Best Al Venue

[ludovica64]

Well of the two shows I've been to The LC Pavilion in Columbus OH could not have been better. Perfect. Wonderful friendly atmosphere. The buses were in a locked compound though so no joy for anyone without a pass

The only other outdoor gigs I've been to were Stonehenge and Glastonbury Festivals in the 80s with literally a hundred thousand other people milling about
By comparison The Weinberg Theatre in Scranton Cultural center was horribly badly organised, there was major confusion over the numbering of the rows of seats and it turned out our seats werent even supposed to be there. As a consequence there was literally no leg room between me and a vast loudspeaker, which pretty much blocked off Al's access to the right hand side of the auditorium.. so he went to the left.. booo
Afterwards the meet and greet was crazy with a whole load of competition winners and so on as well as fans. Security was fairly obnoxious and heavy handed, not really surprising given the sheer numbers of people they had to move through but as it turned out most of the fun was outside in the street, and when Al came to the bus he did a meet and greet on the step for those patient enough to have waited, but I didnt go over cos I'd already had my turn inside and i was busy chatting to Jim and Steve anyway. It was about midnight when we said goodbye to them. I was so glad to have had the chance to chat.

But purely for the gig.. I cant imagine the planets coming together so fortuitously any place but Columbus OH on 20 July 2008

[Patrick]

The best Al show I've been to was at the Atlantic City House of Blues. He needs to play more g/a venues.

Funny, that is by far the worst venue I've ever seen any artist perform in. I've been to every arena in the Philadelphia/South Jersey (not just for Al), and that place is the worst. From the horrible sightlines if you have a seat, to the sloped floor if you don't, to the gestapo-esque security, that place has pretty much the definitive list of what NOT to look for in a concert venue. But, if you enjoyed yourself there, more power to you.
As for best, I've seen him at a few different venues, (not as many as some, I'm sure), but I would say I prefer the Keswick as well. Great chance for a meet and great afterward, and I love the setting of the place. Plus, the crowd and staff always seemed very friendly there.

[minnick27]

I think Im the only person that didnt have a problem with security here. I was able to get my camera in and I was able to acquire a poster from the bathroom. I was in the second row and had a pretty good view. When I was in the back it stunk, but if you get closer it seems to be ok.

[trippingdaisy]

Other than Al (in 2008), I've only been to one other show there (Violent Femmes, in 2006). The first time I went there, the security was horribly strict and irritating. But for whatever reason, at the Al show they were the complete opposite.

And everything else aside, I was just happy to see Al in a standing-room venue. I've only seen him twice other than that show, both of which were at Westbury Music Fair, which is a great venue but I just tend to prefer g/a shows so I can shake my young, tall booty.

[albinodwarf27]

My favorite venue is the Keswick, for all the reasons mentioned by others. It's not too big/not too small, the staff is lovely, the stage isn't too high, and it's a great place for a meet and greet at the bus. It's also conveniently located just half an hour from my house, which is a real bonus!

[WeirdMary0427]

I really liked seeing him in Stroudsburg, PA at the Sherman Theater. It was standing room only, so as long as you got there fairly early, you were likely going to get a great spot in the audience. I had been BEGGING my dad to get us there super early so that we could be right up front. We got in line outside the venue about 2 hours before the doors opened, so we did a LOT of standing that day, but it was so worth it. The quality of the sound was great, and I got right up in the front row, almost dead center. It was pretty much the most magical day of my life. But I suppose I'm biased, as I had such a great spot in the house. So, I guess I can only say it's a great venue to see Al perform at if you're way up close to the stage! Plus, after the show we just exited out this side door near the stage and there was Al's bus, right outside. It wasn't a very long wait to meet him and we were allowed to pose with him for pics and all that jazz. So as far as meet and greet, it was really good, too.

[minnick27]

! Plus, after the show we just exited out this side door near the stage and there was Al's bus, right outside. .

Same at the Keswick, I actually walked out next to Steve at one show.

[Magic Salad]

We've seen Al in Kettering, OH - lovely little town and very nice amphitheater set up - we had great weather and got to meet Al at the bus afterwards. Nokia Theater in Grand Prairie, TX, nice theater venue, nothing special, though. But the best was in our home town of Rio Rancho, NM on the SOL tour. The venue was the new arena and they only used a little less than half of it, with the stage set up on the floor in the middle and most of the seating on the floor. The reason it was the best (besides our 2nd row seats) is because it is located in a suburb of Albuquerque, so Al did a 30 minute encore including cell phones, Albuquerque and several cover songs and a song he made up about Rio Rancho. He did all of the extra songs to tease the audience about whether or not he would sing Albuquerque. Also, only about 20 people stayed around afterward, and Al did come out to sign autographs and say hello, which was very kind as it was chilly and he wasn't really dressed for it.

I'm excited to hear the Keswick Theater is such a wonderful venue as we will be going to the concert there this year, as well as Holmdel, NJ.

[kaffy©]

i like my hometown theater, Merrillville Star Plaza, but Its not the best venue. He does put on great shows there, and from as many times as I've seen him in a variety of places, shapes and sizes, i'd have to say my favorite show would be..geez. I've seen him way too many times to point out the best. I do like the Theater shows the best, and for those of you who haven't had an opportunity to see him perform in a Theater, you need to go. Its just amazing, and the different architecture of them is something to enjoy.

The worst show... Benton Harbor @ Lake Michigan College.. I'm sure those of you who've read my posts before, know all about this terrible show. LOL