the Valarium closed November 24th, 2012.
When it was open I seen alot of super cool bands from death metal to Hank III. I had tickets to see Napalm Death when they closed and the show got moved to Chatanooga where I couldn't attend. I was more then a little pissed. Not like Napalm Death gets over here (ever) and tours much in the states.
The way it was laid out you could usually get up close and personal with whomever was playing. Some of the staff could be douchebags but thats almost expected in a venue of that size, not to say it was HUGE, but one of the bigger venues in Ktown by far.
For most touring bands, this was THE place to go in Ktown, and the ticket prices were usually pretty reasonable. I can't begin to list all the shows I've seen here over the years, but I've been there more then anyplace in my life to see bands. Ever.
The free parking does suck here but paying $5 for parking is really not that bad. Maybe it's because I've lived in major cities where it can be $40 a day for parking. Plus $5 is cheaper than a flat tire! The venue itself is very nice and has a great dance floor in front of the stage. The drink prices were a little high for the area but they did pour very strong ones! Well the brunette girl bartender didn't but the little guy with spacers did. I really enjoyed being able to walk over to the cider house side as well and catch a completely different type of show. Â All in all I would definitely go back for another concert.
Review Source:A legit out of towner review... on vacation from Cincinnati, the Chevelle/MCRut/Janus tour coincided with our Gatlinburg vacation, so we decided to go to it [also fell on the b/f's birthday, so that was an awesome present for him :) ]
I had nothing but a good experience here. The security staff weren't jerks about the pat downs and ID checking [I was expecting a bit of an issue since we had out of state ID's, it's happened to me at venues before], the bartenders were friendly and quick [beer was awesomely priced compared to here in Cincy], and the bathroom, though a bit small, wasn't as disgusting as I expected for a venue hosting a rock/metal show, some of the stalls were out of TP, but another had a plentiful stash, so some swapping was done. The sound system there was pretty impressive, where we were standing [about 5 people deep from the front, towards the left of the stage] everything sounded clear and the bass drum was booming, love that feeling.
Our GPS actually found the place quite easily, we only drove past it because we weren't sure if it was the actual place. Looks way different than what I'm used to seeing venues look like up around here.
And the only con about the venue is the parking. My god is the parking the most unorganized thing I've ever seen. We got there right after doors opened, drove through the gravel... saw plenty of spots that a car could fit into... if people knew how to properly park. Cars were parked crooked, practically taking up 2 spots, or they were parked so far apart that if another foot had been available an SUV could fit between them. We ended up being able to squeeze between a car [parked crooked, of course] and one of the ground pillars. If the b/f didn't know how to maneuver his car, we would have never fit in the spot.
This is truely a place of pro's and con's yet it's the best place to see shows in Knoxville.
Con's:
This place is so hard to find. I've been there 5 times and I've gotten lost each time and have have accadentally found it 5 different ways. Plus the place is not in a great part of town.Parking sucks. You have to park on a gravel/dirt/glass covered hill for free or pay $5-$7 to park in a lot.
The policies regarding clothing and cameras are different for every show. I've had to take jewlery off for some shows and was allowed to wear the same jewlery into others.I've also had boots with metal buckles frowned at at one show and never looked at at any of the others. You never know until you get there.
Staff is generally unhelpful/unseen.
Pro's
This place is very clean most of the time. Bathroom's (at least the women's) inclueded.
Drinks are strong and worth the price.
Sound is great, artist's usually mengle before and after the show, lots of room,and very low drama.
Best place to see show's in Knoxville since Blue Cats is gone.
I go to alot of concerts and I rarely write reviews of the venue, but I felt this one was exceptional.
First the negative....its hard to find. Putting the address in your GPS has you show up with the Valarium on your right, but you are on a bridge and the venue is below. The next right takes you to a highway so it took forever to figure out how to get "down there" (i ended up finding my way through a series of connected lots). Really annoying
second, being under a bridge near a railroad track, visually the outside looked really seedy. It looked like the perfection location for a director to shoot a rape scene. I was actually glad that their were cops hanging out front the entire time.
now the good
first, the place was really really clean. Unusually clean for a rock venue. Also, the sound was amazing. I wen to see Ween (who i've seen about 10 times) and they sounded so clear and crisp, my body felt one with the music. There was a lounge upstairs with sofas but the downstairs was comfortable too.
so yeah, if you can, see a show here. don't let the outside appearance decieve you. You will have a good time
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