The 9:30 Club is both a Time and a Place – but before opening on May 30th, 1980, 930 F St was home to another venue: The Atlantis. As the 9:30 Club enters its 44th year and expands its blueprint on the corner of 9th and V, The Atlantis returns.

When Kevin Duplain opened The Atlantis in 1978 it served as a catalyst for proving that DC could cultivate a thriving music scene, sending reverberations throughout the country that drew bands to the nation’s capital for the first time. Throughout the years spent at 930 F Street, hundreds of now-legendary artists graced the stage of that delightfully dingy 200 capacity space from The Police to Cyndi Lauper to the Red Hot Chili Peppers. When The Atlantis closed, Jon Bowers and Dodi Disanto recognized the energy and potential this city and that room held – so they purchased 930 F St., developed an avant garde community of artistic tenants, and opened the 9:30 Club. Seth Hurwitz and Rich Heinecke started booking shows under the moniker “I.M.P.” around the same time, and quickly became synonymous with the club before officially taking over in 1986. The rest, as they say, is history.

The Atlantis is Where Music Begins – built from the ground up not just to honor what came before, but to solidify a stage that supports bourgeoning artists in telling their story. Every star started somewhere – we hope they start here.

The Atlantis’s first 44 shows celebrate its past, present, and future, from the Foo Fighters to Billy Idol. Check out the opening lineup below to find out when each artist headlined the 9:30 stage for the first time.