The Observatory North Park

The way they started running this place as soon as it was bought has really made this venue a shit place to go to.
Extreme lines due to unnecessary pat downs and searches that are worse than any hyped up festival in SoCal.
Why not keep the separate line for 21+? You’d think that management wants our drinking money right? Guess not.
Everything has turned me off from this place. I don’t even want to go to this venue anymore with the way that they’re handling it. Everyone is making bad decisions here.

The venue has so much potential. I checked it out last night for the first time to see Mike Gordon. The venue is cool and old and pleasing to look at. They also got their liquor license figured out, which is a plus.
Security is awful. I felt like I was going to a metal show instead of a mellow show. The pat down is intense, worse than a club in the Gaslamp, not a chill vibe at all. They were also breathing down everybody’s necks inside the venue. I saw somebody get kicked out for a vape pen inside. Quite aggressively at that. I was friends with the sound engineer last night, and he gave me a beer from behind the soundboard. Maybe ten minutes later, security was confronting me about where I got that beer. I told him, and he told me I could either throw it out or get out. Wow.
Dear security at the Observatory. Please stop being so aggressive and angry. Signed, a music fan who will wait a long while before returning.

What a cluster. Just bring as much marahuana as you want. You can’t drink a beer but you can smoke as much weed as you want… something to do with lack of a liquor license. Parking is horrific, the bathroom situation is ridiculous. I had to poop in a urinal while the guy next to me smoked marahuana. Hopefully Slightly Stoopid will never play there again because they don’t like marahuana either. And why do they play crappy music in the only place you can get a beer???

Atmosphere! Venue is clean, sounds great. Security is pretty tight. No alcohol on the floor, they have a bar but it’s someway separate from the concert area. Lots of nearby places for food and drinks. Would definitely come back.

So many bad reviews for the sound quality, yet the King Diamond show tonight sounded great. I love the décor and the layout. General admission standing only unless you were in the VIP section, but you generally wouldn’t sit at a venue like this. Easy access to the bar and plenty of exit points. The staff were generally friendly with a couple of exceptions of rude behavior. I came in with low expectations and left the venue impressed.

This venue is absolutely incredible for concerts! When you walk in you’re greeted with San Diego old time World’s Faire ambiance (think Balboa Theatre, Spreckels) red velvet, low lights, wall sconces… Beautiful!
Parking is accessible in a garage across the street and was FREE with our Hot Chip tickets.
There are a few stand out aspects about this theatre for concerts which are just brilliant in my mind: 1. The stage is really wide and arches in such a way that allows people to get right up front without that push and shove stand next to a billion other sweaty House of Blues issue.
This venue also gradually slopes up back away from the stage, toward the bar set up in the back, so everyone– regardless if you’re up front at the stage or back by the walls can see.
Also, huge plus, there is air conditioning! So, when you’re rockin’ out, dancing around having a freakin’ awesome time you might be lucky enough to find yourself standing right on top of a floor vent– if you find one of those bad boys —HOLD THAT SPOT!!! Dance right there for the rest of the night.
We’ve seen a couple of shows here and they were all really top notch:
The Presets
John Butler Trio (this one was at the L.A. Observatory — an equally killer venue!!!)
Hot Chip!!! (epic show at this venue)
(OK– I LOVE HOT CHIP so we saw them the night before at The Greek in L.A. & paid 3x’s as much for those tickets.
The Hot Chip show at the Northpark Observatory the next night was at least 10 times better!!!
Better sound quality, better set, better people (attending & working) and way better to hear them in that small acoustically sound indoor venue– that was a show we will NEVER FORGET!!!)
All in all going to shows is a hobby and though I haven’t been to every venue I would say this place won’t disappoint.

Good but not great venue — well run and tightly organized. Expect a pat down and full purse search (they took my wife’s pens) and don’t try to bring any drinks purchased at the bar into the theatre.
General admission means standing room only unless you bought VIP seats.
Great crowd BTW — glad to see Owl City and Rozzi Crane with y’all!

not sure why theres 2 of these lol great little venue. i was always worried here that because its standing my toes would be stepped on. not the case. i never saw the food or drinks but i guess they are good. venue is super cute holds a lot of people. saw tove lo it was amazing. the only issue i had was parking across the street took me an hour to get out because thats where everyone parked. even arriving 20 minutes late to opening act i still got a killer spot view of the stage. i would deffinitly come back to this venue.

This venue is very spacious and intimate. They have air spots on the floor which gives you air ventilation. The theater is very resembles the El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles, CA. Every view from the theater is a good one. The sound in the venue is good and nearby are many boutiques and eateries. Definitely a good vibe for any show you want to check out.

Fantastic potential squandered by greed.
My take on this place is it’s just plain greedy. They are trying to be a live music venue and downtown night club at the same time. It simply doesn’t work and it makes for a horrible experience if you go there.
I was so excited to see the recent line up of shows coming to The Observatory, sadly the venue clearly has it’s head up it’s… I wouldn’t waste your money buying tickets.
What were you thinking hosting an Americana show where the median age of attendees is well over 30, but having a screaming loud DJ in the next room with SOUND BLEEDING INTO THE SHOWROOM? Unacceptable!
What’s worse than that? When I ask one of the bouncers if they are aware it’s happening and his straight faced, we don’t care reply of, «yeah we know.»
Further there’s no bar in the showroom, you have to go into the next building over if you want to drink. The building with the DJ and all the kids in it. Nope, I’m not kidding… People going out to see a live Americana show do not want to wade into the bowels of an Axe Body Spray commercial for a beer. Basically there were 200 people at this show drinking soda since nobody was willing to go into the club to drink.
San Diego has so many great music venues, it’s an A-​Game kind of place. The people running The Observatory are clearly armature hour.

Went to see the Psychedelic Furs here last night-​TOTAL bummer that this place is so bad.
–NO alcohol in the actual concert area. I did order a Pacifico draft in the adjoining bar which was flat. Jeez.
–The sound system is THE worst. Imagine you were listening on your own system at home and turned the treble all the way down. That is exactly what this place sounds like. I’m not exaggerating.
I’m a big Belly-​Up fan (who runs this place) but will never go back to this joke again.
Noticed some reviews about security here. They were nice people. Well except for the «you need to keep moving-can’t stand in this hallway» gal.

Last night I went to see the growlers it was great the show was obviously amazing
But this venue and the security was a joke.
Before we got in they asked how old we all were If you were 18+ you could stay in the venue till the show ended and if you were younger you had to leave before 10 which was dumb because they didn’t even let us in till 9:20
Keep in mind the tickets said ALL AGES and no where on there website do they have that rule .
They over react when they search you and they have to see your wrist band so you can use the damn bathroom it was so ridiculous.
NEVER again
Super happy I didn’t come over here to see Toro Y Moi

I saw one of my favorite bands here, Lord Huron. It’s all standing room which is great because I walked up to the very front. You have to drink your alcohol in the restaurant the theater is connected to (west Coast Tavern), it’s not allowed where the concerts are. I saw some Unilocal reviews say the sound quality wasn’t good so I was worried but I didn’t have an issue while at the show. I would definitely come back here because it’s an intimate atmosphere instead of watching a show with thousands of other people. It depends what you’re looking for but this was exactly what I wanted.

Yes, meh. I have experienced better. With pretty killer sound, lights, and air conditioning, this place has potential to be great! It is the way the place is run, however, which is the problem. Objectively, in a theater, during a performance when there are no lights and no sound generated by the performer, the venue should provide absolute silence and darkness; however, the North Park Theatre takes a lot of sensory control away from the performer. During the entire performance, the venue is lit and loud music leaks from the bar. It was a negative impact on my experience, and I saw it as disrespect to the performers and the audience.
Aside from my more serious complaints, it is plain wrong to have the 1-​drink-​for-​the-​price-​of-​2 deal. I know running concerts is expensive, but I highly doubt that it is necessary to rip everyone off. The bar staff busts their asses, and outrageous prices on drinks encourage smaller tips for the staff to take home. To me, it reflects management screwing over their employees because of greed.
For my next item, I do not understand why my nine-​dollar beer was served in a plastic cup. I accept not wanting broken glass in the venue, but alcohol is not allowed in the venue, so… ?? Anyway, it is bad for the environment and for the taste of my nine-​dollar beer. The selection could be much better also, being in the heart of one of the beer capitals of the world, and all.
Finally, I do not understand the layout. The room is sort of tiered in the fashion of a traditional theater, but they ripped all the seats out and left the railing in tact. So if you get there early enough you can find a good place to lean against a rail. Or you just might find that sweet spot to sit on the ground and let your legs dangle off the ledge of the tier, as long as it’s not too crowded. Sweeeet! But if it is crowded be careful not to get jammed up in a seatless, railed terrace.
My experience was not terrible at North Park Theatre, even though experiencing the rather astounding sense of ill-​logic of a few senseless things there evoked negative feelings towards the establishment much of the time. I don’t hate you, but y’all got a few issues to work out. I would only return to see an artist I am completely obsessed with. Please take my words to heart. I value your presence in our city and don’t enjoy writing a lousy review. I would rather leave there feeling like I cannot wait to return instead of thinking up a plan to bash you on Unilocal.I encourage you to be innovative in providing your patrons and performers an awesome theater experience rather than trying to model House of Blues, which is what I felt you may be doing. You only have a few things that need improvement, and I feel that you have potential to be legendary in San Diego.

I went to the North Park Theatre on my first visit to San Diego a couple of weeks ago to see Belle and Sebastian and was pleasantly surprised by the size and looks of the venue. But the security guards are what really surprised me in a good way; they kept the photographers out of our way and when Stuart, the singer in the band, called people to go on stage, they really helped us get there. One thing I disliked is the fact that we never got real tickets. They were only sold as will call and all we were given at the venue were pieces of cardboard that said «will call»; very unprofessional.

Ok. I’ve been here once, saw TV on the Radio, one of my favorite bands who is known for their EPIC live show. I’ve seen them blow the friggin roof off an OUTSIDE venue. The sound for their set at North Park Theatre was WEAK. Loud, yes, but weirdly muffled and reverb-​y at the same time. It actually sounded better when we were outside smoking. Total buzzkill. My husband said the sound was also pretty abysmal when he saw a show there a few weeks prior. Fix that sound, guys!
The theatre itself is really pretty, some nice art deco fixtures and architecture. Very cool. The staff was all very friendly, security guards were way nice, especially the girl who had to get pretty friendly with me during the search to get in. I can appreciate that she made some «awkward prom night» jokes while patting me down. Hey, you gotta have a sense of humor when you’re frisking strangers’ boobies!
Another lame thing is that you can’t have your adult beverage on the concert floor. I hear that this was due to their liquor license, and is in the process of getting fixed. Hope so! Not that I’m looking to get crunk, but it would be nice to be able to drink a beer and watch the show at the same time.

I’m all for reviving and renovating iconic/​historical landmarks; the façade is charming… however, the recent Washed Out concert I attended was a bit disappointing due to the lacking space and sound.
Pros:
(1) Prime location; conveniently located next to large parking garage
(2) Lineup frequently comprised of top electronica-​pop acts (i.e. Cut Copy, Naked & Famous)
Cons:
(1) Small, square space that falls flat without any sort of balcony or separation
(2) Disappointing sound system, especially for the electronic acts they are booking who often incorporate a lot of bass
Compared to similar venues such as L.A.‘s El Rey and Fonda, North Park Theatre doesn’t measure up and fails to provide a fully enjoyable concert experience.
*Tip* Take advantage of the entrance through West Coast Tavern once you have your tickets; while the line directly outside the venue was pretty long at the headliner’s start time, Tavern’s was empty. Plus you can bring in drinks from there as well. Win-​win!

Very cool venue to come check out some shows for a much more intimate setting. Has a very old style appeal, definite theatre feel but I was hoping for better acoustics and sound. I think the shape doesn’t lend itself to as much dynamic in sound as I would’ve hoped for a smaller venue but nice to see an old gem still around.

This theatre is renovated and beautiful. When you come in, admire the workmanship.
I came for a Lake Street Dive concert. The seats were all removed because the concert was standing room only. Even though it was a sold out concert, there was plenty of space to go around. If you wanted to move around a bit, the corners of the theatre were open and happy kids were able to run around or adults to dance.
Entrance was to the side of the building and there is a parking garage across the street for $ 5, but the area looks pretty safe so there is plenty of street parking around.

Renovated and born again! Can I get an amen?!
I don’t know if this venue had fallen on hard times but the renovation seems to be a rousing success and I am in favor of anything that breathes new life into historic venues.
Seats removed, this place serves as an intimate concert venue for over a thousand people with plenty of room to move around. It was obvious that they could have crammed another 200 or so folks into the place but they capped the occupancy for our sold-​out show and no one was jammed into each other like sardines. And the AC obviously worked well.
The entrance is actually on 29^th street (despite the address) although, pre-​renovation, you entered into the lobby on University. There is $ 5 parking in a huge structure on 29^th although street or residential parking is probably very doable, too.
Also, easy access to and from West Coast Tavern next door through cut-​outs in the lobby walls of the theater.
Well done!