The Best Place YOU ever played

Stumpy · #1 10-08-2006, 10:13 PM

I just finished reading the Worst Place you ever played thread.

I thought that we all might like to hear about the best place...

Without a doubt the best place I have ever played was at the Roxy in Hollywood.

The stage was adequate but the sound was amazing. It was like floating on a cloud of sound. The monitors were unbelieveable, the mains were better than that and they do it every night that they have bnds going.

How about yours? Where was the best...

excane · #2 10-08-2006, 10:35 PM

The Limelight in NYC...... before it closed and later re-opened as a nightclub.
Those who have been there or played there, know the other-worldly aura it gives off. That, and the sound quality is/was excellent.

buzzbass · #3 10-09-2006, 10:03 AM

Tradewinds, Jersey Shore, many times. Sadly, it's condos now.

BassSurfer · #4 10-09-2006, 11:02 AM

Woodstock... not a crowded time but was still cool..

Relic · #5 10-09-2006, 01:02 PM

World Cafe in Philly. Awesome sound and great stage to boot.

HooBass · #6 10-09-2006, 01:57 PM

CBGBs. Stepped in that dog's poo there, too. Really! Actually it wasn't the "best" in terms of audio quality, crowd, and several other dimensions, however, it's the only big name place for me.

Lazylion · #7 10-09-2006, 02:04 PM

On the Italian/Swiss border lies a lake called Lago Lugano. On the northern shore is the beautiful town of Lugano. They have a festival every year, and they bring in bands to play on a stage in the town square. I was lucky enough to play there in 1993. Crowd was estimated at 10,000 to 15,000. The whole square was packed. They loved the band and gave us a great response. After the gig we took a cog railway ride up one of the mountains right behind the town, to a nightclub at the top, and drank and jammed all night with local musicians. Definitely the best place I've ever played.

johnpaulbass · #8 10-09-2006, 04:45 PM

they call it the "Sportna Dvorana Bonifika" which means "Sports Arena Bonifika" during a huge college party...

HUGE stage .. a Cool 8x10 FRIDGE ampeg behind me ...
great..

I wish that there was more crowd.. but... you know..
the stage was worth it.

and the second one is a pub here in Koper (Slovenia) where I live called "pub 111" .. it's nothing special.. but in 2004, after 1,5 years of pause my old band played there.. and there were all the "old guys" that used to be there when I was partying while I was in high school.. it toched my heart and we put out a great show

Gard · #9 10-10-2006, 11:36 AM

Here.

jmarcus2 · #10 10-10-2006, 12:21 PM

Tie between the Hollywood Bowl and HOB-West Hollywood.
+1 on the Roxy. Always wanted to play there.

Ed Fuqua · #11 10-10-2006, 12:36 PM

FONDEST MEMORY - back in the 70's a place in Savannah called the NIGHT FLIGHT CAFE. It was a listening venue and booked primarily folk musicians (Odetta, Townes Van Zandt etc.), somehow the little regional fusion band I was playing with got a gig there (and did pretty good, they booked us in every 6 to 8 weeks). It was the first real venue we had played. Great sound system, great sounding room, great band apartment (right off one of the squares in old town Savannah), great folks to deal with (Tim and Tom Coy, buncha bartenders whose names I forget {with the exception of Cyn -short for Cynthia, NOT Cindy, NOT Cynthia, CYN}) all of whom treated us much better than any of us expected.

CURRENT VENUE - BIRDLAND. The sound onstage is great, from everything I've heard my bass sounds great out in the room, nice piano (Bosendorfer), John the bartender is a great cat. Sound guy is easy to deal with. What else could you ask for....

txbasschik · #12 10-10-2006, 01:11 PM

Honestly...Larry's Lone Star Ice House. I've played outside a lot. I've played in rooms where the sound was terrible...too many hard surfaces. I've played places where the people don't pay attention, because there's a game on tv or a poker match going on.

But at Larry's, there's a lot of wood. The entire bar and some of the walls are of wood. It makes the sound in the room very nice, very warm. The stage is a carpeted riser with wooden rails on the two sides, and backs up to a wall. And because the audience is *right* in front of you, they are very engaged in what you're doing.

I may play better places someday, but for now, I love Larry's the best. I never get tired of playing there, and I have yet to have any kind of sound problem there.

Cherie

Ale · #13 10-13-2006, 05:50 PM

One of my favourites was Stockholm Jazzfestival ,
Up to 10000 people wich is pretty nice ..

Kraken · #14 10-16-2006, 07:13 AM

Best venue I have ever played was a small place in Liverpool, UK called the Cavern Club. Awesome! the guys they have there really do a good job at getting the best out of your sound, and the venue itself is just ideal for live music.

Juniorkimbrough · #15 10-16-2006, 11:02 AM

My two favorite places we play are both in Memphis, TN.........Newby's and a smaller place called the Blue Monkey. Both have excellent sound, crowd and soundmen!

chrisrhoads · #16 10-16-2006, 11:40 AM

Here opening gig for Alan Jackson, 20,000 people.

Bassmanbob · #17 10-21-2006, 05:14 PM

As an 11 year-old playing my trumpet with "The Brass Knuckles" in the VIP Lounge at the Democratic National Convention in NYC 1976. Unfortunately I had no idea how cool that was until I grew up. There were a number of well known Congressmen and Senators there who I couldn't care less about at the time.

tzadik · #18 10-21-2006, 10:53 PM

The Hobbit in Salisbury, England, but only because it's called the Hobbit.

That's awesome.

Metallkasten · #19 10-21-2006, 11:25 PM

This thread got me curious. Are there any really big time profesisonal bassists on here regularly?

patrickj · #20 10-21-2006, 11:36 PM

Best places...

orchestra related: The Kennedy Center (DC), the Meyerhoff (Baltimore), the Lyric Operahouse (Baltimore), and toured throughout France and Italy (years ago- I forget all of the various halls now)

rock related: Rams Head Live @ Powerplant Live, Hard Rock Cafe Baltimore, DC9 in Wash DC