Calling 9:30 club regulars, advice needed

January 17, 2007 5:34 PM

DC Filter: Almost 16 yr old son going to the 9:30 club in DC (for the first time) with a friend for a concert this Friday. Anything I should be concerned or worried about?

The friend's parents are doing the driving from Virginia into DC. But is there anything a nervous parent should worry about in terms of drugs, possible violence, availability of booze, etc.? This may seem like I am being over-protective, but we live in a fairly far-out from DC suburban setting and he has never really had an interest in going to concerts etc. before so this is a first for us.

posted by 543DoublePlay to grab bag (34 comments total)

What artist/s are playing?
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 5:36 PM on January 17, 2007 [1 favorite has favorites]

I've been there a few times and, while it gets crowded, all the shows I've been to are filled with generally polite (if sometimes mildly annoying) people. They are quite vigilant about drinking, as I found out when I was booted for having a flask.

I wouldn't worry too hard, but as ThePinkSuperhero asked, it has a lot to do with the band playing. Chance of available alcohol/drugs: low. Violence: low, but if there is a mosh pit, skanking or similar he might get a bruise or two.

Just make sure he has a cellphone in the unlikely incident of trouble.
posted by JeremiahBritt at 5:45 PM on January 17, 2007

I love the "new" 9:30. Biggest worry: too much fun. I think everything sounds well in hand.
posted by wildeepdotorg at 5:51 PM on January 17, 2007

Booze is near impossible to buy if you're underage in the club. I knew lots and lots of kids who got kicked out for even just holding a cup (or trying to bring a "bottle of gatorade" in with them) while they had their hands marked. The bouncers there, while friendly, take their job pretty seriously.

I wouldn't worry. I spent my whole adolescence Metro-ing in from Virginia to see punk and indie shows and never encountered any drugs or violence on my way to, from or during a show. Any intoxicants I ever got were from my suburban Virginian friends before we even set foot into DC. In fact, 100% of the booze, drugs, violence and generalized teenage debauchery I got into took place in Virginia.

Oh, but I'll second the cell phone suggestion and make sure he knows when the Metro stops running. I got stranded there once on a weeknight and had to take an enormously expensive cab ride home.
posted by StopMakingSense at 5:52 PM on January 17, 2007

I live about four blocks from the 9:30 Club. Areawise, I think the concerns about safety are a bit overstated.

Even if he thinks it will make him insufferably uncool, I'd recommend that your son bring ear plugs, as the sound is almost as bad as the Black Cat.

Also, tell him to hit Ben's for a chili half smoke after.
posted by jed at 5:52 PM on January 17, 2007

The 9:30 is probably one of the safest clubs in town. They're hyper-vigilant about drugs, underage drinking, and now, I guess, smoking.

Oh yikes. I see that it's Thursday, with a handful of other hardcore-type bands. The biggest thing that he's going to run into is a lot of young white boys whose dancing largely consists of pretending to know Judo. As long as he stays out of the mix, he'll be fine.

I'd second the earplugs suggestion - the 9:30 can get LOUD. Otherwise, I wouldn't worry.
posted by god hates math at 5:55 PM on January 17, 2007

Friday is part of the are Strhess Tour Presented by PureVolume w/ Murder By Death, Fear Before the March of Flames, and Heavy Heavy Low Low.

No surprise that I am not that familiar with them, but I am guessing, emo/alt punk/fall out boy-type of bands.
posted by 543DoublePlay at 5:56 PM on January 17, 2007

There is nothing available to him at the 9:30 club that he cannot get more easily from his peers in your suburban Virginia community.
posted by junkbox at 6:01 PM on January 17, 2007 [2 favorites has favorites]

Concur with much of the above. A fifteen year old will not be getting served there, and violence inside is unlikely. I've never found the (new) 9:30 to be that loud, but that may be more a matter of taste. Earplugs couldn't hurt, if he deigns to actually use them at all.
posted by zoinks at 6:06 PM on January 17, 2007

I've been going to the 9:30 club since I was 16 or 17. Everyone I know who has ever tried anything there has gotten kicked out and/or had their fake id taken away. The staff there is very serious about not allowing underage drinking or drug use in the club. I wouldn't worry too much.
posted by naoko at 6:30 PM on January 17, 2007

The 930 club is super-safe. The sketchiness of the area is highly overstated. What junkbox said.

EARPLUGS. EAAARPLUUUGS. Preferably nice ones. It totally depends on the show, but the 930 club is capable of amazing dB levels. It's a drag to wear crappy ones, so he won't, so do the responsible thing and buy a pair for him.

Man, I wish I was back in DC now.
posted by phrontist at 6:33 PM on January 17, 2007

Yes, it will be loud, and judging from the lineup, crowded and rather exuberant, but not at all violent. The neighborhood is pretty shitty, but not terrible (as others have said already). Mainly he should be prepared for temporary tinnitus the following day or two.
posted by synaesthetichaze at 6:53 PM on January 17, 2007

He'll be fine. It's a very nice club and the bouncers have a chokehold on security. He'll smell like he's been having sweaty sex and smoking pot all night even if he's been a perfect angel, but that's just the air there -- fairly unhealthy and rank. But that's all part of the club's character!
posted by cowbellemoo at 7:12 PM on January 17, 2007

They are super, super vigilant about drugs at 9:30 Club, and it's only easier for them to prevent it now that you can't smoke indoors.

I've never seen anything untoward going on in there, or around there.
posted by ibmcginty at 7:13 PM on January 17, 2007

He'll smell like he's been having sweaty sex and smoking pot all night even if he's been a perfect angel

You do know it changed locations...
posted by phrontist at 7:20 PM on January 17, 2007

This is a great question! As a kid who started going to shows around the same age as your son, well. Hardcore shows tend to get rough, but really, the very ABSOLUTE WORST NIGHTMARE situation is that he ends up with a bloody nose. Punk rock isn't what it used to be, but it's still a pretty friendly community.

Funny thing: I used to go see Thursday when I was 16/17 years old in basements all over Jersey and while it got a little rough and tumble at times, I never felt so safe. It'll be a good exercise in community, I think. It's great for you to support him, too. My Dad and I never really got along, but he always had a ride for me if I needed one and I owe everything to that.

Okay, so. As the above mentioned, it's unlikely he'll find booze or drugs at 9:30, but earplugs are becoming more and more common at "loud" shows. And they're a good idea, yeah?
posted by GilloD at 7:21 PM on January 17, 2007

Also, the balcony tends to be pretty chill, even at punk shows. Tell him to take pictures of the band from the balcony so you can see what it's all about, if you want to trick him into locating himself there.

(they frown on flash, by the way, but I've never seen them take a camera away -- even when I was flashing a whole roll from the front from a disposable)
posted by cowbellemoo at 7:28 PM on January 17, 2007

Earplugs, again. Look for foamy ones that approximate his skin tone, and buy him a bunch so he can feel free to practice applying them properly. Worn correctly, they will protect his hearing and the person next to him need never even know he's wearing them.
posted by NortonDC at 7:49 PM on January 17, 2007

Earplugs. I'm 19 and I've already got tinnitus from shit like this.
posted by Evstar at 8:39 PM on January 17, 2007

At a show like this, there will likely be a group of 20 parents hanging out in the back near the t-shirt stand, all waiting for their little juniors to be done moshing. Fear not.
posted by raconteur at 9:40 PM on January 17, 2007

If Murder By Death is playing, they put on an awesome show.
posted by TheOnlyCoolTim at 9:56 PM on January 17, 2007

The area around the 9:30 looks really awful, especially at night, to an unprepared suburbanite but it's not a dangerous part of the city. Don't mistake ugly for danger. There will be panhandlers out when he is dropped off and picked up, but they are only out there to make some money off of the generosity of the influx of strangers and not there to steal or mug.

For the parents: watch out for crazy drivers on Florida or U Streets because it is pretty chaotic late at night. There will be lots of double parking and lots of cabs swarming for an easy fare. I am sure that a decent percentage of the drivers are intoxicated later in the night (there is a lot of clubs nearby), so drive defensively.

As everyone says, everything inside the 9:30 will be safe. The (new) 9:30 club is not one of the places in DC where I know I can find drugs, debauchery, and danger. The show will probably open late and he will have to stand in line outside and is likely to encounter the homeless and destitute. Give him the talk about outside the club concerning talking to strangers. Let him know he has to be ready to respond to people who ask him for money or a cigarette.
posted by peeedro at 10:02 PM on January 17, 2007

A suggestion that may or may not apply to your son: don't say "here are some earplugs, you absolutely have to promise to wear them", say "here, I bought some earplugs. Just take 'em with you, and if it seems uncomfortably loud, use 'em" or some variant of this.
posted by stray at 12:49 AM on January 18, 2007

930 comes down hard on drugs/underage drinking. Last time I was there, I saw at least 10 people booted for one of those two things.

The neighborhood seems very sketchy at first. If I recall, 930 is in a somewhat industrialized part of DC so after 5pm-ish, everything looks closed/damn near abandoned. However, I walked from 930 to the Metro stop (U st.) by myself at around 11pm before and had no problems. The streets aren't really lit up though.

Things that you might want to consider are chatting him up about panhandlers and clothing (which might be an issue depending on his style, but you never know). Most of the panhandlers I've dealt with in that area are annoying, but have never been violent. A firm "sorry man, can't help you" usually gets them to move on. (One time while waiting in line for doors, the bouncers shooed away the panhandlers.)
With regards to clothing: The weather's been real wonky lately, but it has been getting pretty damn cold at night. 930 doesn't have coat check and it can get really warm within the club (especially if it's a packed show). Since he's being dropped off, he doesn't have to worry about it as much as having to walk to the Metro but it'd be a good idea to wear something that can keep you warm, especially if you have to wait a while for doors.

His ride might know where the club is, but I've always thought it was extremely difficult to find at night due to lack of signage. Getting picked up can be tricky because the street the club faces (V st, I think?) can be jammed. I'd suggest picking somewhere a little bit further away from the club if possible. There's a 24 hour gas station just up the street (not sure of the street, but make a right outside of the club and go up that street a little ways) where they could possibly hang out and wait for the ride.
posted by sperose at 3:29 AM on January 18, 2007

What stray said.
posted by Alt F4 at 5:08 AM on January 18, 2007

This place is the best! Thanks (a big thanks) to everyone that answered.

I know this is way down the list now, but you have all done a lot to put my mind at rest and I am ready to let him go off for his night of fun.
posted by 543DoublePlay at 5:25 AM on January 18, 2007

An aside: NPR regularly broadcasts concerts from the 9:30 Club.
posted by cior at 6:05 AM on January 18, 2007

You do know it changed locations...

I've been there two dozen times in the past 4 years. Even when I haven't drank a thing, I'll come home smelling "like ass" as a friend put it. It's just club funk.

Maybe the smoking law has made it totally different, but I'll still wager that you pick up a pretty good odor from all the breathing alone.
posted by cowbellemoo at 6:14 AM on January 18, 2007

I think your son will be fine, but seriously, like everyone above me says, earplugs! Even if you don't give them to him, just let him know that if he does decide he wants them, they're only $1 at the merch table.

And 9:30 does have coat check, it costs $2. It gets downright hot in there, so he should have a t-shirt or something on underneath whatever he's wearing.
posted by ml98tu at 6:40 AM on January 18, 2007

Oh, and mom/dad: thanks. Even if your son doens't say it, he appreciates your letting him go. So do I, for that matter. If I hadn't grown up in the sticks, I'd like to think that my parents would have let me go to punk shows, perhaps slipping a pair of earplugs and a $20 in the pocket of my coat. And I would have meant thanks, even if I wouldn't have said it.

So thanks.
posted by craven_morhead at 7:27 AM on January 18, 2007 [1 favorite has favorites]

I grew up in the sticks too and started to go to concerts around his age. My parents were initially really hesitant about letting me go to concerts and, looking back on it now, there were times when I probably shouldn't have been allowed to go at that age (ie the HFStival). But if there is one place in the DC area that I would actually say is ok for kids to go to, it is the 9:30 club. There is no chance of him getting alcohol- and if anyone under 21 even tries to get some they X your hands and your group gets kicked out. He won't get hurt as long as he doesn't push his way to the front of the mosh pit and the area is safe as long as he uses common sense.

As long as he has a friend, a phone, and some emergency cab money, he'll be fine.
posted by CAnneDC at 8:52 AM on January 18, 2007

he'll be fine. as previously stated, the club is safe, the area is safe.

i'd be more concerned with him listening to bad emo music :)
posted by kneelconqueso at 2:08 PM on January 18, 2007

An aside: NPR regularly broadcasts concerts from the 9:30 Club.

Thank you, that's a nice find.
posted by peeedro at 7:44 PM on January 18, 2007

I'm there all the time and have never witnessed any debauchery! He'll be fine, no worries. And there will be lots of kids his age there (this is a punk/metal show, I think - based on the band names).
posted by echo0720 at 7:56 PM on January 18, 2007