Fillmore Silver Spring, The A huge new venue changed the music scene. But not in the ways people thought.

There was plenty of doomspeaking before the opening of Live Nation’s Fillmore Silver Spring. Political activists lobbed bombs at the cushy deal county pols gave the developer. Certain locals—that’d be you, anti-corporate, indie-leaning showgoer!—worried the 2,000-capacity space would overcrowd the local concert market. Seth Hurwitz, co-owner of 9:30 Club, filed a lawsuit. Maybe we fretted because we’ve had it pretty good: D.C.’s clubs are fairly cheap, their service fees are reasonable (very few local venues use Live Nation’s Ticketmaster), and their vibes are palatably punk. To many, Fillmore and its prefab hippie décor feel inauthentic. Still, by the time the the new venue opened this summer, formerly anxious competitors were shrugging. “After looking at their schedule, I’m not worried,” Hurwitz told City Paper. Reports on the venue have been mostly positive, but I’ve yet to find a reason to make the trek to Silver Spring. Suburbs, those Widespread Panic jamathons and “Pink Floyd Experiences” are all yours.