Favorite Concert Venue
 

I know we aren't all going to recognize each others venues, but post ones you've been to, what city they're located in, who you saw, and why its a good venue.


THE PAGEANT (St. Louis)
Saw Andrew Bird there and I will be seeing The Decemberists on May 31st. Perfect sized place (maybe 2,000) for acoustics and there isn't a bad seat in the whole place. Seating on the balcony still has a perfect, relatively-up close view of the artist and there are no beams or blind spots.

PARK WEST (Chicago)
Saw Marillion & Dada both a couple years ago. It's a lounge bar similar in size to The Pageant. Best indoor acoustics I've ever heard.

ARAGON BALLROOM (Chicago)
Saw Muse a few years ago. The sound isn't top-notch, but the atmosphere is incredible. It's designed like a courtyard in a spanish villa with a stars a nebulas painted on the ceiling.

Go

Been to a few really good gigs at the Hammersmith Palais. Most of them were third rate indie bands that i'd go and see because I had a spare night in London before I went to a bigger gig the next day. But it had a great atmosphere. Seeing Graham Coxon there was a highlight.

The Fall were the last band to ever play there before it closed.
I should have been there dammit :mad:

Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver. Best place to see a live band, they have the best acoustics and washroom placements. Also the dance floor is on springs so it bounces around which is a lot of fun.

"Washroom Placement"

hmm, I always forget to consider this crucial aspect of a venue. Any place where I don't have to piss into a trough is nice.

Here is Houston we've got the Verizon Wireless Theatre and Arena Theatre which are both great for catching more chill shows, since they are more intimate with not a bad seat in the house.

If you're catching a metal or rock show it's the Meridian though. An old warehouse in a really crappy part of town. But a fantastic standing room only area with the stage on one side, the sound board on the other side, and fully stocked bars lining the other two sides. And clean bathrooms (this is important!) Love it.

Got to be the 'Hummingbird' in Birmingham UK awesome venue great accoustics and a sticky floor!

sticky floors are in

There's this other place in Vancouver called "The Media Club" and the washroom is right next to the stage in this small corridor. The washroom is tiny so there's always a line and while you're waiting in line you get to be right next to the speakers.

You know, I lived in Chicago for five years and I never went to Park West. The Aragon is good though, a little big for my tastes but you have a decent view pretty much where ever you stand. I saw quite a few shows there but my favorite was probably White Stripes/Flaming Lips/Blanche on New Year's Eve 03.

I'd say my favorite Chicago venue is the Empty Bottle though.

Edit: Oh, and the Underground Lounge was pretty cool too. It's kind of nice to be able to sit at a table while you're listening to a band. Makes you feel like you're in a movie. :)

The 15:11, it's a basement.

An interesting one in Philly is the First Unitarian Church. It's literally the basement of a church which is kind of weird. The downside is there's no alcohol but they get surprisingly big indie and metal bands to play there and setting is very intimate.

Soma San Diego

House of Blues Chicago

Yep, had some fun in House of Blues Chicago. I used to work a block away on state street so we were always in there.

Jones Beach

Bowery Ballroom

That place has amazing acoustics. Everything sounds perfect in there.

It's now the Carling Academy. I saw Carter there in October and the floor is still there! over 20 years old!

I haven't really been to any live venues outside of Chicago and Champaign/Urbana and for that reason alone I have to say the House of Blues. Im sure there are better places but I have yet to see them.

Not only are there better places, but there are better places right in Chicago. A couple have been mentioned in this thread already.

Saw the Chili's at Nottingham Rock City in 1990 and loved the venue, but saw Porcupine Tree there a year or so ago and it felt like a different place but still a good venue

the Trocadero isn't bad either, got to see the Scream there a few weeks ago.

personally i haven't been to many strange venues, they're all either just nightclubs or theatres. i'm not a big fan of seated concerts at all, they kill the intimacy and immediacy of a live act.

Depends on the type of music and depends on the type of seats. I agree that theater or stadium style seating sucks, but sitting at a little round table twenty feet from the stage at a place like the Green Mill in Chicago and listening to some jazz is a great way to enjoy music for me.

Yeah, you can't really compare something like The Green Mill to the Riv next door. Have you, by chance, seen Kurt Elling live?