The Fillmore Silver Spring finally has an opening date. The Live Nation-owned venue on Colesville Road, which was announced way back in 2007 and hit a long series of speed bumps during development, will officially open on September 15 with a Mary J. Blige concert.

The show featuring the Queen of Hip Hop Soul is but the first in a series of concerts announced by the venue — which hosts 2,000 standing or 500 sitting inside an old J.C. Penney store — this morning. Notable acts in the first round of announced shows include Blackstar, Blondie, Primus, Cheap Trick and comedian Lewis Black, and tickets for those events will go on sale next Friday. The club will be all ages, and promoters are aiming to conclude all events in time for people to grab the last Red Line train at the Silver Spring Metro station.

Chris Richards reports that the venue will also open for an open house on September 13. The venue’s press release indicates that more shows will be announced next week — we’ll be curious to see if Live Nation’s promise of “not just another rock club” will hold, though Richards notes there are plans to collaborate with the AFI Silver Theater, which is located across the street.