WASHINGTON’S ROLLING ROADS—/ ALBA— Keith Bulluck is one of DC’s most reliable and most quotable pillars of local culture, and last month he brought his two-week run at the Capitol Concert Hall to a close. I sat down for a drink afterward to catch up with the Redskins legend, and as usual, Bulluck’s personality, humility and love of the city made for lively conversation.
And after a few weeks of no concerts or interviews (you could argue that could just as easily be attributed to a complete and utter breakdown of telecommunications in the immediate aftermath of the “Powerball madness”), the waiting is over. (What can I say, this gives new meaning to the word “sea change.”)
So when I sat down with Bulluck, I asked him what was going on behind the scenes with Massey Hall.
I quickly found out I’m not alone: Some inside sources I interviewed for this story confirmed Bulluck’s assertions. Not only is ownership invested in change, but they also feel good about the future of the place. By “their” I mean a group of staff, board members and techies, mostly by way of (you guessed it) an inter-generational partnership with Bulluck, who owns the property.
Here’s what I learned.
The plan to demolish the building is basically done. The city told Bulluck that he had a couple months to move it, but he’s already done that. There is, as he points out, no facade to save, but people in the band and audience are excited to make some changes in the space.
Bulluck is still figuring out exactly how to build up the facility, but the big goal seems to be to rebuild with a simpler or more significant reliance on performance spaces. At the moment, there are only two theaters, one which is very simple in design and with access only from the outside. There’s a good chance that some of those unique plans (Bulluck does sport a rather impressive portfolio of them) could be coming in the future.
The rent has gone up recently, but that’s a more of a relocation strategy than anything. Bulluck says that the current rent of a few thousand dollars per event is less than the expenses of keeping a go-to, but he feels it has to change.
The most important factor is the membership model. I think it might not need to be the stereotypical old-timey membership model, but it needs to be something that reflects the actual community of fans and supports the music. And that’s something that seems to be happening. The board members are passionate about the things that make DC thrive, but they are also in this for the long haul. It’s not their art project—they will make sure that it succeeds.