Live Music entertainment in Washington, DC
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A
9:30 Club
The 9:30, which can pack 1200 people into a surprisingly intimate venue, is the granddaddy of the live-music scene in DC. Pretty much every big name that comes through town ends up on this stage, and a concert here is the first-gig memory of many a DC-area teenager. The calendar is packed with a random assortment of big names – Justin Timberlake, The Violent Femmes, George Clinton, Wolfmother and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, to name a few. Concerts usually include around three acts, with the headlining band taking the stage between 10:30pm and 11:30pm.
reviewed
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Birchmere
Known as ‘America’s Legendary Music Hall, ’ this is the DC area’s premier venue for folk, country, Celtic and bluegrass music. The talent that graces the stage is reason enough to come, but the venue is pretty great too: it sort of looks like a warehouse that collided with an army of LSD-savvy muralists. Located north of Old Town Alexandria off Glebe Rd.
reviewed
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B
Iota
With shows almost every night of the week, Iota is the best venue for live music in Clarendon’s music strip. Tickets are available at the door only (no advance sales) and this place packs ‘em in (the seating is first come, first served). Open-mic Wednesdays can be lots of fun or painfully self-important, as these things are wont to be.
reviewed
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C
Black Cat
Still one of the best places in town for rock or indie, the Cat always keeps something good going on the back stage, from soul-funk nights to heavy-metal dance-offs to big-band-era bashes. For DC, this is an iconic spot, the love child of Foo Fighter Dave Grohl, who cut his chops drumming in DC-area bands while still a Northern Virginia teenager.
reviewed
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D
Clarendon Ballroom
A gorgeous ballroom done up to look like a big-band-era dance hall, the Ballroom is a NoVa cornerstone that attracts throngs of young professionals coming to hear emerging local artists, plus big names on national tours. The upstairs deck is perfect for lingering over a sunset Cosmopolitan.
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