Best Music Venues In The DMV
Lifestyle
From intimate venues to sweeping amphitheaters, the concert scene in and around DC doesn’t disappoint.
Keep reading for the best places to tune into live music in the DMV area today!
#1 The 9:30 Club: The 9:30 Club emerged as the center of Washington’s alternative music scene in the 1980s and has maintained its status as the area’s most well-known club ever since. The venue now features mostly mainstream bands, which accounts for its enduring popularity; the standing-room-only, 1,200-person-capacity concert space regularly sells out.
#2 The Black Cat: The Black Cat has been bringing you the best in live independent music since it opened in the fall of 1993. In the early ‘90s, DC suffered from a lack of good concert venues, especially spaces that catered to the area’s underground music scene. Hoping to revive the tradition of independent music in Washington, a group of investors (most of them musicians) opened the Black Cat in September 1993. Among the first bands to play were the Fall, Rancid, Morphine, Stereolab, Slant 6, and 9353. Since opening its doors, the Black Cat has been a haven for local and national talent, thus playing its own part in the explosion of indie rock that marked the late ‘90s and early ‘00s.
#3 The Lincoln Theater: The Lincoln Theatre has a colorful history: It’s hosted everyone from Duke Ellington and Billie Holiday to local go-go-legend Chuck Brown. After decades of neglect, the venue is now being managed by the 9:30 Club team.
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#4 Echostage: The 30,000-plus-square-foot Echostage is DC’s largest dedicated concert venue. Since opening in 2012 it’s attracted a varied lineup of artists, from deejays to rappers to big-name pop acts such as Lorde (many shows are 18 and over). It’s a bit off the beaten path, but the venue offers free shuttles to and from the NoMa Metro station until 2:30 AM.
#5 The Hamilton Underground: Underneath the Hamilton, the latest downtown restaurant from the Clyde’s Restaurant Group, is a fully-fledged, 19,000-square-foot music venue with table service and a decent lineup of performers. The calendar includes a handful of well-liked local acts along with some bigger names to entice visitors.
#6 Merriweather Post Pavilion: Merriweather Post Pavilion operates during the spring, summer, and fall, offering outdoor, amphitheater-style shows on 40 acres situated northeast of the city. Getting there can be a slog, but starry acts (The Cure and Modest Mouse, to name a few) make it well worth the trip. And the venue’s capacity (around 19,000) means shows don’t often sell out, so you can catch bigger bands without having to resort to scalpers.
#7 The Birchmere: The Birchmere is a great spot to find golden oldies next to under-the-radar acts, along with a lot of bluegrass, folk, and R&B. The 500-capacity venue offers table seating with dinner service, so audience members can nibble on anything from a Greek salad to shrimp and grits while listening to the evening’s entertainment.
#8 The Anthem: Between epic rock concerts and extravagant charity galas, The Anthem is the city’s go-to destination for memorable experiences. Run by I.M.P., the team behind the 9:30 Club, it features an acoustically advanced concert hall to host marquee performances by internationally celebrated artists as well as intimate shows with local favorites. The Anthem also serves as a unique convention facility and event venue set against DC’s magnificent waterfront.
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