High Noon Saloon

The High Noon is one of my two favorite venues in Madison to see a show (the other being the Majestic).

First, the space. It is clean and well-maintained (kind of the opposite of the Orpheum in the last few years). I love being able to get there an hour before the show and find a spot in the balcony from which to watch; since my "must be in the front row screaming along" days are behind me, a person of relatively short stature like myself really benefits from a balcony view. The stage itself isn't huge, but it's proportional to the rest of the space and it is raised somewhat for better viewing from the ground. The bathrooms are always well-stocked and clean, and there are a LOT of stalls in the women's room, two beautiful things to see at a music venue. I recently attended Paulie Fest there, an excellent concert/benefit for local music education, and they did a beautiful job remembering Paul, honoring his family, and raising money for a wonderful cause. The decor was breathtaking - fresh white roses and candles on the balcony tables, white Christmas lights, and lilacs filling the air.

The bartenders are very nice and patient. For example, they were well-stocked for the Kentucky Derby party, and if I were a bartender I would have lost my mind every time someone ordered a mint julep (so much muddling!). The bars tend to get really crowded during more popular shows, though, making it frustrating trying to get to the counter to get a bartender's attention. Getting rid of the stools at the bar for more popular events would probably fix this problem, though I doubt that will happen. The beer menu is long, and the taps are seasonal, featuring a lot of local microbreweries. This isn't exactly rare in Madison, but it's nice. The drinks are fair-priced and the mixed drinks aren't lacking for booze. Food is limited to a few kinds of pizza (ho-hum, out-of-the-box stuff), but since they're part of the same complex with the Brass Ring, you're welcome to bring in take-out from there, which I've done a few times.

The acts the High Noon brings in are usually fantastic. The tickets are often a great deal, and there are usually several bands on each bill. I've discovered a few new favorite local acts through the opening bands. Their theme parties are fun, often with appropriate drink specials and costumes/dressing up encouraged for a festive atmosphere. Nerd Nite is also a major highlight; the speakers are often engaging, the electronics work without struggle, and the fellow patrons are great to talk to. The only major downside, besides the difficulty with getting to the bar, is the enormous cloud of cigarette smoke that is ALWAYS outside the front door, though I suppose they have limited power in being able to change that.

ETA: The High Noon also has a special place in my heart because you can buy earplugs for a buck at the bar. This has saved my ears on countless occasions; I wish all live music venues in Madison did this.

NERD NITE IS WHERE IT'S AT!
Informal presentation on wacky, nerdy, cool subjects!
Last night I learned more than I knew about Derby, Number Stations (look it up) and particle generators in Antarctica. Oh, and it was FREE! I'm told there is always a good crowd for these monthly-ish colloquials and folks seem to dig the fact that drinking is encouraged. There were some decent taps last night including a really tasty porter (the name of which escapes me but you won't be able to get porter for long, let's be honest, it's warming up) and the bottle selection surprised me... MANY to choose from.
I dig the layout. There's ample places to be, but it still felt warm and cozy. Staff was super nice and if I didn't have some work to get to I probably would have closed the place down.

PRO TIP: if you're on East Wash... walk around. Took me a while to figure that out, but I'm directionally challenged so maybe you'll have an easier time.

High Noon Saloon is my favorite music venue on Earth.  I can't recommend it highly enough.