I came here for the first time last night (saw Lucius (kickass) & The Head and the Heart (decent)). This place is imperfect, but I love it anyway (also how I feel about CLE). As another yelper mentioned, this place has a faded grandeur vibe. It's still beautiful. This was (according to someone on the interwebs) the home of the Cleveland Orchestra before they moved to Severance Hall. Some of the details in the building will give an architecture or design lover a chub.
The ceilings are gorgeous and remind you of how majestic this place was, BUT your seat is covered in duct tape.
There's no lighting (while the house lights are down) in the upper level of the seating area so people used their cell phone flashlights to climb the stairs BUT it appears you can smoke some weed without much hassle.
It's free or cheap parking BUT has no website with venue details.
You can buy beer/liquor BUT it's a limited selection.
You can opt for a seat or to stand on the floor near the stage (nice to have the option as many venues are one or the other) BUT the sound quality isn't perfect.
It's not in area with much foot traffic or with a bunch of nearby retail businesses (like House of Blues for example) BUT it's easy/low hassle to get there and out.
The good balances out the less than good (for me). I like a more casual music venue so this is my style. It's also a decent sized venue so you're not miserable with people bumping into you, etc.
The stage is low so if you're on the floor you're almost on the same level as the musician. Perfect if you want to get up close and personal with the crotch of your favorite musician, I guess. :)
I thought the sound quality (especially the vocals) was a little mushy and muddled. but I don't know if that is the venue or the band's sound people. I kept thinking they were trying to make up for lack of crispness with MORE VOLUME which is less than desirable. But it's not terrible sound quality. I've heard much worse.
I like this place and will be happy to return for future events.