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 been nominated for the 2007 Concert Industry Awards.
The awards don’t just recognize venues; they range from honoring touring acts to promoters, from agents to festivals, nationally and internationally. Our local honors were in the following categories:
NIGHTCLUB OF THE YEAR: The 9:30 Club is nominated amongst other venues such as New York’s Bowery Ballroom, Chicago’s House of Blues and Vancouver’s Commodore Ballroom.
RED ROCKS AWARD / BEST SMALL OUTDOOR VENUE: Wolf Trap’s Filene Center was nominated along with Atlanta’s Chastain Park Amitheatre, Santa Barbara’s Santa Barbara Bowl and others.
BEST MAJOR OUTDOOR CONCERT VENUE: Merriweather Post Pavilion got the nod along with L.A.’s Hollywood Bowl, New York’s Nikon at Jones Beach and others.
NIGHTCLUB TALENT BUYER OF THE YEAR: The Birchmere’s Michael Jaworek was recognized along with buyers from Webster Hall in New York and the House of Blues in Chicago, amongst others.
A big congrats to the people and places that make the D.C. area stand out on the national music scene. Is there anybody that wasn’t mentioned you think deserves a nod?
