House of Blues Eyeing DC

[sweetcell]

Originally posted by eros:
   

Originally posted by fatskippy:
  hopefully they wont oversell shows the way the 9:30 club does

Which show are you bitter about not getting tickets to? [/b]

wait, i thought he was implying that the 930 sells too many tickets so the shows are too crowded - which i disagree with.  yes, the club gets packed but never dangerously so.  seeing a "big" band in a small club means that your personal space will be infringed upon, deal with it.  i've never been to a show at the 930 where you couldn't get in to the main room or find a spot somewhere upstairs.  just get there earlier if you want a certain spot.

[bikerchickdc]

Originally posted by vansmack:
  While the artists will likely have more say in the final determination of who plays the 9:30 versus who plays the House of Blues, the consumers still have a say.  So, how can we help?

One of the best ways to help is to reach out to folks who live or have businesses in the area where they're proposing to put the HOB, and work with them to put pressure on their ANC to get involved in the matter.  Normally I am not a big advocate of the ANC mucking up a potential business's application for a liquor license; in some neighborhoods, the ANC is so strong that a business owner has to jump through some serious hoops to just to renew a license. But that's what ANC's are for. If you are against this business, one of the best ways to ensure they won't open (at least in that location) is to sic the ANC on them.  The ANC does not win every battle nor do they decide who will be allowed to have a liquor license and who won't, but they can definitely throw so many spanners in the gears that potential licensees give up.  No way would HOB open without being able to sell booze.
 I'm not recommending people start stirring up the ANC just for the sake of mucking with the HOB but if you live in that neighborhood, you have every right to help shape what kinds of businesses come in. If you don't live in that neighborhood but know someone who does, or someone who owns a business down there, you can certainly tell them about the possible arrival of HOB, how it might negatively impact them and the other businesses that make the city what it is, and let them decide if they'd like to go on record with their ANC.

[HoyaSaxa03]

no offense, but i think businesses in that neighborhood would be happy to welcome something like HOB which would bring thousands of customers into the area to eat, drink, buy shit, etc ... and if you hate what others have done with fucking over local businesses through the ANC (shiloh baptist v. vegetate, for one), then why would you turn around and do the same thing?

[Vas Deferens]

What we need is a venue that will compete with a venue the size of the Black Cat mainstage...possibly a venue with better sound system and without the 3-step process that they have at the door.

[bikerchickdc]

My dislike of the ANC's power comes from being on the recieving end of their scrutiny for lots of years. I've managed restaurants in the DuPont neighborhood for over a dozen years now and that's a pretty strong ANC to tangle with.
 
 But on a more fundamental level, this is community politics, where individuals really can make a significant difference. And I think that is a good thing. It's too bad that there are not more people actively involved in their ANC's; there might be more balance and consistency in the city overall.  But being able to go to a meeting or contact my Council member and voice my opinion is a beautiful thing.  And if I don't live in the affected jurisdiction, I don't see anything wrong with explaining the issue to someone who does, and letting them decide if they feel strongly enough to take action on it.

[Mr.Whippy]

Originally posted by sweetcell:
   

Originally posted by eros:
   

Originally posted by fatskippy:
  hopefully they wont oversell shows the way the 9:30 club does

Which show are you bitter about not getting tickets to? [/b]

wait, i thought he was implying that the 930 sells too many tickets so the shows are too crowded - which i disagree with.  yes, the club gets packed but never dangerously so.  seeing a "big" band in a small club means that your personal space will be infringed upon, deal with it.  i've never been to a show at the 930 where you couldn't get in to the main room or find a spot somewhere upstairs.  just get there earlier if you want a certain spot. [/b]

I have not lived in this area very long (since August '05).  I love the 9:30 and have been there a ton of times since moving here, but I definitely agree with the notion that the club oversells shows.  
 
 I have lived in many different parts of the country and seen big bands in small venues in a ton of different towns, and the 9:30 is the only place where the entire main floor can be consistently packed like sardines from corner to corner.  Yes, the upstairs is less crowded, but usually not from anywhere that affords any view.
 
 I'm not bitching, I deal with it, get there early, find a spot and stay glued to it, but I'm just pointing out that I do not things have to be that way.
 
 I for one would be happy to pay a higher ticket price for a slightly reduced capacity.  I know others would not agree with that, though.  I know that a reduced capacity might mean getting shut out of things sometimes, which would suck, but I still think the experience would be better if capacity were reduced just a bit.

[Bags]

Originally posted by Joe M.:
  without the 3-step process that [Black Cat has] at the door.

If I have to waste another 3 seconds on those extra steps, I'm going to lose my mind.  BOYCOTT.

[Tom Servo]

Originally posted by Bags:
   

Originally posted by Joe M.:
  without the 3-step process that [Black Cat has] at the door.

If I have to waste another 3 seconds on those extra steps, I'm going to lose my mind.  BOYCOTT. [/b]

It's not the extra steps that bothers me.  It's the continued disappointment that the little ticket they give me isn't good for any raffle drawing.  Or funnel cakes.

[Sir HC]

Originally posted by Tom Servo:
   

Originally posted by Bags:
   

Originally posted by Joe M.:
  without the 3-step process that [Black Cat has] at the door.

If I have to waste another 3 seconds on those extra steps, I'm going to lose my mind.  BOYCOTT. [/b]

It's not the extra steps that bothers me.  It's the continued disappointment that the little ticket they give me isn't good for any raffle drawing.  Or funnel cakes. [/b]

I was always hoping they were drink tickets.
 
 "First one on the house sir".

[DeathFromAbove1979]

Is there any word on when it'll go up? i read that it says they're going to build it, but the deal isn't signed.. i've seen big bands do theatre's but they don't come through DC. My Chemical Romance is playing The Norva, down in Norfolk, sometime this month but they aren't coming to DC. not that i'd see them, but they're a pretyt big band and it seems like they don't want to play the 930 club, also The Raconteurs have done a string of shows down in Norfolk, Charlottesville, and at the Patriot Center [opening for dylan], but they still didn't hit 930. Maybe the House of Blues is a good thing for "bigger" acts. i think it would be a shame to see it steal acts from 930 and i LOVE 930 oh so much, i don't think this would end 930 but it would hurt it. i'd still go, but if The Raconteurs played the House...i'd go.

[Charlie Nakatestes, Japanese Golfer]

upcoming schedule for House of Blues (Atlantic City)....it should be calle House of Crap.
 
 
 Sat 12/02/06   Adele Givens
 Sat 12/02/06   Tony Rock
 
 Sat 12/09/06   Ciara
 
 Sun 12/10/06   Ice Cube
 
 Wed 12/13/06   GWAR
 Wed 12/13/06   The Red Chord
 
 Sat 12/16/06   Chris Porter
 Sat 12/16/06   Josh Blue
 Sat 12/16/06   Ty Barnett
 
 Fri 12/22/06   Jah Works
 Fri 12/22/06   Mystic Rebel
 
 Sat 12/23/06   Twisted Sister
 
 Wed 12/27/06   All Time Low
 Wed 12/27/06   Bayside
 Wed 12/27/06   Dave Melillo
 Wed 12/27/06   The Early November
 
 Thu 12/28/06   Sommore
 
 Fri 12/29/06   Benevento - Russo Duo
 Fri 12/29/06   School Of Rock All Stars
 Fri 12/29/06   Sticks And Stones
 Fri 12/29/06   The Bouncing Souls
 Fri 12/29/06   Weston
 
 Sat 12/30/06   Trey Anastasio
 
 Sun 12/31/06   Trey Anastasio
 
 Sat 01/06/07   The Wailers
 
 Fri 01/12/07   War
 
 Sat 01/13/07   The Machine
 
 Fri 01/26/07   "For The Love Of It"  
 Fri 01/26/07   Beres Hammond
 Fri 01/26/07   Marcia Griffiths
 
 Sat 01/27/07   Craig Ferguson
 
 Sat 02/17/07   Slayer
 Sat 02/17/07   Unearth
 
 Sat 02/24/07   B.B. King
 
 Fri 03/02/07   Gary Allan
 
 Sat 03/03/07   Eddie Money
 
 Fri 03/16/07   Neil Giraldo
 Fri 03/16/07   Pat Benatar

[sonickteam2]

Originally posted by Steny Hoyer, Pubic Destroyer:
 
 Fri 01/12/07   War
 

 hahaha.

[bjmoore]

Originally posted by DeathFromAbove1979:
  Is there any word on when it'll go up? i read that it says they're going to build it, but the deal isn't signed.. i've seen big bands do theatre's but they don't come through DC. My Chemical Romance is playing The Norva, down in Norfolk, sometime this month but they aren't coming to DC. not that i'd see them, but they're a pretyt big band and it seems like they don't want to play the 930 club, also The Raconteurs have done a string of shows down in Norfolk, Charlottesville, and at the Patriot Center [opening for dylan], but they still didn't hit 930. Maybe the House of Blues is a good thing for "bigger" acts. i think it would be a shame to see it steal acts from 930 and i LOVE 930 oh so much, i don't think this would end 930 but it would hurt it. i'd still go, but if The Raconteurs played the House...i'd go.

The MCR show in Norfolk is for a radio show there, they havent announced a full tour yet. DC badly needs a 2500-3500 seat theater, because I think it does detract bands and tours from hitting the DC area. Today I saw that Taste of Chaos is completely ignoring the south mid-atlantic (from philly to atlanta). I like the venues around DC, but the 930 club is still too small a venue compared to other major markets. Plus, as many have pointed out, if an HOB is built downtown, 930 can become a specialty venue and cater to up and coming bands and indie groups. Not to mention that because 930 is a pretty well-known venue nationally, there will be groups who'll play 930 over HOB because of past experience (example Conor Oberst wont play Clear Channel venues, HOB is now clear channel owned, so forget him playing HOB DC, he'll play 930). Also, if they put it at the Old Convention Center, there are 3 metro stops within 3 blocks, so as long as the city kept the metro open late, parking may not be as big an issue because people can metro in easily.
 This may not be such a bad thing.

[sonickteam2]

HOLY CRAP
 
  look at the house of blues in Chicago:
 
 Sun 12/31/06   Matisyahu
 Sun 12/31/06   The Tragically Hip
 
 
   i hope thats an early / show....cause thats just WEIRD.
 
 edit:  i checked, its not..same show and its $145!!!!!

[helicon1]

Originally posted by Joe M.:
  What we need is a venue that will compete with a venue the size of the Black Cat mainstage...possibly a venue with better sound system and without the 3-step process that they have at the door.

I would agree with that process if you had to walk down a hall or something. But you get your circus ticket and then turn 90 degrees and present it to the usher who is standing right next to the person who gave you the circus ticket.