Ventura Theatre

Tonight was my first time at this particular venue. And I got to see my favorite band, Streetlight Manifesto.

Let's start with the good. I purchased my tickets months in advance, which turned out to be the smart move, as the show was BEYOND sold out.

All of the venue employees were friendly and flashed smiles. Nothing at all bad to say there 9.5/10.

The sound system was ABOVE par, and sounded great towards the back of the theater where we were. 8/10 (I can not speak for how it sounded towards the front.)

The bartenders were all great, and wait times were low. Although I would like to say that the prices were a bit higher than I expected. (And I live in Hollywood.) The drinks were almost perfect, 7.5/10 in this category.

My only issue; tonight was the hottest day of the year so far in 2013, and inside the venue it felt like over 100 degrees. I'm not sure if it's a regular thing, or if they were having issues with the A/C, but even the ushers and security were suffering from the heat.

Towards the end of the night, it got the point that I kept getting waters from the bar (only $3) and pouring them on people's backs and giving them drinks, just because I was worried about them overheating.

And this is where the venue won me over****: Security saw what I was doing, but instead of getting upset, or giving me any trouble, one of them went to the bar and grabbed two bottles of water and handed them to me, flashed me a smile, and said "Thank you".

They were incredibly attentive with people that obviously needed help, and helped them, instead of getting physical and kicking them out. (Which is the norm in most places.)

This is a Ticketly venue, so of course the fees were outrageous, but that is not the venue's fault.

I'm at shows several times a week, it's my job, and I would rate this experience 8/10 all around. Would 100% come back/host shows there.

This is my favorite intimate venue. You just don't get any closer to the band than you will here. The vibe here is perfect for rock shows. I live in LA and frequent many of the sunset strip venues.. And i wish we had a venue that could seal in the same energy that this place is capable of creating. I've seen a handful of shows here over the years, and even if the band wasn't that great i still had a great time. I see others complaining about the sound.. well, its not an issue if you're right by the stage, and i always have been, so no problem for me there. Parking here is okay, you might have to walk a block but at least you're not paying $20. Cant wait for the next show here!

Ventura is a black hole for decent concerts and everyone knows that, but when a good show stops in town during that once in a blue moon, it's nice having this theater as a local option. It's not as nice as most venues in LA or Santa Barbara, but I also haven't had the negative experiences here that a lot of people seem to. Security's been nice to me and extremely lax, never even patting me down. (Reading other reviews, the rude security seems to be from rap shows, which I don't go to. But having grown up in Ventura, all the old fogies here think anyone who likes rap is a chain-smoking thug.)

The interior hasn't really aged well, as while there's some nice decor lining the ceilings, the rest of the place looks pretty run-down, and the doors in the men's bathroom are all torn off (so tough luck if you need to go #2). The sound is also mediocre compared to other similarly sized venues. I also wish they invested in a better ventilation system, because boy, it gets extremely stuffy inside. On the plus side, there isn't a bad view anywhere in the house, although balcony seating is fairly limited, so get there early regardless of whether you want to be on the floor or the balcony. But even if you're in the back, you should be able to see the stage just fine.

Yes, drinks are expensive, but fortunately there are a bunch of cheaper and pretty nice bars in the immediate area. Being in downtown Ventura, it has the perks of some good dinner places within walking distance before you head to the show. Plus parking is free in the garage across the street or any of the nearby lots, which is another plus of being a small-town venue (though avoid street parking since the greedy pigs who run the city recently put meters on the street).