Bowery Ballroom

11/07/08

Bowery Ballroom REFUSED my guest MARYJANE

by jahspirit

I went to see John Brown's Body at the Bowery Ballroom, and brought a few joints along. Expecting a reggae concert to be ablaze with sweet smelling smoke, I was surprised not to smell any. But what the hell, the songs are picking up and most of the songs are about toking up, so my friends and I light up. The concert's sick, the bands got smoke effects, and the smell's giving it a real reggae feel ? sick concert.

Suddenly I get a shove from behind by the bouncer who proceeds to kick us out of the building. Their other bouncer, some dumb throwback roadie from Styx with a cutoff tee and lame tattoos stepped in to give his two cents, "What were you thinking a holes?" Ya, maryjane at a reggae concert. O M G. The staff here, reflective of the venue, is the worst. From the guy at the door, to the guy who checks your stuff, to the aholes who think smoking at a concert is ridiculous. A bunch of jerks, which seems to be the norm among new york city venue staff. They get good bands, John Brown's Body and Rubblebucket Orchestra were great, but Bowery Ballroom completely ruins that by catering to the upper balcony dining tables (filled with 40+) and stepping on the people down on the floor. OVERPRICED AND TRENDY

• Pros: occasional good bands
• Cons: no maryjane

06/05/08

Worst staff ever

by henryrussell

I have never been treated with such disrespect before coming to this venue. My friend and i went to see a show and on arriving the bouncer informed us it was a 21 and over and my friend, who was 20 was not allowed in, which was fine. The bouncer rudely told us to wait in the corner to sell our tickets and then yelled at us when we asked him questions. I however am over 21 and when i showed him my id after helping my friend sell his ticket, he must have assumed that i was the same age as him and therefore found a fake id in time to make it to the show. Before even looking at the id he grabbed it away from me and kept it in his pocket. When trying to reason with me he told me to go f*ck myself and continued to be extremely rude. To be honest i wasn't that angry about missing the show but the fact that i got my id stolen at a concert venue and was told by one of their employees to go f*ck myself was really annoying and not the way they should be talking to your customers. After negotiating with him for a couple more minutes and asking to speak to the manager he then felt the need to grab me with both of his hands on my shirt and threw me out of the line. There was of course no reason for this seeing as i weight about 150 pounds and posed no threat and the bouncer was clearly much bigger, but was power trippin because maybe his job made him feel important or something. The way they acted was completely unprofessional and not the way someone should run a business in NYC.

• Pros: nothing
• Cons: The Staff

01/31/07

Great Concert, Rude Staff

by ajunet3

Bowery Ballroom has great shows all the time. I usually have a great experience. I don't know what happened last night, from the door man hitting on me to getting my ID checked WHILE the concert was going...(.I'm 24 and my wrist band was showing), and then the coat check woman not giving me my coat at the end of the night. I swear on everything that means anything that she gave me one ticket for 2 coats, and would not give it to me.I even asked her about it when I first gave my coat to her and she just said "Next". It was 12:00 and they wanted us to wait until everyone in the venue got their coat!! The manager was nice enough to hear us out and gave us the coat.....After a while of pretty much begging. Go to Bowery Ballroom for the great shows, but don't expect much.....It's New York City, we can go anywhere for a great show!

• Pros: Great Shows!
• Cons: Rude Staff

11/02/06

The best venue

by liz359

Really is the best place to see a show. Get there early and grab drinks downstairs at the bar. If the opeing band is good thne head on up otherwise its great to just chill out at the tables. I love this place.

10/27/06

A great venue with a weak staff

by steinyman

I'm been going to the Bowery Ballroom for many years and am a big fan. It's fantastic venue with great bars. But, tonight when my girlfriend and I went to see a show we were SHOCKED by how rude the staff was. The people that took are ID's the people and the front door... I mean we're talking serious attitude problem.

I'm not sure why this is happening, but I think the management should take a hard look at the people who work for them. We live in a great city, it's a great club with great music why have people working there who are rude and arrogant.

I just hope the people who manage the bowery will remember why its there to create great times for people who love great music. The rude employees should be no part of this great venue.

11/26/04

Intimate venue

by espumosa

B B probably holds about 600 people, it is an excellent small-mid venue.

Staff are very good, from door guys on....

Convenient location too.

one small neagtive, your drinks are in plastic cups ..

• Pros: great venue, good location, good staff

11/18/04

great small music venue

by punky21

I've seen a few concerts here and been to a few private parties, also. It is a great space where you can't get lost. The bartenders are extremely friendly and create an even better atmosphere.

• Pros: location, staff

10/12/04

Great Venue, Great Time

by mightyern

I went to the Who's America show here including some great hip hop artists and hosted by the man, CHUCK D. This place is great for live shows. The view no matter where you stand is great. You can hear the music on all levels very well. Prices are normal for NYC, expensive. Beer is poured from bottles which I think is a PRO not a CON, no broken glass on the floor=no stepping on it while dancing. It was packed so there wasn't a lot of room for dancing but still had a blast.

• Pros: Great Shows, Huge venue

09/22/04

Get the royal treatment at this five-star palace of rock clubs.

by Contributor

When it opened in 1998, the Bowery Ballroom was the first major music venue to appear on the Lower East Side in generations. Now, this one-time vaudeville hall and former shoe store is perhaps the most beloved club in the city. The Ballroom's old-style theatrical stage is wide and open, rising above the floor, and an intimate wraparound balcony. The club is also outfitted with bars on all three levels, which allows you to duck down to the basement lounge if you need a break. It's home to mid-scale touring acts, with big-name indie rockers sharing the stage with living legends and the occasional well-known local band. The spacious main room officially has a 550-person capacity, but probably holds considerably more than that. Sight lines are good everywhere, and the superior sound system matches any in the city.

08/27/04

Best music venue in NYC

by cdwill

There is no better venue in NYC right now than the Bowery. This place books the best acts, has amazing sound, great lines of sight from anywhere, a nice balcony, and good drinks. The staff is nice and hardworking, except for the bouncers, who need to relax at little. If you don't like this place, you don't like live music. Popular shows will sell out pretty quickly, though, so get tickets before you go.

• Pros: Great acts, Great sound, Great view