Originally posted by Rhett Miller:
The 9:30 Club long ago ceased being the purveyor of up and coming music, didn't it?
You're both wrong, in my opinion. Sure, the club is a bigger venue now, but I think there's a very, very healthy mix of up-and-coming/indie/for the kids shows, and established or even retro acts that pull in a lot of money. I'm 36, and in any given month, there's usually at least a third of the shows I don't know a thing about -- I've never heard of the band, or I've seen the name but have no clue. That usually means they're nu metal or post-punk or something else that the kids are listening to.
Plus, I've seen lots of bands this year for the first time (ore wanted to see them but couldn't make it), and the shows were NOT sold out because they're either fairly new or still building an audience (Idlewild, Hot Hot Heat, Juliana Theory, BRMC).
George Clinton has *always* come the 9:30 Club. Check out the listings at the Bowery Ballroom in NYC and you'll see the same overall mix of shows.
Man, if I wanted to go to every show that was at the club, I'd be dead by now.
And for that really really new band, there's Black Cat backstage.
I'm not quite sure what the problem is, Driveway.