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| - I've heard of it for years, noticing a few performers here and there I might have liked to have seen, but never made it there until recently for something I would not miss. I do have to say that this is one of those apparent 'hidden gems' of da burgh, and one with HUGE potential to be filling a much bigger void than they already fill.
When Postmodern Jukebox announced via their Facebook page that they were playing Pittsburgh, I had to do a Google search to find where, and discovered they were playing here. I almost dismissed going when at first the Music Hall's website ticket buying system was not correctly configured, and it said that tickets started at $250. It was months later that I revisited and found actual (and viable) ticket prices listed and jumped on what seats were left.
Hidden in the middle of the residential hill above the main street of West Homestead (by the Waterfront) is one of the many regal Carnegie Libraries. Built when architecture meant something in an era when wealthy people actually still believed that they SHOULD give back to their communities, this building would have been an elegant treat for the steel mill workers who lived in the neighborhood. That's exactly why it was there. To treat them special, and keep them smart. Those were the days, eh? This wasn't intended as a world class concert hall to draw people from miles around. That will be up to the current management team to create. It was intended as a 'comfort' for the locals.
Yes, the space is old. But is has outlived the industry that put it there, and is very nicely maintained. The seats are very 1900's wooden and not cushy comfy. But they'll do for a couple of hours. Not a lot of leg room (were people really, REALLY much shorter back then? I'm 5'6", and I was a little cramped on the balcony)
Yes, there is no real parking. It was built in a residential neighborhood for the locals to walk to. Now, it's street parking wherever you can get it within walking distance. Plan for it and deal with it. It seems to be a very safe neighborhood for this kind of event. I haven't heard any horror stories about muggings or break-ins. Find a spot that's legal, park, and walk a little. You can do it!
The staff was actually friendly and helpful. I'd bought my tickets online and printed them out. They had a line for 'will call' and a line for those who already had their tickets. We were a party of three, and one was still enroute to meet us there, as the clock hit five minutes before curtain. The will-call folks had no problem holding his ticket for us, and we certainly received no grunting attitudes. The volunteer usher knew where we were going, and got us into out seats.
My ONLY real two complaints would be:
1) A VERY common issue I've had with concerts EVERYWHERE in this area EXCEPT Manchester Craftsman's Guild. The sound system just sounded muffled. Now, I'm not sure who to blame since I don't know the complete story and set-up. Did the group bring their own? Does the concert hall have their own? If it's the concert hall, either the acoustics are not very good, and the sound system needs an engineer who knows what he's doing AND the right system to work with for that type of space. If it's the fault of the group, then we can't blame the concert hall. But from my experiences, it's usually the concert halls cutting corners. Take care of that one issue, and you've got world class.
2) Seriously people, put your damned phones AWAY. Or figure out like grown-ups how to USE them without being disruptive. Holding them up to record doesn't block YOUR view, But in addition to a cramped space, and your height and big head, holding the phone mid-air to record only fills that little gap I had to look through between your shoulder and the dork in FRONT of you holding up HIS phone! Woo-hoo. You got to post on Facebook. It was noticed for about an hour, and then flowed right out of your stream, chased by fifteen cute kitty videos. Watch YouTube, and behave properly in a public entertainment venue.
My biggest KUDO for the hall comes from whoever made the decision to bring in Postmodern Jukebox. For the past year, PMJ has exploded onto the YouTube scene, as a project of Scott Bradlee that began with his musician friends, his arranging skills, and a camera in his own New York apartment. Of course any of the hipsters (or pseudo hipsters) I mentioned this to in da burgh had no clue what I was talking about. That's how really 'hip' they are. Grow that beard longer Lumberjack Skinnyjeans, and up that fake Hamptons accent Summerdress Winterscarf. No one in the 'iron fist control' entertainment management teams IN the city ever seem to know about or care about these kind of 'latest' trends. And there are so many venues that COULD be used for them that stick to 'old, tired and beige' (thank you Cultural trust). So my hat (and yes, I actually wear one) goes off to the Carnegie Music Hall people who were smart enough to bring PMJ in for a sellout show.
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