Official Rolling Compendium of Venue Sound System Complaints

[Julian, Bespoke SEXPERT]

In the spirit of Hutch's effort to consolidate our recurring tropes into single threads: this is your place to talk about how the sound "sucks" at every venue except (insert magic venue here). Went to a show last night? Whip out your indie-cred penis and talk about how your superior hearing could not enjoy it because it was on a sub-par sound system here! Never been to a certain venue in your life? Throw wild speculation about the quality of its soundsystem here under the guise of it being "something you heard."

[bearman🐻]

You had me at whip out. What can I say.

And yes, in this day and age, there are still horrid-sounding venues and at this point in my life I don't have time or money to throw away on a crummy-sounding concert. Case in point: the Misfits in Chicago last Friday at the Portage Theater. Having a loud punk rock band perform in a triangle-shaped room that opened during the silent-movie era just isn't a good idea. I had no idea that I had forked over money to go to such a dumpy venue. Excruciating. I wish I had known in advance that it was not worth it.

[killsaly]

DAR, Rock and Roll Hotel, Black Cat

[Relaxer]

When Scratch Acid played the club a few years ago, they opened with Maryhadalittledrugproblem and I thought "uh oh, their sound isn't going to be able to fill the room" but then they made adjustments and by the end of the song, they sounded phenomenal and it was a serious treat to hear Scratch Acid play a club with a quality sound system though it was sad that there were only like 200 people there, the end.

[azaghal1981]

Black Cat?
Mainstage has gotten better and backstage has always sounded great.

DAR, Rock and Roll Hotel, Black Cat

I was there and yes all of this.

When Scratch Acid played the club a few years ago, they opened with Maryhadalittledrugproblem and I thought "uh oh, their sound isn't going to be able to fill the room" but then they made adjustments and by the end of the song, they sounded phenomenal and it was a serious treat to hear Scratch Acid play a club with a quality sound system though it was sad that there were only like 200 people there, the end.

My worst this year was Belle and Sebastian at Echostage by far.

Also, people are always talking up UHall's sound but when bands play there, the PA  is still set on dance club mode and the bass overpowers everything else.
That said, the sound in there for The Haxan Cloak was perfect.

[killsaly]

Black Cat?
Mainstage has gotten better and backstage has always sounded great.

I do not like the sound at the Black Cat.  It always sounds horrible to me.  Vas and Emmanuel both said the sound at SoundStage for Swans made the recent Black Cat shows seem like a muddy loud mess of noise. 

That being said, I do not really go anymore.... I think the last time was this summer for Dinosaur Jr.  Did they update since then?  Because while I had a blast, the sound was not on point.   

[killsaly]

And I am being picky yes.  But, Black Cat is at a level where they should upgrade their setup.  Metro Gallery did it (I know they are smaller, but still, they invested).  Hell, Metro Gallery raised their stage TWICE over the last year, and now you can see the bands from almost anywhere in there. 

[notme]

next time you go to a show at the Lincoln or con hall/dar or lisner compare the speaker array to what hangs at 930.  check out the howard, they have 3 arrays, left center right. never seen anyone do that before.

[hutch]

Echostage for the Replacements was a DISGRACE... I think most people were too drunk to fuck.. no I meant too drunk to notice.

DAR is awful..

both venues are to be avoided like the bubonic plague..if you go to shows there you are just encouraging more shows with crappy sound.. .think about it... although many years ago I did not go to Ween (GBEAICK: greatest band ever as is commonly known) there and lived to seriously regret it..


I actually think the Black Cat is not that bad but I usually hang out by the stage left speaker getting my ears blown out....works for me although the tinnitus is a concern

[shemptiness]

If I'm listening to anybody's opinion on this topic I'm listening to Azag's over everybody else's.

[hutch]

If I'm listening to anybody's opinion on this topic I'm listening to Azag's over everybody else's.

ha! just got it! that is funny....

POTW

[azaghal1981]

Echostage for the Replacements was a DISGRACE... I think most people were too drunk to fuck.. no I meant too drunk to notice.

DAR is awful..

both venues are to be avoided like the bubonic plague..if you go to shows there you are just encouraging more shows with crappy sound.. .think about it... although many years ago I did not go to Ween (GBEAICK: greatest band ever as is commonly known) there and lived to seriously regret it..


I actually think the Black Cat is not that bad but I usually hang out by the stage left speaker getting my ears blown out....works for me although the tinnitus is a concern

I skipped that Ween show too but mostly because I had recently caught them at Sonar and that show felt like they were just going through the motions other than the "Mushroom Festival in Hell."

I stood in that spot for Fuzz at the Black Cat (mainstage) a couple weeks ago and it was brutally loud and painful.
 Still say the backstage is one of the best sounding rooms in town.

[vansmack]

Case in point: the Misfits in Chicago last Friday at the Portage Theater. Having a loud punk rock band perform in a triangle-shaped room that opened during the silent-movie era just isn't a good idea.

You go to punk shows for the sound?

[godsshoeshine]

Whip out your indie-cred penis

you assume i put it away ever