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| - Goodbye Marquee Theatre and hello The Van Buren!
This is a downtown 1k capacity music venue that will compete for the same shows as The Marquee in Tempe. The venue is situated in a beautifully restored historical building a few blocks west of the Light Rail. The stage is huge, room large with a large flat general admission floor and very few (if any) obstructions of view. There's a second level balcony which wraps around the floor (I suppose you'll pay extra to get away from the action/excitement of being on the floor amongst your fellow music fans, and but if that's your thing, it's an option).
There are two large bars, one in the back and one on the side and regretfully there were some decent lines to get drinks. That said, this was opening night so I suspect they will quickly overcome any quirks (this is, after all, a Charlie Levey project: The Valley Bar, The Crescent Ballroom and Stateside Presents).
The sound was solid but again, this was opening night and the sound crew's first show with a packed house (an impossible feat to get right having not known the room's acoustics WITH a crowd of people in the house). No complaints here, but I suspect it will get really really good very quickly.
A couple of REALLY cool things:
With a proof of ticket to the show you get 20% off of food and drinks (before and after the show) at The Valley Bar and The Crescent Ballroom (both within walking distance of the venue).
Also, when I asked for a "rum and coke" my bartender asked "would you like to make it a double for a dollar more?". Ummm, yes please.
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