Only went here once on the weekend for an acoustic show, but it looks like a nice venue for smaller bands to tour and I wouldn't mind stopping by again for another show.
The atmosphere goes along well with its decor, especially that of the bar. This is a nice place for metal shows. While it is quite intimate, it can house a fair number of people and it is quite clean. The sound system is alright, but there is always room for improvement.
This is the likely stopping place for any decent metal bands looking to make a tour stop in Northern Virginia. I've attended perhaps a dozen shows, and have generally had an enjoyable experience. Management should staff a little better... the few times I've been in the Alchemy Lounge bar they have, all the table were full, but there was no one manning the bar. ~30 people would have to go in to the concert hall and order at the bar there. Inconvenient, and lost sales for sure. The facility is mostly clean, and the local opening acts are usually solid (Sound of Thunder is always a treat).
Review Source:Empire is in a space that used to be called Jack's. It's on the second floor of a suburban strip mall, and it caters to a goth/metal/industrial crowd. I went to an all-ages concert, but I was surprised by how many 30 and 40 somethings were in the crowd. It wasn't the teens I expected. Most of the crowd was old enough to drink. The people watching was fun - lots of goth dress up going on.
The venue is a spacious high-ceiling room with a stage that is a bit too low to see the performers well, and a tiered area surrounding the floor with bars, T shirt stands, and some bar stool seating. My husband complained that the sound quality in the room was not good. I thought it was the performers more than the sound equipment. There's also a lounge-y bar room next door called Alchemy that is cute and has ambitious food on the menu. It's got lots of couches and is quiet enough for conversation. So the venue is not bad, and there's plenty of free parking within a block.
If you remember when it was called Jaxx nightclub then you knew just a lot of shot ass old metal heads ran it not giving a crap what was going on or fixing up the place at all. The old management wasn't helpful and staff there were complete asses.
When Jaxx became Empire it was a complete turn around, FINALLY a functional kitchen and the use of the back lounge made my day, even the bathrooms are 10x's better than before. The new look blew me away when I first walked into the venue and the bar impressed me even more.
When I was younger I'd sometimes hang in that upstairs lounge and it was just a shitty attic with holes on the floor. Now it's a fully functional office space and a green room. Security and other staff are on point as well as the bartenders. And the managers are very respectful to the people who approach them with problems.
The stage is better set up and I'm glad they have a barrier for the sound board and a light board. If youve been to the back lounge you'd probably love it. At first i thought it was a legit meth lab with all the science stuff behind the bar, and now they have a menu and the food is legit, get the bacon burger cause its amazing with the bacon tots. Overall I'd recommend this place to all my friends.
Teeny boppers galore.... Wow. This place is a run-down venue in an awfully crowded shopping center with barely any parking. I was confused as to where the front door was actually located.
Once inside it's just children everywhere, seriously... the stage doesnt leave much room for a crowd and the bar is just really sorry.
The only redeeming thing about this venue, that of course I didn't discover until I was leaving through a different door is that there was a open-spaced lounge area with several types of victorian-esque sofas and loveseats that was just chic enough for me to want to come and hang out in this little area for an hour or two. Too bad the rest of the venue different air that same quality of that room.
Been here for a few metal shows - my first concerts since I moved to the area from Colorado - and have been pretty impressed. It is not super huge, but certainly gets a decent crowd in for the shows. The sound system is excellent - rather than focusing on bursting my inner ear, there is a real great mix of what the band is actually playing. This may seem obvious, but too many venues I have been to seem to just want it to be loud enough to make you release your bowels involuntarily.
Booze is reasonably priced, I feel. A few PBRs didn't run me much at all, and the bar staff was helpful. Of note, you can not bring your drinks outside of the bar area, but with an all ages event I guess that can be expected.
Parking can be tough, as the strip mall it's in has tons of other shit in it that also require parking spots for their patrons, so be wary and plan ahead. It is also posted that there is no re-admittance; I don't leave until the show is over, but if you smoke I can see that being kind of shitty.
All-in-all, great place, I highly recommend.
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