The plot thickens for the Montgomery County-Live Nation concert hall deal. In September the county signed a non-binding letter of intent with concert promoter Live Nation for a Fillmore concert hall in Silver Spring, which would give the company $8 million in state and county funds, rent well below the market rate, and other perks. But now, county council members, groups of residents, and even the Howard County executive are questioning the county's deal and......

It looks like I.M.P., the Montgomery County-based company that runs the 9:30 Club and Merriweather Post Pavilion, hasn't given up on opening a Silver Spring music hall. In September, we wrote that concert producer and venue owner Live Nation had signed a non-binding letter of intent to put a Fillmore music hall in the old J.C. Penney store at Georgia Avenue and Colesville Road in Silver Spring, across from the AFI Silver Theater. Both the......

We've gotten a couple emails wondering about the strange things afoot with the two scheduled Spoon shows at the 9:30 Club in October. In case you haven't heard the somewhat confusing story, Spoon booked two nights (October 22 and 23) at the 9:30 Club, and tickets went on sale August 9. Sometime last week, tickets mysteriously stopped being sold, without explanation. Then this past weekend, people who'd already purchased tickets received the following email:......

'Tis the season for outdoor venues, and it just so happens the greater D.C. area has a plethora of them. Outside the confines of our beloved Fort Reno, Wolftrap, Merriweather Post Pavilion, Nissan Pavilion, and a few more decent venues all exist within an hour of the District. They might require a bit of a hike, and usually a car, but if you have the means, might as well pick up a cheap lawn seat......

>> This week's big event is, of course, the 15th Annual Capital Jazz Fest at Merriweather Post Pavilion, which begins today and runs through Sunday. As is the norm for this event, the lineup is heavy on the smooth jazz and R&B tip, but it also incorporates some more challenging artists. Highlights include Herbie Hancock, Anita Baker, Al Jarreau, Ramsey Lewis, and David Sanborn. Visit the event's web site for the full schedule, and tickets......

>> Sen. John McCain probably wishes he didn't sing "bomb Iran" to the tune of the Beach Boy's "Barbara Ann" at a meeting with supporters. Or at least he wishes it wasn't captured on YouTube. [via Reason's Hit & Run] >> Local groups continue to schedule memorials to the victims of Monday's shootings at Virginia Tech. You can find a good list of Washington-area events here. [NBC4] >> Tickets for both Wilco and the......

For all the gentle bitching and tempered moaning we do about certain aspects of our local music venues, on the whole, they're nothing to sneeze at. Sometimes amidst endless debates about sound quality and beer prices, we forget that we're rather lucky to have so many high quality venues in the area. Luckily, the fine folks at Pollstar haven't forgotten. Wolf Trap's Filene Center, Merriweather Post Pavillion, The Birchmere and the 9:30 Club have all......

The Washington Post reported today that concert venue chain House of Blues may be opening an outpost in Penn Quarter in the not-too-distant future. The National Capital Revitalization Corp. inked a non-binding deal with HOB’s owner, Clear Channel Communications, to develop the property at 5th and I, NW. What does this bode for rock venues like the 9:30 Club and the Black Cat?. Ward 1 Council member Jim Graham put in his two cents, calling......

Poor Noel Gallagher. Perhaps the greatest British songwriter of the last 10 years and his little brother reduces him to a bit player in the background by simply walking to the front of the stage, putting his hands in his pockets and his ever present tambourine in his mouth and just standing there. Those simple actions at the beginning of Oasis show last night at Merriweather Post Pavilion ensured the audience was eating out of......

Monday: We love to start our weeks with a bang. Go have dinner in Little Ethiopia, then make your way to DC9 for some good old-fashioned punk with The Vibrators, The Screws, and Corrupted Youth. Bang! $8. Tuesday: Presumably, at some point, Sufjan Stevens is going to finish serenading the Rust Belt and start penning tributes to the Mid-Atlantic. And what we all want to know is, is he going give the District some love?......

As the Hot Ticket turns into the pleasantly, autumnally cool ticket, there are certain hot items that will go without saying from now on, so don't ask why we haven't mentioned them. These are: 1) You should all be ashamed for not going to Nats games while there are a few left in this inaugural season, but we're not going to mention this anymore. 2) There is, apparently, a professional football team in the area,......

In last Sunday's Post Magazine, the newspaper's retiring rock critic David Segal described what he called the "great Live Concert moment." He wrote: It's about music, but it's also about an experience that's ephemeral and communal, that you share for a couple of hours with a bunch of strangers who, at some level, you feel like you know because they have the same idiotic glint in their eye when the lights come up. It's......

It's been a good summer. For DCist it has, anyway, filled with cheetah cubs and buttersticks, Nats games and Borf sightings, and lots of sweaty, booze-soaked cookouts. But fall is coming, people, and it's time to put the flip-flops aside, say goodbye to the interns, and fill out your autumn dance card. DCist humbly offers the following suggestions. Oh, they grow up so fast. One day they're lil, playing hoops and making MTV videos, the......

WEDNESDAY: >> After a decade apart, Digable Planets, who fuse jazz and laid-back hip hop, are together again at the 9:30 Club. Don't even pretend like you don't remember their hit, "Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)." NPR has a brief report on their reunion. $25. THURSDAY: >> Summer's slipping away, so make sure to head out to a Fort Reno concert if you haven't already. Tonight's Del Cielo (at right), Kathy Cashel, and Eyeball......

MONDAY: >> In one of the strongest bills of the summer, the Pixies and Bloc Party (at left) take the stage at Merriweather Post Pavilion. Gates are open at 5:30 p.m. >> Local rockers Greenland and City-State hit DC9 with Richmond band Conshafter for $6. TUESDAY: >> Arlington punk quartet Four Letter Lies plays with local glam rockers Death By Sexy at the Black Cat. 9 p.m., $5. THURSDAY: >> Bloc Party, post sharing the......

TUESDAY: >> The Sea and Cake’s Sam Prekop does solo post-rock at the Black Cat. $12. Local singer Brandon Butler (formerly of Canyon) opens. WEDNESDAY: >> Get a huge dose of hipsterness when The Killers (at right) play Merriweather Post Pavilion. Bands-of-the-moment Keane, Louis XIV, Regina Spektor, and Maximo Park all open. Lawn tickets at $25 are still available at Ticketmaster. >> If you don't feel like making the trek out to Merriweather, you can......

FRIDAY: >> Capital Jazz Fest 2005 goes throughout the weekend at Merriweather Post Pavilion. The line up includes George Benson, Joe Sample, Chaka Khan (at right) Lalah Hathaway and more. Ticket information can be found here. >> The Capital Pride Festival, which runs through June 12, focuses on the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender communities in D.C. The festival includes panels, film screenings, and a street parade. >> Washington Improv Theater presents its Neutrino Video......

Given that there was such a controversy the last time we posted anything about early ticket sales in the D.C. area (to recap: a few people thought these sales should be on a "need-to-know" basis for "real fans"; we thought that was silly), we were perhaps a bit hesistant to spread the word about the latest hot ticket in town. But considering a lot of people we think of as "real fans" of Bloc Party......

Looking at Merriweather Post Pavilion's Future: What to do with Merriweather Post Pavilion in Maryland ... General Growth Properties, which owns the outdoor music venue wants to redevelop the property with a smaller, enclosed performing facility, the Post reports. A community board wants it to remain much like it is, with its stage serving as the center of a performing arts village. Tracking the Kids: The W.Times, which has been closely following the issue of......

Spring has sprung (well, sort of), and concerts in the D.C. area are in full bloom. We thought we had enough on our plate with the upcoming April and May line ups, but with some concert announcements in the past week, there's even more than we expected. >> Bright Eyes sold out quickly the last time he came around, but apparently he can't get enough of the District - dreamboat Conor Oberst (at right) is......

8/10 - Projekt Revolution: Linkin Park, Korn, Snoop Dogg, and the Used - Nissan Pavilion - 2 p.m. - $35-$49.50 8/10 - Alanis Morissette and Barenaked Ladies - Merriweather Post Pavilion, 7 p.m. - $25-$49.50 8/10 - O.A.R. - Wolftrap, 7 p.m., $25-$32 8/11 - Jimmy Cliff - The State Theater (Falls Church), 8:30 p.m. - $29 8/11 - Sarah McLachlan - Merriweather Post Pavilion, 7:30 p.m. - $35-$55 8/12 - Bob Dylan & Willie......