- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Movies |
- All
Wonder Ballroom
Rating Details »
Category: Music Venues [Edit]
Neighborhood: Northeast Portland128 NE Russell St
Portland, OR 97212
(503) 284-8686
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- No
- Parking:
- Street
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Music:
- Live
- Best Nights:
- Fri, Sat, Sun
- Happy Hour:
- No
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Smoking:
- No
- Coat Check:
- Yes
36 reviews for Wonder Ballroom
I just attended a show at WB last night. We arrived early and sat at the bar downstairs from the venue. The mac and cheese with cajun chicken special was very good but, unfortunately, sat unnoticed under the heat lamp for at least 5 minutes so it wasn't as hot as it should have been. Lindy, the bartender, is about as nice as any bartender could be! Fast, friendly and efficient, just the way I like 'em!
The venue itself is fantastic! There is a balcony with minimal seating but I imagine it gets hot up there as it was toasty down below at the front of the stage. Lots of hot sticky dancers groovin' to the English Beat!
Never much of a line for a drink due to there being plenty of bartenders and a couple of bars, unlike another small venue in downtown, which will remain nameless.
This is a great venue and I will go back but I agree that it needs ventilation in a bad way!
Dear Wonder Ballroom,
Your bookings are great. Your ticket prices are just right. Your location (in my 'hood) is fantastic. Your sound system is a million times better than the Crystal. (OK, maybe not a million, but several, at least.) Your staff is nice and your bathrooms are always clean.
So thanks for all that.
But please, for the love of all that is holy, INVEST IN SOME VENTILATION.
Signed,
Everyone who's ever been to a summer show at the Wonder Ballroom
Patterson Hood (front-man for Drive-By Truckers) opened for The Gourds. Fantastic show, of course -- it would have been a great show at a gas station. (Was I predisposed to like this show? See the first two "things I love" to the left.)
The Wonder Ballroom is in a cool neighborhood that was easily accessible by cab from our downtown hotel. Two nice dining options in the same building -- a bar and grill downstairs where we ate, and a tapas place next door that we took a pass on because it looked very crowded.
The venue is your basic mid-sized hall, but the sound was better than most, and the staff was on it. Almost weirdly, the place was spotless, unlike say, almost every similar music venue in San Francisco.
Judging from the crowd, Portland remains hipster central.
Went there last night to see Built to Spill and was pleasantly surprised, after reading all the mixed reviews. Being November, ventilation was not a problem (in fact, if anything the venue was too cold during the opening acts). As stated by others, sound quality is better here than at the Crystal and the Roseland. Drinks were a little expensive for Portland, but still cheap compared to anywhere else.
Being a wheelchair user, I always have an extra set of considerations at rock venues: Can I even get in the front door? (In this case, no, but the staff redirected me to a side entrance.) Is there access to the stage? (Yes, a wheelchair-specific lift that was in good working order.) Is there anywhere to sit that affords at least a partial view of the stage? (Surprisingly, yes: the venue maintains a small area at stage right that they try to keep clear for wheelchair users and their friends.) I was impressed with the Wonder's businesslike but courteous staff.
This was the first concert venue I'd been to since my experience at the Showbox SoDo where I passed out. AWESOME. I was sort of afraid that another small venue would cause the same issues, but no! I survived - and enjoyed myself!
I came here to see Shpongle because the boy is a fan. We liked the venue right away because of all the art on the walls, and I was impressed with the two-bar setup and the upstairs balcony (although we never made it up there). The sound was good, there seemed to be enough air to actually breathe normally (however, toward the end it was really just hot as hell - but I think that's a normal show experience and SoDo has ruined it for me), and I could almost always see the stage - which, at my height, is amazing.
If I lived in the area I'd definitely try to catch more shows here - or if traffic from Seattle to Portland weren't so terrible.
I have nothing but good things to say about the Wonder Ballroom. For starters, the space layout totally rocks -- it seems to be the perfect size to host a crowd that wants to get down and fully embrace a show.
I came here for the first time to see a Shpongle show and was sincerely impressed by the openness of the venue, the acoustics, the reasonably priced drinks and the mellowness of the staffers. What's more, the crowd was awesome -- friendly folks everywhere you turned, all there for one thing: to have a good time.
I've been to a handful of venues on the West Coast and the Wonder is definitely within my top 5. Love it.
This is definitely the place to catch all your favorite bands before they become big enough to gig the Crystal Ballroom!
After seeing yet another amazing show the other night, I realized that Wonder might even top Doug Fir for my favorite venue in PDX. I've seen some of my all time favorite musicians here, and no matter where you decide to park it (the balcony, the 21+ area, or the main floor), the performance feels personal and the sound is great!
Drinks are expensive and limited, but that's really not what it's all about, so I'm not bothered. When it comes to what's really important (THE MUSIC!!!) this place is top notch!
I've literally been to hundreds of venues for music around the country and internationally. I won't say this is one of the best, but it's definitely not one of the worst.
I really like the size- there really can't be a bad spot in the house. It kind of reminded me of like a smaller high school gymnasium or something with the cheesy decor and smallish stage. But does that really matter when they are throwing down a killer light show, great sound, and who doesn't like seeing bands on a smaller stage anyhow?
I've found that a lot of Portland venues have this whole thing of separating the 21 and overs from the under-agers due to the bar. Which is think is really annoying because then you are always trapped in some freaking space with the worst viewing spot (because EVERYONE there is drinking) and its way too small and hot. OR you end up slamming your beer because you can't wait to get out of the corral and up to the front of the show.
Well, although the Wonder was doing this, they actually managed to separate the floor in half down the middle, so even the drinkers had space to DANCE! Props to you, Wonder. An additional plus was that the side with the under-agers was poorly filled, so when I was done, I went right up to the front and rocked out! They also have a balcony, though it wasn't open when I was there, balconies always make for prime viewing spots.
Looks like they have a bar underneath (I'll have to pay a visit next time) and they are right next to Toro Bravo (I haven't eaten there but REALLY want to!) so depending on what kind of night you wanted...it is all kind of there for you. I'll be happy to go to another show here.
Off street parking is plentiful, too.
I've seen some of the best shows of my life here (The Mountain Goats, Kate Nash), but I don't think that that's because of the venue itself. The Wonder Ballroom is a nice size. Smaller than the Crystal Ballroom but bigger than the Roseland, it has a spacious main floor and an upper balcony with a bar and limited seating.
The space itself isn't spectacular. The design is very average, very easy to forget after a few drinks and a few songs. I feel like the space could be (or could have been) used a lot better and with a bit more creativity. It's not that there's anything wrong with the Wonder; it's just not as visually appealing as the Crystal or even the Doug Fir.
My first show at the Wonder and I have to say I was very pleased. Need to preface this by saying I am a 54 year young codger. So excuse me if I get all crotchety when I piss n' moan about having to stand for 4 hours to see an act. This sort of thing used to be easier, but last night I had just come off the trail after a pretty grueling backpacking trip and my legs were gassed. But I survived. As for the venue, organized management and processing, good sightlines (as long as you are nearly 6 ft tall). On the best side, I thought the sound system and mix was VERY good, which can be a rarity in this town's venues. Clear vocals, no sub-bass overkill, not that much bounce (but I was up front). Didn't review the bar ( I took my under-21 daughter, so I was Mr Sober Pants that night, a true rarity). All in all a nice place. Nice to have Toro Bravo next door, will have to make time to chow there next time. Downside? The lame-o text messaging screen. It was an ample argument for anyone who says that the texting culture is vapid and embarrassingly shallow. It was crawl-under-your-chair bad.
During the span of this recent Music Fest NW, I ended up at Wonder Ballroom three damn times. I had a few occasions to form an opinion around, and the word "armpit" could not be avoided. Not the worst thing - we all kind of dig on the smell of a special someone's sweaty underarms once in a while. Admit it! So even though it sounds like a slam on the WB, it's just a matter of fact. It bakes in there. You end up sticky despite your dancing involving a little sway at most. You step out to the sidewalk and need to gulp the fresh air like cough syrup.
But that's because this cute, tiny space has sound that just ricochets off the walls and assaults your eardrums. It is amazing. So are the two-dollar well drinks at the downstairs lounge, the Under Wonder (I want to call it the Under Wonder Wear, just 'cause), from 5 to 7 every day. Be sure to get your re-entry stamp if you make the descent or you get to wait in a sweet-ass line again. Despite my first experience, where the stupid tools would not shut up during the opening act's set, the crowd has been pretty cool since. Maybe they're still tools, but they go about their tooly business in quieter tones. Even tools have armpits to love, sometimes. Just ask my ex.
I really want to love this venue, but I only kinda like it. Upon walking in I felt I had been transported back to the midwest into a middle of what could be a hoedown about to take place. The only thing that gave it away was the weird random artwork on the side walls of the barn-like venue. As I said, the overall venue has a barn like atmosphere, stemming from the shape and the decor and even the stage location.
I found the venue to be too big for the sound. The venue was very prone to echoing and therefore sound was distorted. It reminded me of The Fillmore in San Francisco b/c it is pretty much a large gymnasium like venue. However, the sound did not compare in the least bit. For as large of a venue, it was very hot as well which almost made you feel as though you were crammed into a small venue even though it was fairly spacious.
Another gripe is that of the upstairs balcony bar. Do people not drink in Portland? The bar seemed to always be at capacity and have 20 more persons waiting to get into the area. With such a huge venue, I was very confused at the smaller sized drinking area. That is a design flaw in my book.
I do hope I get a chance to see another show at this venue at some point and I hope that I can raise my rating, because like I said, I wanted to love the place, but just couldn't do it.
Who read "The Crucible" in High School? My GOD that book was horrible. Upon entry to the Wonder Ballroom, a fear that the ghosts of Massachusetts's magistrates were going to appear and try me as a witch swirled through my head. I don't think the place is that old, but it looks like it inside. Not dirty or run down, just old and very "Barn".
I want to say that this place feels just like the Crystal Ballroom, only flat and sans the stupid swath down the middle of the floor. I spent about half the set of "No Age" inside during MFNW which isn't quite long enough to develop a firm opinion so the three star rating is somewhat wishful for now and based off that initial "Crystal impression". Also, No Age isn't the most musical group out there so the venue's acoustics were never really put to the test.
The first issue though, is that the venue is rectangular. Which is probably the worst shape possible for overall acoustic value. However, the massive foam-ish things on the walls were an interesting touch and probably work really well in dampening the ambient noise. It looked like another upstairs bar situation - Lame.
By no fault of the ballroom and obviously gone by now, Nike had decided to build a massive wood crate to display photos that looked like 97% of which had been an accident or shot by a small child. It took up a lot of real estate on the floor for no good reason.
The capacity count seems incorrect as well. I'm sure they could get at least 1000 people (maybe 1200) in there but I was told the website says something about 750. Maybe there isn't a sufficient amount of emergency exits.
I never had a drink (like I said, half a set) and the band's lackluster performance pushed us toward the door fairly quickly. I'm not sure if there's a cafe outside all the time like at the fest but if there happens to be, get a stamp and stay in the designated areas. Leaving the property results in a back of the line walk of shame.
At least it's non-smoking.
Alec hit it right on the head with feeling like you walked into an elementary school gym. I felt compelled to break out the dodge balls or the big parachute.
As hot as it was in there, I might as well have been participating in some PE. When it's not even close to half full, you can actually feel the air conditioning. I was actually cold. But noooo, I leave for two seconds [okay, 20-30 minutes] to partake in $2 well drinks and come back to a sauna. It was pretty ridiculous.
Short people like me are 99% screwed here if you actually want to see something. Granted that's the case in 99% of venues anywhere. I'd have headed up to the balcony if there weren't a line snaking around the venue just to get up there.
The sound isn't earth-shattering awesome by any means, you are in a gymnasium after all, but it could definitely be worse.
The crowd depends on who you're seeing, but I'm fairly certain I've seen enough tonsil hockey this past weekend to last me a lifetime.
The cafe/bar downstairs is a gem. Get your re-entry stamp and make your way down. Pick your pleasure: inside or outside seating? Bar service or table service? The world is your oyster. I didn't eat, but the food looked pretty good and smelled even better. The well drinks were just what we needed on a hot day, and were even better considering they were $2. You can capitalize on that daily from 5pm-7pm.
After spending a ton of time here this weekend [and even more time waiting in line to get in], the Wonder has found a soft spot in my heart. It's definitely the best venue in the world, but it could definitely be worse.
You couldn't really tell that this place is a ballroom from the outside. It's not flashy like Crystal Ballroom. Inside, the size is smaller than Crystal Ballroom. They have balcony seating with a full bar upstairs. The view from the balcony to the stage is pretty impressive.
I like Wonder Ballroom. It has a laid back, casual, and unpretentious feel to it.
Interesting venue to see a show and smoke free! My first impression of this place reminded me of an elementary school auditorium..essentially a long rectangular hall with a vaulted wooden roof.
It is a lot smaller than the Crystal Ballroom and definitely seems like a more low key place to see a show. This makes it a more intimate venue. Like the Crystal Ballroom, the floor in front of the stage was divided into two sections: 1\3 of the room over 21 and 2\3 of the room under 21 section (all standing, no seats). This seemed to work pretty well and the stage is elevated enough so it is not hard to see even with everyone standing up. There is a small seating section for over 21 in the far back of the room, just like Crystal Ballroom.
One major con was the amount of people congregating and talking around the bar which was a major distraction during the show. The bar is in the middle of the hall and you can constantly hear glasses clinking, ice being scooped, and people talking. Even the performers were commenting on how loud it was with so many people not paying attention and talking.
I saw a great show here: The Hotel Cafe Tour 2008 with Ingrid Michaelson and others.
Also, check out the Wonder Ballroom Cafe downstairs for a good place for drinks and food before a show.
Went to see David Allan Coe (huge fan). Worst sound I ever heard! Left early and asked for refund. No refund! Will never go see a show there again. I did like the looks of the place.
Oh HAI there, Wonder Ballroom! I think I like 'chu!
It's been a huge love-hate relationship between me and pretty much all of the music venues I've been to in Portland. You wanna see me fired up? Just tell me how much you LOOOOOOVE the Crystal. I dare ya.
Okay, so I'll be honest: I've only been there once. For the Eels concert. And normally during concerts, I'm standing up and somewhere in the back of my mind, I'm wondering, when is it gonna end...my feet hurt. I didn't feel like that when I was there. I suppose I owe that partially to the performers...I mean, come on...it's Eels! But I do owe a great deal of it to the Wonder Ballroom.
For some reason, they had almost an auditorium set-up with lots of chairs, but I stood in the center lane, almost right in front of the stage. And THANK GOD the Wonder knows when a General Admissions concert is sold out (*cough* not like the Crystal, who packs 'em in like sardines *cough, cough*). I felt relatively comfortable the entire evening. I mean, it was annoying that the girl who was two feet from me kept swinging her hair at me in a Marcia Brady fashion, but I didn't feel claustrophobic! Yay! Music and space! Woo-hoo!
And...it was the easiest venue to leave from since...I dunno when.
All I know is that I liked it, the staff was friendly, and it's within stumbling distance from Toro Bravo, some barbeque place, and Echo. What more? What more?!
OK, well first off....anyplace that allows me to spend an evening in the presence of Mr Jack White immediately gets ten thousand stars in my book. I mean, come on, could he be any hotter? But, the Wonder Ballroom was just an OK experience for me otherwise. Probably 3 stars but I am upping one because I am more than willing to give it another try and the folks that work there are super nice.
Here are my issues: it was about 8000 degrees in there, the stage is too low making it difficult to see Jack, which is a problem folks! Plus, the way the lights were angled towards the audience made it a bit harsh to stare at Jack. But, the sound quality was great and the show rocked the howz so, four stars it is.
The show schedule leaves me drooling in anticipation, and ticket prices are oh so sweet, and I can't help but be reminded of the gym-like "church" venue back home in Santa Cruz. But what's with the segmented crowd and cash only with a broken ATM?
We built our Portland trip around our tickets to see Squeeze at the Wonder Ballroom. That night was definitely the high point of our trip. After eating at Toro Bravo, we walked next door to the Wonder. A guy walked up to us and asked if we had extra tickets. "No. Is it sold out?" I asked. He replied, "No I just can't afford to pay the full price for a ticket." Upon hearing that, one of the door guys just let the guy in for free. Wow, that was very cool of them!
The Wonder Ballroom is a great venue. I wish we had more places like this in Dallas; it reminded me a lot of the Grenada Theater back home. Yes, it had an old church or school gym-like feel. This was not a bad thing. We could see everything perfectly, even from the back of the room. We didn't have to wait in long lines to order drinks. It felt intimate without being crowded.
Also, Squeeze totally rocked the house! Great music, great acoustics. The only thing that brings Wonder down from five to four stars was the heat. It wasn't hot outside, but it got fairly steamy inside when the room filled up and everyone was dancing around. I'd definitely fly to Portland to see another gig at the Wonder.
I love Wonder Ballroom. It's a great smaller, cozy venue for music and events. My old yoga teacher even had her "last class" here when she moved on from Portland.
It's next to Noble Rot, a hip little Spanish joint that I haven't check out but appears to be pretty popular.
I also have a friend who works the ticket booth and she recommends the bar/restaurant below the ballroom for pre-show food and drink.
Loses a star because I did go to event that they literally had about 12 chairs out. All these young people and got there and grabbed their spots (rightfully so) but that left a group of elders standing rather uncomfortably. They should probably spring for some more chairs. Or you should just plan on getting there early if you want one!
The upstairs bar is the best, in my opinion. Nice little balcony view and window bay seats to sit, sip and talk.
Go!
Can I just say how much I love this place? Non-smoking, great people working the place, and usually wonderful, wonderful music. I've been here a few times and have always had a good experience.
I tend to be the stand-in-front-of-the-stage-and-dance-all-night kind of concert goer so the fact that the only real seating is upstairs has no bearring on how much I love the show. However, the bar upstairs is usually the best one to hit. The bartender was fabulous, pouring some powerful drinks. A little spendy but one was enough to get me through the night.
The parking is a little dicey but I lucked out and got a spot less than a block away....can't say that often about some of the spots on the West side. I'll take this venue over pretty much any of them over there.
Fun, smokeless place to watch a show
This is a great place to catch a show. It reminds me a lot of the Crystal Ballroom except for two major differences --- it actually has parking and is non-smoking! I love 80's night at the Crystal but the after smoke smell reeks.
Although they host some weekly events like DJ night, the rest of the calendar is full of diverse groups for every music taste. There's two good size bars, which cut down on having to wait too long in one line. There's one that serves primarily hard stuff, whereas the other serves a good variety on tap. They also have a caf right downstairs, which can soften a possible would-be hangover the next morning.
Tip: Save money and buy your show tickets in advance at the box office. Although phone reservations are handy, there are extra costs tacked on.
Great place for shows - it reminds me of the old 10th St. Hall or the Swedish-American Hall in SF. The sound is decent by Portland standards. Parking sucks. I'll take this over the Crystal, Dante's, Berbati's or just about any other place in town.
Great place to see a live band! 21 and older crowd. The stage is set at the perfect height so even if you have someone standing in front of you the view isn't terribly blocked.....well unless the person standing on the stage is 5 feet tall. Oops!
There is some seating along one side of the floor but most people were standing close to the stage.
Anyway, the sound is great and I love the hardwood floors. When I was in there I could feel all the history of the place and wondered to myself what great dance bands might have played there back in the day.
There is a balcony with seating that has a full bar including a water station. They also set up a bar downstairs on the main floor. 5 dollar drinks! Can't beat that and they aren't watered down either! Only drawback- the bar is CASH only so bring some! But there is an ATM machine in the lobby in case you run out.
So check out this little venue, I think that it holds 500. If you want an intimate close look at the band you are seeing as well as taking a step back in time to another era this is the place to go! I can't wait to go back in Sept to see Squeeze!
A great venue in Portland... not that I'm an expert on Portland venues but the last two times I've come to Portland I've seen great shows in venues that are a breath of fresh air from the crowded and sold-out venues of San Francisco.
This time I got to see Matt Costa along with the Watson Twins and The 88. I thought the sound was great, the space was large but it felt warm and like a small independent venue.
There is a great cafe below that serves an amazing steak.
Loved it!
The Wonder is small but attracts great shows, so it's often sold out and packed full. The balcony is often the best place to stand, but the sound can be iffy and the bar wedged in makes it a high traffic area.
At its best the wonder if full of people dancing, and it often has great shows that are dance worthy. It's lots of fun for all ages crowd, so be prepared to either dance with some teenagers (pretty fun, actually) or show your ID and mingle with the adults in a roped off section. Get there early if you want to get towards the front, and head downstairs to the bar for drinks at Cafe Wonder after the shows. The musicians from upstairs will probably wander through for a drink at some point, so hang around if you want to make friends.
This is such a great Northwesty venue, I personally love it--the intimacy and warmth makes any show seem special. Added bonus is the fat and tasty burger down in the Wonder Cafe, along with some killer fries, and a drinkie..(full bar)...if so inclined... A truly nice addition to the Eliot 'hood, Wonder is housed in an old historic Hibernian hall (your history, here http://wonderballroom....). I like the wood floors, high ceilings, darkish paint, and cool vibe. Nice dance floor, and bars below and above in the balcony (makes for a weird little crowded area up there, but still fun). No smoking.
I Heart Indie Holidays loves the Wonder Ballroom! We had our 2nd Holiday show there in December during the most hellish weather ever, and people came out in droves to support our show! We love Portland and Howie at the Wonder Ballroom for making it all worthwhile!
I've only been here once recently to see Sparklehorse. I was warned about the sound quality and acoustics. Both warnings turned out to be accurate. A little work on padding down the echo would go a long way. Poor Mr. Linkous had to contend with a hurried mic job...causing the first song to nearly implode due to unintentional muted distortion. The opening band, Jesse Sykes and the Sweet Hereafter, had to contend with some white noise in the left channel. The bar setup was less than organized causing a number of human traffic jams. So why do I give this place 3-stars? Potential. The staff was very friendly. Parking and entry was accessible and easy. It attracted a mostly cool crowd of people. I really wanted to give Wonder Ballroom 4 or 5 stars. It has a 4-star heart, a 5-star staff, but lackluster sound. Which, for a concert venue, is near tantamount to heresy. Still...I really would encourage folks to go check it out, as I will be soon since it appears to be the venue of choice for some bands I'm interested in seeing soon.
Keep up the good work Wonder Ballroom...a little work and you're nearly THERE!
EDITED 11/.14/07
Wonder Ballroom is mostly THERE. They've corrected most of the above misgivings...the only thing lacking anymore is proper padding to accommodate the crappy acoustics...disagree if you must but something is still a bit wrong. Wonder Ballroom is pretty much a 4.5 star venue now...I actively look forward to seeing shows here after having substantially better experiences since last February. The staff continues to be awesome and the drink lines have become more manageable with addition of a new station. The bartenders are amongst the most down to earth I've been around during a concert. Is it just me or do most venues choose concerts for hiring their back-up asshole staff? Between Wonder Ballroom and Crystal Ballroom...I really don't get why so many bands choose Roseland...blecchh...still me no likey that place.
Went to the Wonder Ballroom to see my cousin play in The School of Rock - Best of the Northwest. What a cool venue this place is. Its a nice space to rent out for all types of parties. Parking can be a little difficult, but I really enjoyed my time here and the bartenders were very friendly.
Some of the same problems as the crystal, but overall a good place to see a show.
A recently renovated club. The new coat or paint and new art on the walls is a refreshing touch for a music venue. I've come to expect run down dingy clubs, one that's nice and new throws me off my game. The acoustics are great and the balcony is nice, but much to far away and small. The sound system was new and had some thump. The back of the hall is a little too far away, leading to disappointing views from the rear and balcony. Overall I'm excited to see some more shows there.
I've been to the Wonder for a number of shows and it is indeed a pretty nice venue, but I have one major complaint: lack of air when it's really hot outside. This happened a couple of times last summer/early fall, so maybe it's improved. How hard is it to mount a few fans around the place? People dis the Crystal, but at least they have a pretty good ventilation system. Sound at the Wonder is definitely better than the Crystal, but at 1/2 the size it should be.
I'm kind of perplexed that this place has a 4-star rating. What I read here are a bunch of so-so reviews, but the writers then give them 4 (or 5) stars anyway. I'm in agreement with the reviews, the ratings not so much. I'd read that the place had been "lovingly restored" but near as I can tell all they did was slap a coat of paint on an aging ballroom. I'd been expecting some nice architectural details, what I saw was pure gymnasium. I'd also been expecting to have an open dance floor, but when we arrived for the Fountains of Wayne show last week there were chairs set up on 2/3 of the floor. No problem, except it would have been nice to know that in advance--I'd have arrived earlier (and probably bought a few more $5 beers) if I'd known. The sound for this show was OK, but it was an acoustic show, so the volume never got out of hand. I can imagine it getting pretty boomy in there if you've got a bunch of Marshalls cranked up to 11 onstage. They've tried to dampen the sound a bit with panels on the walls but maybe continuing those efforts in the rafters would help with that as well. The staff was nice, so no problems there. Overall I wouldn't avoid seeing shows there, but I can't give them unqualified praise yet either.
