Funny, I bet most of you weren't living in DC or old enough to go to 9:30 Club shows in 1996/97, when it opened and around the time I worked there. And probably not around to see shows at WUST. That being said, the neighborhood (and the city) were far more transitional then. I couldn't even find a cab at 3 in the AM on a Saturday night after work because there were NO CARS on U Street. Nobody walking either. Can you comprehend that now? The reality is that crime (and murder) can happen ANYWHERE, even in affluent areas (and it does). You're in a city, use your street smarts. Park under a bright light, don't leave anything in the car that is worth taking. Look around you. Have people with you. The 9:30 Club doesn't need Sharon Osbourne's validation to be great. We all now that it's a terrific place to see a show. Lists don't mean anything
For the record, here are some of my favorite clubs to see a concert, and the 9:30 is the first...but here are the others top 5:
1) Belly Up (San Diego)
2) TLA (Philly)
3) The Abbey Pub (Chicago)
4) World Cafe Live Downstairs (Philly)
5) The Double Door (Chicago)