I have only been to the Intersection twice, but I am definitely a fan. It's a large warehouse-like setting with a bar in the lounge area and a bar in the main stage area with 2 smaller bars on the side, but they don't seem to use those much. They also have tables and chairs set up in front of the bar and along the side walls if you want to sit and enjoy drinks before the show.
The only bad side about this place is that they don't have their own parking lot. You have to search the streets or pay and park in the public lots.
I was just out in Grand Rapids on Saturday to see Ghost/Opeth/Mastodon. I had never been to downtown Grand Rapids...well, I didn't even know there was a downtown Grand Rapids. It was actually really nice! The venue, on the other hand, sucked ass. The line to get in was insaneeeeeely long, which is all good and normal but it to forever to get in because they had only one guy checking id's at the door, then another one guy once you got in to give you a wrist band, then two guys who were scanning tickets. So there were basically three check points to get into the place, all moving at basically one person at a time. Holy slow.
So then we walk in and it's tiny as all hell. Ok...this can't be it...there was some shitty little band setting up equipment on a stage with a few chairs and tables in front of it. Yeah, this wasn't it. What the fuck? Oh...to the right is a door that leads to outside which leads to another door that leads to inside a much bigger venue. Cool? I don't know, but it was somewhat confusing and just weird.
So we make our way into the actual venue which was a pretty nice size. It was WARM in here though. It wasn't warm outside but as soon as we walked in it was just a wall of warm. And a stench of fart that never went away the entire evening. Seriously.
The floors of the venue are concrete. This means they are horrible. So much pain! By the time Mastodon finally took the stage my feet and shins hurt so holyfuckingshit bad I could barely focus on the show at all. I was so uncomfortable. I mean, my feet always hurt at shows, it just comes with the territory, but concrete floors are the worst. If I ever come back here, I'll have to wear some insoles or something.
The sound quality was meh. Wasn't horrible but certainly not the best and the lighting system they had set up was kind of cheesy. I didn't dig that too much. It sort of reminded me of those old school pictures we all had back in like 2nd grade where we begged our parents to pay a few extra bucks for the background with the pink-ish laser light looking things. Or maybe that was just me? Anyways...
So I wouldn't come back here again, unless they had some really amazing show going on. And I'd wear the most comfortable shoes possible.
The Intersection is a venue I didn't expect to like so much. I love small venues and I always thought this place would be bigger than my liking. Plus they never seemed to book shows I wanted to see for a while. Then one day...Something happened. A little awesome something, called Man Man. The Intersection booked a band that I had seen in the past, a band that I felt I was alone in my devotion, a band that put on the single greatest concert experience I've ever had the pleasure of causing my brains to blow out the back of my head. Does that sentence even make sense? If not, it describes the insanity of a Man Man show.
Okay, I'm getting off track. The Intersection booked this band, when in the past I thought they booked a little more mainstream bands. Not a bad thing necessarily. Just not my type of music so even though I had been to tons of concerts, this was my first Intersection experience. Although I wasn't a huge fan of the crowd (they were really rough), the staff was awesome! They would actually pull rough-housers out of the crowd if they were causing too much trouble. I've never really seen this much at a show. And I really appreciated it. The only thing I'm not a huge fan of at this place is that they have a gate that prohibits fans from being right up against the stage. It's not that big of a deal since I know a lot of venues are like this. But the benefit of a smaller venue usually allows you to get closer to the band. So that would be a nice change, or at least if they took it down for some concerts so long as the artists didn't mind.
And the crowd isn't always bad (depends on the show obviously). I just got back from seeing Electric Six and it was bar-none one of the best crowds I've had the pleasure of spending an amazing show with. Everyone gave everyone enough space to dance. No elbowing, no pushing, no moshing. But everyone was still having an awesome time and if you bumped into someone from dancing too hard, it was no big deal. And it's not smoky anymore...plus! ANOTHER good thing(!)...Is that they don't throw away their drink specials just because there's a concert. The night we saw Man Man was a Tuesday and all of their Michigan craft beers were $3 all night! And they have good stuff! Bells', Founders, etc. Not to mention, it's right down the street from Founders. Anything within walking distance to Founders is just awesome by association. They're practically rubbing elbows, in a friendly-not-distracting-you-from-the-show kinda way, of course! :)
This place gets worse and worse every time I return.
I live in Chicago now, so when traveling back to Michigan for a show, The Intersection is geographically convenient....but that's about all it has going for it these days. Â
The venue was run-down, the chairs were falling apart, service was poor, parking was bad, and to top it off, the staff members were rude. Â
The venue had two "local" artists play before the ticketed acts, making the show last much longer than expected. Â The crowd was incredibly loud and rude during the final act (the one I traveled there to see) and the staff did nothing to help the situation. Â About 3 seconds after the final singer finished, a staff member was in the lounge screaming that everyone needed to "get out", leaving no time for guests to even consider buying merch.
From the artist's perspective, things were poor. Â The list of invited guests wasn't available and the staff made no effort to locate it (I had to find one of the artists and have him "vouch" for me to gain entry). Â The soundcheck was pointless and required the artist leaving the stage and going to adjust the controls himself. Â
Saying all this...I'd probably go to another show at The Intersection in the future....for the music, though, not for the venue. Â Just keep your expectations low and hope there's no jerk at the bar screaming at the top of his lungs over the singers.
The intersection has a small lounge in front, and the concert hall is in back.
There's plenty of free parking on the streets nearby. I've never had to walk more than three blocks to get back to my car. If you get there right when doors open, the lines tend to be pretty long, so be prepared (especially if it's winter). They do have a coat check, but it often gets full. I'm not sure if it's free, but I usually just leave my coat in my car since it can get a little smoky by the coat check.
The concert hall is a great Grand Rapids venue. The acoustics are great and shows are usually reasonably priced (although the same cannot be said for drinks--but what do you expect?). The size of the venue allows you to be close to the action no matter where you are, and shows at the Intersection are always a great time. Just be prepared to leave soaked in beer from head-to-toe. Things can get pretty wild, depending on who is playing the show.
It's a great small music venue and great for Grand Rapids.
That being said, I have had 2 really snotty experiences with bartenders. Â Not busy nights, so it's not because they were overworked. Â I can't define it any better than "snotty". Â
Also very expensive alcohol prices but what can you expect...I guess.
I know I will end up back there one way or another so I hope I am proved wrong soon enough.
I went to this place a couple years ago to see Billy Corgan's now defunct band, Djali Zwan, and had an amazing time. We spent three days camped out in front of this place, and the staff was nothing but nice. They kept bringing us water and bumming us smokes.
As for the venue, the sound was really great, though I can't comment on the lines of sight because we were right up front. The bouncers were really cool people, and if they still work there, tell your boss I said you need a fucking raise.
If I'm ever in Grand Rapids again I will be stopping by here to see a show.
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