Joe_Stax
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Venue, Vidi, ViciWhat are some of the best places to see a show? And who did you see there?
Some of my fave places in Pittsburgh are sadly long gone, like Metropol, Rosebud, Grafitti and the Decade. Even the Quiet Storm coffee house stopped doing shows a couple of years ago because of noise complaints.
A buddy in college used to rave about the Electric Banana, but I never got there.
We still have a few good places to catch a band, though, and I'll be talking them up in future posts...
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JimENight
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Don't forget about the Syria Mosque in Pittsburgh, also long since demolished. I saw Robert Fripp there back in '89.
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Joe_Stax
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I'm ashamed to say I did forget about the Mosque! I never got to see a show there, but I was in Oakland, hanging out with my pal Lance one day and we wandered over by the Mosque--during its demolition. A real shame.
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deltav
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venuesThe Aragon Ballroom in Chicago (long since destroyed, I believe) was a 1920's-vintage dance hall with a large, arching dome ceiling to simulate "dancing under the stars". I saw Pink Floyd there in about 1969 and their setup at that time included all the equipment pictured on the Umaguma album cover. The plaster dome had a tympanic effect that amplified the bass and literally shook the foundation. One helluva show! (Their gear was made by Watkins Electric Music, very powerful -- "Wham! It's WEM".)
The Kinetic Playground was another Chicago venue from the late 60's that had a spiffy lightshow and other hippie features, a groovy place to see the Grateful Dead, etc. The Playground is featured in a short scene in the film "Medium Cool". It was open for about a year and burned, allegedly arson due to someone's unsavory financial entanglements.
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Joe_Stax
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While the not the plushest place to see a gig, the Bloomfield Bridge Tavern in Pittsburgh is a rockin' bar. I saw my buddy's band there a few weeks back, and it was a raucous good time. (Check them out on myspace. They're the Super 8 Film Stars)
You may not always get a good view of the bands, but they have an excellent PA, a fantastic selection of beers and pierogies!
So, if you're in Pgh, stop by the BBT!
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