In the past week I saw Big Thief on Thursday, Fruit Bats Saturday, and The Weather Station last night. (And had to skip Low the prior week, Pedro the Lion Saturday, Godspeed You! Black Emperor Sunday, and Aimee Mann Monday due to conflicts, including with these shows.) Back in the late 1990s and pre-kid I used to see two or three shows a week regularly, but it’s been a long time since it was this frequent.
I guess a lot of pandemic backlogs in touring for bands….the scheduling inbox keeps filling up with bands touring for their 2020 and 2021 work along with new material. And of course, they are desperate for touring revenues. DC actually has a glut of venues when looking at the places that have opened in recent years (on the Wharf alone, there is Pearl Street Warehouse, Union Stage, and the Anthem, plus Miracle Theater in Capitol Hill and others). Some venues shut permanently due to the pandemic, but others hung in there, propped up with stimulus money, and now they seem to be reaping the benefits — although I'm sure alcohol and food sales are way down, especially in venues where most folks are still masked.