First off, I don't drink so going to bars are only an option if they have a band I REALLY want to see, and The Pilot Light has had more then their share over the years (TRAILER BRIDE is still the best I've seen there, when they were around).
The stage is small, the bar is small. No, think smaller. Everytime I've been there everybody has been pretty cool but I don't go to mingle, I go to watch and listen to the bands play.
Of course in that part of town, you'll run into people on the sidewalk or parking lot that had cars run out of gas on the interstate and need change. If you go often enough you'll figure out it's a lot of the same folks that can't seen to put gas in their cars...
I liked it when they had the same old couch in there forever, the stories that thing must have told.
I know I'm rapidly aging when I still think of the Pilot Light as the "new" small live music venue in Knoxville. Â It's a cozy little ramshackle dive bar with a stage, a surprisingly good sound system, and an incredibly devoted staff who opened it years ago simply because they had nowhere in town to see their favorite music. Â
It's small, but not tiny (you'd be surprised to see a truly packed out show with 100 or so patrons - it's impressive!), and playfully lit with random knick-knacks and posters adorning the walls and ceiling. Â It may be rough, but it's comfortable, and a very pleasant place to hang out and hear some music. Â Beer is simple, cheap, and includes a reasonable variety for such a small bar and small budget. Â Plus, anywhere with cheap Schlitz gets approval from me. Â The bands range from acts literally thrown together earlier that week to nationally-touring talents sometimes on the verge of exploding into the realm of car commercials and David Letterman appearances. Â
The staff are basically volunteers, and the entire establishment is non-profit, if not by legal designation, then certainly by practical default. Â It's a testament to their efforts at keeping a great atmosphere and maintaining word-of-mouth interest that the venue has lasted as long as it has. Â Keep it up and it'll be there for many more generations of E TN music lovers, broke dive-bar-crawlers, and the occasional riff-raff passing through UT. Â Â ; )
A beautiful labor of love if I've ever seen one. Â The staff here are wonderful, the patrons are interesting and fun. Â Great sound, great company, and beer! Â What more could you want?
This is the place to go in Knoxville if you want to see excellent unknown bands in an intimate setting for pennies before they blow up.
The Pilot Light is as good as it gets in Knoxville when it comes to venues that showcase music that you would otherwise have to drive a few hours to see/hear. Seriously.. these are the folks that have brought Shellac, Lightning Bolt, Melt Banana and a whole long list of amazing bands to Knoxville. I'm not sure what show the first reviewer saw at The Pilot Light, but I rarely see any of the safety pin crowd there.. they tend to hang out at Old City Java.
On the beer selection.. they have PBR and Schlitz.. if those don't work for you then they have a couple of things in bottles.. the typical dive bar/hipster bar stuff. Why would you expect more?
The bathroom isn't that bad on the typical night.. no more so than any other public restroom.. maybe an improvement in fact.. have you been to any other Old City establishments? It's as clean as any of the rest (oh and the staff are in it for the love of music and they are paid little so kudo's to them for keeping the restrooms halfway clean).
As far as talent goes, The Pilot Light has had an amazing roster of artists perform.. and as is true at any venue there has been no shortage of lackluster bands. But even if the music is bad, theres still cheap beer and a good chance of interesting conversation with whoever is working the bar or the door.
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