![dc gay bars 1990 dc gay bars 1990](https://www.dcwiz.com/uploads/4/1/9/4/41942667/6974363.png)
“In particular, in my experience in gay bars, it was kind of edgy which was an excitement in itself,” Yates said. The presence of bars and clubs has dwindled, but they have also become more homogenous. “There were a couple big dance bars that were mostly gay, but some straight people came. Nightlife also used to be far more diverse, comprising many different types of bars, according to longtime D.C. Club Monaco now occupies the space of the former student hotspot.įourth Edition writer Alana McGovern notes in her senior project, a sociological history of Georgetown’s bar scene, that this establishment hosted famous artists like Jimmy Buffet, Patti Smith and Carole King between 19. Rhino Bar and Pumphouse, also on M street, opened in 1998, and was a thriving college bar until it shut down in 2015 due to high rental costs. Poseurs is now the location of the Running KARLA LEYJA/THE HOYAĬompany storefront. The bar Poseurs on M Street served as a punk rock hotspot before closing down in 1989, although its regulars often reunite to celebrate old times. The Bayou was not the only prominent nightlife spot to face obstacles to its survival in the neighborhood. Now, students and residents of the neighborhood unknowingly walk the halls of the historic concert venue each time they take a trip to the movies. The club was nationally renowned, attracting attention from far beyond the boundaries of the DMV, reported CNN in 1999.īut in that same year, the Bayou was closed and purchased by Millennium Partners and Eastbanc Inc., with plans to build a residential complex and theater. With college students and young professionals from around the D.C.-Maryland-Virginia area eager to have a good time, all the necessary ingredients for a fantastic concert experience were present.Įven in that period, Georgetown was relatively upscale, but the Bayou learned to survive as a friendly hole-in-the-wall. Music was changing rapidly, and artists needed to perform at popular but not overly expensive venues. As the years went by, the club changed hands, and in 1953 it was re-established as the Bayou, a jazz spot run by Michael and Bobby Tramante.Īs “The Bayou: D.C.’s Killer Joint,” a documentary produced by Dave Lilling, chronicles, the Bayou has a special place in the history of music in the United States. KARLA LEYJA/THE HOYAĪ display ad from The Washington Post in 1939 features a snapshot of the founding of a pirate-themed bar called the Pirate’s Den, founded by a man who believed he was a reincarnated pirate. Situated right under the bridge on K Street, where an AMC theater now operates, the club and bar was a mecca for the musical trends of the period. Throughout the 1980s and ’ ‘90s, the most popular venue in Georgetown was the now-defunct Bayou. A number of these venues stand out in Georgetown’s storied history. It was grittier, and it was less glitzy, but some residents find that it had more character.ĭance bars are largely located in downtown Washington, D.C., and Georgetown has been left with college bars and several prominent music venues. There was a time, not long ago, whe Georgetown was home to a thriving ecosystem of clubs and bars. Looking back through the archives of The Washington Post and local papers and talking to longtime residents, one finds that Georgetown was once a very different neighborhood. However, increasing gentrification and rising property prices in the now-expensive neighborhood have affected the nightlife industry. Stores have come and gone and generations have dawned and passed, but nightclubs, bars and music venues have always been constants in the Georgetown neighborhood. Here, at the Bayou nightclub, concerts had the power to transform crowds of eager students into passionate lovers of music and to uplift small musical acts into global phenomena.
![dc gay bars 1990 dc gay bars 1990](https://nightlifelgbt.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/best-gay-bars-vancouver-queer-nightlife.jpg)
Although its stage has since been retired, it is here where Jimi Hendrix once played, where U2 made its American debut and where big names in rock music, from Mick Jagger to the Dire Straits, performed to cheering crowds. Unbeknownst to most Georgetown students, just a 10-minute walk from the front gates sits a building filled with rich musical history.