Palace Theatre

I went to a gig at the palace theatre and thought it was quite neat. From what I can see the gigs that are held in the palace theatre are extremely varied when it comes to musical genre.
Will definitely look forward to going there again, provided City of Melbourne don’t knock it down to build a set of Apartments here. Reminds me of what happened to festival hall in brisbane back in the 00’s all over again. :(

When I step foot onto the sticky, sticky floor of The Palace I get vivid flashbacks of when it was Metro Nightclub and I used to come every Thursday night for their alternative/​metal nights. It was a bit nuts back then and the fact that the floor tries to steal your shoes from your feet with every step suggests that not much has changed.
…Except it has. It’s now a live music venue and the main bar has been stripped back to two either side to allow for maximum viewing. The place is enormous, with numerous balconies that just keep going back. This is a great spot to perch if you’re feeling too old to stand all night.
If you’re headed here for an event — be sure to bring cash. Lots of it. The bars are cash only (with only a single ATM downstairs) and the drinks are EXPENSIVE. I’m talking festival prices. $ 10 for a can of beer. That can make for an expensive round. Thankfully they provide free tap water at the end of the night if you empty your wallet too early in the evening.
On a side note — there is a movement to save this iconic venue from being torn down and turned into housing if you’re invested in Melbourne’s live music scene:

Recently witnessed Deftones here, and Cog a few years back.
Really great set up for a rock gig, when you think about it. There’s plenty of moshing room (really cool to look at from the top level) towards the front near the stage, prime areas next to any of the several bars, but also couches on the upper floors should you wish to relax and enjoy the show.
There are several bathrooms, should you wish to try and get out of a long line on the bottom floor.
My only gripe would be the quality of sound — with some heavier music it doesn’t hold up as well as a stadium like Rod Laver, or even the Hi-​Fi Bar, in my experience. Other than that it would be very helpful if they had cloaking (I’m pretty sure this isn’t available).

I’ve been going to the Palace for around 15 years now. We’d go long before it was called the Palace, back when it was the Metro and they had Goo alternative nights on Thursdays. Now it’s become a fantastic live music venue that I really do enjoy going to.
The Palace is quite large, but somehow it still manages to have the feel of a smaller place. The stage is huge, most bands seem like they need a couple more members to fill it out at times. They’ve removed the annoyingly huge bar that used to sit in the middle of the floor and added in some small bars on the side, which makes it much easier to get a drink without having to wait for long.
My favourite thing about the Palace though, are all of the levels. The ground floor is quite big with plenty of room to get up close and sweaty if you want to. There is a raised section at the back of the floor so that you can see the stage nicely from there too. You can head upstairs from here and you’ll find plenty more room. You can watch the stage from the catwalks at the top of the stairs, or head to the section directly in front of stage. Get here early enough and you’ll get a spot along the railing with nobody in front of you and a great birds-​eye view of everything. There are two small bars in this section, toilets and a few seats if you want to take a break too.
The only downside to coming here is if you’re upstairs there always seems to be a lot of people chatting during the bands. It’s incredibly frustrating, but they’ll get drowned out by the music soon enough.

The Palace Theatre is a great venue. Amazing musicians and bands from all over the world have played at the Palace Theatre. Some of my favourite include MGMT, Cut Copy, M.I.A., and Lupe Fiasco.
I came here to see the Klaxons, which happened to be my favourite band for 2008. When I hear the Klaxons I think of the year I decided to move to Australia and how I had to do all the things I’d never done in San Francisco. That’s some amazing memories and music right there.
The Klaxons did not disappoint. In a huge venue like the Palace Theatre, which has balconies for viewing and great acoustics, it was easy to let the music take you away for the evening. Dance all night is what I did. I would definitely see another show at the Palace Theatre. It’s not just about the bands you see, but where you see it, those around you, and the entire vibe.

Okay, so my photo is pretty dark and shitty, but the point of it is to prove even someone of my height (let’s just say under 5.3) can get a good view of the stage from just about anywhere in the Palace.
I’ve seen a lot of different acts here over the years (and I even went to some of the club nights back in its Metro days) and it is a solid venue. The sound is good, there’s multiple bars to queue at so you’re never too far from a drink and the booze is reasonably priced.
My last trip to the Palace was on Halloween for ‘Fright Night’ — a dance spectacular /​dance party, where groups performed camp horror-​themed routines on stage and then a general dance party followed. The venue switched perfectly from being a performance space to a more general club, something not a lot of places do well. I rate it.

The palace is one of the première larger rock-​type venues in Melbourne and I’ve had the pleasure of catching some awesome acts there over the years. Wilco, Cypress Hill, Sonic Youth, I’ve seen some ripper shows here and there’s a lot to like about the room.
The theatre itself is made up of a general standing area on the floor and a second tier which incorporates seating and standing areas. I’ve found that the sound quality is pretty decent on the second storey near the front, so it’s my first port of call on a busy night. The other benefit of being upstairs is easy access to two bars at the back of the room and toilets beyond that, if you’ve really had a skin full. The beer here is actually cheaper than a few of the other large band rooms in town and they sell it from a tap or by the can/​bottle.
What sucks about the Palace is the heavy handed security guards and their cattle-​herding ways. I don’t want to be yelled at, pushed or generally treated like an animal when I’ve paid good money for a night out. The attitude of security is endemic to this place, and until they can sort that shit out… I’ll avoid the joint. We are not animals (well at least not undomesticated ones).

I’ll tell you my favourite spot to stand inside the Palace. Head straight through the front entrance into the ground level where the stage is. Go to the right hand side and walk down the stairs towards the stage. About three-​five metres from the stage, against the side wall, is where I always stand because A) people always go into the venue and stay to the left of the stage, which means that side is always busier (and it’s also where the bar is, which makes it busier anyway), and B) you can see the stage from here but you’re still close to the band and the action, as opposed to further up, where you can see the band but feel separated from everything.
If it’s a crazy busy gig, I usually head up a level and try to get a spot on the balcony because it gets too full and pushy to see from the ground level. The bar is also easy to access from there, as is the smoking balcony, although I don’t usually bother with that coz there’s always a huge line to get outside and once you get there it’s cramped and gross. Drinks here are pricey, too, so drink beforehand (but watch out for the bouncers, who won’t let you in if you’re too drunk).

Formerly known as The Metro, and renamed The Palace after the original Palace in St. Kilda was killed to make a car park, this is the place to catch international and larger scale national touring bands.
With it’s industrial feel and 3 levels of viewing areas, the list of bands I have seen here is almost too long to try and mention… but here’s a couple.
Band of Horses, Queens of the Stone Age, Nine Inch Nails, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Grinderman… well, you get it.
With beers on tap from the many bars scattered around the venue, its pretty easy to grab a drink if that’s your thing, and as the venue sprawls out and around you can usually secure a good viewing possie if you know where to head. Although the top level is good to catch the show from, it does feel like you are distanced form the action a bit, so it’s best to get down into the thick of it.
A hint from an old hat is to head to the front of the steps near the mixing desk, near the stairs on the left, or down the front on either side of the stage.

The Palace Theatre is a pretty massive music venue that has wonderful acoustics. Located at the North end of Bourke Street on what you might consider Melbourne’s theatre district, the Palace Theatre has three levels of fun for bands that can draw a big crowd.
The building itself was built in 1912 and it has been used for the entertainment industry for the best part of 100 years now. The now owners claim it to be Melbourne’s number one live entertainment venue.
I watched the Klaxons here last year and the atmosphere was incredible. The sound reverberated around the ampitheatre and as Allan points out there are a ton of bars so you never have to wait too long to get a drink.
I can definitely see why bands would enjoy playing here and even more so why punters love the atmosphere. I’d recommend it for sure.

Normally I prefer a smaller, more intimate venue, but The Palace Theater is SO fun.
This huge hall has some of the best sound I’ve ever heard in a place this size. You really feel the music and, depending on the band I’m sure, it’ll be nearly an out-​of-​body experience.
The other great thing is that there are plenty of bars scattered around the inside. This means that there isn’t only one, in a faraway spot where you can’t still see the show. Also means that, whenever I’ve been, there’s never a line to get a drink. PERFECT!