but do we agree with Rolling Stone, much as it pains us, or not?
I've been to a bunch of the rooms on that list and I'd take the 9:30 club any day.
First of all, it remains an all ages venue. I cannot express how great it was to be able to go to shows when I was 14 and 15 and to see music that I liked and how sad I was when I moved away for college and I wasn't old enough to see live music anymore. I'm really glad that DC remains largely an all ages town; I think it really kept me out of trouble as a kid.
As for what I want now, the sound at the club is really excellent. They continue to bring interesting acts that I want to see and big acts like Paul Simon come to the club when they want to play a rare club gig. The prices remain largely reasonable even as the cost of live music has exploded on the high end.
It isn't the dive on F street that I frequented as a kid, but it has matured as I have. It is tops for me, no doubt.