The best sounding venue you have ever heard!

[mcyuke]

I've only been to two shows that were indoors.
I saw Joe Satriani and Alice Cooper both at the Center in the Square in Kitchener, Ontario.
http://www.centre-square.com/about/history
http://www.centre-square.com/dl/CITS_sound_info.pdf

 

[Taowolf51]

This isn't quite as much the best acoustics, but the most interesting; and it isn't from the viewer's standpoint, but from the standpoint of the performer.
A number of years ago, I was a member of the Philadelphia Boys Choir & Chorale (Wiki link) and while we've performed at numerous venues new and old, it was common knowledge that stone churches were always our favorite.
In particular, there was one stone church in Sweden (I'm sorry, I don't know the name) that was very strange (acoustically). When performing, no matter how hard we tried, we couldn't hear ourselves. It was almost as if the sound disappeared as soon as it passed out lips. We couldn't hear the ourselves, we couldn't hear anyone else, and no matter how hard we tried, we simply couldn't hear enough of each other to work off each other. All our mistakes were amplified, and it was simply a nightmare. I really thought we *bombed*. However, a friend of mine always recorded the concerts by placing his minidisk player on one of the empty seats in the audience and using the player's record feature. After the concert, he told me to listen to it. It was utterly fantastic. Every issue and every problem we had up on stage was nowhere to be seen in the audience. All the acoustic issues and mistakes because of that were gone by the time it hit the audience. What the audience heard was the complete opposite of what we heard; it's something I've never really ran into before, especially to such a stark degree.
It's something I don't really understand to this day, but I can say one thing; I still love stone churches.

 

[bluesky]

Saw ELP in Houston back in 1974 or so in 'some' audiotorium downtown.

THAT was the best venue I've ever heard! Nose was right on the stage.

 

[ebacon]

A sleeper in the Detroit metro area is the Macomb Center for the Performing Arts. It has wonderful acoustics.

http://www.macombcenter.com/

 

[krisjay]

2 places come to mind. The Beacon Theater and The Montreal Forumn, or what was at the time the Forumn.

 

[VinylRob]

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Perfect acoustics all they way back to the upper balcony
What a classic!!!

Beautiful photos. I saw the last tour of Dead Can Dance from the fifth opera box back from the stage, on the left (in the photo) and purchased the live concert CD that they distributed later, you had to buy a voucher at the event, very nice! Absolutely a stunning performance. It was like dropping a hit of something that we can't talk about...

Happy Listening!

 

[VinylRob]

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For me, I would have to say B. B. King and Buddy Guy at the Fox Theatre in Detroit back in 09. :yes:

Boy, this would make a long list of all the shows I've seen here...

Happy (theatre) Listening!

 

[VinylRob]

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Well, here is my offering... again the list would be huge, I've seen so many shows in this beautiful space and it is such a crying shame that it is basically on moth cakes awaiting demolition from lack of us.

The Stray Cats on devils night back in the 80's seems to stick out as one of the really fun nights here.

Happy (theatre) Listening!

 

[mrkirker]

Exit Inn, Nashville, Tennessee

 

[bobrown14]

Last night I had the pleasure of seeing Puscifer at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) and was floored by how great it sounded. I have been to just about every concert hall and venue in greater NYC but BAM was one of the few that eluded me. It was one of if not THE best sounding venue I have ever been to.

Looking at their calender I see I missed Kronos Quartet in Sep. Never going to forgive myself for that one it must have sounded phenomenal. Carnegie Hall in Feb will have to do.

Anyway it make me wonder what the best venues you guys with your vast experiences thought were the best sounding. Both acoustics and PA.

/QUOTE]

Since you're in NYC or close check out the Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts, I saw Rokia Traore there a few years ago and it's the best sound Live sound I've heard ever and I've been to a lot of live shows. It's rare to get that type of music (Malian) at that venue tho. Art Deco design and shaped like a VERY large horn speaker inside. Bass rig is high above stage in a special room. The venue was designed specifically for sound for about 2K seats and is fantastic.

https://encrypted-tbn1.google.com/i...TgcAzinY1H8NWac5qbJejVArOLovCPHun3X4xbfmXWlaN

Cheers,
Bob

 

[cc43fan]

Saratoga Performing Arts Center on a warm August night. It simply can't be beat.

My wife and I enjoy it so much we're members.

http://spac.org/

 

[rcflybob]

Well, here is my offering... again the list would be huge, I've seen so many shows in this beautiful space and it is such a crying shame that it is basically on moth cakes awaiting demolition from lack of us.

The Stray Cats on devils night back in the 80's seems to stick out as one of the really fun nights here.

Happy (theatre) Listening!

I have to agrre with you Rob, The Masonic Temple is a wonderful venue. Ive seen Les Miserab and Phantom of the Opera there, and the sound was beautiful. I always had the hair on the back of my neck tingle when I went there, I think because of the grandness and how ornate it is. Like you said its a real shame that its future is so uncertain.

 

[Hyfi]

The Kimmel Center in Philly is a real nice large venue but I have only been there once.

For smaller venues, the Auditorium in the New Hope Solebury High School is about the best I have been in. All walls are angled and stepped. The ceiling panels are tunable 4x8 sections.

 

[truck]

The Egg in Albany is another great upstate venue!

Saratoga Performing Arts Center on a warm August night. It simply can't be beat.

My wife and I enjoy it so much we're members.

http://spac.org/

 

[sxty8goats]

Heck, I may have said this here already but the "Riv" or Riviera Theater in Chicago sounds great from the floor. None better. The balcony not so much.

 

[bobrown14]

Saratoga Performing Arts Center on a warm August night. It simply can't be beat.

My wife and I enjoy it so much we're members.

http://spac.org/

Looks good - the Philly Orchestra is playing there the month of August, sweet. I'm not a big classical fan but they play MAJOR events all over the world so to play for a month at one venue is saying something ... Looks like a giant speaker horn from above.

Cheers,
Bob

 

[gadget73]

The Wilmington (DE) Opera House sounded quite nice to me the one time I was there.

 

[Dr Tinear]

My wife and I saw The Phantom of the Opera at the Masonic in Detroit, and I'd agree with VinylRob and rcflybob that it's a great venue. I'll also agree with Hyfi's recommendation of the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia. My brother plays with the orchestra and got me a box seat ticket when I visited him in 2007, and I remember Verizon Hall as having a warm, spacious acoustic that complemented the orchestra beautifully. It's a shame that the orchestra's contract with Kimmel turned into a financial millstone that helped drag the orchestra into a Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

 

[palasr]

The Egg in Albany is another great upstate venue!

Yup - sure is. We have tickets to see Glen Campbell there in May. Another nice upstate NY gem is the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall, widely renown for its superlative acoustics and extremely uncomfortable wooden seats.

 

[bobrown14]

My wife and I saw The Phantom of the Opera at the Masonic in Detroit, and I'd agree with VinylRob and rcflybob that it's a great venue. I'll also agree with Hyfi's recommendation of the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia. My brother plays with the orchestra and got me a box seat ticket when I visited him in 2007, and I remember Verizon Hall as having a warm, spacious acoustic that complemented the orchestra beautifully. It's a shame that the orchestra's contract with Kimmel turned into a financial millstone that helped drag the orchestra into a Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

The Kimmel Center is quite nice, shaped like a Violin and has moveable walls to shape the sound to the music source. I've heard the Philly Orchestra in the old Academy Of Music which with the acoustic improvements sounds pretty good. To me a good venue will carry the bass line into audio nirvana, kinda like you feel it AND hear it along with the rest of the music, in time with some resonance. The room will start to fill out with the lower octaves and the upper octaves dance on top of the bass line with voice over all of it but blending in. Those vintage venues were designed to carry that sound. Back in the day there were no amplifiers to "help" the sound. That's why you see a lot of those old theaters designed in a similar way probably originating in Italy or close in Europe from Opera theaters. My fav is still the Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts - Whitman Theatre. It's got it all with modern gear, built in the 50's in a Modern Architecture style. It's a classic. To be seen/heard is to be appreciated.

Cheers,
Bob