Rowdy but Enjoyable
Thursday, March 16, 2006
You aren’t a real New Yorker until you’ve seen at least one rock show at Irving Plaza. And it’s a great venue – just the right size for indie bands with vocal followings. The tickets are usually low-priced, depending on the act, but because of that, Irving Plaza also tends to attract people who aren’t really there for the music: college kids who just want another place to get drunk, and partiers who figure that live music, no matter what it is, might be worth a few extra dollars. The result is often rude behavior from fellow audience members – generally more likely to happen at the back of the venue than the front.
But at the same time, don’t get too close to the stage. I made that mistake at the last show I attended there, and the sound was just awful. You’ll be better a few rows back, toward the middle, if possible.