For live tunage, I tend to go to the smaller, more intimate venues of the valley...you know, Crescent, Sail Inn, Martini Ranch, and even sometimes the dreaded Marquee.
A few nights ago was my first visit to the Mesa Arts Center, to see Rodrigo y Gabriela. Holy crap, was I impressed!
-The architecture is totally gorgeous inside and out
-The venue itself had great acoustics
-Parking was cheap ($5 garage)
-Legit concessions offerings for decent prices (canned local beer for $6 - not bad...I'm actually surprised they serve beer considering it's Mesa!
-Friendly staff and ushers (who looked to be in the 60-80 year old range)
Guess who's signing up for concert updates for MAC?!