South Side Ballroom

This venue is OK at best, and that’s only because the caliber of artists that schedule stops here. If you aren’t early good luck parking let alone seeing the performance, especially if you are handicapped. This place makes no effort at all to improve the viewing experience of wheelchair-​bound individuals. The only designated I have ever seen is way in the back and has zero effect on improving the view. All the while, random rich kids get to stand right in front of the performer.

I’ve come here for multiple shows (both as South Side and as Palladium). It truly is impossible to see anything unless you’re six feet tall. Even if you’re tall, once you have people standing in front of you with their phones in the air, it’s impossible to see. If you’re 5’1″ like me, fageddaboutit. I caught three or four glimpses of my favorite singer the whole night. We paid extra for the «VIP» area, but there was no one checking who came into that area, so it might as well have been general admission. Also, it was raining and they made everyone leave their umbrellas in a heap outside; when we left, it was a mad free-​for-​all as everyone just grabbed whatever umbrella they pleased.
Evanescence, please go somewhere else next time?

There is not near enough parking, so it is always a huge hassle to find a distant parking place off-​site. (Then you can enjoy walking a long way in the rain to the venue.) Once inside; the situation improves. The dark and cavernous hall has everything I look for in a music venue; ample bars with quick bartenders, good sound, and clean restrooms. If they had more parking spots, I would give it more stars.

I love general admissions venues! The security staff is usually nice. The mix drinks are pretty pricey and so is the beer. But nothing in comparison to the Verizon theater, that place is ridiculous. You do have to pay for parking. It’s usually $ 10 to $ 15. Make sure you take cash for parking bc that’s the only form of payment they accept. This venue is just the right size. I have been to this venue 4 times in the past year and it has been an awesome experience. I look forward to seeing more performances hosted by this venue.

Saw Marina and the Diamonds here and overall, it was a decent experience.
I was slightly uncomfortable with the bathroom attendants squirting soap in my hands and practically begging for tips. After paying $ 4 for a water bottle, I just wanted to enjoy the show.
I thought the security was a little excessive but the event seemed to go on without any issues.
I wouldn’t mind seeing another show here!

I have been to two concerts here in the past few months. I attended the KXT Summer Cut festival a few weeks ago and really enjoyed the space. There are multiple bars and yes the pricing is ridiculous, but that’s what you expect for special events. The restrooms are clean. There were two stages going at once during KXT and it was easy to move from stage to stage to catch your favorite bands. The security is good without being aggressive. It’s easy to park there or take an Über. It does take a while to get out of the parking lot in the back. I think I prefer Ubering from Deep Ellum for a pre/​post show cocktail. Overall I will be back to this venue for sure!

I was here for Hard Dallas in May 2015 (inside) and Zedd in September 2015 (outdoor).
[ Overall ]
+ Is this the only semi-​large venue they have in Dallas? They always book good artists here! I’m not complaining though, because South Side Ballroom is not bad
[ Hard Dallas, May 2015, inside ]
+ Security is cool, they had a handheld metal detector, swiped your card if you were 21+ and it prints out a wristband with your name on it. Smooth, easy.
+ Venue is pretty large, lots of space in the back area, behind the production stage
+ Plenty of bartenders on each side and in the back, so you’re never waiting for a drink
+ 2 sets of bathrooms!
— There was quite a large attendance, so spilled drinks and sweat everywhere, it was really slippery
— They take out the caps for the water bottles for safety reasons (if they are on the floor people can slip on them)
— People were sneaking in to the venue and security was chasing people left and right. Come on, if you can’t afford to attend, don’t bother and don’t be a jerk
— Back lot parking was $ 10, ehh I guess this can be expected, but there’s no safe street parking, so I had to pay
[ Zedd, September 2015, outdoor ]
+ I do like how there was A LOT of room and I could hear the sound well even if I was in the back, away from the crowd
+ Plenty of port-​a-​potties and hand sanitizer dispensers
+ A lot of food /​drink stands
+ Refilled water bottles for free!
— They converted the back lot into the stage/​GA area. I didn’t really like it because it felt weird to be standing on an incline
— Again with the removal of the bottle caps :(

To be honest, I really wasn’t sure what to expect from South Side after reading some of the reviews. I abide by the rule, you get what you pay for with live music and concerts in general. I really just like to experience live music in-​person once and awhile and don’t necessarily care too much to pay an insane amount of money.
I paid around $ 40 for The Neighbourhood on a Thursday night plus $ 10 for parking. Overall, I thought the vibe and atmosphere was very chill. It wasn’t packed, which I liked. It was small enough that you can get a good view even in the back. There was quite an age range in the audience for The Neighbourhood, which made for interesting people watching. Pretty sure the guy standing next us surpassed us in age by about 10 – 15 years, but was utilizing more social media platforms than I even know. The band sounded great and played all their hit songs plus a couple of upcoming ones off a new album. I wasn’t drinking, but I’m sure the prices are outrageous for alcohol. Personally, I really liked the smaller venue and how it’s fairly easy to get to, park, and get out. Concerts at AAC or Gexa are such a beating to park and leave, sometimes it’s just a pain. I would definitely come back here. Keep your expectations about average and just enjoy the music. If you like a band enough and wouldn’t mind seeing them live without your bank account screaming, I would come here.

Went to the KXT Summer Cut festival this year at the Southside Ballroom. As far as a venue for that event, it was perfect. Lots of crowds but not crowded, plus they had 2 stages. And I like a venue with plenty of bars. They opened up the back so the food trucks could park. KXT really nailed it for picking a venue.
The bathrooms were clean, I really didn’t have a complaint about the space. I would definitely go back to show at South Side Ballroom.

This venue has been host to an array of awesome music for many years. For which I’ve been a very happy and satisfied patron. The venue security, employees and (for the most part) bartenders have been professional and courteous. But here’s where you f*cked up:
Water.
During the sweltering summer months in Dallas (when temperatures reach over 100) most venues offer free tap water (via coolers) to their patrons. Perhaps this isn’t a requirement, but other venues do it out of good conscious. If they don’t have coolers out, most bartenders are happy to give a small cup of tap water with a purchase of a beverage. In turn, the patron usually tips an extra buck or two.
But instead, South Side Ballroom has taken the model of Gexa (Starplex) by gouging patrons $ 4 for a bottled water. At least that’s what happened to me at the Faith No More show in late July. When I asked the bartender for a tap water, in addition to a full priced Beer, she adamantly (and rudely) refused. It’s not enough we pay upwards of $ 13 a beer and $ 10-​$ 15 parking, you still put the squeeze on thirsty, dehydrated patrons.
There’s many things that I love and appreciate about South Side Ballroom. Stretching back to when you were called the Palladium. But this is a major factor. Quit being a**holes, address this water problem and this 3-​star review becomes a 5-​star.
C’mon South Side Ballroom, you’re better than this.

Just, no. I will not come back here. I gave this place two chances, for two very different concerts, in hopes that it would improve the second time around. Should’ve trusted my instinct.
Let’s start from the top. For spending $ 50 – 60 a ticket for GA STANDING ROOM ONLY, I shouldn’t have to pay another $ 10+ for parking on an unpaved gravel «lot» with no security or monitoring. Security is checking bags upon entering; I had a wallet that I had in my hand (no pockets) and I was still stopped and he went through every single one of the slots and looked at the cash. Seriously? No one was stopping the men to get their wallets from their pockets to search. Then, they start yelling once you’re inside to just bypass the ID check if you’re not drinking. Great, except there’s no way to get by, it is just a mad crowd of people.
But you’ve made it inside! I hope you ate beforehand, because the concessions are pretty much bowling alley food on a foldout table. This is also your chance to get merchandise, hiding out of the way on a card table. So you skip it all, and now that you had to wait in the ID line to get in, you might as well get a drink. Oh, it’s $ 12 for a mixed drink in a tiny cup? Maybe some water, but they won’t give you a cup and want $ 4 instead in the middle of summer. Great, dehydration is a solid diet.
It’s time for the show to start finally! I hope you’re tall, because even me, at 5’11″ has only seen bits of the stage and the musicians. The first show was all GA and PACKED. The stage is not high enough above the floor to really see from any height. And the second show had reserved seats in the lower section, chairs around the rail with about 70% of the crowd standing and staining to see from far, far away on the outskirts of the venue. You can stand in the back and actually be able to breathe, but you definitely won’t see anything there. And they know it, because they have crappy TVs set up to watch the show.
So you’ve cushioned yourself in and if no one else moves, you can watch your favorite singer’s foot as he plays piano. It starts and the disappointment is pretty immediate. The sound is horrible. The mixing is bad. The acoustics are bad. Even giving up your primo real estate in hopes of being able to hear the show, you realize the entire venue sucks uniformly.
Then it finally ends, you’re downtrodden and disappointed, and you now have to battle a massive crowd out a couple exits because security is blocking most of them.
Just don’t go here. There are so many better venues in Dallas, and seeing a couple shows here have made me appreciate House Of Blues even. I can only hope that attendance plummets as artists realize they are doing a disservice to themselves and fans by booking this place.

I went here for the first time last night for a New Wave — Cover Band concert. The place was easy to find. We drove up and the parking was $ 20 for the front near the door or you could pay $ 10 and walk ehh an extra 50 to 100 yards maybe? Yeah, we took the $ 10. Paying $ 20 dollars vs $ 10 for about a 50 – 100 yard difference is insane and unless you are just a sucker or an idiot, you will pay the $ 20 bucks.
We didn’t have to wait long at all to get in at all and the staff is super friendly. Once we got in, we went to buy a drink. The prices are so ridiculous! Needless to say, we had way less fun than we had planned. So they get you with the parking and now with the drinks.
The «concession stand» looked like something I would find at my daughter’s PTA fundraiser. I laughed when I saw that. So you guys have «top shelf» drink prices and drinks and Sam’s/Costco concessions. Very nice…
Next, when they say «GA — Standing Room Only». It is JUST THAT, nothing more. Wear comfy shoes or else your feet are gotta be really pissed by the end of the night. The ladies restroom lines were long. I think it because the toilet was the only place where you could actually sit!
Lastly, it is 105 degrees outside and in the venue, you want to keep around the same temp? No seriously… we were sweating so bad. There were certain spots in the venue that were like «cool areas» but with that many people in that place, it should have been way cooler.
That’s my 2 cents, and maybe a little more.

The palladium aka south side has always been one of my favorite music venues. It’s large and far away enough from downtown that the parking isn’t horrible. Unfortunately this night it felt like the air wasn’t working so we ended up leaving early because it was so humid indoors. I also love the fact that it’s so close to cedars social. The acoustics are good and the drinks are decently priced. Enjoy south side!

I think Southside might be giving Granada a run for it’s money. They can’t pull in as many of the shows as I would like, but they do get some good performers. Glitch Mob, Sarah Jaffe, KXT’s summer cut this year, Garbage and Zedd this fall. They have 3 bars and typical pricing– it’s always going to be 12 $ beer night. To the D Bag on here complaining about no free water for people on party favors, you’ve got to be kidding me. Wahhhhhhhh. Gross. I’ve never eaten here– there’s other options around town. Parking can be a pain but that’s expected at any show!

This is a great venue with what has now become (very) poor management. How hard is it to put out a jug of water and cups? When you turn a blind eye to people participating in party favors and charge $ 5 for a 12oz bottle of water your going to have another Fair Park debacle. People are dancing and sweating, heart rates up, drinking, etc… provide some free water or even just a place to refill the bottle.
(
)

I was in from out of town and caught a Fourth of July show. Hailing from Nashville, with some of the best venues in the country, I was pleasantly surprised with the space.
There were good views from many angles, despite holding what I read was around 3000 capacity. Also pretty good sound for a room that size– definitely better than arena and amphitheater shows. I stood behind the mixing board.
The temperature was also reasonable despite it being upwards of 100 outside and a massive sea of body heat. It could have been miserable but it wasn’t. The bathrooms were also surprisingly large and clean. Bars had good variety and took credit cards without minimum.
Traffic to merch table and bathrooms was challenging during the show but otherwise not a lot to pick apart about the place.
I parked at a meter a block up, I see others complain about $ 10 parking which seems totally reasonable from my experience parking at venues and in the city but I’m not sure how that compares to other areas of Dallas.
I had an excellent first experience there.

I’m a big fan of South Side Ballroom. I feel this is the venue in Dallas at the pinnacle of the bell curve of great + live music; big enough to host popular artists, but small enough to make it a personal, involved experience.
So far I’ve seen Mastodon/​Gojira and The Glitch Mob here. All three are «big» artists in their own right, so it was really awesome to see them in a club setting. The sound is all around you and the bands are close, creating a synergy that defines what live music is supposed to be (IMO…). I can’t stand the arena concerts where unless you pay $ 500/​ticket, you will need binoculars to see the musical artists. The opposite is true of South Side Ballroom. Respectably large bands at a decent price.
Drinks are standard and the prices aren’t bad. I haven’t tried the restaurant. Ultimately if you’re a fan of live music — especially when it involves bands that you love — this is where you want to go in DFW.

We came into Dallas to see a band at the South Side Ballroom. It was an easy walk from downtown and I even felt safe walking back late at night (skip the cab).
Coat check was 10.00 cash, but they have an ATM in case you forget your green dough. Easy check-​in, scan the ID, bracelet and done! They have ample bar space, so getting drinks was easy enough throughout the night.
The show was great, but the space was only about half capacity (due to bad weather). The sound was good and we enjoyed this venue very much. Defiantly will come back to see shows here in the future when we want to avoid the big venues!

Saw a concert here last month. The venue was clear and had a bar on every wall which was nice. Bathrooms were clean and they offered a coat check (for a few bucks). Drinks were tasty but $ 5 for a water? Come on now. Prices were high on everything, as you’d expect at a concert venue but most everything else was manageable!

I can’t say its the worst worst venue — cause they have some good acts that play here. but there are multiple issues.
— Sound — kinda crappy
— Drinks, mad expensive ($ 6 for a Coors Light… I don’t know about that)
— If you are 5’4″, good luck trying to see anything.
— Seems like you have to wait in a lot of lines, to show your bags, to show your id, to show your ticket, to get a drink… to pee… for everything.
Overall, I will still go if my favorite bands are playing however, I wish my favorite bands would explore other options…