In my opinion, one of the BEST things about living in this area is the access we have to different music venues. In the past, the only live music I would ever see would be going to huge outdoor arenas for country concerts (what up MegaTickets?!) But, all that has changed in the last year and a half since I moved up this way. Since moving, I've been to three different shows at two different venues, and I have NO intentions of slowing down!!
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| Yea...pretty close to the stage!! I didn't even have to throw elbows for this shot. |
My favorite venue I've found so far is the 9:30 Club in D.C. 9:30 has a lot of up and comers, along with some more established musicians. Last year, I saw Matt Nathanson there, and this past fall I got to see Of Monsters and Men. Both shows were AMAZING!!! 9:30 Club is pretty small, so no matter where you are, you can actually SEE who's playing...no Jumbotron needed!! And, a lot of the openers will come out in the audience during the main attraction, and I've heard from a couple people that if you hang out long enough after the show, you have a decent chance of meeting the performers! Also, it's all general admission, so if you're kind of a groupie (like me!), you can throw some elbows and get as close to the stage as you'd like! Or, if you're a little more laid back, you can sit on one of the balconies up top, and still have a fantastic view of everything. One of the downsides to 9:30 is that it is all the way on the Green Line...a far distance for someone on the Orange Line. They also do have a parking lot there...if you pay in advance (I think it was 15$-ish?), you're guaranteed a spot in the lot, or you can get there early and take your chances. For Matt Nathanson, I took the Metro (I had no car at the time). For OMAM I drove...luckily, the show was on a Sunday, so there wasn't really any traffic, and it was a MUCH shorter ride home! If you have people riding with you that are willing to kick in for parking, I'd recommend it. Not an awful experience compared to other places in D.C.
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| I spy a Mumford!!! |
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| Close up! |
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| Not a close-up, but a pretty great shot! |
Just this past week, I made my way over to George Mason's Patriot Center for Mumford & Sons. Ho-lee cow. Those boys can put on a show!!! The Patriot Center is George Mason's basketball arena, so it's obviously a larger venue, but it's not as extreme as the Verizon Center in D.C. Even the 'bad' seats in the Patriot Center aren't too bad! And, as amazing as a more intimate show is, there's definitely something to be said for the pure awesome-ness of singing along with 10,000 of your closest friends. Parking at Patriot Center is included in the price of your ticket, but it's a college campus, meaning that the parking situation in general can be...iffy. But, the closest Metro is the Vienna Station, 20-something minutes away. Sooo driving looks not to bad after hearing that :) But, the actual show....OH MY-LANTA!!!! It was absolutely incredible!!! Hands down the best arena-setting show I've ever seen, and definitely one I'll remember for a long time...I really hope I can see them again sometime.
In the past, I thought going to concerts and shows was only for special occasions, but oh how my attitude has changed. Seeing one of your favorite bands, or an up-n-comer that you just heard about, can be an amazing experience, whether you go with a friend or by yourself. It can give you some great memories, and just let you forget about your daily stresses for a couple hours. Some shows I'm looking forward to? The Band Perry and The Lumineers, both at Merriweather, an outdoor venue over in Maryland. FYI, another venue in D.C. to keep an eye on is DAR Constitution Hall...one of my roommates saw Fun. there a couple weeks ago (who, by the way, will also be at Merriweather this summer!), and loved it!!
So, the moral of the story is...go see live music. You won't regret it!!!!!
Katelyn
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