I am realizing that bands frquently skip DC for shows. I can understand why this happens in Pittsburgh (it is not along convenient tour routes, smaller market), but DC is odd. I suspect it has to do with venue difficulty, including the 930 Club’s “aggressive” appropriation of revenues but this cannot be the entire story.
For fun and out of bitterness, I intend to keep a list of bands not coming to DC.
Today I found out Fiery Furnaces will not be coming to town, even though they sold out Black Cat and 930–one of my favorite shows of 2005–in their two most recent appearances. And it is not a West Coast tour situation, as they will be going through the area from New Haven, CT to Charlottsville, VA and then could again swing through the area from Pittsburgh (interesting) to Ithaca, NY.
And other DC snubs I have recently come across include The Strokes and Yeah Yeah Yeahs (but this is a mini-tour with a full tour coming post-album release).
I have the same observation. I have two explanations:
1. DC is not a major market. NYC, LA, and SF are the major markets. When bands choose to do mini-tours prior to the release of a new album, they play the major markets.
2. The lack of venues!! DC has the 930 club, Black Cat, DC9 and DAR. I can name 8 venues in San Francisco ranging from 200 capacity to 3,000 capacity music halls.
Your lack of venues point is definitely at work, although I still put 930’s take of band money as issue No. 1 (which is why I think there’s a solid gold opportunity for competing head to head with them).
On your major market point, well, I agree DC is not a major market. However, many of the bands I have listed have sold out previous shows, so their absence this go-round is odd. Furthermore, even if it loses points on not being a major market, it’s location gives it certain advantages, since it’s close to NYC and easily hitable on a swing-through of the East Coast adn more inward cities (e.g., Philadelphia).
I suppose, though, that a proper comparison would put it up against Philadelphia, a city we’d still lose out to because of Philly’s neo-soul and dnb scenes (10 years strong!).
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