I came here for a function and was not impressed at all. The basic functions of a function by the function hosts, the food and service, did not...function well.
I wish I could tell you how the hors d'oeuvres at the cocktail hour tasted, but they were barely seen, as the servers were virtually non-existent. The drinks were watered down, which continued to sully the event.
The risotto with chicken was decent, in that the rice was cooked well and the chicken wasn't dry. The dessert, however, was a little tacky. Ice cream sandwiches that were rock solid were rather kitschy for a professional event. Plus I needed a blow torch to thaw it. I know, the organizers might've chosen this, but I can still flame the venue for poor execution.
Service was average at best. It just seemed like the servers were there when you didn't need them and not around when you needed them. A bit of a stickler, yes, but I'm sure the group that organized the event didn't get this place for cheap.
The set up is nice. The floor (standing area) is directly in front of the stage, around that is the VIP booths you can sit in and behind that is the bar.
* I will warn you that if you get a VIP booth you will probably have to stand if you want to see the performance.
I wanted to love this venue I really did... But by the time the main band- Buckcherry was on stage the speakers had blown. Therefore you couldn't really hear the band at all. Luckily I was standing in the front row... But come on. We came to be able to HEAR the band.
Also, when I called to ask about about this show the man on the phone was so nasty. Horrible customer service.
*** Tons of parking!
Disappointed...
My husband surprised me with tickets to a concert... Of course trying to surprise me didn't check the date with me first... My sister ruined the surprise knowing I had plans that day... I called 1 hour after he purchased the tickets. I was told to try to sell them on my own - no refunds - no exchanges - no help.
I believe every place can make exceptions  - customer service is obviously not their strong suit...  The show is not til 9/29  today is 8/10 and again called within an hour... No way did I jeopardized showcase live from re-selling these tickets!
I hope I can sell these tickets!
I've been to 3 shows over the past year. Â All were seated shows. Sight lines and sound were terrific. Can't speak to the drink prices as I don't drink but the food prices are reasonable $13- $18 for entrees, Desserts around $6/7. The food was incredible. Very good presentation, decent portions and delicious. I usually go with a chicken dish. They do change the menu for different seasons and is somewhat limited for entrees. I would actually eat there without a show! I never had a problem with the service and found the my last experience to be top notch. A great night out!
Review Source:My wife and I went to see Musiq Soulchild August 4, 2011 , don't get me wrong, the performance was off the hook, but the my wife and I experience there was not. I bought the "V.I.P." tickets where you sit on the in a booth with a small party of your friends while everyone else stands in front of the stage. We figured we would be raised up so that we could still sit and enjoy the concert at the same time, my wife was 7 months pregnant. the "V.I.P." seats were not raised, they had some whack version of trying to segregate the "V.I.P." section from where standing ovation was by a red tape that soon moved once the concert started. Â We had to stand after paying extra for for the booth. I had to protect my wife with people walking past her and Mr. Drunk Man that stood in front of her that was no where close to stable
Also since we had the booth, the waitress had messed up our bill along with the table behind us. Â They charged us for drinks we never got. Don't get me wrong I love a good drink, but my wife and I weren't drinking due to her being pregnant. Â They had to redo the bill 3 so many times a manager had to come over to figure out what the problem was and why we weren't paying.
Great concert Musiq, bad venue.
This place is awesome. Â A venue like this would do well in Boston - or anywhere - but Foxboro is an ideal spot for this type of venue.
It's clean, well-run, safe and easy. Â Great for a date or for friends to check out a show. Â The food isn't any good - but it's tolerable.
The best part is the sound. Â The acoustics here are excellent thanks to all brand new equipment. Â An awesome house system.
The only problem they are struggling with is getting more big-name acts. Â Lately it's been almost all cover bands...Come on guys!
Overall, I highly recommend checking out a show here if something looks good to you.
Standing room only clubs suck and suck HARD. Â Honestly, the thing that impressed me the most about this place is that the bathroom was spotless. Â 1200 people were packed inside the club yet the bathroom was clean. Â But that club is a riot waiting to happen. Â The place was packed and the dance floor littered with glass bottles, all potential weapons and projectiles. Â I'd be real careful going to a show here.
Review Source:I have been to 2 very different concerts here: The Misfits (with Jerry Only) and The Wailers. Both times, there was close and ample parking, the prices were average, and the crowd was actually very small for both. Maybe their advertising hasn't worked for them or something, but hey, it works for me.
We sat and ate here before the show and it was great food for pub fare too! Yum!
Not a lot of places to sit unless you have a reservation, but we loved both concerts and the sound quality was pretty good.
Bring EarPlugs
The Show was awesome. Â We saw Bob Marley the Comedian. Â I think they oversold the show. Â It was general admission and as the warm up act came the added three chairs to our table of six and I think had to split a group up. Â They also had to set up two more tables during the show. Â The smaller size of the venue made it a great place to see Bob and I would go again. Â I would go back here for the price and the ease to get here.
Review Source:I attended my first concert at Showcase Live recently. Â It was advertised to be a standing room only concert at $15 a pop. Â I guess they didn't sell quite as many tickets as they had expected, however, because by the time I arrived at the 1050 maximum capacity room the layout was "Partially Seated" plus! Â While I didn't actually grab myself a seat, I still appreciated that they adjusted the layout based on the turnout.
With a space more wide than it is deep, you could probably get a pretty good view from anywhere in the room. Â However, I noticed that folks by the bar area were more interested in chatting with one another than in the music, so if you would rather not have background chatter obscuring the sounds of your favorite artist, you might want to place yourself closer to the stage.
Standing at one of the round tables by the bar, I found it difficult to get a waitress to stop so I could order something to munch on, but with some tenacity, I was able to finally catch someone's attention. Â Chicken fingers with honey mustard $7 was delivered shortly after by another server. Â The pieces were a little on the small side, but tasted okay.
Bathrooms are located in a hallway to the left of the stage. Â Parking was free. Â Re-entrance (I was told) was not allowed.
4 solid stars for Showcase Live at Patriot Place. Went to Showcase to see Ani Difranco this past Saturday and was thoroughly impressed with the venue. The place is gorgeous, just the right size for seeing someone you really love because of the intimacy of the room. General Admission is perfect for a place like this because everyone loads into the floor of the main stage area and crowds around the stage. We got there about 30 minutes after the doors opened and we were still able to stake an awesome spot in the "front row" right in front of the stage with a perfect view of Ani.
I'm pretty sure my boyfriend had a different experience of Showcase Live considering he was chastised by a large group of women and told to not stand in front because he was "too tall". We spent the concert about 100 yards apart while my best friend and I were front and center having the time of our lives. Sorry babe. Its not like Ani Difranco is exactly his opinion of Artist of the Year or anything. The tickets were my christmas gift and he was able to brave the strong willed ladies and check her out with me and some of my friends. Brave man.
The sound was awesome, the drinks were strong (though I think 8.75 bucks for a whiskey and ginger is pretty steep) and the staff was great. There was security around and present but they let everyone have a good time. Â
Another great thing? Free Parking. Anyone who's ever ventured to Gillette or Patriot Place on game days knows about having to take out a second mortgage to park your car here. On off nights parking here is free and easy.
So aside from the angsty women that separated me from my boyfriend quickly and with much precision, we had a great time. And come on... at Ani Difranco? He had to see that coming...
My advice? Pregame, eat something cheap somewhere else (Patriot Place is loaded with other options that won't drain your account), and get here on time to grab a good spot at the stage.
This is a great new spot for smaller national acts. The size of the venue makes for a real intimate setting. The sound is great, drinks are pricey. But I will gladly spend a couple of extra bucks on a beverage if my favorite band sounds great.
Plenty of parking (I was there on an off night) and the staff is friendly and non-intrusive.
I want to give it 5 stars but the $6 for Miller Light bottles is a little steep. Â Every other review was right on. Â The sound and lights are amazing. Â No matter where you are in the room you feel like you're right next to the small stage. Â The waitress was friendly, but at times a little to busy. Â No fault of hers, she just had a lot of tables to cover. Â With the free parking, and all the food options at Patriot Place it's a much better alternative to going to Boston or Providence for a small club show.
Review Source:Saw my first show here a few weeks ago. I was pretty impressed. Â Very intimate venue, not a bad seat/place in the house. Â Being huge fans of the act we were there to see (De La Soul), myself and my friends immediately went way up front to the stage at the beginning. For most of the show we were within arms-length of one of the most legendary hip hop groups ever! A+ for that.
The bar was huge, and had an expansive selection. Drinks were a little bit pricey, but not as bad as say, Boston or Providence venues. Â The bartenders were pretty attentive and fast to our orders, despite the place being sold out. Good job for that. Â Also, my friend works the ticket booth, and got me a special offer for being on the online/Facebook mailing list. I got to buy one ticket for $30 and get one for free, if I printed out the Facebook email they sent me! So thats essentially $15 a ticket. Not too bad! I suggest you join the Showcase Live Facebook group if you want in on these great deals. Not to be missed. Â
Overall Showcase is a great live intimate venue, and with a solid artist lineup your favorite band or artist just might be playing here soon. A chance to see them up close and personal in a place like this is priceless. Check who's playing here! It'll be worth it.
OK..This place totally freaking ROCKS!!!!!!!! Â The best place hands down in MA to see any show! Â So intimate and you can actually interact with the band.
Just saw Daughtry there and it was absolutely amazing. Â Paid $25.00 for a ticket and I should have paid way more. Â This place is absolutely gorgeous. Â The sound was amazing and I really cannot wait to back here to see more bands!!!
I wish they had a better selection of bands coming! Â Because, this place really rocks! Â Also, how can you go wrong with this place when they have one of the best soundmen in Boston, Jeff? Â Pfft!
The only problem we actually had here was the police outside. Â They were pretty rude to a lot of people outside. Â I think they could have handled things a bit differently and treated people a lot nicer. Â I personally do not drink alcohol, so for them to be rude..to everyone in line was just uncalled for. Â I think that they should be told to take it down a notch..
I saw the Ska is Dead: Skanksgiving fest here in November. I have to say, overall I was impressed by the venue. It had a nice big dance floor, and some good seated areas surrounding said floor for taking a break. Ska shows can be exhausting, so a quick breather is important. Also, they had pitchers of ice water and plastic cups sitting at various places on the bar. This was key. I know the Middle East does something similar, but I don't always expect such things from these kinds of "upscale" venues.
The one place where the venue lacked was security. Oh it was there; a bunch of muscleheaded goons in suits and Secret Security-wannabe earpieces. Around when the last band came on, a voice on the PA alerted the crowd to the crowdsurfing policy; you do it, you're out. Of course, we'd already figured that out having watched numerous kids get roughly dragged out by overzealous guards, after they plow through the (mostly) happy crowd. Look, guys, I know it's policy not to allow it. I personally hate crowdsurfers. But the football gets played IN the stadium, on the field. You're not a linebacker, and we're not the Bills. Be cool.
Anyway, aside from that, the venue is cool. The prices didn't seem to be outrageous for tickets (of course, depends on the show). I didn't hit the bar, so I can't comment there. The sound was great. Will be back for Skanksgiving 2!
I saw Gaelic Storm here the other day and was impressed. We did not get there soon enough to snag a table but we had not problem seeing the stage from the back. The acoustics were great. Â
The bathrooms are a pain to get to since the you have to force your way through the crowd. They could have used another bathroom in the back. Â The drinks were a little overpriced but very strong, mine was pretty much all alcohol, little coke.
The band interacted with the crowd and it was a really fun time. I recommend seeing a show here.
Saw a country show last night and must say I was very impressed - it was sit down style, with a waitress who kept us happy - accoustics were solid, and we were extremely close to the artist, which was great - well run, great environment - not sure there's a better venue in the Boston area for an intimate show
Review Source:I went last night to see Busta Rhymes and i was highly impressed. First of all I live in the area. So, having place like this near you is awesome. Who needs the city. I was back at my condo in 15 minutes. I saw a great Hip Hop show in Busta Rhymes. Busta came through and delivered a great set. The lighting is great, the sound is awesome, and sight lines are really good. i was nervous when i walked and saw the massive crowd. However, I was easily able to get a space to stand. The bar is real long. and my friends got drinks right away. Then we where able to get waitress service. We did some sweet talking and got the hook up from her. The only negative is that the bathroom is only on one side. Which does seem strange. So, I did have to go through a wave of people to get there. But luckily they pipe the sound in. So, you do not miss anything. I saw some people getting food and friend commented that it smelled really good. Love the venue and I can not wait for more shows to go down here. The only other thing is I recently checked the schedule line up and it is a bit hurting as to what acts are coming there. They might need to get better booking agent. But I am sure the competition is very tough. People might get scared because it is not in Boston. Honestly, it is the best small size space too see a show in Boston. My other friend said they should make the place a club when on the weekends when no acts are performing. They should really try and get some top notch DJs. The burbs are making it happen.
Review Source:Went to see Toad the Wet Sprocket recently and had a good time. Didn't try to work my way to the front, but was able to see pretty well from near the bar. Speaking of the bar, it is expensive, but very easy to get drinks. They let you run a tab, which is helpful. Just make sure to settle before the show ends.
Dislikes: Bathrooms are on one side and a long walk through traffic. They should have another bathroom on the opposite side. Carpeted section was wet and squishy. Kind of a nasty feeling under your feet.
I agree with the other reviews that there isn't a bad view in this place. The show was sold out but they didn't overpack the place so it was very easy to move around. The room is sort of a big box with no outstanding decor or anything, not much personality to the place. The biggest plus for me was the sound system. I have been to basically every music venue throughout New England and Showcase was definitely in the top 3 when it came to sound. Outstanding. Not sure if it has been the same for other acts though. Drinks are the typical price for a mid-size venue but nothing too outrageous. If the right band/act is there I would make the trek down again.
Review Source:There is quite literally not a bad seat in the house. The standing room capacity of this venue is about 1000, but last night they had most the area full of tables, cutting the crowd to 500. No dance floor last night, but they can do that too. It's like a big lego club, you can take parts out and put new ones in.
Ticket prices vary widely depending on the act. Food and drink prices were fairly reasonable considering the relative classiness of the joint - 5 for a beer, 8-12 for a cocktail. The bar is about 30 yards long, so there's plenty of room to belly up to it. The food was very decent and ranged from 12 for a burger( a good burger, with lots of cheese, fresh veggies and a huge pile of steak fries) to 23 for Chilean Sea Bass. It was also about the same 12 for a range of bar-food type apps, and the table service was competent and friendly.
It's new, it's clean, bathrooms were super nice and huge so there weren't long lines.
Considering that I saw Blue Oyster Cult, a band that peaked in the 70's when I was about 5. . . .the crowd was surprisingly varied -early 20's (fewer) to  mostly 30 somethings to 50's (lots, considering the band and all. . .) . And though the bulk of the room was tables and chairs, there were people crammed standing around the edges and dancing between tables on the floor right in front of the stage (where the tickets are pricier, incidentally).
There were two utterly sotted middle-aged gentlemen by the bar in  headbands and frayed denim vests with the blue oyster cult j-cross symbol emblazoned on the backs, wrestling and stumbling around in ambiguously homo-erotic nirvana, punctuating the evening periodically with "F**&%& BLUE OYSTER CULT MAAAAAn. . . .YOU F&^^%^&$$^ ROOOOOOOCK. . . . . .F&^#$&#*&#$^$&# AWESOME. . . ..F&#^$%#*# MOTHER F&^#&$^#*&^@%&#^&@*". . .that was pretty much worth the price of admission right there. With the vaguely uneasy baby-faced security -type hovering around their perimeter looking pained. . .yeah. LOL
And I got to sing . . .History Shows again and again how nature points out the folly of maaaaaaaan. Go GO Â GODZILLA!
One thing I'd say they could improve on? Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â More cowbell.
Sure - the premise of the venue is kind of cheesy - but you know what it works. And I'll admit that I'm totally buying it.
Saw the Squirrel Nut Zippers here last night (yes, I live in 1998) and it was the perfect venue. The sound was really great, and being that the place wasn't too crowded we got seats despite our general admission tickets (though this did not stop those of us who wanted to take advantage of the dancefloor in front of the stage).
My only issues were: 1. $4 for a soft drink - that's right - my plain fizzy water cost a George Washington short of a beer. 2. No ATM - I now owe everyone and their mom who had to cover for me (the venue takes cards but we were splitting bills)
All in all though, a place I look forward to going back to. For the right act I see it as being an excellent place to pass a few hours - shame it's all the way in Foxboro(ugh).
This is a pretty classy joint.
Not old enough to be dirty yet, shiny new flat screens behind the bar and projection screens on each side of the stage, with plenty of seating around the perimeter for those who just want to lay low (or parents taking their preteens to their first mosh pits). I went to Skanksgiving there this weekend, it was obvious that security was not prepared for crowd surfers (I think the bands that usually play here bring in a different crowd). The cost was reasonable, only $15 for a 6 1/2 hour show (though I'm pretty certain the cost is determined by the bands, not the venue). I didn't drink, but it looked like the prices were the usual way-too-much.
Two big pluses: cups of tap water on the bar for the taking and free parking (since it's basically in a mall). I'd definitely come here again.
Clearly the person who wrote the first review works for showcase live...
Tickets prices were outrageous. It was 75 dollars for standing room only and if you wanted a seat tickets were 125+ (lucky for us tickets were free). Its not big name bands like the rolling stones or bruce springsteen are playing, its low key bands like hanson and gin blossoms.
There are also no seats at the bar. And speaking of the bar...a rum and coke was 8.00 and it was in a VERY tiny glass. Come on, thats just crazy.
I was offered free tickets to Hanson and I dont think im going to go back because standing up for 3+ hours with a place that serves shitty drinks just isnt appealing.