NYC Concert Venues
Learn what makes each one unique
I’ve been to many concerts in NYC, so I wanted to share some details of what I like or don’t like about the venues. The difference between this post and reading reviews about each venue is that I’m going to highlight what makes them peculiar or unique, not their overall ratings. I’m also not going to mention every venue I’ve been to — only the ones worth noting if they have something special.
Mercury Lounge
The Good
There’s no backstage area. You might be wondering why this is a good thing. Well, there’s a small staircase to the right of the stage (shown below) meaning that the artists have to go through the crowd to get to these steps and onto the stage, so that you can see them up close. Additionally, the artist’s friends usually all hang out around the steps. I’ve chatted with a few of my favorite musicians and producers just by standing near the staircases.
The Bad
There’s only a single bar that’s kind of cramped and there’s no lounge to relax in.
Elsewhere The Hall
The Good
There’s a staircase on the left to get to the bathroom upstairs, so while you’re in line for the bathroom, you get a good view of the stage and the crowds. The bathroom is also huge once you get there. Finally, the coat check is pretty good about getting your stuff quickly.
The Bad
Getting water. There’s one tiny tap water station to the left of the bar, and the water does not flow out quickly enough to fill your cup. So there’s usually a long line.
Webster Hall
The Good
Super convenient venue to get to, very quick to get inside (security has metal detectors but they’re efficient), and has several bars and bathrooms.
The Bad
The ground shakes. Webster Hall’s main venue is located on the second floor. Once you’re inside the hall, you don’t notice this anymore. But one time, when a large portion of the audience was jumping up and down, I could’ve sworn I felt the ground shaking.
Also, be wary of the coat check. It takes a long time to get your stuff back.
Music Hall of Williamsburg
The Good
One of the only venues with public access to the second floor, which is normally reserved for the artist’s friends and family. There’s also an elevator that lets you get there.
Also, this hall has a pretty good lounge downstairs (shown below). There are couches to the right with a live TV showing the performance. And the bartenders are pretty attentive.
The Bad
The bathrooms are medium-sized, so sometimes you have to stand in line. Also, as weird as it is to say, the bathrooms don’t have much character compared to other similar venues.
Brooklyn Paramount
The Good
The ceiling is wonderful to stare at (shown above). It also has a beautiful lounge (show below) and a large and modern bathroom.
Another cool thing is that there’s a vibrant and long bar inside the hall itself (shown below).
The main floor has a gradual slope upward toward the back of the hall. In other words, the back portion of the hall is higher than the front, which means you can see above the crowds.
It’s also probably one of the most convenient concert venues to get to in Brooklyn from the subway (along with Barclay’s Center).
Finally, sometimes after the concerts, I’ve seen a drummer replay the songs from the concert on the street outside the venue. And I’ve seen large crowds often surround him.
The Bad
There are almost never enough seats in the lounge to sit. Also, the acoustics are quite muddy to me. But I’ve heard mixed reviews on this, depending on the artist. There’s also usually a long line to get inside the venue, even if you’re late. Finally, the “slope” that I mentioned earlier only starts around the middle of the floor, meaning you have to be a bit far from the stage to take advantage of the raised floors.
Baby’s All Right
The Good
Intimate concert venue, but that hasn’t stopped people from moshing and crowdsurfing (see image below from the last time I went there).
Also, every time I’ve been, the artist and openers hang out in the lounge and you can chat with them.
The Bad
Cash-only coat check and the only ATM there was broken the last time I went. Also, the bathrooms are in the basement, and they’re tiny. For some reason, this was the only place I’ve seen where the men’s bathroom consistently had a line, not sure why. Finally, there aren’t that many places around the venue to eat late at night.
David Geffen Hall
The Good
One of the only halls where you can sit behind the stage. Also, one of my favorite parts about the venue is that right before the performance begins, the lights above the stage (shown below) slowly rise upwards and twinkle. It’s like a little light show before the performance.
The Bad
If you sit behind the stage and a soloist is playing a concerto facing the crowd, sometimes the instrument is a bit harder to hear. But I wouldn’t say that’s the fault of the venue.
Honorable mentions
Radio City Music Hall: there are two little walkways to the left and right of the stage that the artists can walk on during the performance. If you sit around those areas, you get quite close to the artist.
Forest Hills: one of the only giant outdoor venues in NYC (not as good as Red Rocks in Denver, CO, but still a cool venue).
Terminal 5: hard to get to with public transportation, but great mosh pits.
Knockdown Center: industrial, and brutalist — it also takes a while to get inside.
Village Vanguard: the stage is the same height as the audience, so it feels intimate
Conclusion
I felt like there needed to be a concluding section to the article to make it look nicer. It’s kind of like the shoulder on the road. It neatens up the article a bit. And I’m adding one more sentence to this concluding section so that it looks a bit beefier. I’m assuming most people reading this article won’t read this section, but thank you if you made it this far. Also thank you to Zach Mines for proofreading the article.