Updated Forecast: In Excess of 8" of Snow, Plus Wind
And Now, 10-20 Inches
Federal Govt. Closed Tuesday
Snowmaggedon 1.0 in Time Lapse
And that means that the District weighs in as one of the top 10 summer concert destinations in the nation (says StubHub, via the WashBizJo). Nissan's far and all, but what's really far is Richmond -- who have been claiming Nissan ticket sales all this time! Fortunately, Nissan was handed back to the District without provoking a Third Battle of Bull Run.
The corrected accounting plus concerts by three old guys who used to rock put the District over the top. The city rocketed from no. 18 to no. 6! I feel like I did my part to contribute. But you know where this city comes up short? Venues. The city could use a club just slightly larger than the 9:30 Club. The club for bands whose status falls somewhere between incredibly popular indie band (think TV on the Radio) and mainstream discredibility (think Weezer) just doesn't exist. So bands like TV on the Radio inevitably wind up playing two nights at the 9:30 Club, while Weezer continues to play and record music, which is an independent problem I suppose.
What's better about seeing TV on the Radio play one night in a larger venue than potentially seeing them one of two nights (or both nights) at the good ol' 9:30? Nothing so much, except that redundancy locks up nights that other cool bands might like to play, while TVotR needs to commit to playing two nights here or maybe not at all. Surely we lose some touring acts because we don't have convenient capacity, independent of the overall capacity this city affords. Then again, the 'rents drive in from places like Richmond in untold numbers to see Billy Joel stab at the heart of rock music at Nationals Park, so complaining about the quality of acts that play here maybe misses an important point.
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Where this city comes up short? Venues that are actually easy to get to. Hell, they could actually put Nissan in Richmond and it would probably take less time to reach.
Richmond can have Nissan. That Radiohead show a couple years ago convinced me now and forever that I want nothing to do with that place. Hear me, favorite bands? Don't play there if you want me to come see you.
I definitely agree that we need a larger venue. I love the 9:30 club, but I can see how some acts may pass the city up in favor of other locations. Verizon Center and DAR suck for concerts and other locations are just too small for bands (or, I should say, their backers) to justify adding a stop. I seriously think the city needs to pursue the rumors about the MSG folks looking for space in the city for a new concert venue.
A larger venue is likely to be a seated venue. Even as I mellow with age I still very strongly prefer general admission venues like 930 club. Music is one of those activities where I don't want to be confined to a cramped chair. You want to be unencumbered to sway to the music rather than sucking in your elbows so you don't brush against the stranger seated next to you...
Poplar Point would be a great venue for a midsize outdoor venue, something along the lines of Boston's Bank of America Pavilion. If we can't get a soccer stadium, a decent outdoor concert venue close to home would be a decent substitution.
Why can't it be both? And doesn't DC have a big venue called RFK to use for this kinds of things? Other cities use their large football stadiums for concerts. So between RFK and Poplar Point -- there's GOT to be room.
Cuz a pavilion would be covered, more like a tent, whereas a stadium concert in the rain is teh suckz, not too mention a concert in a big stadium isn't really all that great, half the stadium ends up being unusable because the seats located to the sides and behind the stage are often useless.
The Live Nation/Fillmore venue planned for Silver Spring (assuming it gets built), sounds like it might fit what you are looking for.
Sounds nice, except for the part about it being in Silver Sprung.
On one hand, I like the multiple nights at the 9:30 thing because I prefer smaller venues, but it'd be nice to have a band like Wilco be able to play in the city somewhere instead of all the way out at Wolf Trap, since you know Wilco isn't going to want to play any fewer than like six consective nights at the 9:30.
Oh but please please please don't let it be a Live Nation venue. Unfortunately these days Live Nation seems to be more of an inevitability than a mere option.
D.C. already has a venue similar to Wolf Trap, it's called the Carter Barron Amphitheatre, and it's in Rock Creek Park. It's a beautiful, historic facility. Unfortunately, whoever is in charge of the place likes to schedule lots of boring and otherwise geriatric shit there, instead of bands like Wilco.
The DC Blues Festival, at Carter Barron, has never been boring to me. And I've been to every one of them.
I know Wilco went to DAR a few years back, so they actually come into the city every now and then. Also don't know about the rest of you, but I would have absolutely no problem with Wilco playing 6 consecutive nights at 9:30.
But noooo, the city just *had* to have it's stupid stadium in the last part of town anything interesting happened.
The baseball stadium did not displace Nation.
Actually you're right, a parking lot now known as "The Bullpen" and an empty, unrented building used to house Artomatic did.
Before the Rock Creek Parkway ate up chunks of the waterfront, there used to be a Carter Barron-style amphitheater near the Lincoln Memorial. If the city wants to revive business and pedestrian traffic along the Anacostia watershed, they should consider some sort of public/private performance space. They could also have bands play floating platforms, like Green Day did in the Simpsons movie. This has the added advantage that, if the band doesn't perform well, you can submerge the platform and drown them. This is probably the only way we'll ever get rid of the Rolling Stones. I mean, unless you want another "Bigger Bang" tour.
Billy Corgan: Billy Corgan, Smashing Pumpkins.
Homer: Homer Simpson, smiling politely.
I'm OK with another "Bigger Bang"
(wait...wait...)
IN MY PANTS
"Smithers, have The Rolling Stones killed."
What's up with bashing Weezer? The blue album rocks and you know it. And I don't think "discredibility" is a word.