The Pearl Room: Gone...
- Thread starter Harvester
- Start date
Jasonic
Doom On!
Hey Jason:
Just saw this pic from Austin's site. I'd say that they did pretty well with the Down show over the weekend. Never forget that Phil Anselmo is still ridiculously popular.
I heard too that this show did well. Cool!
There is definitely a lot of opportunity for some club to step up to the plate.
Hey Jason:
Just saw this pic from Austin's site. I'd say that they did pretty well with the Down show over the weekend. Never forget that Phil Anselmo is still ridiculously popular.
I was there, the show was sold out and ridiculously packed. Austin's is a nice venue and only an hour drive from me which is the same amount of time for any venue in the city so it turned out nicely. The parking lot was full but there is another lot across the street and Austin's provides a shuttle bus to and from that parking lot so you don't have to jaywalk on a mayor highway. That was nice.
KingsGene
God of Thunder
I've only been to one show at Austin's for some local tribute bands. I'll reserve final judgment for another time, but this room definitely has potential. Sound/lights are killer, but staff are pretty rude. Hoping for a better experience next time...
Rycher
Oskee Wow Wow!
Never had a problem with the staff at the two shows I've seen at Austin's (Vince Neil & Lacuna Coil), but I do have a problem with the 800 drunks that show up for big name headliners like Vince Neil.
I've only been to the Pearl Room a few times. I do have a few questions/observations.
1.) Did anyone know if these unknown local bands were pay-to-play bands? Either paying a fee to get on the show or buying a certain amount of tickets for the show and reselling to whomever they could. I could easily have seen that being the case. That would have helped the Pearl Room's bottom line.
2.) Looking at the list of where the shows were moved, will the Chicago proper people travel to the venues in Addison or Libertyville?
3.) As for where the shows will end up in the future, I'm curious to see. I'm guessing that the Pearl room paid more for shows to get them out in Mokena instead of Chicago proper. Will another club step up and fill that void or will the shows be spread around the Chi-town metro area?
I will miss Diabolik complaining about the Pearl Room. Please find something else to dislike and keep me entertained.
1. We played there for Epica / Kamelot, Leaves Eyes / Kamelot, and CPF. The local openers didnt pay to play that wouldnt make sense.
A. Chicago loves their metal just not their local metal, Amber, Jose, Orbweaver and a small handful of others are about the only people that support local bands.
B. Openers at PR always got bumped earlier and got their sets cut short so there is no way I personally could sell tickets to someone that would have to take off work early to come see me play at 5:30 - 6PM on a weeknight and play 3 songs.
Their $4 cokes and water I'm sure helped their bottom line.
2. Good question, there is public trans options to Libertyville.
3. There are a number of venues in the area, Durty Nellies, Austins, Reggies, Metro, Bottom Lounge all over the area that would be great venues to see bands. They're splitting the previously booked shows all over to get all the venues active and see if one steps up as the new place.
booB
Señor Member
That's extremely true. The scene is there (if a little lazy about traveling to suburbs, LOL); some club owner in the city just needs to step things up a notch. It's a little early yet to expect this to have happened already, though.
eaeolian
Division Guitarist
Diabolik
Member
this is every city and every type of music scene. There are those who will see any band and support them and those who are pickier and dont want to sit at clubs all the time. It is never anything personal, just other interest and things going on in life.
Well we still have some peeps on this forum that will pretty much go out every night and see a local act, they're really great people and we owe so much to them.
Diabolik
Member
I agree....just not my thing. Believe it or not...I am very jaded. I like going to shows but just not every night or every weekend.
Jasonic
Doom On!
shreddy - Believe me, I certainly understand your frustration being in a local band. I have been in bands over the years too. The reality is that 25% (if lucky) of all the people who say they will come to your show actually show up.
Don't forget that there are probably more metal shows in the Chicagoland area on a weekly basis than I can ever remember. There are seriously like 3 to 4 major metal tours hitting our market each week.
Sure, there are some metal faithful who have the time / money etc to go to 3 to 4 shows a week, including local gigs.
For me personally, after going to shows for over 20 years, I can only handle a couple shows a month. That's not even factoring in the feasibility of having the free time to go with having kids (I know everyone seems to think this is a LAME factor, but it is the truth. It's not realistic that you can be away from home every week for shows).
Finally, as Bob said, you become jaded after a while. Not so sure if its jaded, or simply not having the tolerance to even sit through a show unless it is a band you really want to see.
I think what would help the local scene is if there were clubs that had a regularly scheduled "metal" night. I think LEGENDS in Addison tried this for a while, where they had metal shows every Sunday. If a club could do this successfully, people would view heading to that club as a "hangout" and not just "another show" (IE - Kind of like where you know you can go to EXIT every Sunday to hang out and hear metal.....)
Don't forget that there are probably more metal shows in the Chicagoland area on a weekly basis than I can ever remember. There are seriously like 3 to 4 major metal tours hitting our market each week.
Sure, there are some metal faithful who have the time / money etc to go to 3 to 4 shows a week, including local gigs.
For me personally, after going to shows for over 20 years, I can only handle a couple shows a month. That's not even factoring in the feasibility of having the free time to go with having kids (I know everyone seems to think this is a LAME factor, but it is the truth. It's not realistic that you can be away from home every week for shows).
Finally, as Bob said, you become jaded after a while. Not so sure if its jaded, or simply not having the tolerance to even sit through a show unless it is a band you really want to see.
I think what would help the local scene is if there were clubs that had a regularly scheduled "metal" night. I think LEGENDS in Addison tried this for a while, where they had metal shows every Sunday. If a club could do this successfully, people would view heading to that club as a "hangout" and not just "another show" (IE - Kind of like where you know you can go to EXIT every Sunday to hang out and hear metal.....)
DRFS Rich
Member
- Aug 1, 2003
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DRFS Rich
Member
- Aug 1, 2003
- 184
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- 18
FWIW, I loved the PR as it was damn close to me (Romeoville, half an hour drive tops). I was at the Pagan's Mind / Strato show at the Pyramid Club the other week and while I was pleasantly surprised that the place wasn't a total and utter disgusting rat-hole, They DESPERATELY need a real stage, which I'm not sure is an investment they'll go for.
I personally hate driving to the city for shows and dealing with parking and such, and I realize that city-dwellers like Shreduardo have exactly the same opinion about the 'burbs, but I'm hoping a happy medium could be met, and in my opinion that's Reggie's. It's in the city, not too far from transport down there, and an easy jaunt off the highway. They have a nice room, good beer on tap, and it really does have the potential to take over from the PR. One of my biggest annoyances about the closure of the PR was that it became "the" venue for Metal tours, it'd be a shame if they're going to be permanently divided between Doubledoor/Pyramid/numerous others.
Austin's Fuel Room is a really nice venue, the place is just so damn far for me, and the city.
Rich
I personally hate driving to the city for shows and dealing with parking and such, and I realize that city-dwellers like Shreduardo have exactly the same opinion about the 'burbs, but I'm hoping a happy medium could be met, and in my opinion that's Reggie's. It's in the city, not too far from transport down there, and an easy jaunt off the highway. They have a nice room, good beer on tap, and it really does have the potential to take over from the PR. One of my biggest annoyances about the closure of the PR was that it became "the" venue for Metal tours, it'd be a shame if they're going to be permanently divided between Doubledoor/Pyramid/numerous others.
Austin's Fuel Room is a really nice venue, the place is just so damn far for me, and the city.
Rich
Dolamite S. Biffle
Biffliest Person Ever
I could still hear him since I was in front of the barricade!! Never can let Chris and Rob know how much that fucking meant to me. Second greatest performance I have ever seen minus the small sound issues.
TexasBeth
Yes, that's my daughter
OrbWeaver
BECAUSE FALCONER
Jasonic
Doom On!
I must be the only one that didn't get to meet TexasBeth.
She is a kool kat!
Great saleswoman too!
She almost got me to roll over my 401K into Cruise tickets!!!
axehomeyg
Member
Although playing Reggie's kicked ass on so many levels, I think the best non-epic-sized venue to play in the area is Dirty Nellie's. The sound there is fantastic, the stage is great. Its just an awesome venue. Between that, and Austin's, and classic places like the Double Door, Metro, HoB, etc, there isn't really anything to worry about.
I agree with Shreddy though, Chicago does kind of have that irreverant attitude towards its native bands. I quit being in bands a long time ago because of that shit, and I was apprehensive about being in a local Chicago band for that reason. I LOVE the local fans we do have (I'm looking at you Rich), but, the fact that we're more loved in Germany than right in our backyard sucks. I'm sure November's Doom can sympathize. Hell, look at Symphony X. Epic to the nth-degree and yet wishing for years that they could play their native NJ. That feeling sucks! I think Jasonic is right though, its more of a convenience thing, and if some venue stepped up to the plate and offered a Sunday Metal, as he mentioned, it could be just the kind of the thing to get more people off their asses and into the mosh pit.
I agree with Shreddy though, Chicago does kind of have that irreverant attitude towards its native bands. I quit being in bands a long time ago because of that shit, and I was apprehensive about being in a local Chicago band for that reason. I LOVE the local fans we do have (I'm looking at you Rich), but, the fact that we're more loved in Germany than right in our backyard sucks. I'm sure November's Doom can sympathize. Hell, look at Symphony X. Epic to the nth-degree and yet wishing for years that they could play their native NJ. That feeling sucks! I think Jasonic is right though, its more of a convenience thing, and if some venue stepped up to the plate and offered a Sunday Metal, as he mentioned, it could be just the kind of the thing to get more people off their asses and into the mosh pit.
