yay WEEN

this was the old mirage/exit space?

yes, old exit

so who do they plan to book at the ballroom from now on?

@ lewislfowler: bands that would've played the Mercury Lounge, which will be demolished to make way for another condo any day now.

WEEN!

it will be tough to make this venue worse venue that webster hall or hammerstein.

This will be a lot bigger than Bowery Ballroom. It's more likely to take shows away from Webster Hall (please!) which Bowery Presents doesn't own.

Music Hall of Williamsburg might take shows from Bowery, but a lot of bands do two nights at Bowery so maybe now they'll just do one in Brooklyn, one in the city.

I don't have any complaints about Bowery Presents, but it looks like they've got a venue for every stage of a band's career now. Mercury Lounge < Music Hall < Ballroom < Terminal 5, plus all the shows they book at venues they don't own. It's a little scary, but I guess it beats Clear Channel / Live Nation.

yuck talk about a crappy location. is this going to be seats or general admin standing?

it's going to be an indoor pool. you can swim in it while listening to your favorite bands!

Isn't the Penthouse Club near there? Awesome.

I wonder what the capacity is

great, nyc chains are the way to go. let them run all the venues, they do the best job.

it HAS to be better than Hammerstein and Roseland, right?

capacity = 3000

but here's the thing about having a venue for every stage of a band's career... in my opinion, the experience of seeing a show at bowery versus say webster or hammerstein or this new place, etc. is so much better... to the point that i am more likely to see shows at bowery that i have little interest in instead of seeing someone i really like but is playing webster. the days of a mid-level band playing 2 or 3 nights in a row at bowery are diminishing. instead, bowery presents will just stick them in one of the larger venues for a night. and thats too bad.

its gonna suck ballz in february walking from 11th ave to the subway after seeing that clap your hands say yeah show.

i do think that historically, the bowery presents people do a good job and have both the bands and their audience's best interest in mind. but i think they're going to look back on this recent expansion as a mistake.

"Architect Brian Swier designed the multi-million dollar renovation of Terminal 5, creating a clean, open layout for the 40,000-square-foot multilevel venue. A main floor with the performance space will feature 40' ceilings, unobstructed sightlines, and state-of-the-art sound and lighting, and a first and second wrap-around mezzanine will provide excellent views to the stage from all areas of the venue. Three bars -one on each level - will provide easy access to refreshments."

Touting itself as the "Largest Midtown Venue To Open In More Than a Decade," it's also the largest capacity venue for the Bowery Presents team to date (3000). Currently Mercury Lounge is 250, Bowery Ballroom is 550, Webster Hall is 2500 (incl. club)/1400 (main stage) and the Music Hall of Williamsburg (opening in September) has a capacity of 550. Another interesting note is that it seems they'll be branching out into the non-music world with this venue as well - they've partnered with The Fred Seidler Group to book art and other special events.

Isn't that the same block on west 56th st. that has that giant hip-hop dance club? The same club where you see police cars trying to disperse young thugs with their hoochies at 4am?

I hope to god its not the same venue as term 5. Otherwise, I invision the same crap they pull at webster hall with the band curfews in order to get that dj dance club going.

Considering that it's almost 6 times the size of Bowery, I don't see it taking many shows from that venue.

And I wouldn't lump the new place in, sight unseen, with Hammerstein and Webster. It's big, sure, but it sounds like it's being designed to be a much nicer venue than those places.

Tix for Menomena/Illinois on 11/10 are on sale at ticketmaster....

http://www.ticketmaster.com/event/00003F0AE46AC21D?artistid=956376&majorcatid=10001&minorcatid=60

I don't understand why people think that every venue except Bowery Ballroom sucks (Hammerstein, Roseland, Webster Hall, Hiro, etc.). If Bowery didn't exist, would everyone think that these other venues are acceptable?

Just thinking out loud over here. Looking forward to the new venue.

bowery ballroom is still the shite!

of course it doesnt take shows away from bowery. but it will take them away from say webster or the williamsburg space perhaps. and then they take away from bowery. and then bowery pulls from mercury. and next thing you know, your 4th grade sister is on stage at mercury lounge playing her recorder. (that might be a slight exaggeration).

The Bowery Ballroom is the best and I often go to shows there that I would not have considered at other, larger venues. It will be tragic if this new arsenal of theaters cuts down on those rare shows were "big" bands play at small venues... big meaning talent wise and not necessarily popular. It will still be possible to see 'big' bands, before they become big, at Merc or Ballroom, but when I buy a ticket to a show at the Ballroom the day they go on sale, and two months later it sells out and is moved to Webster Hall, that freaking sucks! It seems like this new hall is just expanding the Bowery Presents ability to keep shifting shows around to maximize their $$$.

and oh yeah... WEEN!!

Wha? There is no way it's talking shows from Music Hall of Willamsburg (abbreviation, please). Again, it's like 6 times as big and in Manhattan. MHoW (Music Hall? Northsix?) sounds like a reproduction of Bowery, just in Brooklyn.

I'm feeling positive about the new BP venues, but maybe it's just curiosity.

On the plus side, it's letting more people see shows. People who aren't blog nerds chomping at the bit for the next presale (myself included).

somewhat related - i was wondering wtf was with tickets for bowery presents being on ticketmaster now. I noticed a while back a few of their bigger shows were on ticketmaster, but now shows at merc and the bowery are on there too. i fucking hate ticketmaster and i hope theyre not switching to that from ticketweb

ticketmaster owns ticketweb

funny how ticketweb is always seen as less evil, more indie

looks like evil ticketmaster has fooled you again! chalk one up for the ticketmaster marketing team!

Holy shit.. there is a 12th avenue?

Is this place floating in the Hudson? This place is in the middle of nowhere.

Really Really very bad and sad that this is happening. Yes this is the old Exit/Mirage and a bunch of other places after that. It was also Club Black for example where Prince played a few years ago. I went to that show as well as having been to Exit a bunch of times so i know how shitty this place is. I do not care how much it was redesigned. The sound was god awful in that cavern. DO we really need another Hammerstein or Roseland? This will really do all the bad things people listed above such as cut the number of times bands play at smaller venues. Bowery has been showing recently a desire to push bands into bigger and bigger venues that they are not ready to support. Not good at all

@ anon 1:36 p.m.

Nobody cares who owns who. It's just about the service fees. Right now Ticketweb's service fees are less than Ticketmasters. Period.

So keep your stupid remarks to yourself dipshit.

The National is playing on the same night as !!! at Webster, grrrr. More options, more conflicts.

The National are playing for free at the Seaport on Friday..Can't wait!

Whoa, Anon 1:36 really touched a nerve with Anon 1:39! I knew the rage would flow eventually, but over this?

I for one, think it bears repeating that Ticketmaster owns Ticketweb. And possibly Anon 1:39. Why so defensive?

i think bowery made an announcement about most of the shows switching to ticketmaster a couple months ago. like anon said, they are the same anyway

ouch...the bloggy wrath of the ticketmaster/ticketweb marketing team!!

what's a dipshit?

A bit off the topic:

Wburg music hall is 550 - what was the capacity of Northsix? Just curious.

A bit on topic:

Too bad the Market Diner down the avenue is gone; those cheeseburgers and pitchers of beer would've been great after a show.

Bowery = Live Nation

Ugh, what a crappy name.

"Nobody cares who owns who. It's just about the service fees. Right now Ticketweb's service fees are less than Ticketmasters. Period.

So keep your stupid remarks to yourself dipshit."

Perhaps you should heed your own advice, o you who have not taken the time to notice that the fees are the same on ticketmaster that they were on ticketweb.

"Nobody cares who owns who. It's just about the service fees. Right now Ticketweb's service fees are less than Ticketmasters. Period.

So keep your stupid remarks to yourself dipshit."

The service fees for Bowery shows being sold on ticketmaster have stayed the same as they were when they were being sold on ticketweb. only reason it moved was for the higher demand/higher efficiency, so yes, it does matter who owns who. the fees havent changed. period.

Btw tix go onsale aug 17 at noon for these shows.

Whoops i cant read

Good burgers and beer before the show at the Burger Joint, on 56th between 6th and 7th.

Whoops i cant read

"Nobody cares who owns who. It's just about the service fees. Right now Ticketweb's service fees are less than Ticketmasters. Period."

I care, so you are wrong. Shut yo mouth, mothafucka, and type better next time.

1:56- No. BP is Live Nation's hometown competition. They're the closest we have to the "good guys".

Northsix capacity was 400, so the Hall (?) is about 40% bigger.

Isn't next to the site of the old Hanger venue?

"service fees-period" poster is a frat boy

Ween = FINALLY. They havent played in town since November 2003. And that was at Roseland. Ugh.

The decision for a band to play three times at a smaller venue vs. one time at a larger venue is usually going to be based as much on the rooms that are available as on the band's own earning potential.
Consider this: (round hypothetical figures used for conversation)
A band plays Bowery Ballroom three nights and makes 5k/night for a total of 15k.
Band pays crew 400 day for $1200
Band pays bus 900 day for $2700
Band pays hotel's for 700 day for $2100
Band pays other costs of $250 day for $750
On Three Night run in 'smaller room'
Band walks with $8250
Band plays one night in larger room, they make the same amount of money-15k, and spend a third.
On night night in town at larger room
band walks with $12,750

There's nothing much better than seeing a great band in a room they're too big for. The Ween benefits for Claude at the Bowery 5 years or so ago were some of the best shows I've ever seen. Even seeing Spoon at the Bowery a few months back was an event- considering the band was approaching that 3000 seat room size. But look at the economics above and you'll see why most bands will opt to go for the bigger room. What would you do? And of course your smaller room might not be available for three nights in a row when you need it so it's usually a moot point anyway.

a few years ago, the fee on ticketweb was noticeably much less than ticketmaster, which is true. so when people lament the ticketweb/master thing, it often has historical importance in their mind. it is fine pointing out that ticketmaster owns the other, but i think everyone figured that out a long time ago. coming into every thread and jumping on anyone who says they hate seeing bowery presents on ticketmaster is dumb. i hate seeing it. i know it doesn't make any difference, but i still hate it.

"I care, so you are wrong. Shut yo mouth, mothafucka, and type better next time. "

Retard

1:39, you should have written "Nobody cares who owns whom," silly! It's my birthday, lets all sing happy birthday.

I don't think anybody jumped on anybody until 1:39 got his panties in a twist over it.

And I don't think "everybody" has figured out the Ticketweb / Ticketmaster connection. And when a company like Ticketmaster, who has been rightfully catching flack for years, tries to hide behind a subsidiary, I don't think it hurts to remind people of what's up.

But maybe we should just pipe down out of respect for your feelings since you "hate seeing it", even though you admit it "doesn't make any difference".

P.S. Nothing on this blog makes any difference. At least in the comments section. I'm desperately trying to stop reading it, but I'm just SO BORED.

"Nothing on this blog makes any difference. At least in the comments section"

Exhibit A = Anon 3:00 p.m.

WEEN!!

What do people really care about? Not the ownership per se. What they care about is:

- no stupid fees on top of already-high ticket price

- smallest possible venue given the band's popularity

- good sound and sightlines

- a little food and drink

hence, Warsaw or Mercury + Ticketweb = heaven; everything else is a compromise.

PS - what's so awful about Hammerstein? I was only there once but it seemed pretty nice for a big hall-- not a decaying pit like Roseland.

I've only seen one show at Warsaw (Love Is All), but the sound was bad enough to prevent me from ever going there again. So muddy! Was it just that night or have people had similar experiences?

Good pierogis, though.

I care about ownership. Once Ticketmaster buys all of their competitors out, they'll be able to charge whatever they want!

"it's going to be an indoor pool. you can swim in it while listening to your favorite bands!"

yes!

in addition to the pool, there will also be bowling lanes.

It's gotta be better than Webster f*cking Hall.

If shows are able to go past 10pm it will already be an improvement over Webster Hall.

It will definitely be better than Webster Hall. Bowery Presents doesn't OWN Webster, so they are forced to abide by certain rules/schedules outside of their control. With Terminal 5, they can do things their way, which is great. You can expect a kickass soundsystem as well.

Ween Ween Ween Ween Ween Ween Ween

but a pain of a location

but still

Ween Ween Ween Ween Ween Ween Ween

Ticketweb was started in 1995 and up until recently was an independent company. Ticketmaster is so evil and a complete monopoly that bands once toured and tried to sell tickets on their own(think pearl jam) Why do I have to pay up to 25% of my ticket cost as a service charge? What service are they providing and is it really any harder to fax in a list that says Me+4 than Me.
Personally, I don't care much about this venue as its way too big. 3000 people is like some kind of happening. I think we should be more concerned about the 300 person venues disappearing.

Hey, Anonymous 3:00PM:

HIT THE FUCKIN ROAD AND PISS UP A ROPE!

You can piss up a rope
And you can put on your shoes, hit the road get truckin
Pack your bag, I dont need the ag
On your knees you big, booty bitch start suckin
You ride my ass like a horse in a saddle
Now youre up shits creek with a turd for a paddle
And I cant cope -- piss up a rope

"Good burgers and beer before the show at the Burger Joint, on 56th between 6th and 7th."

I CAN HAS CHEEZBURGER?

when do the decemberist tickets go on sale?

Have 2 tix for both Ween shows. Pssssssssssyched!

WEEN! 12-1-07! This place better not suck!

"Piss up a rope, Japanese Cowboys...!" (HUH!?)

Boognish will finally grace New York with his presence. It's been too long. WEEEEEEEEEEEN!

Aaahhhh... the Poopship descends on Hell's Kitchen...

i'll be damned if i see the national or decemberists play there...what a joke.

fuck, yet another reason for Cleveland Heights douchebags to move here

Now we know where the Art Brut/ Hold Steady concert is going to be... when they announce it

I used to go on about how smaller venues were better (back when I actually was part of a club scene, like 25 years ago). But frankly, I'm happy that M.I.A. will be playing a show at a regular venue (by which I mean at night, and indoors!) for which people will be able to get tickets without being constantly glued to their computers or their hip grapevine, waiting for the moment tickets go on sale, and without having to go to Ticketweb, and without even having to have working credit cards.

I didn't have a computer hooked up when that Studio B show went on sale (I had just moved), and I didn't have a working credit card. So I had to catch her in Coney Island instead, waiting for a long time in the burning sun while having to listen to live electric guitars - yuck! (Um, just kidding with that last comment, haha...)

Anyway, if someone is doing an exhausting tour all over the world over a period of months, maybe that person just isn't able to do several days at a small venue - so the bigger venue really provides the only fair chance for a wide range of people to see that act.

good post, RS. Someone with a little sense.

Given that I prefer to avoid the service fees, do any of you knowledgeable folks think I can just walk up to the box office at noon tomorrow and get tickets, or will they all sell out online instantly? For the National show, I mean. Thanks!

i dont think youll have a problem especially if youre there @ noon. took a little while for those 5 national shows @ bowery to sell out earlier htis year

National tix will prob take at least a week i think to sell out. it's far ahead and the free show will be packed tomorrow.

Thanks for the advice. Any idea when they'll actually start tomorrow? 8 maybe?

probably closer to 9 judging from past seaport shows although perhaps even later since there are two openers, which i havent seen at a seaport show this year. if you want to get up close, id show up as early as possible though

Is it just me or did they get rid of the Decemberists shows on their website? MEH.

"Now we know where the Art Brut/ Hold Steady concert is going to be... when they announce it"
8/15 6:44PM

Ah I guess I called that one well

Anyone else hate the website redesigns for all the Bowery Presents venues?

DOES THIS PLACE HAVE SEATS?