I had a quick dive into London today for work. I passed Shepherds Bush Empire, which brought tremendous memories back for me. Maybe my favourite music venue. I am a Tangerine Dream nerd and they had some epic nights there. Also saw the legendary Prince there, by a complete stroke of luck. The RSC in Stratford is outstanding. One of the few theatres that makes improvements that enhances the experience of the play. Obviously footy is allowed. Roker has memories naturally. The old Wembley was a joy for me. Last little thing. Been to York Hall for boxing twice. Brilliant little venue. Venue memories from everyone else? Oh aye, one more. When I was a bairn we had no cinema anywhere near. But the village hall, once a month, setup a screen for a double bill. Would have been 6 or 7, but remember it vividly. Also, while I am on, when we got a car my Dad took me to Darlington movie house whenever he had Saturday off. Memories.
I'll be the first then. As a lads fan going to Roker Park for a night match will take a lot of beating as to my favourite venue.
For sound quality I have to say The Sage Gateshead, saw a few acoustic sets there and no other music venue compares. For overall experience, full week at Glastonbury. It’s not really a venue like! Nostalgia wise the old cinema in town with the break halfway through to buy ice cream.
Rock City Nottingam, saw endless acts over 11 years. Retford Porterhouse which bands like Siouxsie and the Banshees used, incognito, as a warm up venue before major tours. Top Rank Sheffield, saw some great Punk bands and managed to avoid the local skinheads. De Montfort Hall Leicester for bands like Argent, Thin Lizzy, Crowded House, etc. Leadmill Sheffield for the more avant garde acts like Les Negresses Vertes. Newcastle City Hall for bigger shows ... Lindisfarne, Ramones, Elvis Costello, Boomtown Rats. Sadly the amount, and variety, of venues has really shrunk in the last fifteen years ... ... we're losing something wonderful and big stadium gigs just suck the life out of music.
Impressive list of Artists there Smug! for me - the best gig I’ve ever been to was to see the Stones at Earls Court in 76! Closely followed by The Who at Hammersmith Odeon around Christmas 76. I also saw Led Zeppelin at the Argus Butterfly in Peterlee around 1968. Seems bizarre to think of that now!
My list of (music) venues is pretty limited, so not a lot to choose from tbh. Top for me would be newcastle City Hall. Seen loads of bands there, and have some great memories from my youth at that place. First gig there was The Undertones in 1979. Iron Maiden, AC/DC, Scorpions, Motorhead, Hawkwind, UFO, Ozzy, Atomic Rooster, Micheal Schenker, among the bands I seen numerous times over the next few years. Highlight....Scorpions, 1980, with Blackfoot as support. It's sad what the City Hall has now become....mostly tribute bands now. O2/Carling Academy...or whatever its called this week, had some good nights there in recent years. Scorpions: play, and sell out big arenas everywhere else in the world, but sadly not much demand in the UK. They played here October 2008 and they haven't done a UK tour since. Brilliant night that one, but my highlight would be The Boomtown Rats, November 2013. Just one of those nights....magical. Not keen on the new arenas, though Leeds is Arena is decent, i hate newcastle arena. Seen Springsteen at the SoL, and for all he put on a good show, it just felt a bit "impersonal". I prefer the smaller, more intimate venues. Lights down, hit the stage....and they're off....ears ringing for 3 days.
The Leadmill probably my favourite music venue as I saw some decent gigs there when at Sheffield Hallam Uni between 94-96.
Any small venues are the most enjoyable for me. I've seen many stadium gigs, and with the exception of Pink Floyd at Wembley, which was excellent, I've not really enjoyed them. When I was a lad living in the NE, Newcastle City Hall was a good size, big enough to get the big acts, but not too big. These days, living in the Midlands, there's O2 Institute Birmingham, Wulfrun Hall Wolverhampton, Rock City Nottingham etc. We used to have an excellent tiny venue here in Bromsgrove (the Artrix) where I've seen numerous old 70s/80s acts who are/were still going over the last 20 years (Focus, Jefferson Starship, both versions of Wishbone Ash, Martin Barre, Lloyd Cole, Black, Glenn Tilbrook, Steve Howe, ...), but it closed down around covid lockdown time. The smallest place I've seen a well known group was in Leeds, where we saw Snow Patrol (or 3 of them to be accurate) in a working men's club, playing to an audience of about 50 at a time on some album promotion thing, and that was great. Similar to Norman Stanley Fletcher seeing Led Zep play in Peterlee, my older sister saw the Beatles in Stockton, which I've always thought bizarre too.
Anywhere that's not just a bloody great hangar with cheap fittings or a soviet style monolith (I'm looking at you Newcastle Arena) I quite like the Hydro in Glasgow, that feels about right for a big venue. You can't beat the old Victorian places though - all nooks and crannies. I saw QOTSA at the old Bournemouth Opera House (now an O2) and the surroundings really made it special.
Small is good for me. For sound, The Sage is the best I've heard. At least some of that lottery cash was spent well! City Hall really good in its time, still not bad. Some good university venues in the past too. But those big echo chambers, (Wembley being the worst for me) are just music killers.
City Hall for me . My bands were Free/Bad Company. Genesis , Wishbone Ash in particular. Queuing up overnight for tickets( sold at face value not having to remortgage to make ticketmaster rich)
Probably there at the same time, add a few to that Ten years after Supertramp Cat stevens Little milly surprisingly good Rory numerous times Great times there
Supertramp were very entertaining live and truly exceptional musicians ... ... you've reminded me to dig out their albums now!
Stones at Roundhay park Bad manners and the Stranglers at Dunelm Specials at the Mecca were very good
I used to like a hell of a wide range of music but really enjoyed Supertramp, Wishbone ash and Big Country in the 70s
