#044 - 9:30 Club Turns 40!

Inspired by Bob Boilen’s recent piece in NPR, we decided to spend this week sharing stories from one of the best live music venues that this country has to offer. The 9:30 Club, first opened in 1980, has an ethos that can only really be experienced. Welcoming to fans 16 years and older (one of the very few), and with a reputation for treating artists incredibly well, it’s amassed generations of loyal and adoring patrons that have kept it around and thriving for the past 4 decades. Nick kicks us off with a history of the venue and offers his thoughts on the features that make the club so special.

Jay shares some of his favorite 9:30 shows, including a Richard Thompson show from 2007 & a particularly wild evening, in which TV on the Radio opened for The Faint. It wasn’t a particularly foggy evening, but that’s how Jay remembers it so he brought on an old friend, & fellow musician, Taejon Romanik to help recall the events in question. Taejon turns out to have an excellent memory and shares some other shows that have meant a lot to him as a fan and musician.

Greg, who hasn’t kept easily-accessible records of his concert attendance over the years, was only able to recall 32 shows that he remembers seeing at the 9:30 Club. More importantly, Greg’s been lucky (and talented) enough to have played on stage at 9:30, opening for Trombone Shorty with his band at the time The Funk Ark. He brings us home this week with some memories from the crowd & stories from the stage.

Songs (thanks Jay for finding these clips!):
Richard Thompson - "Man in Need" (live @ 9:30 club, June 22 2007)
The Faint - “Birth”
King Crimson - "Heroes" (live @ 9:30 Club, November 8 2000)
The Black Crowes - "Good Friday" (live @ 9:30 Club, October 28 2008)
JEFF the Brotherhood - "Heavy Days" (live @ 9:30 Club, February 2 2012)
The Funk Ark - “Green Trees”