The crowd at Merriweather Post Pavilion (Andrew Markowitz)

The 9:30 Club isn’t the only venue in the D.C. area considered one of the best in the country. In the upcoming issue of Rolling Stone, a feature on the best amphitheaters in America places Columbia, Md’s Merriweather Post Pavilion at No. 4.

That’s right: The woodsy, picturesque amphitheater that plays host to some of the area’s biggest annual music festivals, including the Sweetlife Festival and Virgin FreeFest, is considered one of the best outdoor venues in the nation.

The 40-acre lot of preserved, wooded land that houses the 16,000-seat venue was designed in the 1960s by renowned architect Frank Gehry, named for American Posts Foods heiress Marjorie Merriweather Post, and was originally conceived as a summer venue for the National Symphony Orchestra. It soon expanded and became a popular venue for rock shows in the late ’60s and ’70s, with bands like Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, and The Who playing there.

Nowadays, Merriweather is operated by I.M.P. Productions, 9:30 Club owners Seth Hurwitz and Richard Heinecke’s concert promotion company, thus making them the owners and operators of two of the most highly regarded concert venues in the country.

Don’t worry, Black Cat, I still think you’re the best.