Tour Prediction and Speculation Thread [ARCHIVED] Tour • Page 535

Since I lived around Los Angeles for a couple of years, I definitely want to talk about venues down there. But the area is so massive - and the venues so numerous - that I definitely can't cover it all in one post. At least, not without people's eyes glazing over even further.

So, I'm thinking I'm gonna break it down by location. Anybody who's live around or been to, feel free to add. I know I attempted to go to as many different venues as I could, and I still only covered about a third of my list.

DOWNTOWN

The Wiltern: My favorite venue the whole time I lived there. Love that you can tell it used to be a movie palace in the 30's or 40's. Reminds me of The Showbox in terms of great sound and good vibes. Love the two story structure and the layout of the floor. Only real complaint I can lodge against it is the food and drink pricing - it's ridiculous even by L.A. standards.

Teragram Ballroom: Cool little venue I wish I went to more often! Love the whole blue-tinted color scheme. Getting a good view can be a little hard, but the sound and bands were always good.

Belasco Theater: Started booking a surprising amount of tours I wanted to see not long before I left. Nice enough, but I dunno - just feels kinda 'douchey' to me.

The Mayan: Right next door to the Belasco. Only went there once but it is indeed designed like a Mayan temple on the inside, which was fun for me!

The Novo: Located in the LA Live plaza where Staples Center is situated. As I understand it, used to be called Club Nokia. Definitely one of the most 'chic' places I've ever seen a show - feels like a dance club that occasionally does rock and comedy shows, so I never felt super comfortable there. Staff are nice enough but really strict, also a bouncer threatened to kick me out because I took candy from the bathroom and didn't realize I needed to tip.

El Rey: Small-ish theater with standing room floor and some raised areas on the side. Never recalled getting a good view, but at least never felt claustrophobic. Good sound, a little stuffy.

Shrine Auditorium: Pretty much just a giant room. Not much to look at, but good for massive circle pits and taking a break from said pits.

Theater at The Ace Hotel: Only went here once for Game Grumps Live, but a gorgeous theater with great sound! Crowd was absolutely nuts, can't imagine what seeing an actual band there would be like.

Orpheum Theater: In the same district as Ace Hotel, also gorgeous if a little more 'refined' in terms of atmosphere.

Resident: Little bar in a super gentrified part of town, but what can I say - it's a place where you can tolerate being part of the problem. Real nice decor, vibes, and drink selection.


Still plenty of places I never got to check out in this part of town, including...

Echoplex (though I did go to The Echo once)
Los Globos
Bootleg Theater
Regent
The Smell
Staples Center
Microsoft Theater

 

I’ll go off of this

Hollywood Bowl: absolutely beautiful venue. I don’t know what to say but every show there feels like really special

The Forum: I don’t know what it is about this place, since it’s an arena, but it feels surprisingly intimate for its size. Plus I just park for free a few blocks away in the neighborhood

Rose Bowl: fuck this venue. $40 parking and no real alternative

The Fonda Theater: beautiful little location. I’ve only been to 2 shows here but it’s easy to park/get to

I’ll echo your thoughts on The Wiltern, that’s my favorite

 

Haha, can pretty much echo all of your thoughts too!

Never got to go to Hollywood Bowl, though. Super jealous there! Hope to correct that one day...

I did get to go to The Greek once, and like the Forum, surprisingly intimate. Those are probably my favorite arenas in the area.

Don't have the beef with the Rose Bowl that you do, but then I had a friend who lived in Pasadena, so I parked at his place and we just walked there, lol.

 

Ok, couple more minneapolis/st. Paul venues:

skyway theater: place that used to be a movie theater. now complex with 2 stages for shows, a restaurant and couple of nightclubs. The main room for shows is alright. Sloping forward floor is exausting to stand on esp. For all day shows. Highly suggest taking break to sit down. Sound in main room is nothing to write home about. Not great, not terrible. Studio b the smaller stage for shows sound in that room is trash. Seriously, i've been to punk house shows with better sound than that room.

Turf club: used to be kinda divey up until first ave. bought and remodeled it. Sound is better now. Small room though. You definitely feel that smallness when shows are packed.

Can't comment on music hall as i haven't been there since it's been that. Went there a bunch when it was mill city nights though. Fine line only been there once.

 

Music hall is the same as it was when it was mill city nights, only thing I've noticed is more shows are 18+ (how could you book of mice and men/Blessthefall and make it 18+?)

 

I've heard their staff is super bad. They don't like starting shows early enough to make them All Ages.

Apparently once they had to delay an all-ages show so by the time doors opened they had to make it 18+

 

Kevin Devine date for Hamilton, ON in April

 

I'm from the MD/VA/DC area so I'll join in on this.

Fillmore: My absolute favorite venue in the area, always has good vibes and it's the closest to where I am. I lost count of how many shows I've been to there, it's just so convenient. And parking is super easy since there's that garage behind the venue.

Soundstage: Second favorite venue in the area and always puts on some insane shows. The security there is dope too from all the times I've been and gets into some of the bands playing. But it's best when they have the barricade down, that Four Year Strong show in October was crazy fun for that reason. Parking is routine for me at this point since I park at that garage across the street from it for Soundstage or Ram's Head shows.

9:30 Club: I always found this venue to be the most interesting out of all of them due to its history. I've only been there for a total of three times though (TBS, TSSF, and PVRIS). The security seemed to be really rough during TSSF, which I found off-putting but I'm sure the venue isn't used to rowdy shows like that nowadays.

Ram's Head: I'll agree with everyone and say this venue is weirdly shaped, how the upstairs looks threw me off at first. I don't mind the shows here from the few times I've been. A bit lame they enforced that no crowdsurfing rule a little back, I dunno if that's still a thing though.

Echostage: Only been here once and I didn't think much of it aside from the fact it seemed like the biggest club venue I had been to in the area and that I knew the venue is usually for raves. The area felt kinda sketchy to me though, and I took the metro so I'm sure parking would've been a nightmare in that area.

Rock n' Roll Hotel: Only been to one show here and it was cool. I was barricade for the FYS show back in March and it was fun, there didn't seem to be a whole lot of crowdsurfing though which was surprising. I walked around before the show in the area of the venue and it felt SUPER sketchy to me, but maybe I'm just a wimp or something. I usually take the metro here too, so can't say anything about parking.

DC9: This might be the best small venue in the area. I went there for Trophy Eyes back in December to see Grayscale and it was a blast. Might be the smallest venue I've been to around here, but I hope more shows I like get booked here soon because it felt a genuine good time and people were going nuts. It's right by the U St metro stop too, so convenient too.

 

this is actually the best i've ever seen this thread tbh, it's been a good day in here and there aren't usually good days in here

 

I’ve really enjoyed reading all of this. So thanks everyone :D

 

Wow it’s not bad so far. WHen i saw citizen it was already jammed at this point.

 

With all the venue talk, I gotta say this: The Masquerade in Atlanta is an amazing venue. I've been to both the old, classic location and the new underground location and both were great experiences. At first I was skeptical with underground, but it's actually kinda easy to get to and the parking deck isn't really expensive. I recommend anyone in the Southeast area to go to a show at this venue one day.

 

Meanwhile @ Warped Tour thread looses its shit on day to day basis.

 

Love the Philly venues. Always have great experiences at union transfer, good old war had to be the best experience I had there. Also I hate parking and the merch area but I’ve gone to countless shows at TLA and can’t say anything too bad about the place.

 

I remember the days when Bottom Lounge used to throw you the fuck out for stage diving/crowd surfing. The first couple shows in 2012 people were completely taken off guard. They've softened considerably since tho.

Basically agree w/ everything @swboyd said about the Chi venues as well. From an all around standpoint Lincoln Hall is probably my favorite. You can totes take a Mexican G tip and park on DePaul's campus and it's less than a 10 minute walk.

 

I always kick myself in the ass for not buying tickets for The Front Bottoms at the Pageant in October.

 

Detroit

The Fillmore - 1500 Live Nation venue. A few small lots and parking garages around the area, ranging from $5-20. Beautiful architecture inside and a gorgeous stained glass ceiling. The lobby gets a little messy, especially when you first get inside, but after that it's pretty straightforward. Merch can sometimes be a little obnoxious. It has four levels of tiers, a mezzanine and a balcony (the latter of which I wouldn't recommend if you're super tall like I am). Concession stand in the back that serves your typical hot dog, fries, mozzerella sticks, etc. The sound can be iffy at times too.

Fox Theater - 2500 Live Nation seated venue. Within walking distance of The Fillmore. Again, beautiful architecture inside, especially in the lobby. The lobby, again, can be a little cramped, but merch has a lot of options for organization. The only show I've been there to was Brand New in October and they used a lot of nooks and crannies. It was really helpful for navigating the venue. The sound was incredible, and there's a lot of room to experiment if a band is willing to get creative with their stage setup.

Majestic Theater - 1500. Parking lot behind the venue, usually $5-10. The lobby is pretty standard - a ticket booth with a little bit of breathing room. When you get inside, it's a big open room with a tall ceiling. Definitely a wider venue than deeper. Merch is always off to the far left side and there's usually room without getting too into the crowd. I've seen shows both with and without a barricade. With is preferred. Unless the show sells out, there are usually big open holes in the crowd where people can fall. Plus, the stage is as high as people's heads, and while it's cool to see get air time, it's not good for the people in the crowd.

Magic Stick - 600. The upstairs of the Majestic (Magic Stick...get it?). You go in through the lobby of a bowling alley with an AWESOME pizza place called Sgt. Pepperoni's that's a must after every show. You go up the stairs, where there's a ticket booth halfway up. You keep going up to get your ticket scanned and drinking wristbands. Merch is right in front or off to the left side on it's own platform. The venue used to have these awful poles in the middle of the pit that were awful, but the venue temporarily shut down and reopened as an EDM club, so they redesigned the entire venue and took care of it. They shut down again and reopened as a punk/metal venue again, and now I have zero problems with it. If you camp out on the side, you'll have a great spot up front no matter what.

Majestic Cafe - 150-200. A smaller downstairs room off to the side of the Majestic. I haven't been there yet myself, but my friends have told me it's a pretty standard, small floor-type show.

St. Andrew's Hall - 1000. Its own building. There's a few small lots that range from $7-15 depending on how early you get there, but there's a parking garage that's free about a half mile away we usually park at. You take a small set of stairs to the ticket booth on the left, get scanned in, etc. There's a small entrance hall, with really nice bathrooms (the entire place went through renovations sometime between 2014-2016. The floor is pretty standard - deeper than it is wide, with merch usually off to the right under the balcony. The balcony used to be open to everyone, but now you have to pay to watch from up there or be guestlisted by a band, which sucks. Still, the sound is great and there's a lot of room to move around.

The Shelter - 300. The basement of St. Andrew's. Not a terrible venue, but not great either. You come in through the back of the venue, with merch in the back. A surprising amount of food and drink options too. The only big thing I don't like about it is that it's one of those basement venues where the poles are in the middle of the room and in front of the stage, making it really awkward for bands to interact with fans or fans to stagedive. It's not ideal for super rowdy shows, but serviceable.

The Crofoot - 1500. A ballroom type of venue in Pontiac with a balcony that's open to everyone. There's a parking lot, but it can range anywhere from $5-20, given the type of show or what's going on down the street at the new seated theater or night club. The bathrooms are great, with a spacious lobby and full bar, where merch is held - probably the best setup in the state for that, specifically. As long as you don't get merch as soon as the last band is done, you're good. There are also bars on either side of the venue in the big room too. You have to camp out pretty much immediately to get a good balcony spot, unfortunately, but the floor is usually pretty good. If the show sells out, it's unbearably cramped, but if not, it's a great place to watch a show. The staff can get kind of testy if you get the wrong person though. The security are always great though - easily the best and most prepared in the state for metal/punk shows.

The Pike Room - 200. The upstairs of the Crofoot. You go up the stairs, where there's a security guard with a guestlist, where you check in or give them your ticket. Go to the left, it's the venue. Go to the right, it's the green room. The bathrooms are out the doors past the stage and around the corner, which are as nice as the ones downstairs. The room is very small - deeper than wider, with speakers on either side. There's a bar on the right side, with merch usually on the right side in front or in the very back. The venue upstairs is kind of picky about stagediving for some reason, but usually only when there's a really crowded show.

DTE Energy Music Theater - 10000+. The biggest amphitheater in the state. Huge parking lot that's free and hill, but it's awful to get out of if you don't leave a few songs early. Tons of food options and a lot of cool landscaping to see if you want to walk around. Food is really expensive, but there's a few different options - pizza, burgers, Buffalo Wild Wings (I think?), etc. There's a few kiosks where merch are too. Most of the venue is seated, but it's all on an incline and sounds/looks great wherever you're sitting. It can get a little annoying though when the second band plays because the sun peers through for about a half hour and can give you a sunburn even though it's covered. Lawn is a different story, though as long as it doesn't rain or is ungodly hot, it isn't terrible if you don't mind people talking during the show or camping out for a good spot.

Royal Oak Music Theatre - 2500. A pretty decent sized theater with tiers, similar to the Fillmore. There are a few lots around the venue for $5-10, or a parking garage around the corner. The lobby is really big and spacious, where merch is. The venue itself is fine, but the floor needs to be about 50-100% bigger than it actually is. They usually do seated shows there, and it shows, because the tiers are given way too much room, at least for the shows I tend to see there. I can't even imagine how shitty it is for rap/EDM shows.

Freedom Hill Amphitheater - 5000ish. Basically DTE, Jr. There's a free, HUGE parking lot there, but be warned, get there in advance because it's a nightmare to get out of. Even worse than DTE. The venue is incredibly slow at getting people in the venue, so get there early too. I stood in line for almost 90 minutes at Self Help and missed Wage War because of it. The venue's food options are overpriced. The upside though is that it gives smaller bands the option to play amphitheater shows that can't fill DTE, which is nice. I suppose.

I haven't been to Little Caesar's yet, but I'm seeing Lorde there at the end of the month. Mostly though I go to surrounding area shows, like Lansing and Grand Rapids. Those b-markets are usually awesome because there's a ton of cheaper parking options and they're more integrated into the city, so there's way more options for food/drinks.

There ya go!

 

Tampa/St. Pete/Orlando. Favorite to least favorite.
The Social.
State Theatre.
Orphuem (old rip)
Vinoy.
Orphuem (new)
Local 662 (rip)
Crowbar.
Ritz.
Hardrock.
Jannus.
Backbooth.
House of Blues.
Central Florida Fairgrounds.
Club Firestone.
CFE Arena.
USF Sundome.
Midlife Credit Union Amphitheatre.
Beachum.
Transitions.
Amilie Areana.
Cuban Club.
Pegasus Lounge.
Plaza Live.
Bombshell Tarven.

 

i'm surprised a lot of you guys frequent such big venues, i'm definitely at 500 or less far more often than 1K plus

 

A lot of Detroit venues are really big-level type spaces. For smaller shows, which are most of what I do, I go to The Loft (400) and Mac's Bar (150-200) in Lansing, or The Pyramid Scheme (400) or The Stache (300) in Grand Rapids, typically.

I also forgot about El Club, which is 500 cap, but I've heard the owner's kind of sketchy, so I've avoided it.

 

El Club in Detroit is one of my current fave venues, and Marble Bar is awesome too. Small shows like S. Carey and Half Waif are heading there. I saw Vagabon and Allison Crutchfield there, and it was one of my favorite shows. The Loving Touch and Magic Bag in Ferndale (metro Detroit) are pretty cool, with great parking options/food/bar scene!

 

Greater Los Angeles Area Venue Breakdown Part II

HOLLYWOOD

The Roxy: It's famous, so you need to go there at least once. That said, I fucking hate this place. Left side is a roped off VIP area with seating and tables, and then the right where everybody else is. Stage is in the corner, bar on the back wall, and they cram about 500 people in there, which I'm sure is about 200 more than they can fit safely. Never had a pleasant experience here, which makes it more frustrating considering how many good bands play there.

Whiskey-a-Go-Go: Just down the street from the Roxy, seems to host exclusively metal shows these days. Still pretty crowded, but layout is a lot better and has an upstairs with merch and almost uniformally decent view. Also, saw maybe the most buckwild crowd I've ever seen where 20 dudes locked arms with each other and started headbanging in unision, so y'know, that's a standout.

Troubadour: Of the WeHo clubs, this one is the best, hands down. I doubt you'll hear any different. Bar off to the side at entrance where they have merch, upstairs has a weird bleachers set up and another bar to the side with bay windows to look at the stage, but the floor is where it's at. Sound and atmosphere are always great. Go there if you can.

Hollywood Palladium: Probably the biggest non-arena venue I've ever been to, holds 2,500 I believe. Absolutely massive floor flanked on either side by balconies. Nothing super special about it, but nothing bad either.

Fonda Theater: As @ComedownMachine stated earlier, really cool little venue that I haven't had the chance to go to often enough. Two story floor/balcony of a lot LA venues (I'm just now realizing), but just a nice vibe to it - cool period light fixtures and murals on the walls. Sound was good too, from what I recall.

The Greek Theater: Kinda skirting the edge of Hollywood, but I'm counting it. On the way to the Griffith Observatory, absolutely gorgeous venue. Don't know how they pulled this off architecturally, but every seat feels unusually close to the stage. Great venue for summer shows.

Never got the chance to hit up the Hollywood Bowl, that's one venue I definitely want to go to sometime in the future!

 

I’d post about San Diego venues but I’m probably the only one that would care

 

I'd care more than you'd think!

Actually seems like a cool town, sad I didn't get to go there more often. Only venues I went to were a couple arenas (Valley View and Viejas) and Che Cafe.

 

Pegasus Lounge in Tampa is such a dive bar their old door man who still chills there almost every night is the plug and does deals right behind the little stand. I’m kind of shocked that place hasn’t shut down the amount of drugs that are openly done there is insane.