Valentine's Day, no less!)
Always a good time, never any problems. The scene at the McDonald's down the street after the P-Funk show was almost as entertaining as the show itself.
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Nation will always have a special place in my heart. I went to my first rave there and I have seen a lot of great house/trance/drum and base acts play there since 1997. It was a mixed bag whenever I went, but like the person above, Bit O' Honey was always special.
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I will always have fond memories of nation mainly for buzzlife events on fridays. I first started going while living in Richmond and drove the 3+ hours every week. Highlights were The bit-o-honeys and honeydew parties, granmaster flash, bad boy bill, donald glaude, and Scott Henry. The best memories were when Scott H would be the closing DJ in the main room from 4-6am and there would only be about 20 people in that cavernous room.
It will be missed.
Also it is the best sound system on the east coast, period.
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To philip
You are correct jay is awesome. Even when i went randomly to nation , he would still hook me me with da drinks. I will miss jay.
Also i did see a lot of good DJs there . However I think the rave seen was really dead at that point, most of the club was full of "ravenecks".
Does any one remember the old catastrophic and flintstone raves? Or any of the raves at WUST in the early nineties. Now those where a good time.
of course I'm showing my age a little ;)
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Haven't been since I was 18. I will miss the easy access of drinks that you could get regardless of age. Saturday nights there were the craziest I have ever experienced.
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Saw a lot of punk shows there during college. Rancid several times, H2O four or five times, NOFX, Bouncing Souls, etc.
I think the last time I was there was The Bouncing Souls in 2003.
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It's a bit surreal to see the party night (Buzz) that beat back FOX5 in 1999 and police action in 2002 to be laid low by developers.
I've been going to the club since 1996, before I could even legally get in, and going on a regular, virtually weekly basis, since 1999. It will stand as one of the most impressive venues in the United States, with the multiple levels, the grand space, the high ceilings, the cat walks, the nooks, the crannys, the patio, and all other little bits of home crammed into that place.
Hopefully, this'll usher in a new era of dance music in the city.
*coughcough*onethatdcistwillactuallycover*coughcough*
;-)
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Feh over Nation closing. But Red, now there's a club I'm still mourning over.
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I'm glad to see this club go! The people who work there are really shady/sketchy (not the bartenders but the security, management, etc, they are very unfriendly people! If you go to the club on Saturday nights it's like 1/4 of the way filled, if that! It's really depressing going to a club the size of Nation and having it look more empty then a grave yard!
The DJ's suck (the resdient ones), Ed Bailey, Michelle Miruski, and all the other 'old school house DJ's' need to be spinning there, they knew how to bring a crowd in! Yes ED, I know you help run the club but your better behind a turn table:) Hey, it's a compliment:)
I heard about Tracks back in the days (before my time) and I heard Tracks was the hot spot in town (gay or straight) but then even that started to die off in the late 90's before it was sold and demolished.
The club scene in this city SUCKS! There is just nothing here anymore. Time to go back to NYC boys...where the REAL action is!
I do plan on attending Michelle Miruski's return in late June when she spins at the club (GOD I can't wait...that chick can outspin any black house DJ with one hand tied behind her back!) and also the closing party on July 15th, it should be a great party!
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THE CLOSING OF NATION AND IN TURN THE CLOSING OF BUZZ IS DEFINATLY THE CLOSING ON A CHAPTER OR RATHER ALMOST A DECADE OF MY LIFE IN DC! I MOVED LAST YEAR AND MOVING WAS HARD BUT GOING BACK AND WATCHING A PLACE WHERE I GREW UP CLOSE IT'S DOORS FOREVER IS ALMOST THE WORST HOMECOMING I CAN IMAGINE IN MY MIND I AM JUST TRYING TO THINK THAT, THAT PART OF MY LIFE WILL FOREVER LIVE SOMEWHERE-EVEN IF THE BUILDING IS GONE THE MEMORIES AND STORIES WILL LIVE ON!
THE FONDEST MEMORY WHICH ACTUALLY HAS LITTLE TO DO WITH NATION OR BUZZ WAS THE REOPENING AFTER THEY INSTALLED THE 2 MILLION DOLLAR SOUND SYSTEM AND RENOVATION IN 1998 OR MAYBE EARLY 1999, ME, JANICE, MARK, A VERY YOUNG AND NEW TO THE AREA HEATHER, AND RANDY AKA DJ PROXXY WERE ALL OUTSIDE IN LINE (YES BACK THEN THEY ALL HAD TO WAIT IN LINE!) AND IT WAS COLD LIKE ALMOST SNOW ON THE GROUND COLD, AND WE BURNED FLYERS THAT GAVE OFF BLUE AND GREEN SMOKE FOR WARMTH-UNTIL FINALLY WE RELIZED THAT WE WERE ALL BUZZ REJECTS AND WALKED DOWN TO TRACKS 2000 WHICH WAS TORN DOWN A LONG TIME AGO NOW, HMM ANYWAYS AND WE JOKED ABOUT HOW WE WERE THE BUZZ REJECTS AND HOW DUMB WE ALL FELT! BUT IT WAS ONE OF THE BEST NIGHTS THAT I REMEMBER CAUSE IT WAS ALL ABOUT FRIENDS MAKING THE BEST OF A BAD SITUATION!
BUZZ AND THE BUILDING WHICH IS NATION THE FORMER NAME WAS CAPITOL BALLROOM HAVE HOSTED SOME GREAT NIGHTS THAT I WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER.
APHRODITE, V AND V NATION, JOSH WINK, SCOTT HENRY, FEELGOOD, JOHN TAB, DJ ICEY, AND SO MANY MANY MORE I CAN'T EVEN BEGIN TO KNOW WHERE TO START!
KID ROCK A $5 SHOW THAT HAD LESS THAN 50 IN THE WHOLE WAREHOUSE AND HE ROCKED IT LIKE THERE WERE 50,000!
JIMMIES CHICKEN SHACK, THE JAGGERMISTER TOURS, THE DEFTONES, RAMMSTEIN, HED PE, ICP, AND EMINEM...
WE SAW EMINEM BACK IN 1999 AND THERE WERE NOT MANY PEOPLE IN THE HOUSE ENOUGH TO HAVE A GREAT SHOW! AFTER ME AND A FRIEND DECIDED TO CHILL OUTSIDE AND ALONG COME MARSHALL MATHERS, I WANTED HIM TO SIGN SOMETHING BUT ALL I HAD WAS A SMALL TELETUBBY TOY THAT WAS ON MY KEYCHAIN...SO I HANDED IT OVER AND HE SAID "IS THIS THE GAY ONE?" AND SLOPPILY SIGNED SLIM SHADY-HE GAVE ME A HUG AND JESSIE GOT HER TICKET SIGNED AND A LONG LINGERING HUG AS WELL! IT WAS FUNNY THE NEXT YEAR HE WAS PLAYING TO HUGE AMPITHEATRE'S THAT WERE SOLD OUT...
NATION ISN'T IN THE BEST PART OF TOWN, BUT THERE IS A LEARNING CURVE TO EVEN GOING THERE, YOU MUST KNOW THAT NO MATTER HOW MANY TIMES A CRACK HEAD OFFERS TO WATCH YOUR CAR FOR YOU A) he is totally not going to watch it, and B) if you want your car in one peice you give him a couple of bucks anyways! ALTHOUGH THAT CHANGED WHEN THE PARKING LOT OPENED IF YOU FELT LIKE SPENDING THE MONEY!
NATION TO ME WAS SUCH AN AMAZING VENUE BECAUSE OF IT'S SIZE AND GREAT ATMOSPHERE! I HATE PEOPLE WHO WENT THERE (BUZZ) ONCE AND SAID IT WAS NOTHING MORE THAN A PLACE PEOPLE WENT TO DO DRUGS! I ALWAYS FELT THAT IT WAS A GREAT CLUB FOR EDM AND I TRUELY LOVE THE MUSIC THEY OFFER! THE KHAKI CLAD COLLEGE FRESHMAN WERE THE ONES WHO DID THE DRUGS NOT THE TRUE MUSIC LOVERS! NOT EVEN THE CANDY KIDS REALLY! AND I WOULD THINK THAT THEY WOULD HAVE TO BE ON SOMETHING TO DRESS LIKE THAT! MUCH LOVE PLUR ALL THE WAY!
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Hi, nice site, good work! Thank you!
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Deftones (many times), 311 (many times), Pantera, Rage Against The Machine, Drain S.T.H., Orange 9mm, downset., Tree, Vision of Disorder, Far, Will Haven
Such great memories of such awesome shows make it, for me, an awesome place.
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Nation was more than a "venue", "bar" or a "gay club" (on saturday nights), it was a part of the community. Weather you loved it or hated it, Nation had a place in the hearts of many, it was an escape to hang with your friends and escape form the work week, and to enjoy great music. Nation has left its legacy as did Tracs. Unfortunitely for the gay community, we don't yet forsee a place of that size and recognition in DC's future.... yet.
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Although many people seem to not understand what Nations was all about, It was the ONLY decent, international-level of club in the whole entire Washington area.
Yes it was a huge place that didn’t offer the best comfort, sofas, chairs and so on, but that is how the mega clubs are everywhere in the world.
If you are gonna be sitting around getting drunk go to Adams Morgan.
The closing of Nations and the entire night life in DC is a clear proof that we (in the DC area) are on of the most boring communities in the world. There is just nothing to do anymore. Now the developers of real estate are turning every single corner of DC into a money-making-machine. It is such a superficial way of designing a city. We have no night life to offer, besides a million bars that they all look the same.
Awful food, loud drunk girls, bad service and exactly the very same experience in every single place you go.
Although people do drugs in clubs, these are some of the safest places to go to at night. I almost never saw a fight at Nations. Most people at least had a smile in their faces (something you don’t find around here very often)
It is san that future generations will not be able to see the magnificent events that Nations provided to the City, one of the few places where music, light, art and more could be found.
All new clubs such as Fur or Glow are way bellow in sound quality, music and the overall experience is average.
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As a bartender of Nation, i miss that place like hell! it was, however, a bittersweet feeling working there at the time....mostly due to the douchebags that liked to start shit with the staff just because they cant handle their liquor (or drugs). i cant complain too much because my usual crowd were v.i.p. and kicked ass! i miss the good ol days and all of you that treated me so well. too many names to speak of. you know who you are ;) how about some props for the bartenders other than jay hahaha thanks for all the great comments about nation. it brought back so many memories
cheers,
michelle (your friendly neighborhood v.i.p. barwench)