You did it. You fixed your sound and added a smoking area. I'm proud.
I saw Bad Religion here about a year or two ago, and to be honest, the sound was muddled, the bass was overwhelming, the entire experience screamed "MEH". I wasn't thrilled when I found out that Bad Religion AND Bouncing Souls, two teenage-years favorites, were coming here, but I couldn't pass it up. It was a sealed deal when my friend bought me a ticket for watching her (stupid) cats.
First thing I noticed when I arrived was that they have a designated smoking area. This isn't St. Andrews "WE CAN ONLY LET ONE PERSON OUT FOR EVERY PERSON THAT COMES IN, ALSO WE WILL GIVE YOU A HARD TIME ABOUT RE-ENTRY AND TREAT YOU LIKE CRAP", thank god. This is "Here's an area that is sectioned off outside, theres a door oh and also a few bouncers. Enjoy." This is a huge plus for me ever since the smoking ban. Fellow smokers will understand, when venue/bar owners go out of their way to make our life a bit nicer, it goes miles.
Secondly, the venue wasn't overly packed. I didn't feel like a sardine in a sweat box. It was nice having some room to breathe, some room to pit, some room to chill at the bar for a bit if you wanted to. This also probably assisted in making the sound a lot better than I remember. Bouncing Souls and Bad Religion were (surprisingly) easy to understand, and you could really make out the music. You get a couple stars for that.
Clutch Cargos only down fall is Saturday night. Booty club, greasy gross people grinding on equally greasy gross people. I can't blame them, I'm sure Saturday is basically like swimming in a pool of cash, but still. Yuck.
This review is for Clutch as a wedding venue.
I know, I know - who has their wedding at CLUTCH CARGO?
Well, we did and our friends are still talking about how great it was. The owner was out of this world accommodating and gave us a gorgeous venue for our reception. From the flowers to the floorplan, the classy decor to the KICKASS bartenders, Amir had everything covered.
If you're not interested in a banquet hall wedding and looking for something a little unconventional, I highly recommend Clutch Cargo. When our reception was over, a bunch of us headed upstairs to continue the celebrations. I heard.
I was otherwise occupied.
If you are thinking about going here I am going to stereotype you into 2 categories: clueless or desperate. This place is a poop hole (final verdict..the end).
First off, I think it's a little weird that Clutch Cargos used to be a church now retro fitted to be a club. It's just a weird idea and creeps me out a little but this is just the tip of the iceberg. When I used to go there this place was always filled with douchebags/jersey shore wannabes and the guy:girl ratio is about 60:1. There are just too many guys in there preying on few very mostly unattractive who are definitely seeking attention because no self respecting women should be here.
The guys at the club do not understand limits and will try and grab on the women and start fights for absolutely no reason. I have never really had a good time at this spot and would NOT recommend it to anyone.
pro: ....................!
cons: too many guys + too many under age girls with fakes + guys always starting fights + not many attractive women.
sorry, I know this review sounds superficial but it's the fact.
I've been to this place more than a handful of times as a concert venue only, I've never been to the "let's get trashed and bump into each other" nights. Alright, so this spot is particularly memorable, because I've seen 2 of the greatest concerts of my young adult life here. Blink 182's dollar bill show, and it was Fall Out Boy's second ever show in Detroit, when they opened up for Less Than Jake, I know, epic show. But on top of that, I've seen countless other bands here that have made this place full of great memories. As a concert hall, this place simply can't be beat. It's small setting, bar, and just overall layout make for the perfect experience.
Review Source:The legendary Clutch Cargos is known primarily by it's location, an old church in downtown Pontiac. Easy to locate right after you get off M59 by the confusing i75 Business Loop it is easy to find and easy to get out off. Once you find parking which is pretty easy in the lot you can walk right in. Once you're in it does not seem like an old church at all, there is a nice set of stairs which leads to an upstairs area for you to relax and walk around to look down to the dance floor, perfect for creepers looking down slutty girls shirts. The dance floor is fairly big and nice, the music is real loud and sucks however. The DJ plays repeated music from the Top 40 through out most of the night. There are some awkward places to sit in the weird outsides of the dance floor which if your a bit tipsy you can easily trip or run into. The people who come here are usually little high school kids fresh with their 18 year old ID ready to go someplace for the night. A lot of the people seem to be assholes at the bar and who run the place. I watched 6 people get kicked out by 'knuckles' the security guard the whole time we were there. Apparently there is a hookah bar although I have no information when it is open. R.J. Reynolds frequently sends promoters there to get kids hooked on their cigarettes early. The bathrooms are just as creepy as the atmosphere, a creepy old guy is in there with a table handing you paper towel and trying to sell you axe, mouthwash, gum, hair spray, ect. Really weird and appears to be their attempt to seem 'classy' but a far cry from. I would not recommend going at all unless you are in for some entertainment of girls and their boyfriends or sex partners getting kicked out by the security staff and fighting.
Review Source:I saw Motion City soundtrack here. the venue was your pretty average concert venue. The bathrooms were not too dity, the concert area was ok. There is supposed to be a hookah bar up stairs but it was closed during the concert. the venue operators were nice enough, and mostly seemed to run everything well enough.
Review Source:She actually said "testicles" to me, Justin. Â But yeah, what he said. Â If something good is here, I'll go, but would prefer it came to A2. Â It's nice of them to sell single cigarettes in the women's bathroom, though. Â Gives me an excuse to get in the women's bathroom, am I right??? Â Ew, that was creepy. Â Maybe people are right to threaten to castrate me...
Review Source:Saturdays are definitely not to my liking. When a song gets played 4 times in one night, you know there's something wrong. Drink prices are a little steep for the pour you get. The crowd leaves a lot to be desired. Does this place not have a dresscode?
On the plus side, it's a decent venue to see shows, and the bar staff are all very friendly and attractive.
As a venue, it's okay. The sound was better than I expected. Drink prices weren't absolutely terrible, but I expected better from the SE MI area. I saw Phoenix there tonight. There were some ridiculously annoying people insisting that my buddy (but only him) be quiet near the bar so she can hear. The phrase "rip off your testes" was said. Other than certain irritating people at the show, I enjoyed my time there. I'd go back, but would prefer acts come to RO or A2 or even Detroit instead.
Review Source:I've been here twice: Â once was to see a show, and the other time was for New Year's Eve 2002. Â If you know me personally, then it would be safe for you to drop your jaw in shock because this venue is definitely not my style. Â The design isn't very condusive to watching a show and the party aspect is much of what you'd expect -- very mass produced.
Once upon a time, Clutch Cargo was a church. Â Then, it turned into a dance club. Â You'll probably have a lot of fun here if you like to club, wear clubbing clothes, and be around people who wear clubbing clothes because there is definitely a dress code here. Â No athletic gear, no white T-shirts, and no wave caps are allowed. Â My brother was turned away at the door for wearing a white T-shirt and it was the dead of winter, so he had to walk a mile or so back to his car. Â I secretly laughed at him.
If you're into things like Sublime tribute bands, body shots, and Project Bikini Runway (a make-it-yourself swimsuit competition), then maybe this is the place for you. Â You will definitely not see me there again, however.
I agree. Clutch is definitely a meat market, but so much more.
It's a music venue much like St. Andy's, in that it at one time was a church. Though I wouldn't put it in the same league as St. Andy's, not in a million years!
The bands that come through Clutch are never to my taste. Honestly the last band I can remember being of interest at Clutch was the Deftones. Everything else seemed to be just... poor choices by the booking manager. Goes to show how much that sort of thing matters!
In addition to being a venue, Clutch holds regular club nights. This is where the meat market comes in. Clutch becomes like... a giant Wild Woody's, except with more Axxe body spray and less dignity. The music was horrible (seriously... if you have such a crappy selection of music that you have to play 50 cent TWICE in a night... then you need a new job) and I just wasn't comfortable there.
I wouldn't suggest going there for any of the club nights just based off the fact that the crowd is so off-putting. If a band you like does happen to come to Clutch, then it's a question of weighing poor venue vs. merits of the artist in question. You be the judge!
Pure meat market!!
Given it's location in Pontiac, you'd expect a rouger crowd, Â but generally it is upper Oakland county's finest pressing the flesh. Â yeah baby yeah.. that gets my mojo rising! Â
They often have radio sponsored nights, college nights (oakland Uni and OCC), and live shows. Â Music type and quality varies.
Nevermind the pictures on their website though as they are incredibly outdated (2005, hellooooo? wtf?).
There are probably better places to find a quality lay, but you can't go wrong here. Â If you go home empty handed here, there is something wrong. Â 4 stars.
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