Honestly, I think this is more of an indictment of Metro than of Velvet Lounge. I mean, seriously, the latest train is at 11:52pm? And this is the second-most used subway system in the country? It just seems silly.
Besides, rock and roll is a late night thing. DC is pretty rare among the cities I've been to shows in, with the fact that most shows end by 11:30-12. I've heard stories from friends that the average show at the Cat's Cradle in North Carolina ends at 2am. When I used to live in New York it was pretty common to walk out of a show at 1am.
So if Velvet is the only place in town that routinely goes this late, I think those of us that rely on Metro are pretty lucky.
well said.
as the velvet lounge's representative on this forum, let me just say: boo fucking hoo.
i've said it numerous times before, and i will say it again: we are a rock club, and we don't cater to dc culture. we exist outside of it. rock 'n' roll and experimental music -- pretty much most of what we do -- doesn't reflect white-collar lifestyle (i.e., getting up at 7am and being in bed by 11pm). shows in nyc, baltimore, philly, chicago, even most small southern towns, run late. ever been to the talking head in baltimore? they are as "bad" as the velvet lounge, if not worse. so are the m room and kung fu necktie and the khyber in philly, which are all equivalent in size to the velvet.
i've already explained why shows often run late. we don't have much space to work with, which makes loading in and out very difficult. we also book relatively unknown acts, meaning we need local support to bring people out. operating a small club like the velvet is very different than operating a well-oiled machine like the 9:30 or black cat.
there is also this catch-22: we wait for people to show up before starting since nobody wants to play for an empty room. if people actually showed up early, we'd start earlier.
lastly, i've booked a ton of noise and experimental and free jazz shows at the velvet that have ended by midnight, since most of those types of acts share gear or play 20 minute sets or are often solos and duos. of course, only 5 people from this forum go to any of these shows.
bottom line: if you go to a sold-out show at the velvet, don't expect it to run smoothly or on time. be fucking grateful that you even get a chance to see these bands, considering the lack of decent venues and provocative music in dc these days.
