Funny...last night reminded me of so many shows I saw at the old 9:30 Club...the stage is up to your knees, the sound isn't perfect, it's hot, sweaty, and totally cramped. If you don't stand in the right spot, you can't see a damn thing, and if a really huge band was playing the venue, it was tough to get tickets. But it made getting in special, and it made people feel that much more amped to see their favorite band in such a small place. Frankly, it made me feel really nostalgic for F Street. No gnarly smell or rats though, so that was an upside. Every now and then it's kind of nice to have a concert that just makes you appreciate the intimacy of a really, really cramped and hot & sweaty show. Sometimes when everything comes together like that it's brilliant. I remember the cold winter nights when you'd walk into the old 9:30 and it was about 85 degrees from all of the insanity of people dancing or moshing or whatever, then you'd stumble into the frigid air and risk pneumonia. Maybe it's the nostalgia talking, but I am happy to have some diversity in the DC venues. I started having MAJOR flashbacks to the old club, and it was great.