I'm into my seventh year living in Atlanta: There's been an awful lot to see and do! I'm compiling a list of places I've been and things I've seen to make finding great stuff for all the other transplants. This town is really exciting.
Music
Music Legend: 0 - Sucked,
- Fair,
- Enjoyable, and - Really Cool
Andrews Upstairs - A very nice medium sized two room bar in Buckhead just above EastAndrews the bar. The main bar is to the left of the concert hall. The hall has several boothes and high tables around a small dance floor and is beautiful
06/26/08 the Awakening [] and thejuliadream []
The Beer Mug - A large two room bar. The service was terrible and the beer selection limited: Skip it!
10/18/02 Retro Pleasure []
The Blue Racoon- A small blues bar in Marietta. The food isn't great and the beer selection is limited but the owner, Anita, is really nice and Kelly, the bartender, is delicious.
09/21/00 Sean Costello []
The Chamber - [Closed 3/04] Atlanta's FETISH club, it had "performances art " and the best Halloween Party in town.
Club 513 - A downtown dump to be avoided. No tables, no chairs, no windows, no bar (just beer from a cooler), and no air conditioning.
The Cotton Club [Closed 11/04] - Was a smoky bar in Midtown then in the Tabernacle's basement.
04/26/02 - Mary Prankster []
05/16/98 - 45 Mercy [0], Crave [0] (Midtown)
Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre - A very nice building for shows with 1500 seats. If there's two shows that night, parking is a nightmare
04/04/08 - Jeff Dunham []
Cowboys Dance Hall - A huge country music venue in Kennesaw. There are three levels which overlook the small stage and large dance floor. It has a dozen pool tables, a fully functional bull ride, and some very sexy waitresses circulate constantly with shots of many colors. In one corner is a food bar for burgers and stuff but I think you can order it at the tables too. [buy your tickets ahead of time-it costs the same and you get a table on the floor]
12/12/03 - Sara Evans [] Her voice and stage presents was very flat.
Dark Horse Saloon/10 High - In the Virginia-Highland area, this restaurant with a music room in the basement caters to the yuppie crowd. Parking is a hassle and the drink prices are excessive.
Dottie's - [Closed Winter 2001] Another downtown dive. Very small, like a living room, with horrible sound and a low ceilings. But the beer was both good and cheap. Reopened as Lenny's
10/14/00 - Paul Melancon, Orange Hat, Adam Leland & The Rollin Machine, Kenny Howes & The Yeah, the Lizardmen [], the Cashmen [], Catfight! [], and Sonomama
09/14/00 - Amanda Jones [] and the Possibilities [0]
Eddie's Attic- (515-B N. McDonough Decatur 404-377-4976) A wonderful bar in Decatur that is very singer, song writer friendly. A small venue that seats 200-300. Good food and nice beer selection.
Eyedrum - A small art gallery two blocks south of Underground Atlanta. Music is sometimes performed in the basement and you can sit on three sofas or thirty bridge chairs.
The Freight Room - [CLOSED 12-98] A lovely pub at an old Atlanta train station. We stopped going there because of a squabble we observed. They'd swindle bands out of money. BUT I did enjoy it once.
Club Fusion- A triple roomed dance club on Amsterdam Ave. It has gone through many iterations depending on the current trend. I went a few times when it hosted Secret Room but had given up because I was always disappointed.
01/20/00 - Tak Attack [] - A Rock/Blues kind of sound
Future - [Closed 12/04-12/05] It was suppose to be the replacement for The Chamber but it never really caught on. Too many tourists and it cost too much for the regular goth scene.
The Hanger [Closed 2000] - It used to be a movie theater in Marietta, so it can easily stand 500-1000, but the acoustics need some help, the bar is very small, and the bar tender, Ladonna(?) didn't know how to mix the drink I requested (Gin and tonic).
07/17/99 - Superbud [0], Bay County Poets [], Amanda Jones []
04/10/99 - Donors [0], Wonderlust [0], Amanda
Jones []
Kaya (1068 Peachtree St. near 10th st.) - A medium size venue for 600 people with excellent sound and lighting. But parking is expensive, drinks are pricey and shows start very late
02/16/01 - Boetz [] and Nashville Pussy []
Lakewood Amphitheatre - A large open music venue mostly for sitting on the grass watching big shows
06/05/08 - Jimmy Buffett [] The Year of Still Here Tour
Last Great Watering Hole 4341 Hugh Howell Rd., Tucker, GA - This small bar hidden behind a steakhouse is a throwback to the hayday of sleezy bars. You've been warned - It's a dump with ripped sofas and sticky chairs.
Masquerade (695 North Ave NE Atlanta 404-577-8178) - A medium size venue for 200-1000 people. It caters to the young alternative crowd. The main concert hall upstairs is called "Heaven", the downstairs dance hall, called "Hell", is so loud it interferes with the live music upstairs. In between is a lounge and bar called "Purgatory" They host outdoor concerts in the summer too. There is often "raving" and I've seen fights and people get hurt. Stay away from front and center if you don't want to participate.
07/03/08 - 16 Volt [], Bella Morte [] and Voodoo Velkro []
12/15/07 - Combichrist [], Imperative Reaction [] and Modulate []
5/1998 - Three days of musical fun. It was pretty cool to rock with 55,000 of my closest friends. Drinking, pushing, shoving, mud, and music too. I went for Paula Cole, who was not impressive - but the
Indigo Girls were excellent. I volunteered too and got a free T-shirt.
MJQ Concourse - A very small venue under the
parking lot at 736 Ponce De Leon.
09/19/98 - Changelings [] The band was outstanding but the crowd was really subdued: Not the goth group I expected. At other concerts the people get wild and
dance; at this concert they sat down on the dance floor for the first four rows around the stage.
Moonbean and Co. [Closed 1/00] - A small coffee shop in Vinings, 20 minutes north of downtown Atlanta.
Nomenclature Museum [Closed] - A small lounge/bar/art-music venue. The hall only holds about a hundred but there are two other rooms full of old sofas and chairs to lounge in. Goth dress code [Poor acoustics]
Park Tavern - This venue in Piedmont park has had many names but it's location is too good not to be a cool place. On Sundays they do Unplugged in the park
10/17/98 - The Reruns [0], 6X [], and The Mouth Breathers [] (Voted Creative Loafing Best Metal Band)
The Red Light Cafe - A very small venue on the backside of Piedmont Park. Terrible acoustics and major technical problems (like a constant 60 cycle hum and deafening feedback) ensure that I won't be going back any time soon.
03/05/00 - Amanda Jones [] Actually just Theresa and Kristen playing acoustic.
01/14/00 - Amanda Jones [] The band did well well, but it was a last minute booking and wasn't advertised. And, of course, it was at this venue which is an automatic point deduction.
10/10/98 - Changelings [] The band was good, the place was crowded, but the venue sound was so awful I'd have to rate the show as marginal at best.
Riviera Club - A disco on Peachtree Str. that tries to appeal to music on the edge.
08/31/01 - SNOG [0] Unbearably bad NOISE - I ran out the door
12/04/99 - Cowboy Mouth [0] - Many people enjoyed it, but not me: I walked out.
10/28/98 - Micky Hart
[]- We were disappointed that we paid so much for assigned seats and then they didn't have seats and we had a really bad view. Planet Drum itself was pretty good.
Smith's Olde Bar -
A small venue in midtown. The hall is actually next door and up stairs from the tavern. The best plan is to buy your supper somewhere else and carry in with you. The place usually was set up with a few tables and stands another 100-200 around the room.
10/13/07 - The Hot Rods [], Psycho Devilles [], performances by the Terror Twins
02/18/03 - Lisa Loeb [], Chris Knight [], and Will Hoge []
11/16/98 - Kitty Snyder [], Chris Knight [], and James McMurtry []
09/26/98 - Jude [0] - except for "I do" and Sinead
Lohan - [] Very enjoyable and
she signed my poster. She's gonna be BIG (Interview)
The Somber Reptile - A medium venue adjacent to Georgia Tech., a not-so-nice area of town. The place advertises a lot and is a good size for shows and has couches to sit on BUT - The food sucks, the sound sucks, the beer selection sucks, and the heating/air conditioning sucks. Calling ahead to confirm a show is also required.
The Star Community Bar - A small venue in little five points. Seats maybe 40 and stands another 100-300. The shows usually start late between 10 and 11 and the beer is mostly domestic. Downstairs is the vinyl lounge, I guess so people can get away from the music, with 30 stools and one TV. Don't miss the Elvis Vault!
12/13/07 - Catfight! [] and Gore Gore Girls [] The Last Show
09/12/98 - Meat Purveyors [0] and Wild West Picture Show []
The Swallow at the Hollow - 1072 Green St. in Roswell. This barbecue shack not only boasts the best barbecue in Atlanta but doubles as a great music venue too. The wooden paneling is great for acoustics and the place has a warm living room feel. Seats 200.
The Tabernacle - (Downtown) A wonderful venue that stands 1500/2500 and seats another 1000 in two balconies: Six bars, three lounges, a pool table and TVs everywhere so you won't miss anything.
10/23/98 - Garbage []
- Awesome sound, lights, and performance! Girls vs Boys [0].
Three Dollar Cafe - I don't think they usually have bands, but for St. Patrick's Day they had three, and a live broadcast from WNNX 99.7 FM.
I got sun glasses, a 99X T-shirt, a cassette, and caught a drumstick and guitar pick. Chris White was visiting from England and really enjoyed it.
The Variety Playhouse
- In L5P an old converted movie theater that holds 1500. There are some movie seats, but if you sit in them you can't see anything when the crowd gathers in front of the stage. The balcony is a reasonable alternative if you don't want to stand for two hours. Get there early for Sold-Out shows or you'll be standing in the isle way back.
10/19/09 - Colbie Caillat [] with Howie Day and Trevor Hall []
The Vault
- A really cool, medium size venue in Buckhead, about a mile north of the Roxy on Roswell road.
They have their own parking, a sunken dance floor, many small lounges, and really cool black
lights.
Whiskey Rock Saloon [Closed 3/00] Was a good place
10/01/99 - Christopher Robin [0] Three guys with too many amps and not enough talent
Theater
Dad's Garage
(280 Elizabeth Street L5P 404-523-3141) The home of Theater Sports and other improvisational comedy.
Horizon Theater Company: A small theater in an old elementary schoolhouse at the corner of Euclid and Austin avenues in Little Five Points, seats 185.
The Shakespeare Tavern (499 Peachtree St. NE, Atlanta 404-874-5299) Monthly performances of various plays with British style food.
Twelfth Night (03)
Salomé
Murder in the Cathederal (03)
Julius Caesar (03),
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (03),
All's Well that Ends Well(02),
Macbeth (02),
Taming of the Shrew (02),
A Comedy of Errors (02),
Much Ado About Nothing (01),
Romeo and Juliet (01),
The Tempest (01),
Taming of the Shrew (00),
As You Like It (00),
MacBeth (00),
A Mid Summer Night's Dream (99),
Richard III (99),
Two Gentlemen of Verona(99),
Julius Caesar (99),
King Lear(98),
and The Merry Wives of Windsor (98)