Bowery Ballroom

One of my favorite music venues in Manhattan. The bar downstairs is spacious with cheap drinks (not very strong though) and the stage area upstairs has a good setup with a beautiful window arch. I like the opportunity to check out the music upstairs and go downstairs to relax/​talk to friends as a break. Good crowd too.

I came for Mura Masa/​Nao and I have to say, this is a gem of a venue. Very small and intimate, yet doesn’t get crowded even for a sold out show. Of course this might be dependant on the artist playing and the temperament of their fans, but people aren’t pushy and know how to have a good time without being annoying to other people. Acoustics are great, downstairs bar area is really nice if you need a break/​somewhere to sit. I’m excited to come back for future shows here!

I have been to Bowery Ballroom a handful of times. I went this week to see the über talented, gothic, metal, electronic Davin Lynch-​esque siren Chelsea Wolfe! I thought the venue was a perfect intimate space for the show. She had been at the Music Hall of Williamsburg the night before and I found this space to be a lot smaller and you could really get a good view from most angels. I came in early with cash in hand. I didn’t feel like paying any stinky online fees for a day of ticket. She was recently in town and completely sold out. I was hoping this would would mean tickets available. And that they were. I took the M down to Essex and moseyed over. Showed my id for a 21 and over bracelet and then bought a ticket. Once you go in the only re-​entry is for the smokers and through a different door. You enter through the bar downstairs. It’s comfy down there with some couches and group seating. There’s a small wrap around bar with two bartenders.
I popped around the neighborhood for a slice and a quick beer before entering the show. And when I returned I made a b line to the merch like a good little concert attendee. Wow! Not only is Chelsea Wolfe amazing but the merch was all drool worthy from pins to totes to tees. I wanted it all. And who happens to be there but none other than Wolfe herself and Damien Echols from the the West Memphis Three. If you haven’t watched the HBO series it’s a must. It is not a band name…
There’s was so much energy in that moment. I got my tee shirt then grabbed a beer and then easily found a spot for the opening band, A Dead Forest Index then between sets people hit the bathrooms downstairs, got new drinks and ran outside for their cancers sticks. Shortly after 10 the fog machine got going. The flashlight helped the band get in position and it began… like thunder. The show was incredible from start to finish. No one talked and no one pushed. Everyone was in awe. If you have not seen Wolfe live, I would highly recommend her! And the lighting at the venue elevated the experience. The sound was fantastic and u could hear the rattling of the instrument cases at the corner of my ear. Until next time my beautiful siren!

i lost all my keys here last night but i can’t hold it against them that im a dumbass
very nice venue, good place to see acts who are on the way up and maybe also on the way down. not outrageously expensive but not a bargain either
do yrself a favor and get drunk beforehand if yr gonna get drunk, or at least make an effort to catch happy hour — otherwise yr gonna have to drop like $ 30 to get a buzz on

Terrible bartenders in concert area. One was too busy counting her tips to take an order. The other one served other customers (who ordered after me) and made several mistakes on orders, so she had to redo a few drinks and wasted more time.

Love love love the Bowery Ballroom !
It’s a fantastic place to see/​hear bands.
It’s not too big. More on the intimate side.
The whole set up just works.
Bar lounge area downstairs where you can actually hold a conversation.
Very comfy areas to sit and some almost in a private way.
There’s even a coat check room !
Then you can walk stairs to the main room or Upstairs again to a few sitting areas in the back behind the sound board and there are small café tables along both sides from stage to back.
And from that vantage point you can not only have a clear view of the stage but also affords you to be able to over look the main floor.
Main floor is open for standing only areas, but offers a great view regardless .
Even if you were all the way back you’ll still have a pretty decent view of the performers.
I live this place .
Been to a lot of NYC clubs over the years from the 70’s to now and this is a great place to catch a band.
It’s my go too space for live shows.

Bowery Ballroom is one of my favorite NYC music venues.
It’s a mid-​size venue, bigger than Piano’s, Mercury Lounge or Webster Hall’s Studio, but smaller than Terminal 5, Gramercy Theatre, Irving Plaza or Webster Hall’s Grand Ballroom… about on par with Webster Hall’s Marlin Room. So it’s big enough to host established acts, but not necessarily festival headliners. Yet small enough that it remains fairly intimate.
It’s rarely difficult to get a spot near the stage, especially if you arrive in time for the openers. If you prefer open space, there’s almost always plenty of it in the back. If you want to chill while you wait for your favorite band to play, there’s a lounge downstairs. It has minimal seating though and is almost always full of people who are too cool to stand and wait for the next act.
Ticket prices for shows tend to be in the $ 20 – 30 range, which is perfect if you ask me. Bar prices are even with every other venue, so expect a bud light to cost around $ 7. I think shots are $ 10.
I’ve never had any problems with any staff or other concert-​goers (though there was that one jock who didn’t care for the hippie on E at a jam band show). Indeed, I think I’ve enjoyed every show I’ve attended here. Going to another tonight!

Came to see one of my favorite bands, Honne, on a Friday night. I consider myself somewhat of a concert junkie, especially as of late, and this was actually my first time at Bowery Ballroom. When you enter, they check your ID, and you’re led downstairs to the middle area with a horseshoe-​shaped fully-​stocked bar, with the actual concert hall, up the opposite staircase. The openers were playing in the hall upstairs, and we decided to get some drinks before going upstairs.
Drinks at the bar were about $ 7, which ain’t too bad, but to get people to stay after shows, they hold a happy hour, where all drinks are $ 2 off. Not a bad idea to keep people there, although by the end of the show, we were actually already properly in the right state of inebriation. The downstairs bar accepts credit cards, but the bar upstairs only accepts cash. $ 20 credit card minimum, so I recommend having one person buy the drinks, and then use Venmo. Service at the bar was pretty decent, and as previously mentioned, we managed to get a bunch of good drinks before Honne went on at 10pm.
Acoustics were great, and Honne, per usual, killed it. The lighting is nice, and while there were a lot of people packed into the concert hall, it never felt overly crowded. You’re always going to get the drunk patrons who kick and move around too much, but we thankfully managed to avoid them for the most part. Restrooms weren’t too crowded after the show, which was very surprising to me.
Would definitely see a show here again. They have some really good up-​and-​coming artists in their lineups, and the prices for tickets aren’t too bad. Was really mad that I didn’t know Bag Raiders was playing there the next night, so I’ll actually have to follow their upcoming show listings.

The Bowery is unlike any venue I’ve ever been to!
Went here to see «The-​Dream» who is a pretty A-​list artist and I was surprised to find that he was performing at a place like this for such a great price. So of course I was skeptical… But fear not! The space was intimate and surprisingly it was sold out but I wasn’t packed in on top of other people and I could actually leave my spot and run to the bathroom and not have to elbow my way back to the front.
Coat check was a quick and easy since I arrived about 30 mins early or so and then the boo & I were able to chill out at the downstairs bar area until show time. The upstairs bar is CASH only, the downstairs bar is $ 20 min for cards. Downstairs is dimly light with a few spots for seating at the bar and small table sections on the sides and the concert space is upstairs. Also, the bathrooms were well kept, which is a big deal at concerts/​bars.
The sound system was amazinggg, and I had a great stress-​free time and I’d definitely return.

I liked walking up the subway steps and just being there. The separation of bar and venue is key, too. Three levels to this place if you include the wrap-​around balcony above the stage. Good sound. Large enough for fairly prominent acts but intimate to where there isn’t a bad place to stand. Good shows routinely; I’ll be back.

Definitely one of the better performance venues in New York. I’m a fan!
Great sound quality for all the artists I’ve seen. The space is adequate and you never feel that crowded even at sold out shows.
The downstairs area of Bowery gets pretty bumpin’, especially on nights where more popular artists are performing. Be sure to get there early and grab a drink while the opener performs (that is, if you don’t have an interest in seeing them in person!), but they do broadcast the sound downstairs which is nice.
The bar itself is somewhat of a hassle to get a drink at, as they only have 2 bartenders manning the large u-​shape. Come with cash so you don’t have to heed to their $ 20 minimum credit card BS. Enjoy the show!

Had a great experience here watching San Fermin on December 19.
What a great place to see a show. Love the layout and feel of this place. $ 6 – 7 for beer.
Excellent venue!

Came here for the first time to see Albert Hammond Jr. Really like this venue since its small yet has great sound. The downstairs bar is nice if you don’t want to wait to get a drink in the main room bar…

The acoustics are amazing! That’s where the positives end.
I read reviews by other Unilocalers before attending a show here and disregarded a lot of the comments about rude bouncers because I figured the patrons were likely drunk and giving the staff a hard time. However, I had the same poor experience even though I entered the venue alone, caused no issues, was not drinking, and there was no line. I gave the staff zero reasons to be aggressive nor defensive. I simply tried to have my ticket scanned when the staff person couldn’t scan my phone and started ridiculing me, chastising me, and tried to teach me a thing or two about electronic devices. The staff person then grabbed my phone out of my hand and then waved it around and started banging her finger on the screen. Then she and the other staff person started talking negatively about me while I was standing there. I honestly think they were on drugs. I then asked for directions to the stage area since this place is a maze. I think they purposely gave me wrong directions. I then asked another staff person by the bar and they pointed up the stairs, which actually led outside to the smoking area. I finally had to ask a customer for assistance because the staff was so ineffective and apathetic.
The overall vibe at the Bowery is very dark and a bit seedy. I have never witnessed so much making out at a show before. Several people in the front row were kissing and groping during the entire show. There were also people slow dancing to fast music and doing some 80s style grinding and body slamming. This would all make sense if it was dance party but it was supposed to be a pretty subdued show. The whole time, I was like what is going on here, who are these people, and how do they function in daily life!!!
So all things in considered, I came here to see a specific show which was AMAZING and worth dealing with all of the other antics. However, the Bowery management needs to take a hard look at their staffs’ unacceptable behavior.
There is very little seating in this venue, so if you want a seat, arrive early.

The Bowery Ballroom is a sweet venue to see bands and music acts. It’s a smaller, more intimate space — from the bar/​lounge area downstairs to the upstairs performance area and all the nooks and hangout spots in between.
The acoustics are good here. The sound people know what they are doing. Plus, one thing that’s great about the venue is that you can — depending on the act — also hear from the downstairs lounge. So, one thing that I like to do is, if I’m not really into the opening act, I can hang out in the lounge and still hear what’s going on. If it catches my attention and sounds good, I can head on up. If it’s meh, I can just stay where I am and hang out until the main act. The Bowery is very chill and that’s the kind of atmosphere that I like when seeing a show.
Also, and I kept a note to remind myself to mention this whenever I got to writing a review, the Security do a good job here. Aside from the security at the door, I never thought about security inside until it mattered. A few months ago, this dude started a fight with my boyfriend and security appeared out of no where and handled the situation really well. While I was prepared for fisticuffs, I’m glad that Security had things on lock so that everyone could still enjoy the evening.
Lastly, it’s so easy to get here by subway (your options are J/​Z at Bowery, B/​D at Grand, or F at Delancy — all are within walking distance).
You can’t go wrong with seeing a show at Bowery Ballroom!

The Bowery venue is a great place to catch a show. Its small and intimate setting is perfect. I came last night for the Elle King concert and was so happy overall. Getting in was super easy and fast, no long lines, no grumpy bouncers, smooth sailing. The bottom floor is a loungey and has a decent sized bar (restrooms are down here as well). It has a very underground feel, definitely dark and mysterious vibe but I like it. Second floor is where the stage is at (no seating at all) so be prepared to stand and rock out. We were there super duper early so we got front row for Elle King which was so awesome. Third floor has another bar, much smaller and some seating, which was reserved. You can also stand up there along the railing to get a birds eye view of the stage. Like I said earlier, the venue itself is really, really small but I actually really enjoyed it. I would love to come to another show here.
BTW — its $ 20 minimum to use your card at the bar, I would suggest brining cash.

Went to watch the Revivalists last night as my boss had a lot of tickets and the son of one of the partners at our law firm is in the band. The venue is nice but it was REALLY crowded and the bar is tiny on the main stage floor (second).
The bartenders were all nice and there were A LOT of drunk people and people were stepping all over my foot. I was dying to get out of there and was glad I did, but to be completely fair — the venue itself is nice.

Amazing sound and atmosphere from the both the stage and floor. Refused party program!

I’m in love with this venue! A friend pulled some strings and got us VIP tix to Marina & the Diamonds for the first show on her new tour. Even if you’re not in the VIP section, though, the venue is so intimate that there really isn’t a bad place to stand.
Unless you want to be way up front, I would actually recommend skipping the wait in line outside — it’s a pretty creepy sidewalk/​construction area — and arrive closer to the start time.
The staff is very nice, and the acoustics are good. I’d love to return for another show sometime!

The Lower East Side is one of my favorite places in the entire world. For a person in his or her burgeoning youth and glory, the LES capitulates everything amazing about living in the big city. It’s gritty and busy and full of some of the most interesting people you can imagine. So many interesting people just migrate here. It’s magnetic. You can feel the energy. And somewhere around here, near that magical intersection of Bowery and Bleecker, a neighborhood where you’ll find Momofuku and Il Buco and of course the Bowery Hotel, just up the street from the New Museum, it’s here you will find the Bowery Ballroom. In this microcosm of NYC you will find that the Bowery itself is a microcosm of the LES.
It’s a dark, small intimate venue where you can walk up to the stage and reach out and touch the microphone you’re so close. Where you and maybe a few hundred other thoughtful music lovers will hope to have that unique opportunity of seeing greatness being born live on that stage. This is where musicians come to make it. If you can make it here you can make it anywhere. A small place like this is the perfect spot to catch lightning in a bottle to hear that special band that one time just before they were about to make it big. Sure it might be full of pretentious types or drunk college kids on some nights. But it’s also got really really good music on other nights. Make no mistake this place is special!