rebecca b.
Yelp
Thank you, Boulder Theater for renovating your bathrooms.
Thank you, Boulder Theater for not charging for cups of water.
Thank you, Boulder Theater for finally including your "service charges" in the price of the ticket so that what you see is what you get.
Thank you, Boulder Theater for pouring cocktails in a glass and giving me a beer in a pint glass and not a plastic cup.
Thank you, Boulder Theater for opening George's restaurant next door so that patrons have an option of getting some real food between the opener and headliner without going outside.
The Boulder Theater holds a special place in my heart, as it is the site of many special moments in my life.... but beyond that, it is a fantastic unique venue with an eclectic calendar of movies, events and music.
I've been here for e-town shows (which will soon be moving to their own venue - boo), the best NYE show ever with Sam Bush and Bela Fleck (where Sammy got unceremoniously unplugged at curfew and swears to never come back - boo), many Little Feat shows (including sound check), Todd Rundgren (which was filmed in HD for later dvd release, I hope?), and last night, my boyfriend's band.
The theater itself was lovingly restored with art deco murals on the walls and ceiling, and the sound is fantastic. Most shows are general admission with some tables/chairs on the various levels (cabaret style seating) which are removed for bigger crowds. There are theater type seats in the balcony, which is sometimes closed for smaller shows. For the e-town shows, and for a ticketed seating event with Ira Glass a few years ago, they jam packed rows and rows of chairs all the way to the stage. It can have that help-I'm-in-a-can-of-sardines feeling.
There is a full bar with a good beer selection, both on the main level plopped right into the center of the rear of the room and on the mezzanine (that bar is not always open) and the bartenders have a relatively heavy pour on the cocktails. One complaint is that the bartenders do appear to neglect one side or another of the bar at times. Last night, at a half-full show, all three bartenders were on the stage right side of the bar for an extended period of time, resulting in patrons either waiting for a long time on stage left side, or even walking around the bar to get some service.
Staff works hard at keeping the empty glasses cleared and maintaining some order in the room, but never seem overbearing to me. The folks in the box office next door have always seemed very friendly and helpful, whether its purchasing tickets for a future show or trying to confirm guest list status. Parking is pretty plentiful in the area, despite the proximity to the hubbub of the Pearl Street Mall. Street and paid garage options abound.