9:30 Club these days acts more like Constitution Hall – a larger space for established acts that have been to DC multiple times before and need a bigger room.

Black Cat is more accurately compared to Rock and Roll Hotel, really. They have much closer capacities, both offer reasonable ticket prices, and both actually book the bands that people want to see.

I cannot remember the last time I went to the 9:30. It has been years. I went there regularly as a teenager, but rarely since. It just seems odd to pay more to go to a really big club and see a band that, if I wanted to see them, probably saw them 6 – 12 months ago when they played at Black Cat.

Sound quality might be important, but it is not as important as the size or scene of a place, both of which favor smaller clubs in general and Black Cat in particular. Friendlier people, the ability to see the performers close to life-size and not way off in the distance or looking down from a balcony, but most importantly, bands I actually want to see.

I would caution people to be careful about what they order in 9:30, though. They don’t seem to do a good job with maintaining their tap lines. If the beer you want to order doesn’t move, it’s probably gone bad. The Liberty Ale I tried to have on Sunday was sour and nasty tasting, not the hoppy goodness it should be.

Blue air when you walked in, brown air when you walked out.