Midnight Oil

[Powderworks] D.C. Show

ava@sub-rosa.com ava@sub-rosa.com
Tue, 30 Oct 2001 14:07:59 -0500 (EST)


On Fri, 26 Oct 2001, Kevin Jones wrote:

> > Who is planning on attending the D.C. show?  I just ordered my
> > tickets today so I know they are still available.  I don't know much
> > about the 9:30 Club but I've heard it is a decent venue.  I'd be
> > interested in talking to anyone who knows the area.
>
> It is a decent venue actually--it moved a few years back from a tiny (but
> fabulous) hole-in-the-wall club at 930 F Street (hence the name) to its new
> location up around V Street.  The neighborhood looks quite sketchy--but I've
> been to many shows there and have never had a problem finding close and
> well-lighted on-street parking in front of the Howard University Hospital, a
> couple blocks east of the venue.  I've heard the club has a fenced-in
> parking lot as well, but I've always been too cheap to take advantage of
> that. :)  The new club is quite nice inside--actually has good food (and
> some vegetarian fare) and reasonably good acoustics.

Sorry to check in so belatedly, I've gotten behind on my mail.

It's a quite decent venue, and the immediate area, while visually a
bit sketchy, looks far worse than it is -- and I lived approximately
three blocks away from the 9:30 for a couple of years, only moving
out to Annandale this August, so I'm quite intimately familiar with
the area. The official "pay" parking lot is right nearby, street
parking is likely to be available if you don't mind hunting a bit
and walking a couple of blocks -- avoid U, which is a busy
thoroughfare, and check the more residential side streets. Car breakins
and such property crimes used to be much more common in the area than
muggings or other direct assaults, and if your car is locked up tight
with no obvious tempting valuables in sight, it should be fine.

Public transportation is quite convenient -- there's a Metro stop
<http://www.wmata.com/> -- U Street/Cardozo on the Green Line -- and
bus stop near 9th and U, just a couple of blocks away; however, on
weekdays the trains stop running at midnight, much earlier than most
shows end. The bus schedule may be a bit more flexible, but I'm not
familiar with those routes. Anyway, however you choose to get there,
don't let the looks of the neighborhood worry you too much; I never
had any real problems when I lived in the area, and as a woman
living alone, working nights, and relying on public transit, I was
walking around the area all the time, at all hours. U Street
itself has been undergoing quite a revitalization in recent years,
and if you have time before the show you may want to wander around
a bit and check out the other shops, restaurants, and clubs that
are clustered there -- everything from glossy yuppie boutiques to
beloved local institutions like the 43-year-old Ben's Chili Bowl
at 12th and U.

As for the venue itself -- decent size, decent acoustics, it's not
the most fabulous place in the world but it's really quite OK.
They are *quite* strict about ID check, so if you do wish to drink,
don't forget your wallet at home, and don't bother asking if your
ID is expired. ;) There's a wee bit of seating available in the
uppper balcony level and such, but mostly it's SRO. It's been my
experience that they're generally pretty efficient about shows
starting on time, and prime spots near the stage do tend to get
staked out fairly quickly, so if you show up late be prepared
to get stuck at the back of the room.

A., who will be the short girl with red-and-purple hair and either
a "Earth and Sun and Moon" t-shirt or a "Redneck Wonderland" longsleeve,
depending on the weather and the laundry...

-- 
          Ava Callison                           <ava@sub-rosa.com>
      "I'm sorry," I say, "if I give you the impression that it's only my
            mouth that's rough. I do my best to be rough all over."
                      Peter Hoeg, _Smilla's Sense of Snow_