Molly R.
Yelp
This venue was super awesome! It reminded me of a smaller-scale version of The Gillioz in Springfield, MO.: pretty and historic, but boasting really cool artists. I also LOVED the block this venue sat on. For people who may think Lawrence is not a fun place to visit, stomp on your on foot for being so foolish and get up there, stat!
There was a lot I liked about this venue. First of all, the paintings of ethereal women playing instruments and the like on every perceivable wall and ceiling space around the immediate stage area were fun to look at, even if they weren't exactly Michelangelo quality; the floor pit in front of the stage made the show I attended here so, so intimate, but the steps leading down into the pit gave almost everyone an opportunity to have a good visual stance.
I also got extremely thirsty while waiting for the show to start, so I left BF to stand guard in our spot while I hunted down water. A super nice bar man (Thanks, bar man!) pointed me in the direction of a - wait for it - giant cooler filled with ice water and complimentary cups. Amazingly enough, I've never heard of that being a thing, but it seemed so damn smart and practical. Other venues, hark! Set out a water cooler for your non-drinking patrons and then you won't have to deal with them at bars!
The staff was nice and had an efficient system going, and they were really nice about explaining house rules for coming and going and what not (I needed to take merch to my car before the show and they gave me clear directions).
One problem BF and I both noticed is that the sound was a bit off for both the opener and the headliner. It could be that the venue wasn't at fault for that, but it seemed like a house sound issue. There's no way to know for sure, though, and it definitely didn't ruin our fantastic time.
What else can I compliment this place on? I go out of town for shows regularly (and I volunteer at a local theatre regularly) so at the expense of sounding hoity-toity, I'm familiar with venues being run well and venues not being run well. This venue is run well and I'll look forward to going back.
Oh, which artist did I see, you ask? Even if you didn't ask, that's okay - St. Vincent. Amazing, amazing show.