In New York, I love Joe's Pub, The Knitting Factory, and The Bowery Ballroom.
And for a venue of its size, the Hammerstein Ballroom is really great.
Great thread. Those are some odd
NYC choices, Monk. Joe's Pub is a swanky sit down place where you can see eclectic music including world, cabaret and jazz. Occasionally they'll have a rock or pop show but most often it will be someone like Emily Haines on the piano. It's very nice inside, and I recommend it but
get there early. I saw Ute Lemper there not long ago.
The Knitting Factory is a slummy triple staged place that does primarily rock and (post) punk -- it's most often too loud, bizarrely shaped, tiny given some of the bands they get there, and has a small upstairs area with a separate bar and a few seats. I don't know anyone that loves it, but you've got to go there sometimes because (for instance) it's cool to see Ted Leo with 150 other people in
Manhattan.
Hammerstein Ballroom is awful. I am curious to hear what you like about it because the acoustics are some of the worst I've heard in my life.
MSG has better acoustics. Not only that, but they have crowds of 2000+ there and
two freaking beer lines. It's inexcusable. I've seen tons of shows there including Franz Ferdinand, the Arctic Monkeys and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah but after the Arctic Monkeys show, it would take one of my favorite bands to bring me back for that punishment. All the big venues are problematic to some extent in NYC, but this is my least favorite. If you can, stick with any of the others, Nokia Theatre, Roseland, Radio City Music Hall, and the Theatre at MSG all come to mind. . . .
Bowery Ballroom: Here I agree with you, it's definitely one of the best and tends to be at the cutting edge trend-wise. If a band's first album got higher than an 8 on Pitchfork, they probably played at the Ballroom in the last six months. The rule about short people having to come early to crowd the stage and have a chance at seeing the band is especially true here . . . it's a high stage. There are about 8 non VIP tables with chairs to fight over on the balcony but the space near the sound booth tends to stay open a little longer.
My favorites in NYCMercury Lounge. It's just a room in the back of a bar, basically. Decent beer, consistently sound-problem free production, small size, and a crowd that tends to be respectful and genuinely into the music make this a venue to prefer. Also, great location on East Houston.
The Warsaw (Williamsburg). This Polish national house turned concert venue feels like a high school gymnasium and provides great concerts, decent crowds, and the best concert food around (polish sausages, polish beer - Zywiec).
Studio B (Wiliamsburg). The crowd here likes to jump around. There's lounge space, but good luck finding a spot if you're at a sold out show and don't show up at doors. Electronic shows and dance shows here are too much fun. If you're going in the summer, bring something you don't mind sweating through.
The Delacorte. This is the open air theatre in Central Park. They started having occasional rock/pop/eclectic shows here a few years back. It's rock with an open air thrust stage. You really can't go wrong.
Town Hall. This one's a bit controversial since it's seated and the ushers tend to be snotty, but after having seen at least 15 shows here I've come around to like it. It's only for shows for which it makes sense to sit, so basically your quiet downtempo chanteuses and Sam Beam. The seats are comfy, the mezzanine bar tends to be accessible, and although the balcony seats aren't ideal, they tend not to suck as much as other venues. You really do want orchestra if you can manage it though, since balcony tends to make you feel like you're watching people watching a concert.
My least favorite venues in NYCTerminal 5. A thousand times, Terminal 5. Whoever designed this theatre ought to be exiled. You've got three levels and the stage is only visible from maybe 1/3 of the floorspace. On the upper levels, you need to be right up against the banister to have a chance of seeing anything. On the floor, you'll find yourself constantly elbowed by people who can't see squat unless you're front and center. The crowds here suck, and most bands will be muffled to oblivion from any spot but dead center on the floor. The only way this venue works is if you come early and stake a spot on the floor with a group of friends, or if you're with no more than one other person and don't mind being rude to other concert goers with your elbows.
Webster Hall. If you're a NYC concert regular, you'll often hear people say nasty things about this place. After going to a concert here, you may be perplexed. After all the space looks just like Bowery Ballroom but slightly bigger. Well, Webster Hall has floorspace downstairs that operates as a club and a party space for out of town high-schoolers and the bass is often audible during your headliners' set. Oops. Also: there's no ventilation, little AC, the venue will gouge you for water, and there are sound problems about 50% of the time and catastrophic sound problems in about 1 in 5 shows. I've lost count of the number of times the band has to stop their set because the monitors aren't working. Unfortunately, it's a necessary evil since bands often get bumped here if they sell out Bowery Ballroom too quickly.
