Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom

Saw a comedy show of the Impractical Jokers here last night. I had very low expectations for the venue after reading most of the reviews but it wasn't as bad as people say. Yes, the floors were sticky and the venue was warm but I would expect that in any club in July.

We arrived and walked right in, there were ushers to show us to our seat which was really helpful. We paid a little extra for VIP tickets (3rd row from the stage and a meet and greet after for $89 a ticket!) and our seats were awesome. They weren't squished together like people had said and they even were padded and had cup holders. After the show the meet and greet was a little chaotic but it was so cool to meet the guys we didn't mind the chaos of how to get in line, etc. **If you buy VIP/meet&greet tickets make sure you get your 2nd wrist band at the box office outside. We weren't made aware of this until we started noticing some people had two wrist bands and we asked what they were for.... thankgoodness we asked before the show so we got it sorted out. This is def something the people who scan your tickets should've been watching for though.. (minus one star).

All in all we would definitely go back.

The Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom offers a suitable venue for both concerts and comedy shows, but could really use a complete overhaul to compete with other, more modern performance centers in the state

Pros:

The sound is consistently strong and, on a good night, can be heard from the outside clear as day.
The staff members have been friendly and helpful every time I've gone

Cons:

Hands down the hottest (temperature wise) place I've seen a concert at
Personal space is at a premium

I've been to the HBCB three times for concerts over the past few years. The location of the HBCB is actually rather convenient. It is near the center of the Hampton Beach Boardwalk and is surrounded by your standard issue beachy activities, so you can make a nice outing out of the day if you so choose. There is a parking lot in the rear of the venue that has only cost us $5 and since it's the beach, there should be parking all around the area if you wan to explore. In the front is the small, ratty looking box office that could really use some sprucing up or expanding, and your one entrance point into the venue. This has consistently been a pain as they can only fit two ticket scanners at the very end of this line, which bottlenecks the line to get into the venue.

Once you get in, your seating is kind of dependent on what kind of show you see. For GA shows, it's like pretty much any other primarily GA venue (think Paradise without the second level). You stand where you like (unless you grab one of the tables in the way back). For a seated show, you may be at tables, you may be in rows, or you may have the GA which lets you stand or grab an outer table. No matter what though, you're going to be fighting for space. It can be quite cramped, and for whatever reason, the people who attend shows here don't understand the concept of personal space.

You may want to grab food or drink if you didn't eat beforehand. Luckily, the HBCB is pretty decent for this. They have a very solid bar whose prices aren't that bad, and the food is roughly equivalent to what you'll get at other places. The lukewarm Sal's pizza was at least cheapish ($2..75/slice), while the drinks were stingy in size but decently strong.

The staff members deserve kudos though. Security is friendly and efficient, the waitresses were as well, and the bartenders are cool. Nice group of people.

As for the show itself, the venue does a good job presenting it. Almost every seated or standing area will give you a respectable view of the stage and I think the sound is fantastic no matter where you are. The acoustics are certainly better than Meadowbrook in comparison. However, there is a fly in the ointment: it's hotter than Hades in there. The most recent show I saw happened when it was 50 and raining outside, and even then the artists and spectators were complaining about the heat. It's legitimately uncomfortable on a warm day, which can put a hamper on almost any show.

They tend to get the acts you would expect for a venue their size: classic rockers, comedians, secondary pop acts, a few indie darlings, and a lot of nostalgia tours. The prices skew pricier but not too bad.

It's not a bad place to see a show, and for NH in the summer time, it's that or Meadowbrook (I like Meadowbrook a bit more). You could do worse, but this place is in desperate need of some ventilation and maybe some fresher acts. And for whatever reason, a lot of terrible concertgoers end up at these shows.

Saw Coal ChamberSevendust last night...I've seen Sevendust here at least a dozen times and it continues to be my favorite venue....the staff is always friendly (including the bouncers) , 6.50 for a Harpoon isn't THAT bad....the accoustics are always great here...looking foward to more shows in the future here