WASHINGTON D.C. (CelebrityAccess) — Ahead of an inaugural concert by the Foo Fighters on Tuesday, the band’s drummer and founder Dave Grohl was on hand for a ribbon cutting ceremony for Washington D.C.’s newest concert venue, The Atlantis.
Grohl was joined by I.M.P. Chairman Seth Hurwitz and D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser to cut the ribbon – which in this case was a guitar string – to mark the grand opening of the new concert venue.
The Atlantis, which opens after a $10 million build-out, features a capacity of 450-capacity which serves as an homage to the original 9:30 Club.
“We wanted to replicate the basic form of the old 9:30 Club, the feel of it – and most importantly, the idea that you come here to see bands that are gonna be big someday,” said Seth Hurwitz, chairman of I.M.P. “I hope that people that come here get that feeling that they’re in on something early, the ground floor. You never know who’s gonna break out from the pack like Dave did. Someday I hope people walk around and say, ‘Well, I saw them at The Atlantis.’”
“I used to beg to be let into shows at the 9:30 Club when I was a teenager. Thankfully I was allowed in, because I got to witness hundreds of bands that inspired me to become a musician myself – that feeling of being in this sort of tribe, like we were all in on this big secret that was, I guess, then considered alternative culture. All the misfits, all the kids from the suburbs and all the kids from town found a family together in places like the old 9:30 Club,” added Dave Grohl. “Hopefully the tradition of the 9:30 Club will continue here at The Atlantis, where local bands and unknown bands and young musicians will have a place to come witness music and be inspired to make it on their own, like I was.”
As part of the ceremony, a new life-size sculpture of Dave Grohl was unveiled by its artist, the noted sculptor Bernard Pras.
“This is a big day for D.C., a big day for music lovers, and a big day for everyone who loves the 9:30 Club, which we know is many people all across Washington, D.C. and beyond,” said D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser. “And this celebration is one more reminder of how much our community has overcome and how much we stuck together over the past three years. We’re celebrating the history of live music in D.C. and looking forward to many more shows to come.”
