With a 10:30 AM call to doors at the 9:30 Club (after a late night at My Morning Jacket the night before… thanks Jon…), my initial thought was, “I’m pretty sure I’ve never seen the Club in daylight.” I arrived to an anxious line on V St NW composed of parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, and grandparents—needless to say not the crowd to which I’m most familiar.
Beyond the glass doors and into the main room were the sounds of giggling girls, peppy volunteers, and inspirational posters hanging from nearly all of the wall space at the 9:30 Club for the annual Girls Rock! DC showcase—yep, this wasn’t my typical assignment. As the slide show presented on the backdrop paused, a rowdy crowd of young professional females took to the stage with an insurmountable amount of energy and spirit.
The quirky costumes and spunky personalities kicked off the showcase with an uplifting presentation about Girls Rock! DC, whose summer camp TVD had been following all week long. The morning event featured a roster longer than Day 1 at Lollapalooza and songs written and performed by the campers themselves. As a first-time audience member, I felt both inspired and amazed at the talent witnessed that day. While the Neon Pandas were my favorite, I have to give it up to the young girl who busted out the opening bass line from “Seven Nation Army” by The White Stripes. (Insert obligatory “you go girl!”) Check out some of the showcase highlights:
