9:30 Club
The 9:30 | |
Belle and Sebastian performing at the 9:30 Club in March 2006 | |
| Former names | Atlantis (1977–1979) Nightclub 9:30 (1980–95) |
|---|---|
| Address | 815 V St NW Washington, D.C. 20001-3020 |
| Location | U Street Corridor |
| Public transit | Washington Metro at U Street |
| Owner | Jon Bowers and Dody DiSanto (1980–86) Richard Heinecke and Seth Hurwitz (since 1986) |
| Seating type | Standing room / bar and balcony seating |
| Capacity | 1,200 |
| Opened | May 31, 1980 |
| Website | |
| Venue Website | |
The 9:30 Club (originally named Nightclub 9:30, also known simply as the 9:30) is a nightclub and concert venue in Washington, D.C. In 2018, the 9:30 Club was named one of the 10 best live music venues in America by Rolling Stone, and in 2019 the club was named "Venue of the Decade" by VenuesNow.
The club was originally housed in the ground floor rear room of the Atlantic Building at 930 F Street NW, in the city's downtown area, where it opened on May 31, 1980, with a legal standing capacity of 199. In 1996, the club was moved to a roomier space: its current location at 815 V Street NW, where it anchors the eastern end of the U Street Corridor.
The 9:30 Club's name was derived from its original street address, which was also the reason to set the venue's original opening time of 9:30 p.m. Early advertising on D.C.'s WHFS radio featured the slogan "9:30 – a Place and Time!"
The club has a distinctive wheeled stage mounted on rails, which can be moved back and forth as needed. This way, the place can feel as packed with 500 people in attendance as it would during a sold-out, full capacity show.
Fall Out Boy's Patrick Stump once said of the 9:30, "it's got so much character, you wonder if the locals know how lucky they are."