9 30 Club Washington D.C. NightClub

9:30 Club the original name of an immensely popular nightclub and concert venue in Washington D C. It is currently known as Nightclub 9:30 and is located at the intersections of 9th Street, V Streetand Vermont Avenuein Northwest D C. The club was founded in 1980 and at present, has a maximum capacity of 1200 people. It is owned by Seth Hurwitz

The 9:30 Club was founded by Dody DiSanto and Jon Bowers and soon it became the home for alternative rock music in Washington D.C. During the early years of 1980s, it formed a regular stopping point for bands touring the east coast as well as local D.C. artists such as Godfather of Go Go and Chuck Brown. Some of the most famous bands to have performed at the club during the initial days were the English performance artists The Police as well as X, The Blue Angel, The Bangles, Marshall Crenshaw, Nash The Slash and Betty among others.

The 9:30 Club got its name from its original location at 930 F St NW. In addition to the street address the name also referred to the initial opening time of 9:30 pm. The post-punk jazz outfit, Lounge Lizards and the new wave local band, Tiny Desk Unit were the first bands to play at the club even though The Fleshstones from New York were the first bands to be booked. The nightclub benefited from the catchy motto on D.Cs WFHS radio which billed the venue as 9:30 – A Place in Time.

9:30 Club soon became a popular haunt of the hardcore punk crowd based around Dischord Records and the minor bands of the time like Minor Threat, Fugazi, Government Issue and The Slickee Boys. However the need for a larger space became increasingly evident as the demand for the club and its line-up kept growing. Also the arena for the Washington professional basketball and the hockey teams was being built and the club had to find a new venue before its building was torn down.

On December 31st 1995 the 9:30 Club downed its shutters at the old venue. The clubs final shows at its original location were memorialized in the twin CD set, 9:30 Live, A Time, A Place, A Scene. After extensive search and remodeling, the club settled on 815 V Street as its new location and there the former WUST Radio Music Hall re-opened as the new Nightclub 9:30. Smashing Pumpkins performed at the opening night of the nightclub.

The 9:30 Club has been honored with the Nightclub of the Year Award four times by Pollstar, the concert industry trade journal. The club has maintained its popularity over the years and the number of tickets sold in 2004 exceeded 2,36,112. Currently NPRs online music show All Songs Considered broadcasts some concerts at Nightclub 9:30. Some of the most famous music personalities and bands hosted by the club have been Bob Dylan, The Beastie Boys and Red Hot Chili Peppers among others. Wikipedia