Big Bands you saw in a small Venue
 

Just wondering what some of the biggest bands or groups you have seen in a small club or hall?

I saw Guns and Roses play Perkins Palace (now known as the Raymond Theater) in Pasadena there were probably 300 people or so at that show. It was about 3 months before Appetite for Destruction was released. Then about 2 weeks before it was released I saw them again at the Celebrity Theater in Anaheim playing for a sellout crowd (maybe 500 people)....THAT was a wild show. I also saw Motley Crue at the Troubador in Hollywood that was a good time too.

Although not really 'big', I saw the Mooney Suzuki in a local bar basement type thing, incredibly small venue, incredibly low ceilings, incredibly good gig overall!

I saw Van Halen at a place called "Club Rogues" in virginia before their first album came out(1978). The acoustic tile ceiling, which was about 3 feet above the stage was punched out by David Lee Roth during the show. Eddie Van Halen would always turn his back to the crowd when playing his signature "hammer ons", so that no one could see what he was doing. A great show to a crowd of about 150.

I saw Velvet Revolver in a place that holds about 1500 the week their album debuted at #1. Third Eye Blind in a club that holds 500 early on in their career. I am going to see Robert Plant next week in a venue that holds about 1000. That's just off the top of my head.

cool when you can do it. i prefer smaller venues. that said, i have not seen too many "big" acts.

tool in a 1700 seater for lateralus (smallest they'd play in at the time, probably)
blink 182 with a crowd of about 250 before they got famous
bright eyes w/300 people two years ago
amon tobin in a tent with about 25 people (he'll never be big, but it was a cool gig)

Dispatch... at the half shell in boston

Im going in april to see Motorhead in a little clubby bar/venue place called the showbox
i guess they arent that big, atleast in the publics eye, but the followers are there

Where did you see them? I remember seeing them in a small place in Chicago... maybe April or May of 2001? I was just talking to my friend today about our memories of what an awesome show that was.

I'll be seeing NIN in London March 31st in a venue that can hold 1800 people. That'll be awesome.

EDIT: Oh yeah, Pete Yorn played at my college in 2001 on front of maybe 100 people. Then we had him over in our dorm for drinks :D

--jaded

311, and The Faint, in various local clubs.

I saw Kansas at a small theater (maybe 1000 people) around 1975/1976 just before Leftoverture was released. I saw them twice in small clubs the 90's long after they had dropped from popularity, once at the Chance in Poughkepsie NY and the second time at a small club near Albany NY, second row seats the second time. Also saw Crosby/Nash and ELO at this same club near Albany, 1994 or so.

Saw Dave Matthews Band in late '94 at the Georgia Theatre in Athens (around 1000 capacity) with Rusted Root opening and 311 there on Halloween in '95. That's about all I can think of.

Underworld in Pontiac, MI at Clutch Cargo's. About 500 or so. What a bloody awesome show!

Bruce Springsteen at a 'surprise' concert at the Stone Pony in Asbury Park in the early 80s-- Was there with friends -- he shows up and plays a few sets.

A couple of weeks ago I saw legendary death metal band Suffocation, along with Polish gods Behemoth in a bowling alley....no shit.

Recently had the chance to see Barenaked Ladies in a a small auditorium in Grand Rapids. They were doing an acoustic "warmup" show before they kicked off the "Everything to Everyone" tour. It was an amazing show.


My cousin was a DJ in a country music club near Pontiac in the 90's. Club management would book the opening act of whoever was playing the Palace of Auburn Hills and schedule them a night before. So when acts like Jo Dee Messina was opening for Clint Black on a Friday. The club would get Jo Dee to play for them on a Thursday. It was a great concept, the club got an up-and-coming act, without paying a lot to get them. I got the chance to see quite a few acts that way.

At different times I saw the Violent Femmes, Pigface (with Ogre fronting), Gay Bikers on Acid, Thrill Kill Kult, NIN, and KMFDM in a 500 person capacity bar. This was in the late 80's to early 90's.

The best show I ever saw was right before the Cocteau Twins got really big. They were doing mid-size venues (700-1000). I saw them at a dinner-theatre type place in St. Louis. Unbelievable sound and intimacy.

The Ataris at the Fireside Bowl (bowling alley) in Chicago. Got on stage (if you could call it a stage) even. :thumbsup:

Saw Blues Traveler and Better than Ezra at a college theater...probably 300 people at each show.

MxPx in a high school gym in Charleston, SC...one of my first shows and still probably one of the best.

I rememebr in my younger days when I was in a ska band we'd play local venues often, the most memoral were the local "battle of the bands" performances. I remember playing at the War Memorial Building in Lodi, CA against another 7 or 8 bands. One of the other bands was Papa Roach. They played a few pretty good songs, but my band won. Today, Papa Roach has sold millions of records and my band - Toxic Penguin - has broken up. Such is music. Papa Roach didn't sound bad, but they were no match for Toxic Penguin.

I mentioned this once before in the "Best Concert Experience" thread but I saw Rage in +/- 1992 at the Mascarade in Atlanta about 800 to 1000 people or so, it was outrageous. Great Show!

the Canadian Glenn Millar tribute band at the Hummingbird...

what's that? Ohhh... big Bands, not Big Bands?

never mind....

i was at the paramount in seattle in august of 2001.
i just checked and the capacity is actually 2807. but i was 13 rows back so it seemed pretty intimate...only 568 seats on the floor. very good show, too.

also remembered i saw spiritualized in detroit with about 800 people.

Fallout Boy arent exactly big, but they are getting more popular. I saw them in the basement of a big venue, and then a year later headlining that same large venue.

I've seen Manson, Sevendust, Staind and a few others at the House of Blues..not very big place but the shows were awesome..oh yeah I saw the Deftones there too

I saw Rage Against the Machine at the Wetlands in NYC around '93, the club held about 500 people. I'd been to the Wetlands plenty in the early 90's, (they regularly had all-age ska/punk/hardcore shows) but I'd never seen such a horde of people lined up around the club, good thing we had pre-purchased tickets. Inside it was packed to what must have been beyond the limit.

Talk about an intense show, besides the music, the highlight was Zach getting rid of the security goons.. this was the only show I recall where the Wetlands had security around the stage. The 8 or so gorillas in yellow, were trying to keep kids off the 2 foot tall stage and were really overwhelmed by the swarming crowd. It was only a matter of time before one of them really hurt some kid (assuming they hadn't already).

I also saw the Red Hot Chili Peppers at a place called the Kings Head Inn. It must hold 150 people at the most. A week before that I saw Hanoi Rocks there also, about a week before their drummer "Razzle" was killed in a car accident by Motley Crue frontman Vince Neil. Many years ago now!

Green Day at the House of Blues in Myrtle Beach. Not exactly tiny, but it felt small, and everyone was close to the stage.

Bands just seem to do things in a small place that they won't do in a large arena. At the end of the show, Billy Joe runs out from the back in a pair of leopard skin tighty whiteys.

Oh...and keep your eyes and ears open for a band named Icares. (pronounced eye-care-us) Another Omaha band that I predict will break out of the local "Ranch Bowl Circuit", and hit it big.

i think it was the fall of 1994 in madison wisconsin barrymore theater seats about 1500, i saw a little known band called the Foo fighters play a show with Mike watt and Eddie Vedder and his wife. I also think thurston moore was there. Like wow.
I saw love and rockets in 89 with an opening band called the pixies in a venue of about 1200 people.
Wilco in a bar in milwaukee in spring of 95 i think, may have been the fall of '94. about 300 people there.
Son Volt in 1995 theater in madison....800 or so there.
Widespread panic same theater several different times in the 90's.
saw hole play a show in madison at a venue of about 1000 people.
Paul Westerberg at the same place.
Warren Zevon in 1995 at a theater in oshkosh, WI about 1000 people.
Met the Edge (U2) in a hotel lobby in madison.
list goes on......

I love music!!

mrb

I vaguely remember seeing Peter Gabriel in the gym of a local community college very soon after he split from Genesis. I think he was out promoting the 'Scratch' LP.

Foggy memories from those days, but I'm sure I had a good time...... :D

I saw the tea party in a dodgy rsl in the middle of nowhere a couple of years ago. They were playing this big festival the next day so they decided to play a show the night before.

I'm going to see the black keys next wednesday at a venue that can only hold 400 people as well. It'll be strange. :)

Back in my high school days I was into the east coast hardcore/punk scene and used to go to shows almost every weekend. One night at City Gardens we went to see a local band play and they had this punk trio from the east bay open for them. It was their first show on the east coast and the biggest crowd they had played in front of yet. That band happened to be Green Day, played every thing off of 1039/Kerplunk and was a damn good show.

Another time I saw the Bouncing Souls with Bigger Thomas infront of a whopping crowd of 30 at the Stone Pony around 93. Damn great show though, got to get up on stage scream into the mic a bit and just make a general fool of myself. Ahh...good times those old hardcore days...

They're not exactly "big" big, but--they're very well known in certain music circles--I saw Open:Hand in what was essentially a garage a couple years ago. Really awesome show, and probably one of my favorites of all time.


And it doesn't exactly count, but I went to Warped Tour a few years ago, and the Ataris came last minute and played on the smallest stage they've ever performed on. They didn't even have enough room to walk around, and basically just stood in one spot and played the entire time.

at UEA LCR or Riverfront, Ive seen:

Catatonia, Blur, Pulp, Suede, Therapy?, Super Furry Animals, Space, Cast, Stereophonics, Audioweb...

I saw Avril Lavigne at the Mean Fiddler (capacity about 1500), and Katie Melua at the Ipswich Regent (capacity about 1000)

taking back sunday/brand new at a small local venue (100 people, max).
paaaaaaaaaaackedddddddddddddd....

Dave Matthews Band in my fratenity's basement. (No shit.)

Bob Dylan at the tabernacle in Atlanta... its an old church renovated into a conert hall. Real intimate type of place if your in the standing section.

Saw A Perfect Circle in Austin at a 300 or so seater. Saw White Zombie in a similar place. Saw Slipknot here in St Louis in a 500 seater. Saw Mudvayne here in about a 500 seater. I love the small venues. They're the best.