Drjohnrock

Inspired to start this thread by Buckeye Randy's recent review of the Samantha Fish Concert at the Robins Theatre in Warren, Ohio.

The best show I ever saw in terms of acoustics was Lou Reed at Music Hall in Cincinnati in 1989. Music Hall, opened in 1878, is a very ornate strucrture that is the home of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and other such highbrow entertainment. The place has been known, though, to host some "pop" concerts (less often in recent years), and so Lou Reed played there as part of his tour promoting his New York album.

Music Hall has been touted by some as "acoustically perfect." That is probably a bit of an exaggeration. I don't think there's such a thing as "acoustically perfect", just as there isn't really such a thing as "perfect pitch." Having said that, the acoustics are pretty great there. Reed and band came through crystal clear. Lou was in an uncharacteristically good mood, even telling the audience twice toward the end of the show "it's been nice playing for you." I wouldn't be suprised if the show's great sound had something to do with his good spirits.

Buckeye Randy

From my own experiences and generally speaking; the old theaters are better than the multi-purpose auditoriums and arenas. Open air festivals are a different animal because their attraction is more being an 'event' or a 'party' than a normal concert. Clubs can be outstanding due to the atmosphere and energy but the sound rarely reminds you of a Memorex commercial. There are hybrids of everything I mentioned plus some I certainly forgot.

All statements are with a broad brush because there are exceptions to every rule. In old theaters, never buy tix under a balcony! If you can't be in the first couple rows up front then go for front row of the balcony. I've sat in the front of the balcony on several occasions and it's always a good sounding event. This applies to sit down type shows and not shows that demand standing for 90 minutes during the headliner! Seriously, it sucks sitting in a balcony and watching a floor full of people jumping around wildly.

Club shows are my favorite and I'm a big proponent of being up against the stage. I typically arrive two hours before doors open and go straight to the stage. These are non drinking nights for me because I don't want to give up my spot for a trip to the bathroom. I like the stage mix with amps and monitors.

Best two shows in recent memory.
1. Samantha Fish at Robins Theatre, front and center of balcony.
2. Nick Lowe w/Los Straitjackets at Beachland Ballroom, standing against center of stage.

Both events had something in common, they were not over amplified.

Expectations of how something will sound has allot to do with how you judge the sound of a show. The Dropkick Murphys are always loud and a little distorted. That's them live and I wouldn't want them any other way, it's great.

Standing at the stage in front of Ross The Boss might not sound great but man, it sounds GREAT!

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jadis

I don't know the first thing about acoustics but I remember seeing Pillorian at some mid sized venue in Portland (some theater or other probably) and being pleasantly surprised by how the sound washed over me, so to speak. They didn't just go for in-your-face loudness which metal bands usually do (in my limited experience), but it had kind of a shoegazzy quality, which the acoustics of the venue facilitated.

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