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
Review Source:Ya'know...I had set the bar very, very low for this venue for a multitude of reasons...but when "The Offspring" played there this summer, I knew I would have to give it a try (for my bf's sake anyway)...and  we were both pleasantly surprised. We got there very early, so we snagged a table in the back, which allowed us to see the band from a decent close up perspective, yet we were able to avoid the mosh pit and other riff-raff. Very cool. The service was also great. We did not order much and we were not hassled a lot either...I was afraid where we had such a primo seat that we would be hounded to spend more money...not the case.
Review Source:Solely for music/performances it's a great venue. Â The sound is good, the stage is big and the floor is wide, great for seeing bands or live shows.
Looking for a beer or two? Â Either do some pregaming before you go or liquidate any investments you may have because a simple Bud Light here is just shy of $8. Â I didn't see how much mixed drinks were but I assume nothing short of a second mortgage or organ trafficking would make it financially possible.
Door prices were no treat either, their shows consistently costing quite a bit more than the same shows at other venues.
Also, I don't know if this is how it always is, but when I went the floors were sticky. Â Really sticky. Â Explosion-at-the-honey-factory sticky.
Just attended my first and last concert at the Hampton Beach Casino Ball Room.  The bands were great.  The facility is horrible.  You're  literally sitting on top of each other.  There appears to be no AC or it's not working.  Even one of performers complained about it.  They pack so many people in, one has question if they are not breaking the fire codes.  I can't imagine them getting much repeat business.
Review Source:Odd set up it is very wide but if you are anywhere near the center then you have great seats close up. Cool feeling with the ciraca 1900 old school feel. Not the cleanest or most up to date place more like a historical landmark. Not a bad place but quite different then anywhere I have been. You don't want to sit next to somebody annoying in this place or your night can be ruined. Didn't notice anything but pretty gross bathrooms or to be fair we will call them quite dated with some very needed updating. I could recommend it again try it once just to get an idea if what it is for a show it would be worth it and parking is right behind the place but get there early to find some or you could get charged for parking.
Review Source:Cabaret seating works in a place like New York. Â In NH you get stuck with some redneck who dips at the table and picks a fight with you. Â I saw Louis CK here and had this very experience. Â The couple who sat with us "knew" Louie. Â Well, the girl hadn't spoken to him since higschool. Her idiot Boyfriend was so whacked out and was spittin his lippa into a cup. Â He grabbed my beer and went to spit into it. Â Just as that happened my buzz started wearing off and I realized he wanted to tango. Â I am not used to such behavior. Â Luckily his girl saw my face and realized this was going to get bad no matter what the turnout. Â So, they got up and stood the whole time and we had the table to ourself. Â All in all it is a good venue and the show was fun. Â But, if you see a douche with a beard and chewing tobacco wearing scrubs change your seats.
Review Source:What can I say about the Hampton Beach Casino Ball Room... Oh I know, did you know that there was never a casino here ? Oh you did well then I guess all I can tell you is, if you want to see live music with a moderately good sounding room and General Admission, well this is your place. Feel like sitting down to watch the show ? Get there early and secure your seat in the back where there is elevated seating. I just saw the pixies there with my kids in town (under 18 allowed when accompanied by an adult) yeah New Hampshire has shit right. Open your eyes Massachusetts. Enjoyed the show a lot, great place to people watch too when say Cinderella or Queesryche comes to town.....
A-Ok
Yes, we all know the shortcomings of this place: cramped tables that you can't find, a sort of fraternity basement atmosphere, etc. But it's always been a fun place to see a show...until now.
We went last night and they have turned this place into a security police state. We were seeing Tower of Power...which means you're talking about a far-less-than-capacity audience of 40-plus-year-old parents. The security staff, however, behaved like the place could turn into Altamont 1969 at any time. We had a pre-show dinner at my house where everyone had a couple glasses of wine, and when one member of our party stumbled in her new shoes walking up the considerable flight of stairs to enter the place, they denied her entry to the show for being "intoxicated" (which was ridiculous...because while she was sipping wine, I was downing bourbon -- if anyone should have been denied entry, it was me, and I was nowhere near "intoxicated" at the time.)
When we asked for help finding our seats, the staff just pointed in the general direction and that was it. Once we found our table in the dark (no small feat), there literally was no way to get to our seats past all the other people, and even then I'm pretty sure other people were sitting in our seats anyway. So we wound up standing in the general admission area (even though we'd paid for more expensive tickets), at which point one security goon backed by a 6-foot-10 "don't look at me the wrong way" enforcer lectured us about blocking the path to the men's room -- which was literally 30 yards away. (I mean....ARE YOU KIDDING???)
I'm done with this place -- they treat their audience like the enemy. If you want to see formerly-hot-acts-in-their- golden-years, The Blue Ocean in Salisbury is a MUCH better venue for comparable acts.
Caught the Robert Hawkins and Ron White comedy show while in town.
Maybe it was the great quality of the show or maybe I loved the old-style ambiance but I loved it here.
The wait staff were excellent especially considering the difficult work environment.
I wish I could stay longer. The quality of acts that this place draws is amazing!
ok, I heard from the Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom and I need to admit that they were most gracious and addressed all of my concerns.
They took the time to reach out to me not once, but twice to apologize and they were at no time ever patronizing.
I am completely satisfied with their response.
Abolutely love this venu. Â Have been to TONS of shows here and just love the wide open floor! They have a few large bars with lots of different liquors and beers, as well as several beer stands. Â It never feels crazy packed in here, even if there is a sold out show! Â If I have the choice of picking any venu in the Boston/New Hampshire area to see one of my favorite bands, it's definitely here!
Review Source:I have been to several show here and finally have bitten the bullet after so many HORRIBLE experiences and make the decision to never go here again. Â The last three times we have gone--and spent a lot of dough to sit close--we were squeezed in to a table up front that was meant for less people and had to sit across from each other, not next to each other. Â Not only was it terribly uncomfortable (and too freaking loud and distorted) but every time we were stuck with totally trashed loud goons who continued to be served--and twice we had couples who fought all night. Â It is not a place to relax and definitely not a place for those who want to HEAR your band. Â What a terrible experience. Â I'll take Tupelo in Londonderry anytime.
Review Source:Fine venue for GA shows. For seated shows, this place SUCKS. We were crammed in like sardines, with 14 people expected to share a space that could comfortably seat 10. Awful experience, you had to turn sideways to see the band, people in all the aisles because there was not enough room for them at the tables they were assigned to.
The staff were really nice though.
Honestly, this is one of the worst venues I've been to, and I've been to quite a few. Actually, I've even performed at this place, but that's another story. And frankly, I'd much rather be on the stage here than in the audience. Horrible.
Went to see Yes here, my favorite band, and thankfully the music was so damn good I eventually got over my anger at this place, but that was no small feat. We went looking for our seats and couldn't find them. One of the staff tells us "oh, we had to move those." Huh??? At $60 a ticket I damn well expect my seats to be there when I arrive. The manager came out and tried (emphasis on "tried") to help us find some other seats. We did eventually, but had to climb over a table to get there and ended up right on top of some other people. As others have mentioned, the chairs are so close together that there is literally no moving once you're seated. Then the waitstaff comes around to take your beer order and that's another distraction. Maybe it's just me, but if I want a beer, I'll go get it myself. I'm there to enjoy the show, and don't really want the waitress blocking my view.
This is it for me, I won't be coming back.
Want to see a good concert & don't want to go to Boston or Worcester. The Casino Ballroom in the best choice. Easy to get too, plenty of local parking. Not a bad seat in the place. It is old & set up a bit strange as you walk in & the stage is on the right wall dead center. Plenty of places to get a drink. Reasonably clean & well staffed. Cheap enough ticket prices, easy to order on line or at the window. Shows seem to start right on time. Drinks of course are over priced. Good sound here. (Saw Eddie Money with Ernie & the Automatics opening)
Review Source:I've seen two shows here now, and despite them not being keen on cameras, it's a pretty nice venue. They only allow the pocket-size cameras so leave the SLRs at home. The space is wide where most venues are long... and the sound is great!
The parking is pretty easy, usually there are spots across the street (pay at a machine). Lots of places to eat, and very scenic, quaint beach town. I didn't like the cafe on the corner (have forgotten the name). They couldn't even get my coffee order right (seriously, how hard is coffee).
Definitely worth the trip from Boston if it's a band you love. Try to avoid leaving during rush hour thought, it'll be a two hour drive easy.
Awful.
Probably the worst venue I've ever been to.
General admission seating for a comedy show can work if there's some sort of seating bowl around a stage. Anything would be better than general admission at the Casino Ball Room which from the mish-mash of tables, chairs and barstools makes me think their seating was arranged by Tommy Dreamer and Raven circa 1996.
$35 to sit in the back corner of the room, facing away from the stage. Even facing the stage you're at least 100 feet away thanks to the worst stage placement in the world. Think of every theater or club you've ever been to and put the stage on the right wall. Are you sitting stage left or right? Congratulations! You can't see shit!
It probably didn't help that Joel McHale is easily one of the worst stand up acts in recorded history. Imagine watching The Soup without the clips, do you enjoy jokes about Kim Kardashian's ass or Ryan Seacrest's height? How about a joke stolen from a 1996 Jon Stewart bit? (here it is: <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fonegoodmove.org%2F1gm%2F1gmarchive%2F2007%2F12%2Fjon_stewart.html&s=64e450b0c13b44e47873765b45baece3cca3d12359fc92e6a417138f08337849" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://onegoodmove.org/1…</a>) $35 for that incredifresh material, enjoy the reaming.
I wish I could give this place zero stars because I missed Jim Gaffigan to see fuckface McHale.
After Goldfinger ruined an otherwise great concert at Lupo's in Providence, I had to get the bad taste out of my mouth so I went up to the Hampton Beach Casio Ballroom to see Less Than Jake and Suburban Legends for the second time in just over a week.
This was my first time at the Ballroom and it didn't disappoint. The space is long and narrow with the stage and bar on the long walls. Not the best place for the stage but it works. Unlike most venues this size, the Ballroom is all one level. The floor in front of the stage is the same height as the area in front of the bar on the opposite wall. For me, this is a negative. Another thing I didn't like about the Ballroom, this is the first concert I've been to that's had a barrier between the bar and the rest of the floor. I know it's not that unusual for a venue to do this but I'm not a fan.
Overall I enjoyed the concert and the venue didn't do anything to get in the way of that so it get's a solid 3 / 5.
I am not very excited about the Ballroom, but I have seen two fairly interesting/good shows there. I went up a few years ago to see Constantine Maroulis (from American Idol) - tickets from Stub Hub for about a $1.50 a piece and the place was relatively empty which was nice. It still looks like a high school gymnasium, regardless of how many people are packed in there.
Last night I went to see Jeff Dunham, which was amazing and much cheaper than seeing him closer to Boston in a larger venue. We had to wait in a LONG ass line to get into the joint, the show started about 30 minutes late. It was really rough, started to rain. But other than that, once you are in and the show is good enough you can kind of forget how shitty the place is.
The drinks I have had there were no more expensive than drinking in a bar in Boston, the waitresses no more attentive. The only way you can really get a good seat in the place as far as I can tell, is to go REALLY EARLY and wait in the front of the line forever. Or somehow get your ass into one of those weird sky boxes. Do you need a membership? How much do you have to pay, do you get into all the shows if you do? Curious things those boxes.
My gentleman friend brought me here to see Zappa Plays Zappa the other night. Â I didn't even know Hampton Beach even existed, but it was interesting to see a boardwalk town like Wildwood, NJ all the way up here. Â The ballroom doesn't allow outside food so we ate some fried beach food nearby and then went in. Â The drinks were expensive (up to 6.50 for a beer or random strawberry margarita), but being a Boston girl now, it didn't really phase me, especially because it was a concert venue.
The seating was surprising. Â There are assigned seats at tables (better for you to drink and eat pizza and nachos on) and then, surrounding that, general admission seats and stools at tables.
Pros: Â Most seats were pretty good. Â We took GA seats on a corner and had a better view of Dweezil than some people with reserved seats.
Cons: Â The stool caused me to have to sit up straight for about 3 hours and for the past two days, my back has been in pain, recovering from the twisting.
If there was an absolutely fabulous show that was playing here and not in Boston, I would maybe come again  But seeing as it's an hour plus away and not great, I have a feeling I probably won't be back.
This is pretty much my least favorite place to see a show ever. Â It's very dirty, and the floor is so sticky that it's difficult to walk. Â The staff has been rude to me on a number of occasions. Â Plus, what the hell is up with those sky boxes?! Â They are so ridiculous. Â I mean, it's not an arena. Â It's a small-mid-sized club, and the sky boxes are so unnecessary. Â Also it seems that any time there is an all-ages show going on, it will sell out not because people actually want to see the band, but because the kids in town are looking for something to do that night. Â And then those kids go to the shows and don't actually watch the shows, but rather sit there (often in the front rows) texting their pals to tell them that they are at the shows. Â
However, I'm giving the place three stars because they do bring in some decent acts, I've seen some awesome shows there. Â If they could clean the place up (er, inside AND out) it might be an ok place.
I saw my second show there the other night and it reminded me how much i do love the place. The drinks are a little pricey but not as bad as some other places I've been. Â It's the lines for the drinks that got to me. It took me 20 minutes to get my first drink. The seating fills up fast too so you'd have to be there pretty early to get a table but if you do score one it'll both save you the drink wait and you can use a card to pay (no cards at the bar and the ATM is out back).
My favorite part about the venue is the way it is situated. A long room with a stage in the middle so you feel like your close to the stage no matter where you stand.
If your staying late then there is plenty of lodging available in the area as well as bars for a little afterdrink.
Hampton Beach holds a special place in my heart. Â Many a skipped day of school spent on the beach here. Many a night running about town. Even as years go by I still love to spend and afternoon playing skee ball and eating fried foods.
The Casino is part of that.
One of my favorite venues of it's size it fits the whole feel of the Beach. Pricing is about  the same as any venue of it's size, if not a tad better. The staff has never been anything but wonderful in my many trips there, no matter if the crowd is older townies, hipster kids from the city or teenagers.
If I had the choice to see a band here or the closer Orpheum, I would make the trip through nostalgia and drive the hour to Hampton.
Four stars just for having Friday Night Fights for several years. Â Hope they bring them back. Â I admit to almost fainting from the heat, but I bring a little wooden fan (the folding kind from Pier 1) and I do like the venue for the fights. Â Waitresses are fairly attentive. Â Don't think I've ever eaten their food. Â Why would I? heh.
I do not like Hampton Beach, but the Casino brings some good groups such as Little Feat (several awesome extended jams last time they were there...I'm jealous of anyone who is going to the Tupelo to see them soon), Tower of Power, Joe Cocker, etc. and some decent comedy. Â George Carlin was really good. Â My friend saw Zappa's son and said it was great. Â They seem to have a lot of last minute cancellations in the last year or so. Â
All in all, once a year is enough, unless someone really good is appearing.  Get there an hour early for the best general admission tables facing the stage.  They're much  better than the reserved seats.
i LOVE general admission club-like concert venues. Â however the casino ball room is not quite up to par with the rest. Â for one, that place is like a sweatbox. Â i don't think i've ever felt so nasty in my life (and i have been in a LOT of nasty venues!). Â they really need to do something about their ventilation system. Â also, doors open TWO HOURS before the show starts. Â that means if you want a good spot, you need to be inside the sweat box for two additional hours. Â drinks are overpriced and the bartenders are rude. Â my favorite band is playing here again this summer, but i have decided to sit this one out. Â the casino ballroom just ins't my thing.
Review Source:A good space to see a show/performance.
Most seats are good and the bar is cheap (compaired to NYC.) Standard bar food available to eat at your table or bar stool...which you may need to depend on if it's after summer when Hampton Beach becomes a ghost town.
Performers vary from Stray Cats to Andrew Dice Clay.
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