Legendary Washington D.C. venue U Street Music Hall has announced it is shutting down, effective immediately. In it’s 10 years of business, the venue had become a local and national favorite thanks to it’s immaculate ambiance, an elite sound system, and teeming list of DJs and artists who have performed there. Read an excerpt of the venue’s farewell statement below:
To every artist and promoter who played in our DJ booth or stage or presented a show in our club: It was an absolute honor to be your D.C. home base and to follow and support your careers. Thank you for sharing your art with us. Countless U Hall fans met lifelong friends and even their loved ones during one of your performances.
To each of the U Street Music Hall founders who had the vision to dream up this no frills, unpretentious basement dance club with one of the best sound systems in the world: What a gift you gave us all. Thank you so much.
And last but certainly not least: to our fans. We have been so incredibly honored to serve you and to be part of D.C.’s music scene for a decade. From the second we opened our doors, you immediately embraced us with such warmth and enthusiasm which we’ve felt greatly for 10 years and never took for granted. And while 2020 may feel like a lost year, you helped us stay afloat these past several months and allowed our staff to enjoy this milestone tenth year as a club.
We could not have done that without you. That is one of the true definitions of community.
In a social media statement, U Street ownership cited their COVID-19 closure as the primary reason for their inability to remain open. Through donations, U Street was able to raise enough funds to host a live stream series, but it wasn’t enough to make up for seven months without live shows. As the Save Our Stages Act remains unpassed, independent venues’ financial struggles only continue to rise.
In wake of the news, artists have been showing their support and grief on social media:
First time I’ve shed a tear in awhile reading this. Absolutely breaks my heart seeing these passionate venue staff who gave me a stage and a safe space to play in having to throw in the towel. Huge loss. Thank you Uhall for showing me how beautiful the scene is in DC https://t.co/ggOCsJ0UOL
— Ekali 🥀 (@EkaliMusic) October 5, 2020
Very sorry for you. Thanks for the music and thanks for having me on my first ever visit to the city, will never forget that night.
— YOTTO (@yottomusic) October 5, 2020
We love you guys! This is very heartbreaking. Thank you so much for all the amazing shows. 💜
— CloZee ✊🏿✊🏾✊🏽✊🏼✊🏻✊ (@CloZeeOfficial) October 6, 2020
Heartbreaking. Thank you thank you thank you for the shows we shared. The space you created was awesome! 💔
— OPIUO (@OPIUO) October 5, 2020
thank you for allowing me to play here ❤️
— chet porter (@chetporter) October 5, 2020
One of the great ones. Thank you for always feeling like home.
— Tiga (@Tiga) October 6, 2020
What a loss, had the pleasure of playing there twice. Love you guys.
— Phantoms (@phantoms) October 5, 2020
Salute guys, thank you for all the great memories. Such a great vibe inside 🙏🙏
— Andy C (@ANDYC_ram) October 5, 2020
Oh no !!! Thx for all the beautiful experiences I’ve had there djing and playing live with the band. Much love 💗 to you all xxx
— nightmaresonwax (@nightmaresonwax) October 5, 2020
Thanks for always supporting us and so many other artists! We will miss you guys 💔🙏
— Walker & Royce (@WalkerAndRoyce) October 5, 2020
Featured Image: U Street Music Hall via Facebook
