This spring, Washington, D.C. audiences will discover the lost treasures of The Atlantis, a new venue set to open next door to the 9:30 Club and pay homage to the venue’s historic past. From the same company behind the 9:30, The Anthem, and Merriweather Post Pavilion, The Atlantis (which was the original name of the 9:30 Club when it opened in the late ’70s) will open on May 30th with an intimate Foo Fighters performance. That show will kick off a run of 44 concerts for $44 each celebrating 44 years since the original The Atlantis opened.
The initial slate of artists coming to the 450-capacity club will honor the original Atlantis legacy as a stepping stone for rising acts who ascended to the height of fame. Other veteran artists include Joan Jett, Billy Idol, George Clinton & Parliament-Funkadelic, and many more. The club will also present contemporary acts like Gary Clark Jr., Maggie Rogers, Sylvan Esso, Shakey Graves, Ben Gibbard, Rodrigo y Gabriella, and many more.
In an interview with The Washington Post, owner Seth Hurtiz noted that The Atlantis is necessary for his I.M.P. concert promotion company. The firm stages shows at the 1,200-capacity 9:30, The Anthem, which holds between 2,500–6,000, and the outdoor shed Merriweather Post Pavillion which has space for 18,000. What was missing was an intimate club setting for rising artists. Prior to the pandemic, I.M.P. hosted “9:30 Club presents” shows at U Street Music Hall, which unfortunately closed as a result of COVID. Following months of massive underplays from headlining artists, The Atlantis will serve as a proving ground for up-and-comers. The venue’s motto is “Where music begins.”
“We have everything but a small club,” Hurwitz said. “We need our own because we need ours to stand out. I wanted to have the best small club, like I wanted to have the best midsize venue, and the best amphitheater, and so on and so forth.”
When COVID sanctions lifted and the 9:30 Club reopened in September 2021 after 17 months away, Foo Fighters played the first show. During the band’s set, Dave Grohl told the crowd the venue owners would be “opening an exact replica of the old 9:30 Club” right next door. He even mused “We’ll probably be the band that opens it, right? Is that what’s going to happen?”
Grohl had some of the facts straight. The Atlantic will, indeed, serve as an homage to the original club at 930 F St. NW, with familiar items and memorabilia on display including the old venue’s front desk. The set-up will even look similar, with the stage sitting in the corner at an angle, instead of facing the front of the room. The new spot will also host improvements, though, including a second-floor balcony facing the stage.
One thing that will remain, however, is a large metal support pole that will partially obstruct the view of the stage from certain angles, much like at the original Atlantis. “There will be a pole,” Hurwitz said, “which everyone fought me on, but since it’s one of the big questions everyone asks, I’m like, ‘Well, there you go. That’s why we’re putting the pole there.’”
In an effort to keep tickets for these in-demand concerts in the hands of fans, I.M.P. will hold an online lottery. Users can register through the Atlantis website, provide their credit card information, choose up to 12 shows they’d like to attend, and answer whether they’d like one ticket or two. There is also an option that includes one ticket to all 44 shows. The lottery is open now through 11:59 p.m. ET on Friday.
Lottery winners will begin receiving notifications on Monday, April 10th and over the next several days. Those selected will be required to purchase tickets. Those tickets are nontransferable, though customers will be able to sell them for face value on a direct fan-to-fan ticket exchange beginning May 1st.
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