It’s always exciting when you spot a nearby tour date from your favorite band. The chances are that you’ll want to book tickets straight away. Everyone knows, after all, that nothing beats the booming bass of a live performance. There’s nothing better than the smell of sweat and anticipation in the air as those familiar notes start humming.
Sadly, we’ve all attended gigs which have failed to meet our expectations. No matter how much you love a band, a concert is sure to leave a sour taste if it’s at the wrong venue. There’s no getting around the fact that this can be a make or break the best live bands going. That’s why you should always look closely at the venue before making that booking. Sure signs that a venue could ruin your experience include…
The wrong location
A venue in the wrong location is never a winner. That’s why you should always search the address online before committing. To some extent, bands are often limited in their options, especially if they have a niche audience. They may have no choice but to book up at some backstreet dive. The issue here is that such venues often attract a bad crowd. And, there’s no way you’re going to be able to enjoy the music if you find yourself next to some asshole all night. If the location is bad enough, your attendance could even end in an unpleasant tussle or two. And, you can bet you’ll remember that more than the performance. If the location looks terrible, then, you might be best off waiting to see that band another time.
Negligent health and safety
In the modern age, it would be nice to assume that every venue adheres to pretty stringent health and safety. Sadly, even now, that isn’t always the case. There are plenty of venues which breach capacity rules or are a little rough around the safety edges. And, the last thing you want is having to contact a slip and fall lawyer mid-way through a gig. That’s why it might be worth avoiding any venue which has fallen foul to lawsuits before. Even bad customer reviews are a sign that you’d better off steering clear. If you received an injury, you wouldn’t see much of that gig anyway.
An extremely limited capacity
Any music lover could tell you that the smallest gigs are often the best ones. But, this is a double-edged sword. Small capacity venues are usually more crowded than they are intimate. There’s no way you’re going to enjoy the show if you’re smooshed up against the rest of the audience the whole time. If a gig venue has less than a 5000 capacity, then, it’s often best avoided. This is especially the case if the entire place is on one floor. In that instance, you can bet you would all be like sardines in a mosh pit. That’s not many people’s idea of a good time, no matter how decent the music is.