History Of I.M.P.

I.M.P. is an independent concert promotion and production company that puts on shows for between 500 and 50,000 fans at a time, but the company started small — small enough to fit into a kid’s bedroom.

 

As a kid, all Seth Hurwitz wanted to do was put on shows. He tried to produce a concert in junior high, but he was told he was too young. So he waited – but not for long. The first show he produced took place in his high school. Also while in high school he landed his dream job – DJ at the alternative radio station WHFS.

 

Though not especially interested in his grades, Seth struck up a friendship with one of his teachers, Rich Heinecke. Seth and Rich bonded over their shared love of music and decided to book shows wherever they could. Seth worked out of his bedroom in his parents’ home and, together with Rich, launched I.M.P.

 

After high school Seth landed a gig booking movies at D.C.’s Ontario Theatre in exchange for an exclusivity deal to also book concerts at the venue. The first I.M.P. Presents show booked was The Cramps, May 29, 1980. The $7 ticket included the chance to see the D.C. premiere of “The Punk Rock Movie,” a film featuring Sex Pistols, Clash, and many others (The Cramps ended up canceling, but the show went on with Tex Rubinowitz replacing them on the bill).

 

The Fleshtones were the very first act I.M.P. booked at the original 198-capacity 9:30 Club. That was in 1981, when the club was less than a year old and located at 930 F Street NW. After six years of booking there, Seth and Rich bought the beloved yet financially bleeding club from its founders, Dody DiSanto and Jon Bowers. In 1996, I.M.P. moved the club to the 1,200 capacity WUST Radio Music Hall, which had been a gospel radio station and before that a jazz club owned in part by Duke Ellington. Today, the 9:30 Club is the most attended club of its size in the world.

 

While the 9:30 Club has always been home base, as artists grew so too did I.M.P., presenting shows across the DMV from RFK Stadium to Capital One Arena, Echostage, Eagle Bank Arena, DAR Constitutional Hall, The National Mall, U Street Music Hall, the Music Center at Strathmore, The Modell Performing Arts Center at The Lyric, and The Meyerhoff Symphony Hall.

 

But those venues weren’t I.M.P.’s. For the 9:30 Club’s ethos to truly encapsulate another room, it was important for I.M.P. to cultivate the fan experience at every level – from the ticket takers at the door to the stagehands loading and unloading the vans.

 

In 2004 I.M.P. took over operations and programming for Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Md, leading the venue through hundreds of shows and years of festivals from Virgin Mobile’s FreeFest (2006-2013) to Sweetgreen’s Sweetlife Festival (2011-2016), Capital Jazz Fest (1998 onward), Summer Spirit Festival (2008 onward), M3 Rock Festival (2009 onward), and All Things Go (2021 onward). 

 

Enhancements include new concession stands, the tripling of restroom facilities, a brand new 50,000 square-foot backstage (with swimming pool!), an expanded stage and elevated stagehouse, new SkyBoxes beneath a first-of-its-kind SkyLawn©, an historic sculpture garden honoring Miles Davis, Dolly Parton, Robert Plant, Tina Turner, Willie Nelson, and Jimi Hendrix by French anamorphic artist Bernard Pras, and the addition of The Chrysalis – an already iconic bandshell in Symphony Woods, built to host its own shows as well as accommodate Merriweather’s festivals.

 

In 2013 I.M.P. took over operations and programming for the historic Lincoln Theatre, built in 1922 on what came to be known as “Black Broadway.” I.M.P. reinvigorated the “Crown Jewel of U St,” helping to restore the building and its calendar to its former glory while upgrading its production and hospitality capabilities.

 

In 2017 I.M.P. opened The Anthem, a critically-acclaimed music venue on the Wharf with full arena production and rigging capabilities and a flexible capacity from 2,500 to 6,000 across three floors with many seated and general admission standing configurations. Balcony boxes are each uniquely angled to face the stage – so fans can connect with their favorite artists without craning their neck – and the first two rows of each box are designated Super Excellent™ Seats, providing a reserved, non-transferable option to those in search of the best seats in the house. 

 

Since The Anthem’s inaugural show with Foo Fighters on October 12, 2017 the venue has hosted more than a thousand events of all shapes and sizes, from weddings to the WWE to an auto show, with more than 800 artists having graced the stage from all genres and categories of entertainment.

 

On May 30, 2023 I.M.P. unveiled its smallest room, The Atlantis. Built as an homage to and near-replica of the 9:30 Club’s humble yet historic beginnings on F St, the brand new 450-capacity venue was first announced and then inaugurated by Foo Fighters, as lead Dave Grohl grew up attending (and then headlining himself) the original 9:30 Club. The Atlantis’ inaugural run brought with it 44 incredible underplays from huge headlining artists celebrating all eras of I.M.P.’s history before the venue fully embodies the ethos of “Where Music Begins,” establishing The Atlantis as the launchpad for the next era of artists.

 

In the 44 years since I.M.P. opened its (bedroom) doors it has accrued five world-class venues, presented more than 20,000 events, and hosted millions of music fans.