Your favorite venue

[Div]

PNC bank center would be better if it had a pit area and not just seats.

hard rock cafe in times square was really nice.

[Maiden33]

Originally Posted by Div

PNC bank center would be better if it had a pit area and not just seats.

Yeah, I agree. That's why I chose to see Maiden at the Tweeter Center (well, now Susquehanna Bank Center) in Camden instead of going there. It obviously paid off considering we scored pit tickets and wound up front row.

[DethMaiden]

I'm big on Cincinnati's Bogart's. Standard rock club, but the best-run in the state for sure.

And somewhat more locally, Dayton's Dayton Dirt Collective and the now defunct basement venue below Stillwater Photography in Troy are the greatest places to see post-rock/experimental/avant-garde/blahblahblah shows.

[ADD]

Originally Posted by Wizzbang11

Yeah, I believe they did.
For that environment I also enjoy Gilman.

The Warfield was pretty cool, but in a fucking terrible part of town.
The Fillmore is ok I guess, don't like the Grand Ballroom at all.
The Knitting Factory is nice, but I haven't been to many shows in SoCal so I can't really compare it.

I like the Catalyst a lot.

For big shores Shoreline.

The Warfield might as well be in Beverly Hills compared to where Burnt Ramen is Gilman is ok, I'm not the biggest fan but it does have great history and it was cool to play there.

As far as yuppie places like Slims, Fillmore, Grand Ballroom, etc the best one is by far the Great American. Never been to the Catalyst. Shoreline sucks as a venue but I have great memories of shows there, plus its better than Concord Pavilion forsure.

[TonyD]

Originally Posted by Wizzbang11

The Warfield was pretty cool, but in a fucking terrible part of town.
The Fillmore is ok I guess, don't like the Grand Ballroom at all.
.

Wat?
It gets worse the closer you get to the Great American.
And what's not to like about the Grand Ballroom other than parking?

As for the "yuppie places", I really like the Fillmore. There is a DJ spinning vinyl at the bar upstairs, old bills everywhere and what's not to like about getting a free one-off poster for shows you pay between $20-35 for?
After that, I'll take the GAMH, Grand Ballroom, Warfield, and Slims, which is the only one that sucks.

Unless it's an all day two-stage deal, I would rather see a fest lineup at one of the arenas than the Shoreline or Concord.

[SomewhereInTime72]

Originally Posted by Maiden33

BB Kings in NYC can have an atmosphere which is fantastic for some shows, but overall the sound is pretty shitty and most of the venue staff are douches. I have no real problem with the Trocadero in Philly as a venue, but again, the staff sucks. I don't know why clubs hire completely douchey body-builder rejects who just try to intimidate the audience. Most people at the average show aren't out to cause trouble, and I think if the staff would just lighten up, there would be less drama in general. When I saw Edguy in 2007, a friend of mine was thrown out for trying to protect his girlfriend from a crowd-surfer. Shit like that is ridiculous. One thing I love about big venues like PNC or the Tweeter Center in Camden, NJ is that the staff are usually actually nice people. Hell, when we saw Maiden in June '08 on the rail, we talked to the staff for a good hour before the show, really friendly guys.

I agree completely with this, though some smaller venues have had really nice security at times, in general it's all douchebags. All staff that I've interacted with at larger places (PNC, Nassau Coliseum, Madison Sq. Garden, etc.) have been genuinely nice and helpful and/or trying to sell me a nine dollar hot dog for me to eat during Maiden's set. Jones Beach would be an exception to the great sound/great staff standard for larger venues - it's mediocre in both respects IMO.

Ultimately, I do prefer smaller venues like B.B.Kings and Irving Plaza because of the general trade off of sound and staff quality for intimacy with the band. Usually because in some places the sound trade-off is nonexistent or minimal or only applying to openers, and the general douchey behavior of the staff is usually ignorable unless you specifically get picked on (low odds of that). Except in Nokia, I could go on a huge rant about how many really bad things I have experienced with the staff their (not really the venues fault since I think it's indirect hiring, but still ).

This actually reminds me of being in Times Square at 5:45 AM the day before (or rather- of) an Edguy show - WOO CRAZY NYC NIGHTS WOOOO- and suddenly outta nowhere Dirk taps my shoulder and asks if I could point him in the direction of the Marriott. I was sad and embarrassed that I didn't know.

[JuuKun]

I guess I'd have to say the Upstairs at the Palladium in Worcester, MA. The downstairs stage, which holds around 2000 people total, is usually plagued with sound problems. It's not always TERRIBLE (Had nothing to complain about at At the Gates last year), but there's almost always something wrong atleast during the openers. The upstairs, however, is a small intimate stage which everyone I've talked to agrees has better sound than the downstairs stage.

Lupo's in Providence, RI is another favorite. I've only seen two shows there (Opeth/Dark Tranquillity, and then Gojira opening for Lamb of God), but both times the sound was actually really good. Especially for Opeth and Dark Tranquillity - it's a WORLD of difference between Lupo's and The Palladium's downstairs stage as far as sound goes, but Lupo's doesn't often book metal bands.

Really don't have a favorite outdoor or arena venues, they're all more or less the same around here. Do love myself some Tweeter Center (now the Comcast Center) in Mansfield, MA, though, but that's only cause my mom's friend can walk me up to the lawn for free for some shows...

[rjturtle9]

Originally Posted by Spiral_Slave

What about the strict "no moshing or crowdsurfing" rule?

i hate that at concerts. i don't really take part in either, but if i was in a band, i would want my crowd to go apeshit.

as for my venues, i really like the forum because it's small compared to other arenas. as for smaller places, i really liked the house of blues in san diego, and the wiltern never fails

[Wizzbang11]

Originally Posted by TonyD

Wat?
It gets worse the closer you get to the Great American.
And what's not to like about the Grand Ballroom other than parking?

As for the "yuppie places", I really like the Fillmore. There is a DJ spinning vinyl at the bar upstairs, old bills everywhere and what's not to like about getting a free one-off poster for shows you pay between $20-35 for?
After that, I'll take the GAMH, Grand Ballroom, Warfield, and Slims, which is the only one that sucks.

Unless it's an all day two-stage deal, I would rather see a fest lineup at one of the arenas than the Shoreline or Concord.

I know it gets worse, I'm just saying, it's shitty.
I like places to hang out if a band sucks, the ballroom doesn't really have that. Not a fan of the whole place. It aint the worst though.

[Maiden33]

Originally Posted by SomewhereInTime72

This actually reminds me of being in Times Square at 5:45 AM the day before (or rather- of) an Edguy show - WOO CRAZY NYC NIGHTS WOOOO- and suddenly outta nowhere Dirk taps my shoulder and asks if I could point him in the direction of the Marriott. I was sad and embarrassed that I didn't know.

Which year was the Edguy show? Not that it matters, I have seen all 4 shows Edguy have played in NYC to date. I have a very strange allegiance to them as a live act. First show was in-fucking-credible, second was great, third was a bit disappointing, and the fourth they kicked everyone's ass and made Kamelot seem completely weak and uninspired. Met them all multiple times, great and really fun guys. Only band who has ever gotten me to buy the VIP tickets at BB Kings.