Widely recognized as the best music venue in DC, the 9:30 club is just as good as you heard it was. I've seen groups from Ben Folds to Guster to Sufjan Stevens to The Decemberists there, and every intimate show (with only a few hundred guests) has been great. Downside: there's only very limited seating and the vast majority of people stand in the floor. If sitting is a big deal for you, you'll have to get there quite early and head upstairs to the balcony and enjoy the show from up there.
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