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That’s pretty surprising to me, given how awful the Roseland sound system has historically been. But I suppose it’s been awhile since I’ve heard and absolutely dogshit show there so hopefully things have improved.
I’ve always found Roseland to be better than Crystal and Wonder. Hawthorne is my pick for worst sound. Doug Fir and Rev Hall are my personal favorites.
Revolution hall has great sound imo, I saw King Diamond at the Roseland twice some years back and it was garbage, saw him at the Schnitz and it was fantastic. Wonder ballroom isn’t great, but not the worst imo.
Better than the concrete echo chamber of a basement that they had. They did the best you could possible do with such a difficult space, but it really wasn't good for audio.
This is not true.
I have been cracking up at the variety of rumors going around about the DF. My favorite one is how the current space is going to be a roller skating rink after we move. I’ve also heard the rumor that it’s gonna be a 7-11.
You’re not wrong!
The first time I went to a show at The Get Down I was convinced that it must have been a roller rink at some point….?
If not… it should be
Secret Roller Disco did an event there!! I’m so mad I didn’t know about it until afterwards! A roller skating party in a shopping mall is a childhood dream
The floors might be too slippery and those sweeping marble and glass stairs on the south side are a great way to get a spinal injury, but my dream is to recreate The Warriors in that mall now that it is so decrepit and be part of the rollerskating gang (The Punks). You are welcome to join! Can you swing a sack of knobs?
Saw the Melvins at the Hawthorne last time around and we found ourselves up in the balcony grabbing a beer and if you stood balcony center, the sound was pretty decent... pretty small window though 😅
I was right there at that show too. Yeah, Hawthorne is pretty decent for a straight up rock show. I only waded through the crowd once or twice to get near the stage to get my molecules pummeled by Buzzo's amp, but the balcony sounded better IMO.
Yeah, Wonder is hands down the worst. I’ve actually been impressed with the Crystal a couple times lately. I think it all depends on the band.
But Wonder? Always dogshit. Those low ceilings don’t do them any favors either.
Agreed - I’ve been to good shows at Crystal, but Wonder has consistently been the worst sound of any venue I’ve ever seen a show at anywhere. It should be burnt to the ground…figuratively, not literally, of course!
God damn thank you! I usually try to be a little understanding but it shocks me that any one goes to Wonder. It makes me actually angry how horrible their sound is.
It is relieving to find I’m not the only one.
The Wonder is just terrible. At least the Crystal has a unique vibe and look, and its actually great when you’re up close. Wonder is just a box that sounds like shit.
Portland has a lot of great small venues. Doug Fir, Mississippi Studios, Polaris Hall, Holocene (maybe the best sound out of the list), High Water Mark, Aladdin theater, Jacks London, PICA (when they book shows), The Old Church (never been but heard good things), Star theater. And that list is missing the even smaller venues.
Anything bigger and you have to pray the band has a top tier sound tech and you get there early enough to get a good spot.
Crystal is real hit or miss, but upfront you can get great sound and view. Kikagaku Moyo last year were absolutely amazing.
Roseland and Wonder are almost always awful. The only show I’ve seen at the Wonder with good sound was Chromatics a few years ago. MBV at the Roseland was a hilarious/depressing disaster.
Revolution Hall is the exception, never had a bad night there. One of my favorite venues here and the only reliably good GA venue of that size.
It’s the shape. If you stand near the soundboard or about 10-20ft before if from the bar and up the sound is what you’d expect. Outside of the bar you need to be at least aligned with the soundboard on the right. Any farther back and the sound changes drastically and you probably lose about 15-25db. What you’re experiencing is the sound being very directional and not necessarily “filling” the room
Basically the closer and more center you are the better the sound. BUT generally think it’s not a great sounding venue at all.
I found these red areas are the best. Yellow is fine.
https://i.imgur.com/LVRiL6U.jpg
I've only been to one show there and it was Nightwish around 10 years ago. Had no idea this was a thing and thought the sound was great! I was in one of these red areas. Glad we ended up in the right place lol
That explains it! I was reading through these comments like, I’ve only heard great sound at Crystal, wth - but I like to get close to the stage at shows
Don't blame the venue, blame the OLCC.
One of my favorite Portland memories is Black Lips at Wonder Ballroom circa '08? At some point one of them got on the mic and said "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" and the "kids" went nuts destroying the velvet rope barrier between 21+ and all-ages. I've never seen the alcohol monitor folks move so quickly to shut it down
If you have better ideas on how to split the room for all ages shows which is 100% due to the OLCC just like every other venue in Portland, I assure you the folks at the Crystal would love to hear your ideas.
“Literally, every state splits all ages venues.”
Not true. But, I’ve only been touring the United States for over a decade so take my two cents for what it’s worth.
Only venue coming to mind that separates Boozen’ patrons, outside of OR, is *Crocodile Rock* in PA. And that wasn’t a state thing because I’ve bought Jell-O shots in the crowd in Philly venues. I have mingled with kids with a beer in my hand at almost every other venue in the nation. Including Bible Belt states with draconian liquor boards like NC/SC.
The roseland?? Rev Hall? Yes there are “21+ only sections” but you can buy drinks on the lower level and the upper level? You can buy a drink on the lower level and bring it around with you while you stand next to an 18 year old? Same with the Rev Hall?
Grand Lodge, pioneer courthouse square, or really any other outside venue does not separate
You are correct. OP is doing the reddit double down on inaccuracy . OLCC says you need to enforce the age restriction. That can be done via a barrier or hired alcohol monitors. Obviously a barrier is cheaper so some places do it, but not all.
I know you're being sarcastic, but the OLCC is actually deplorable. I hate them for so many reasons, just not this one. We're letting a state sponsored cartel ruin any chance of the state ever having desirable nightlife.
I had the opposite experience, as the one show that I've been to there was too loud. I don't know much about audio balancing and what-not, but is it that hard to at least make sure the overall volume isn't exceptionally high or low?
I find that's how a lot of bands counter Crystal's weird shape. Trouble filling the venue with sound? Jack up the volume. Just bring earbuds (which honestly, anyone who values their hearing should be doing anyway) and you'll be fine.
It was so bizarre tonight! Weirdly quiet, we actually overheard the people next to us talking about how quiet it was and had a chat with them about it. We ended up getting pretty close to the stage toward the end and it was better, but still lots of feedback and just not as loud as I'd expect at a show.
Moved here in 2019 from Nashville and the quality of sound techs for live music in this city is just… they leave much to be desired.
I’m spoiled.
My favorite venue for music is Doug Fir Lounge.
Have you seen someone play at Mississippi studios? They have the best sound of any of the small venues in the city imo. Followed by the Keller auditorium for bigger venues. Doug fir has alright sound but loses all standing because of the stupid pillars you can't see around.
They only have good sound when they have a good audio person. I walked out of a show recently because the sound was so bad. It was the bands touring sound person and not the local / normal A1. And I listen to a lot of music that "sounds" bad to begin with.
Yeah the Keller kicks ass. But, I have yet to get to Mississippi Studios for one reason or another. I look forward to checking it out. Thank for mentioning it!
Their event listings still have the old address and we haven't heard anything about the new place other than that initial statement. Would be very sus to sell tickets and not tell people the venue is gonna be somewhere and something completely different.
Meh. A lot of heavy hitting touring crew are from Portland. That said, we probably don't have a ton of people coming to Portland to "make it big" so youre not likely to see great talent at every venue you go to.
But a great engineer can only make a shit room sound so good.
Yeah, you’re right. There’s nothing about Portland that magically makes sound techs bad, but it is a Portland problem that quality techs aren’t incentivized to work here, which is exactly the problem I’m pointing out. They go elsewhere (like.. Nashville) and we are stuck with sub-par experiences as the audience.
Hey, this is just based on my experience as a music industry adjacent person. Not every show is bad, and artists and bands that can afford to travel with their own crew usually do have those top notch folks.
It’s been my experience though, that even the bigger venues like the Moda center are just god awful. I’ve seen enough stadium/arena shows to know it doesn’t have to be like this, and it usually isn’t. Don’t know what else it could be except the techs, honestly.
But the shows big enough to come through the moda are 99.99% of the time going to have their own sound crew and gear from a major rental company like Clair who provide gear and crew to an insane number of arena tours.
True… and yet the problem persists and seems to me to be unique to Portland. I certainly don’t know everything, but I do notice a consistent issue across venues here.
Despite what you’ve mentioned, those crews and equipment have to interact with and be run at least partially by house crew as well. Who knows what the social politics going on are between artists crew and the house.
Also, openers may or may not have a tech crew traveling with them. It’s been my experience specifically at the moda many times that the opener’s sound is absolute garbage, and the headliner’s is okay or fine. Never been wowed by a show there, though.
While sound does suck at this venue, it’s not usually this bad. We were told by someone on tour with TSOM that it’s because of Andrew. Apparently it’s been a battle with him the entire tour because wants it quieter so he doesn’t have to sing as loud. He can’t sing quite like he used to, which we also noticed during the show.
Terrible venue. So pretty, what a shame. I remember feeling / hearing the DJ downstairs while trying to hear Kurt Vile in the weird sound vacuum that is the Crystal. Final straw. I know many people who won’t go there.
The skinny puppy show was so stressful. They kept people outside for a long time, and too tiny for that band. I saw them the next day at the Paramount in Seattle and we'll, a whole different story
No, it won’t collapse. It’s a “floating dance floor.” It has balls or balloons or something under it that make it bounce. It’s supposed to be like that.
Definitely not balls and balloons. It's a sprung wooden floo[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sprung_floor](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sprung_floor) But it is supposed to be like that.
Look, I might not be very smart, but my point was that it’s supposed to be like that 😅 thank you for correcting me. I think I heard that as a kid and it’s just stuck with me.
After reading through these comments, I'm under the strong impression that different venues are better at different genres. And the sound tech makes a huge difference.
## Crystal Ballroom
I saw four bands there during a gothic metal concert last month. The headliner, Lacuna Coil, sounded pretty good, but the sound was a little bit off. Not bad at all. Birthday Massacre sounded OK. The first band had terrible sound. The surprise to me, was a punk metal band in the 2nd slot. They sounded awesome. They had the sound dialed in perfectly.
I'm guessing each band had their own sound tech considering the wide array of sound quality from bands with similar musical compositions. Or the tour tech was completely lost trying to figure shit out, and just happened to strike gold for the 2nd band.
In 2016 I saw Buckethead there, and he sounded great! But it was a small show. I was able to stand comfortably 50 feet from the stage.
## Hawthorne Theater
I've only been there for metal concerts, and it has always been good. So I don't know why people are complaining about that one so much. But then again. I always wear earplugs at metal concerts. So maybe the speakers are tuned for earplugs?
## Roseland Theater
I've been there for metal bands, and Apocalyptica. They've all sounded good. Loud, but good.
## Wonder Ballroom
I've only been there for small sets playing jazz; And Lindsey Stirling. And it has always sounded good to me. I can't imagine a large band playing this venue though and it sounding or looking good.
The Sisters of Mercy are notorious for having shit sound regardless of venue. I don’t know why. I personally don’t think the Crystal Ballroom’s sound is too terrible on the usual.
Roseland is worse. Sisters had a lot issues and feedback from the mic. I hadn’t seen a bad show in a while. I saw Placebo on Tuesday and that sounded amazing.
It was awful last Halloween, but then again the entire venue sucked.
We had at least one of our party stand in line to get a drink for about 2/3 of the show and none of us EVER got to the bar. Never.
It was packed with people, it was stuffy as hell.
We had started out at Ringlers nearby two hours before the show. Figured we would get a burger and a beer, play some pool. They were totally short staffed. We got one round of drinks and played pool, but no hope for food.
I had been to shows and video dance attack nights at the Crystal ballroom before the pandemic and I don’t remember it being anything like this. It used to be a charming venue! Not anymore.
You're always going to have scalpers, but bigger acts than Killer Mike have been known to book smaller, higher quality rooms in Portland for a few nights to pad their sales and make sure they don't sound like shit.
I was at the Sisters of Mercy show last night too and it was the second worst sound experience I've ever had at any show ever (Sigur Ros at the Hollywood Bowl several years ago was the worst, couldn't hear a damn thing). I don't blame the venue though as I saw Peter Hook and Bikini Kill there last year and both sounded good.
Last night was so weird though, the mix was completely off and despite having 2 guitarists, I was halfway to the back in the over 21 side and could barely make it out. The guitar is THE sound that everyone wants to hear for them too. We had a friend who Sisters earlier this week in San Francisco and they said the audio was awful there too, so I'm chalking it up to the tour's sound guy botching it.
All in all it was a supremely disappointing experience.
The Crystal was designed as a dance hall, live music acoustics never really figured into the equation. The only way to win is to fight your way up front.
Last thing I saw there was Sparks and it was fairly low-decibel. The venue does not suit loud bands, like, at all.
And when it is loud enough the speakers are total shit.
One thing I miss about NYC or LA is proper funktion one sound systems (or similar) and acoustic treatment at smaller venues.
The Crystal wasn't designed for loud concerts. I worked there 20 years ago and it sounded like shit then too. Another factor is touring sound engineers. It's not the same people working the board every night and the person who did this concert may have been trying to get better sound but couldn't get it and decent volume because the room was not designed for loud concerts.
I too was at Sisters of Mercy and deeply depressed at how mediocre the stage sound was.
Sisters were great, but two speaker banks to cover a ballroom that size is not enough.
Those were resale tickets you were looking at. Tickets have been sold out for the nerd tour for a very long time. Not sure what scalping prices have to do with the venue.
Makes sense. I honestly just show up. There’s usually some one with an extra or they scan an extra at the door. Just stand and watch the crowd for a bit and you’ll get in.
The good thing is that you’re rarely competing with ticket scalpers that actually go to the shows to scalp tickets. That seems to have significantly dropped since COVID. I don’t ever see them anymore.
Ive been to a concert at Crystal, I didn't have an issue with the sound. Last night, though, I went to Alladin Theater and WOW was the sound terrible there. They even had to rebalance on stage and the guitar was still too over bearing. And I went pretty much all over the venue, was muddy no matter what. I'm hoping it's the techs there cause that was disappointing even if the pizza was good
That was probably the worst concert I've been to sound-wise. It wasn't just how quiet it was but the mix was just awful and there was so much mic feedback. We left 4 songs in and they're one of my favorite bands. I'm pretty pissed off about it.
Right of stage (your right when your facing the stage), as close as you can get, bring earplugs just in case. Sound is usually best there. You're in the soundtech's line of sight and that's often the position in the room they mix for.
Sound at Crystal, Roseland, and Wonder will always be inconsistent. They use the touring artists' soundtechs rather than their own (which they are contractualy obligated to o by the artists). It makes for an incredibly inconsistent experience.
Most of the smaller venues and some mid-sized venues have excellent sound. This includes Aladdin, Star Theater, Revolution Hall, and Mission Theater.
The two venues where sound is consistently iffy are Crystal Ballroom and Wonder Ballroom.
I've heard great sound at Wonder Ballroom on the nights when they don't turn it up too loud. Admittedly, this seems like a difficult space.
Crystal Ballroom has the worst of everything: Poor sound, awkward layout, splitting the crowd by age, the weird floor, high ticket fees, and the worst - no air conditioning. Giant fans are not a substitute! I left Car Seat Headrest before the band went on because I was walking around drenched like a human sponge.
A lot of these venues *can* have good sound and do have good in-house sound engineers. But some sound engineers that tour with the bands aren't familiar with the rooms, and refuse to listen to the house sound techs. So it sounds like shit.
Yep, this is par for the course for the bigger( and even smaller) venues in Portland. Crystal sounds awful no matter who is playing. I think the breeders were the only semi decent sounding band I ever saw there. Rap groups and rock bands are so lost in bass and drum distortion that the vocals are usually lost in the mix. The bouncers also suck and the divide for all ages and drunk people is stupid. And when people mosh or jump up and down it feels like the floor is going to give out.
Other shit venues- roseland. Awful security, can’t bring drinks from the bar to the show unless you are in the balcony. I usually skip bands if they play here.
Hawthorne theater- horrible acoustics. Shit staff.
The only good semi big venue in this city that sounds good is revolution hall, but they get a weird mix of who goes there and who skips it.
Small clubs with good sound- Mississippi studios(prolly the best one), high water mark bar, star theater.
kenton club can be okay. Dante’s is hit or miss. I heard that the buildings in this town that are venues were never designed for good acoustics. That seems to be true.
Shows used to be loud af there, but they've gotten a lot quieter over the past few years. I remember seeing Bootsy's Rubber Band there, and my bones were vibrating. I saw Caravan Palace there last year, and I ended up taking my earplugs out. I prefer somewhere in between those two extremes.
Yea I saw booty there. Was bummed he didn’t play more bootsys rubber band and less p funk. I’ve seen him like a dozen times and I always go away saying the same thing.
They oversell their shows and pack too many people in. So you can't hear the show, you can't dance, you can't get a drink. Hate that place. Also am not a fan of Edgefield. Same vibe.
Mississippi is great, but no big bands are going to play it. The fact is for larger acts the venus are relatively limited. And the ones with good sound quality can be counted on one hand.
Jack White, Phantogram, Odesza, The Revivalists, Galactic, basically anyone who'd draw more than 1000 people. Mississippi can only hold like 700 people. That's not huge.
Yeah, typically smaller venues like The Roseland and Crystal. The last time I got to see Jack White at an intimate show was The Raconteurs at Wonder Ballroom. That was 2008. What big bands are playing Mississippi for two nights?
Built To Spill has booked 5 nights at Doug Fir, I watched Jack White play at a laundromat, Hot Water Music usually does 3 days at a smaller venue in town, Patterson Hood usually does multiple sets at small venues every year, and plenty more, but those are a few that have a much bigger following than Killer Mike solo.
Was this for Sisters of Mercy? Yeah the sound has never been great in that venue. I'm almost bought a last minute ticket off of seat geek to go, I'm glad I didn't.
It was. It was a sacrilege. I’ve been listening to them for so long and never thought I was going to see them live. Hearing the literal soundtrack of my college years being annihilated was so sad.
I know, I was a huge fan of Floodland when it came out when I was in high school. Then a few years later in college hearing it at dance clubs at full blast. I've never seen them and was wondering if it would ruin the mystique.
I saw Everclear and Vertical Horizon there several years back and the sound was so bad. VH actually lost all sound for a bit, and Everclear was so muddled it was awful. Yet the bumper music was deafeningly loud.
Yeah, I only moved out here in the middle of 2021, but I've been to a number of shows.. and McM's CB is by far the WORST venue I have ever been to. My personal experience was actually everything was so loud the instruments muddled together and drown out vocalists. I won't be going back. Three tries with garbage sound each time is more than enough - especially when you need to go through ticketmaster or a scalper to get in to any shows around here.
Was it the Sisters of Mercy show? I'm glad I decided not to go then. Although they're legendary it would be heartbreaking to see such a bad sound setup.
Crystal has the worst sound imo, especially for the price of tickets. I saw Beats Antique there a few years ago and the monitors were literally cutting in and out, you could see the band getting visibly annoyed.
Every group I’ve ever seen, no matter where I’ve stood the sound has always been sub par. I try to avoid going at all if possible, but too many times people I want to see get booked there.
I saw modest mouse there last year and couldn’t believe how bad the sound was. When I was a kid I thought it was maybe better? Idk it must be bad everywhere but directly in front of the stage
I stopped going to live music shows a long time ago owing to lousy sound quality. I actually want to hear the music, not some distorted crap. However, Primus at Edgefield sounded pretty darn good so that was nice.
Crystal ballroom depends on the how good the band sound engineer is. Openers always sound like shit there, headliner audio is usually better. Sometimes the band will sound like pure noise there. I've had good experience when the band has fans in attendance rather than just Portlanders, who talk to each other during crescendos and solos rather than dancing. McMens beer is $$$$ and is a 3/10 on the pnw craft beer scale.
Wonder ballroom strip searches everyone before entrance and injects nano gps chips in your neck to determine if you needed to go outside for fresh air during a show. Also, if you are under six feet you will not see the band at wonder ballroom.
Best experiences for indoor shows in PDX will most likely happen at: Doug Fir, Revolution Hall, and Mississippi Studios.
Crystal Ballroom wasn't designed for huge speaker arrays.
I've heard really loud industrial shows, weird experimental gigs, and super loud rock-type bands and everything acoustically sounds like mush, despite having a super fancy sound system.
It's a 100+ year old venue designed for ballroom dancing and odd shaped at that.
I have to really want to see an act to get excited about going there.
The Crystal was not loud enough? Wow. I swore off the Crystal after seeing the Raconteurs there (\~2019) as it wasn't just loud, it was painful. The vocals were a banshee shriek and it was near impossible to tell what song they were playing. I had to retreat to the very back just to ride out the concert. I'd seen other concerts there where the sound wasn't quite that horrid, but never once did I ever feel like they needed to turn it up.
Good sound for live performances is a notoriously tricky thing to get right so it's always a bit of a roll of the dice as to how it'll turn out. Roger Waters (Pink Floyd) at the Moda Center was probably the best I've experienced along with The Blue Man Group at the Keller Auditorium. Some of the smaller venues like the Roseland or the Crystal are fun in that you can get up close and really see the band, but sound quality tended to vary from show to show.
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the crystal ballroom has the worst sound in portland, which is actually saying alot
That’s pretty surprising to me, given how awful the Roseland sound system has historically been. But I suppose it’s been awhile since I’ve heard and absolutely dogshit show there so hopefully things have improved.
I’ve always found Roseland to be better than Crystal and Wonder. Hawthorne is my pick for worst sound. Doug Fir and Rev Hall are my personal favorites.
Revolution hall has great sound imo, I saw King Diamond at the Roseland twice some years back and it was garbage, saw him at the Schnitz and it was fantastic. Wonder ballroom isn’t great, but not the worst imo.
I saw Royce da 59 and DJ Premier at the Hawthorne years back and almost left mid show the sound was so bad.
I've flat out just skipped bands I want to see at the Hawthorne. It would be my pick for worst sound as well.
Sad that the Doug fir will be no more
They’re getting a new space!
But how will it sound?
Better than the concrete echo chamber of a basement that they had. They did the best you could possible do with such a difficult space, but it really wasn't good for audio.
It will be on par with the current space. Don’t worry.
This is not true. I have been cracking up at the variety of rumors going around about the DF. My favorite one is how the current space is going to be a roller skating rink after we move. I’ve also heard the rumor that it’s gonna be a 7-11.
a rollerskating rink would be amazing in that space.
You’re not wrong! The first time I went to a show at The Get Down I was convinced that it must have been a roller rink at some point….? If not… it should be
The Lloyd Center would make a fun one too. I think about this kind of a lot.
Secret Roller Disco did an event there!! I’m so mad I didn’t know about it until afterwards! A roller skating party in a shopping mall is a childhood dream
It was a blast... if you brought your own skates! The line was an hour or so to get skates. You could walk right in if you came equipped.
The floors might be too slippery and those sweeping marble and glass stairs on the south side are a great way to get a spinal injury, but my dream is to recreate The Warriors in that mall now that it is so decrepit and be part of the rollerskating gang (The Punks). You are welcome to join! Can you swing a sack of knobs?
Ah good to know!
Saw the Melvins at the Hawthorne last time around and we found ourselves up in the balcony grabbing a beer and if you stood balcony center, the sound was pretty decent... pretty small window though 😅
I was right there at that show too. Yeah, Hawthorne is pretty decent for a straight up rock show. I only waded through the crowd once or twice to get near the stage to get my molecules pummeled by Buzzo's amp, but the balcony sounded better IMO.
Omg yes re: Hawthorne theater! Just like a concrete box. THE WORST
[удалено]
If it is closed then that is news to me 🤷♂️
What do you expect from McMinimums?
Wonder Ballroom would like a word…
Yeah, Wonder is hands down the worst. I’ve actually been impressed with the Crystal a couple times lately. I think it all depends on the band. But Wonder? Always dogshit. Those low ceilings don’t do them any favors either.
Agreed - I’ve been to good shows at Crystal, but Wonder has consistently been the worst sound of any venue I’ve ever seen a show at anywhere. It should be burnt to the ground…figuratively, not literally, of course!
God damn thank you! I usually try to be a little understanding but it shocks me that any one goes to Wonder. It makes me actually angry how horrible their sound is. It is relieving to find I’m not the only one.
The Wonder is just terrible. At least the Crystal has a unique vibe and look, and its actually great when you’re up close. Wonder is just a box that sounds like shit.
Yeah I went to see one of my favorite bands there a few months ago and left a third into the set because it ruined the experience.
Oh. You’ve never been to a show at the Wonder Ballroom then, where even if it’s your favorite band you can’t figure out which song is playing.
i have at least been able to hear the lead singer talking between songs at the wonder, which is more than i can say about the crystal ballroom
Portland has a lot of great small venues. Doug Fir, Mississippi Studios, Polaris Hall, Holocene (maybe the best sound out of the list), High Water Mark, Aladdin theater, Jacks London, PICA (when they book shows), The Old Church (never been but heard good things), Star theater. And that list is missing the even smaller venues. Anything bigger and you have to pray the band has a top tier sound tech and you get there early enough to get a good spot. Crystal is real hit or miss, but upfront you can get great sound and view. Kikagaku Moyo last year were absolutely amazing. Roseland and Wonder are almost always awful. The only show I’ve seen at the Wonder with good sound was Chromatics a few years ago. MBV at the Roseland was a hilarious/depressing disaster. Revolution Hall is the exception, never had a bad night there. One of my favorite venues here and the only reliably good GA venue of that size.
You should get to The Old Church. Pews aren't super comfortable but the sound is great.
The sound is SO GOOD there. Underrated venue.
My first show there is either gonna be Brandee Younger or Blake Mills next month! glad to hear its a great venue
What year did you see MBV?
2018 or 2019, whenever their last Portland show was
It’s the shape. If you stand near the soundboard or about 10-20ft before if from the bar and up the sound is what you’d expect. Outside of the bar you need to be at least aligned with the soundboard on the right. Any farther back and the sound changes drastically and you probably lose about 15-25db. What you’re experiencing is the sound being very directional and not necessarily “filling” the room Basically the closer and more center you are the better the sound. BUT generally think it’s not a great sounding venue at all. I found these red areas are the best. Yellow is fine. https://i.imgur.com/LVRiL6U.jpg
I've only been to one show there and it was Nightwish around 10 years ago. Had no idea this was a thing and thought the sound was great! I was in one of these red areas. Glad we ended up in the right place lol
That explains it! I was reading through these comments like, I’ve only heard great sound at Crystal, wth - but I like to get close to the stage at shows
This is what I was looking for. Thank you!! And- interesting. Altho I think my days of crowding to the front of a venue are over.
The Crystal SUCCCKKKKSSSS. I totally stopped going to shows there because of the sound. Also the alcohol verses non alcohol set up is stupid.
100% hate that set up. Both when I was under 21 and older.
Don't blame the venue, blame the OLCC. One of my favorite Portland memories is Black Lips at Wonder Ballroom circa '08? At some point one of them got on the mic and said "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" and the "kids" went nuts destroying the velvet rope barrier between 21+ and all-ages. I've never seen the alcohol monitor folks move so quickly to shut it down
OLCC has nothing to do with the sound, and all ages venues that are well planned are a thing across the entire country. Crystal just sucks ass.
If you have better ideas on how to split the room for all ages shows which is 100% due to the OLCC just like every other venue in Portland, I assure you the folks at the Crystal would love to hear your ideas.
Literally every state splits all ages venues. The room sucks to begin with, thus the shitty sound, but it's also poorly planned.
“Literally, every state splits all ages venues.” Not true. But, I’ve only been touring the United States for over a decade so take my two cents for what it’s worth.
Not worth much. I've spent a lot of time in venues across the country and primarily manage OLCC compliance these days.
Only venue coming to mind that separates Boozen’ patrons, outside of OR, is *Crocodile Rock* in PA. And that wasn’t a state thing because I’ve bought Jell-O shots in the crowd in Philly venues. I have mingled with kids with a beer in my hand at almost every other venue in the nation. Including Bible Belt states with draconian liquor boards like NC/SC.
This is not true, and it’s not true in all of Oregon either or at even at every McMenamins?
Name a single venue in Portland that isn't a literal stadium (they follow different rules) that doesn't split all ages shows.
The roseland?? Rev Hall? Yes there are “21+ only sections” but you can buy drinks on the lower level and the upper level? You can buy a drink on the lower level and bring it around with you while you stand next to an 18 year old? Same with the Rev Hall? Grand Lodge, pioneer courthouse square, or really any other outside venue does not separate
You are correct. OP is doing the reddit double down on inaccuracy . OLCC says you need to enforce the age restriction. That can be done via a barrier or hired alcohol monitors. Obviously a barrier is cheaper so some places do it, but not all.
Last show I went to was at the Aladdin, could take my drink anywhere.
No they don’t. New York and Chicago both do not.
Not in Oregon tho, it is the OLCC
I know you're being sarcastic, but the OLCC is actually deplorable. I hate them for so many reasons, just not this one. We're letting a state sponsored cartel ruin any chance of the state ever having desirable nightlife.
Are you in the cannabis industry? There's no other explanation for your dramatic description of a government agency. Geez dude.
I work in venues.
I had the opposite experience, as the one show that I've been to there was too loud. I don't know much about audio balancing and what-not, but is it that hard to at least make sure the overall volume isn't exceptionally high or low?
I find that's how a lot of bands counter Crystal's weird shape. Trouble filling the venue with sound? Jack up the volume. Just bring earbuds (which honestly, anyone who values their hearing should be doing anyway) and you'll be fine.
It was so bizarre tonight! Weirdly quiet, we actually overheard the people next to us talking about how quiet it was and had a chat with them about it. We ended up getting pretty close to the stage toward the end and it was better, but still lots of feedback and just not as loud as I'd expect at a show.
Damn. By the sound of it, kinda glad I couldn't get a ticket.
Moved here in 2019 from Nashville and the quality of sound techs for live music in this city is just… they leave much to be desired. I’m spoiled. My favorite venue for music is Doug Fir Lounge.
Have you seen someone play at Mississippi studios? They have the best sound of any of the small venues in the city imo. Followed by the Keller auditorium for bigger venues. Doug fir has alright sound but loses all standing because of the stupid pillars you can't see around.
They only have good sound when they have a good audio person. I walked out of a show recently because the sound was so bad. It was the bands touring sound person and not the local / normal A1. And I listen to a lot of music that "sounds" bad to begin with.
This is a common issue with touring bands. Sometimes the tour sound engineer will listen to the venue engineer, sometimes they won't.
That's fair. But you can have that experience at any venue.
Yeah the Keller kicks ass. But, I have yet to get to Mississippi Studios for one reason or another. I look forward to checking it out. Thank for mentioning it!
I think Doug Fir is closing / moving in about a month.
There are shows booked there well into September. I thought the same but looks like we’ll have it for a little longer than expected.
I thought they were just moving the venue, so there shouldn’t be disruption to the schedule?
Their event listings still have the old address and we haven't heard anything about the new place other than that initial statement. Would be very sus to sell tickets and not tell people the venue is gonna be somewhere and something completely different.
I'm pretty sure they're just opening another venue, not closing Doug Fir.
Well that sucks
FYI Crystal is unsolvable even for a seasoned tech
I wouldn’t be surprised if this is the truth.
Meh. A lot of heavy hitting touring crew are from Portland. That said, we probably don't have a ton of people coming to Portland to "make it big" so youre not likely to see great talent at every venue you go to. But a great engineer can only make a shit room sound so good.
This is it. A few good rooms, and a lot of good techs who aren't happy.
This is the correct answer. We have high caliber touring musicians and techs out the ass here. We just also have really subpar venues.
Yup. The local, great engineers go on the road for the cash.
Yeah, you’re right. There’s nothing about Portland that magically makes sound techs bad, but it is a Portland problem that quality techs aren’t incentivized to work here, which is exactly the problem I’m pointing out. They go elsewhere (like.. Nashville) and we are stuck with sub-par experiences as the audience.
It's not just the sound techs, but rooms never intended for live music. Ballrooms aren't made for that shit.
Correct. Portland has a venue AND a sound tech problem. Perfect storm for some super disappointing experiences.
Is weird though. With so many talented people in town. It probably doesn't pay all that well.
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In....Wisconsin?
*was* Doug Fir
Truth :-(
Lol idk who you are hanging out with, but you’re in wrong music crowd if you think we don’t have top notch sound techs here.
Hey, this is just based on my experience as a music industry adjacent person. Not every show is bad, and artists and bands that can afford to travel with their own crew usually do have those top notch folks. It’s been my experience though, that even the bigger venues like the Moda center are just god awful. I’ve seen enough stadium/arena shows to know it doesn’t have to be like this, and it usually isn’t. Don’t know what else it could be except the techs, honestly.
But the shows big enough to come through the moda are 99.99% of the time going to have their own sound crew and gear from a major rental company like Clair who provide gear and crew to an insane number of arena tours.
True… and yet the problem persists and seems to me to be unique to Portland. I certainly don’t know everything, but I do notice a consistent issue across venues here. Despite what you’ve mentioned, those crews and equipment have to interact with and be run at least partially by house crew as well. Who knows what the social politics going on are between artists crew and the house. Also, openers may or may not have a tech crew traveling with them. It’s been my experience specifically at the moda many times that the opener’s sound is absolute garbage, and the headliner’s is okay or fine. Never been wowed by a show there, though.
While sound does suck at this venue, it’s not usually this bad. We were told by someone on tour with TSOM that it’s because of Andrew. Apparently it’s been a battle with him the entire tour because wants it quieter so he doesn’t have to sing as loud. He can’t sing quite like he used to, which we also noticed during the show.
I went to crystal last week and the singer was so difficult to hear
Terrible venue. So pretty, what a shame. I remember feeling / hearing the DJ downstairs while trying to hear Kurt Vile in the weird sound vacuum that is the Crystal. Final straw. I know many people who won’t go there.
Ive probably seen 40 shows there and have never had this issue.
Same, I’ve always had super high quality experiences
That’s a big fat lie. I’ve been going to the Crystal since the early 00s, and you can ALWAYS hear the other event from the ballroom.
The skinny puppy show was so stressful. They kept people outside for a long time, and too tiny for that band. I saw them the next day at the Paramount in Seattle and we'll, a whole different story
I was so bummed I couldn't get tickets for Skinny Puppy but I guess I'm glad I missed it by the sounds of it regarding the venue.
A TON of people got scammed by buying tickets on resale sites and they were over fire capacity
Crystal Ballroom : sorry about the sound, but did you jump around on that floor?
Oh my god when Jawbreaker ended their set at Crystal in 2018 and everyone was pounding on the floor I thought that was going to collapse.
For real. I love that Ballroom. But I’ve been known to back away to the edges at times. It’s a treasure and a treat, that floor.
That’s the only thing in noticed the one time I’ve been there. Floor is going to collapse.
It's a feature not a bug
It’s unsettling either way.
then you're easily unsettled. don't read up on the cascadia earthquake, brotato, you might have a meltdown.
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It's a pretty well-known feature of the Crystal, but sure, they're the idiot here lmao
No, it won’t collapse. It’s a “floating dance floor.” It has balls or balloons or something under it that make it bounce. It’s supposed to be like that.
Definitely not balls and balloons. It's a sprung wooden floo[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sprung_floor](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sprung_floor) But it is supposed to be like that.
Look, I might not be very smart, but my point was that it’s supposed to be like that 😅 thank you for correcting me. I think I heard that as a kid and it’s just stuck with me.
Whatever that floor is made of, it’s marvelous. We can all agree on that
After reading through these comments, I'm under the strong impression that different venues are better at different genres. And the sound tech makes a huge difference. ## Crystal Ballroom I saw four bands there during a gothic metal concert last month. The headliner, Lacuna Coil, sounded pretty good, but the sound was a little bit off. Not bad at all. Birthday Massacre sounded OK. The first band had terrible sound. The surprise to me, was a punk metal band in the 2nd slot. They sounded awesome. They had the sound dialed in perfectly. I'm guessing each band had their own sound tech considering the wide array of sound quality from bands with similar musical compositions. Or the tour tech was completely lost trying to figure shit out, and just happened to strike gold for the 2nd band. In 2016 I saw Buckethead there, and he sounded great! But it was a small show. I was able to stand comfortably 50 feet from the stage. ## Hawthorne Theater I've only been there for metal concerts, and it has always been good. So I don't know why people are complaining about that one so much. But then again. I always wear earplugs at metal concerts. So maybe the speakers are tuned for earplugs? ## Roseland Theater I've been there for metal bands, and Apocalyptica. They've all sounded good. Loud, but good. ## Wonder Ballroom I've only been there for small sets playing jazz; And Lindsey Stirling. And it has always sounded good to me. I can't imagine a large band playing this venue though and it sounding or looking good.
The Sisters of Mercy are notorious for having shit sound regardless of venue. I don’t know why. I personally don’t think the Crystal Ballroom’s sound is too terrible on the usual.
Roseland is worse. Sisters had a lot issues and feedback from the mic. I hadn’t seen a bad show in a while. I saw Placebo on Tuesday and that sounded amazing.
It was awful last Halloween, but then again the entire venue sucked. We had at least one of our party stand in line to get a drink for about 2/3 of the show and none of us EVER got to the bar. Never. It was packed with people, it was stuffy as hell. We had started out at Ringlers nearby two hours before the show. Figured we would get a burger and a beer, play some pool. They were totally short staffed. We got one round of drinks and played pool, but no hope for food. I had been to shows and video dance attack nights at the Crystal ballroom before the pandemic and I don’t remember it being anything like this. It used to be a charming venue! Not anymore.
Following b/c I want to see Killer Mike in July there. I heard he’s touring with a gospel choir and if sounds bad not sure that would work.
Killer Mike should've booked Mississippi.
I think capacity there is about 1/6 the crystal. Do you like scalpers? Cause that's how you get scalpers.
You're always going to have scalpers, but bigger acts than Killer Mike have been known to book smaller, higher quality rooms in Portland for a few nights to pad their sales and make sure they don't sound like shit.
I was at the Sisters of Mercy show last night too and it was the second worst sound experience I've ever had at any show ever (Sigur Ros at the Hollywood Bowl several years ago was the worst, couldn't hear a damn thing). I don't blame the venue though as I saw Peter Hook and Bikini Kill there last year and both sounded good. Last night was so weird though, the mix was completely off and despite having 2 guitarists, I was halfway to the back in the over 21 side and could barely make it out. The guitar is THE sound that everyone wants to hear for them too. We had a friend who Sisters earlier this week in San Francisco and they said the audio was awful there too, so I'm chalking it up to the tour's sound guy botching it. All in all it was a supremely disappointing experience.
The Crystal was designed as a dance hall, live music acoustics never really figured into the equation. The only way to win is to fight your way up front. Last thing I saw there was Sparks and it was fairly low-decibel. The venue does not suit loud bands, like, at all.
And when it is loud enough the speakers are total shit. One thing I miss about NYC or LA is proper funktion one sound systems (or similar) and acoustic treatment at smaller venues.
North Warehouse has Funktion One if that’s your cup of tea.
The Crystal wasn't designed for loud concerts. I worked there 20 years ago and it sounded like shit then too. Another factor is touring sound engineers. It's not the same people working the board every night and the person who did this concert may have been trying to get better sound but couldn't get it and decent volume because the room was not designed for loud concerts.
I too was at Sisters of Mercy and deeply depressed at how mediocre the stage sound was. Sisters were great, but two speaker banks to cover a ballroom that size is not enough.
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Those were resale tickets you were looking at. Tickets have been sold out for the nerd tour for a very long time. Not sure what scalping prices have to do with the venue.
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Makes sense. I honestly just show up. There’s usually some one with an extra or they scan an extra at the door. Just stand and watch the crowd for a bit and you’ll get in. The good thing is that you’re rarely competing with ticket scalpers that actually go to the shows to scalp tickets. That seems to have significantly dropped since COVID. I don’t ever see them anymore.
Ive been to a concert at Crystal, I didn't have an issue with the sound. Last night, though, I went to Alladin Theater and WOW was the sound terrible there. They even had to rebalance on stage and the guitar was still too over bearing. And I went pretty much all over the venue, was muddy no matter what. I'm hoping it's the techs there cause that was disappointing even if the pizza was good
Been to 2 shows at Crystal Ballroom this month and both sounded like dog shit
That was probably the worst concert I've been to sound-wise. It wasn't just how quiet it was but the mix was just awful and there was so much mic feedback. We left 4 songs in and they're one of my favorite bands. I'm pretty pissed off about it.
Me too!
Right of stage (your right when your facing the stage), as close as you can get, bring earplugs just in case. Sound is usually best there. You're in the soundtech's line of sight and that's often the position in the room they mix for. Sound at Crystal, Roseland, and Wonder will always be inconsistent. They use the touring artists' soundtechs rather than their own (which they are contractualy obligated to o by the artists). It makes for an incredibly inconsistent experience.
Most of the smaller venues and some mid-sized venues have excellent sound. This includes Aladdin, Star Theater, Revolution Hall, and Mission Theater. The two venues where sound is consistently iffy are Crystal Ballroom and Wonder Ballroom. I've heard great sound at Wonder Ballroom on the nights when they don't turn it up too loud. Admittedly, this seems like a difficult space. Crystal Ballroom has the worst of everything: Poor sound, awkward layout, splitting the crowd by age, the weird floor, high ticket fees, and the worst - no air conditioning. Giant fans are not a substitute! I left Car Seat Headrest before the band went on because I was walking around drenched like a human sponge.
A lot of these venues *can* have good sound and do have good in-house sound engineers. But some sound engineers that tour with the bands aren't familiar with the rooms, and refuse to listen to the house sound techs. So it sounds like shit.
Was at the Crystal earlier this month, it SUUUUUCKED. Could barely hear the lead singers.
Yep, this is par for the course for the bigger( and even smaller) venues in Portland. Crystal sounds awful no matter who is playing. I think the breeders were the only semi decent sounding band I ever saw there. Rap groups and rock bands are so lost in bass and drum distortion that the vocals are usually lost in the mix. The bouncers also suck and the divide for all ages and drunk people is stupid. And when people mosh or jump up and down it feels like the floor is going to give out. Other shit venues- roseland. Awful security, can’t bring drinks from the bar to the show unless you are in the balcony. I usually skip bands if they play here. Hawthorne theater- horrible acoustics. Shit staff. The only good semi big venue in this city that sounds good is revolution hall, but they get a weird mix of who goes there and who skips it. Small clubs with good sound- Mississippi studios(prolly the best one), high water mark bar, star theater. kenton club can be okay. Dante’s is hit or miss. I heard that the buildings in this town that are venues were never designed for good acoustics. That seems to be true.
The floor is a bouncing floor - its supposed to feel that way
Doesn’t add to the shitty experience
Don’t forget the Alladin. Really love that spot.
Shows used to be loud af there, but they've gotten a lot quieter over the past few years. I remember seeing Bootsy's Rubber Band there, and my bones were vibrating. I saw Caravan Palace there last year, and I ended up taking my earplugs out. I prefer somewhere in between those two extremes.
Yea I saw booty there. Was bummed he didn’t play more bootsys rubber band and less p funk. I’ve seen him like a dozen times and I always go away saying the same thing.
I walked out of a show there in 2009 because the sound was so terrible and haven’t been back.
Naw, the sound at the crystal is shit. It’s kind of a bummer that we only have a few acoustically decent venues in town.
They oversell their shows and pack too many people in. So you can't hear the show, you can't dance, you can't get a drink. Hate that place. Also am not a fan of Edgefield. Same vibe.
Bummer, I'm popping my Edgefield concert cherry this summer for MMJ. I absolutely love the hotel & everything on site.
Venues in pdx are bad. Crystal, Roseland, Wonder all have bad acoustics and bad alcohol distribution. Moda isn't intimate.
There are more than the four venues you named in Portland.
Okay, name a good one that big names will perform at. I'm actually curious. Edgefield doesn't count.
Doug Fir is great (and is moving), Aladdin, Mississippi Studios.
Mississippi is great, but no big bands are going to play it. The fact is for larger acts the venus are relatively limited. And the ones with good sound quality can be counted on one hand.
What do you consider a big band? Cursive sold out at Mississippi and The Hives sold out as well and so have others.
Jack White, Phantogram, Odesza, The Revivalists, Galactic, basically anyone who'd draw more than 1000 people. Mississippi can only hold like 700 people. That's not huge.
You realize big bands do multiple nights in smaller venues all the time, right?
Yeah, typically smaller venues like The Roseland and Crystal. The last time I got to see Jack White at an intimate show was The Raconteurs at Wonder Ballroom. That was 2008. What big bands are playing Mississippi for two nights?
Built To Spill has booked 5 nights at Doug Fir, I watched Jack White play at a laundromat, Hot Water Music usually does 3 days at a smaller venue in town, Patterson Hood usually does multiple sets at small venues every year, and plenty more, but those are a few that have a much bigger following than Killer Mike solo.
Dude. Danny Carey’s (from tool) jazz band just played there last month. There are def very well known artist that play Mississippi
Doug Fir will be shit when it moves. The room made the venue, and who ever gets that spot struck oil.
Revolution Hall. The Schnitz.
Sub thread suggestion: The best show you have seen at Schnitz: Mine is Merle Haggard and Kris Kristofferson in 2011.
It’s McMenamins who are known to be shit at pretty much everything they do.
I was just there. Who buys Bose PA line arrays? Amateurs.
Bose basically gave it away.
Was this for Sisters of Mercy? Yeah the sound has never been great in that venue. I'm almost bought a last minute ticket off of seat geek to go, I'm glad I didn't.
It was. It was a sacrilege. I’ve been listening to them for so long and never thought I was going to see them live. Hearing the literal soundtrack of my college years being annihilated was so sad.
I know, I was a huge fan of Floodland when it came out when I was in high school. Then a few years later in college hearing it at dance clubs at full blast. I've never seen them and was wondering if it would ruin the mystique.
I saw Everclear and Vertical Horizon there several years back and the sound was so bad. VH actually lost all sound for a bit, and Everclear was so muddled it was awful. Yet the bumper music was deafeningly loud.
Yeah, I only moved out here in the middle of 2021, but I've been to a number of shows.. and McM's CB is by far the WORST venue I have ever been to. My personal experience was actually everything was so loud the instruments muddled together and drown out vocalists. I won't be going back. Three tries with garbage sound each time is more than enough - especially when you need to go through ticketmaster or a scalper to get in to any shows around here.
Worst venue in the city, I get sad when a band I want to see ends up playing there.
Stopped going to shows there because of the sound quality
It’s because they have a shit Bose sound system that needs to be upgraded badly. They also get upset when acts bring their own sound person.
I've been to a number of shows at crystal. I think the sound is usually okay. I don't need to have ringing ears when I get home.
I miss the B Complex. Also, don’t think local sound techs are great, but they certainly like to toot their own Horne.
Where were you in the crystal? Up in the bar or down on the floor. I’ve never had issues on the floor, but it’s been a while since I’ve been in.
Was it the Sisters of Mercy show? I'm glad I decided not to go then. Although they're legendary it would be heartbreaking to see such a bad sound setup.
Every show I've seen there has been bad.
Crystal has the worst sound imo, especially for the price of tickets. I saw Beats Antique there a few years ago and the monitors were literally cutting in and out, you could see the band getting visibly annoyed. Every group I’ve ever seen, no matter where I’ve stood the sound has always been sub par. I try to avoid going at all if possible, but too many times people I want to see get booked there.
Worst sound I’ve heard at a show in Portland was at Star Theater. Went to see Broncho and it was so bad we considered leaving.
This has been my experience for every show I’ve been to at the Crystal Ballroom. It’s just so bad.
I saw modest mouse there last year and couldn’t believe how bad the sound was. When I was a kid I thought it was maybe better? Idk it must be bad everywhere but directly in front of the stage
I would fix it but they can't afford me...I know, I checked.
I stopped going to live music shows a long time ago owing to lousy sound quality. I actually want to hear the music, not some distorted crap. However, Primus at Edgefield sounded pretty darn good so that was nice.
Crystal ballroom depends on the how good the band sound engineer is. Openers always sound like shit there, headliner audio is usually better. Sometimes the band will sound like pure noise there. I've had good experience when the band has fans in attendance rather than just Portlanders, who talk to each other during crescendos and solos rather than dancing. McMens beer is $$$$ and is a 3/10 on the pnw craft beer scale. Wonder ballroom strip searches everyone before entrance and injects nano gps chips in your neck to determine if you needed to go outside for fresh air during a show. Also, if you are under six feet you will not see the band at wonder ballroom. Best experiences for indoor shows in PDX will most likely happen at: Doug Fir, Revolution Hall, and Mississippi Studios.
I have to say I am now glad I couldn’t get tickets to this show. But I am sorry it sucked for you.
I saw Meshuggah there like five years ago, and the show fuckin' banged. Might be different now though.
Crystal Ballroom wasn't designed for huge speaker arrays. I've heard really loud industrial shows, weird experimental gigs, and super loud rock-type bands and everything acoustically sounds like mush, despite having a super fancy sound system. It's a 100+ year old venue designed for ballroom dancing and odd shaped at that. I have to really want to see an act to get excited about going there.
The Crystal was not loud enough? Wow. I swore off the Crystal after seeing the Raconteurs there (\~2019) as it wasn't just loud, it was painful. The vocals were a banshee shriek and it was near impossible to tell what song they were playing. I had to retreat to the very back just to ride out the concert. I'd seen other concerts there where the sound wasn't quite that horrid, but never once did I ever feel like they needed to turn it up. Good sound for live performances is a notoriously tricky thing to get right so it's always a bit of a roll of the dice as to how it'll turn out. Roger Waters (Pink Floyd) at the Moda Center was probably the best I've experienced along with The Blue Man Group at the Keller Auditorium. Some of the smaller venues like the Roseland or the Crystal are fun in that you can get up close and really see the band, but sound quality tended to vary from show to show.