I.M.P., the independent concert promotions and production company, announces more acts that will play The Anthem, which officially opens its doors this fall at The Wharf on D.C.’s Southwest Waterfront.
Dates of these just-announced shows are:
• The Head and the Heart with Phosphorescent – October 27
• The Shins with BAIO– November 2
• O.A.R. – December 16
Tickets go on sale for of these shows Friday, July 14 at 10am through ticketfly.com and at the 9:30 Club, Merriweather Post Pavilion and Lincoln Theatre during normal box office hours.
The Anthem will have a flexible capacity of anywhere from 2,500 to a maximum of 6,000, with many seated and general admission configurations. It accomplishes this as the 9:30 Club does, with a moveable stage and backdrop, virtually undetectable between one capacity and another.
The Anthem, which just launched its website TheAnthemDC.com, is the first venue of its size in D.C. specifically built from the ground up for music and fills an important void in D.C.’s music scene.
Melanie Cantwell books the artists at I.M.P.’s 9:30 Club and Lincoln Theatre; both venues have a1200-person capacity. “When acts get large enough that they outgrow the 9:30 Club or Lincoln Theatre, they want to move up,” said Cantwell. “I’m always asked, ‘Where should the band play next in D.C.?’ With no other options, bands have typically played venues built for sporting events, where the action is designed for center court, not the end of the venue where the stage is. Those aren’t ideal site lines or sound experiences.
“So Seth (Hurwitz, chairman of I.M.P.) is building a venue that finally allows acts to take the next step,” Cantwell continued. “The Anthem is built specifically for live music, where a fan’s experience will include a perfect view of the stage no matter where they are. Rather than seats that face each other, like at a basketball arena, the seats in The Anthem are angled to give the ideal view of the stage. There’s not a bad seat in the house. There’s nothing out there like it.”
With full arena production and rigging capabilities, internationally touring artists such as Foo Fighters and Lorde are making The Anthem their stop while on upcoming arena tours. More will be announced soon.
In addition to the shows announced today, previously announced shows are as follows:
• Foo Fighters – Opening Night, October 12 (sold out)
• Kaleo with ZZ Ward and Wilder – October 14
• Phoenix – October 16
• LCD Soundsystem – October 17 (sold out)
• Queens of the Stone Age with Royal Blood– October 20
• Zedd – October 21
• Courtney Barnett & Kurt Vile (and The Sea Lice)– November 7
• St. Vincent – November 27
• Lorde – April 8
Just blocks from the National Mall, The Anthem will cost $60 million to build and is part of The Wharf, the waterfront development by PN Hoffman and Madison Marquette.
