Iron and Wine at the Pageant, Friday, June 13

• What are you bitching about? We are driving from KC to see Iron and Wine so I am just happy to go. A better venue could be in KC...

• i have a novel idea... perhaps the artists request main floor only shows for the intimate setting.

• I'm just grateful that st louis is at least trying to book better and more diverse shows, whatever the venue. Seems to be either feast or famine around here. The Nights used to have a pretty eclectic booking policy, but for the most part st louis only books shows of bands that play on KSHE or KPNT. It's nice to see the Pageant, BH, Lucas and other venues that have been springing up lately at least trying to book decent bands, even if st louisans won't show up to hear them. Having grown up and lived in Boston, with clubs like TTs, the Middle East, Nightstage (RIP), Johnny D's, and on and on, I sometimes feel like I live in a cultural wasteland here. Ah well.. there's always Chicago!

• the concert business isn't exactly easy; it's a crapshoot as to what shows will do well, and which ones won't. i can understand why the roberts orpheum wouldn't want to do anything they weren't sure of. it isn't the best to have a half-full place, no. but of montreal was a fine experience, and that was main floor only. it just seems weirder when it's main floor, since we're so used to going to shows with the whole place being filled. and yes, we still need a 700-1000-seat venue. on a consistent basis. i've been to TT the Bear's a ton of times, since i used to live in boston. and i don't think i ever saw many quiet shows, it is totally true that venue is difficult, because the layout doesn't do a great job of separating the bar from the

• I don't even think that it's the size of the expected crowd, necessarily. These large venues are terrible for quiet acts like Iron and Wine. I saw him at TT the Bears in Boston, which holds maybe 250, where the music gets lost somewhere over the 5th row of people and it winds up being a lousy show experience all around. It takes A LOT to engage a crowd somewhere like The Pageant, and Iron and Wine failed for me at Mississippi nights.

• Maybe I am underestimating the St. Louis crowds (I would be thrilled if I was), but I still stick by my point. If The Pageant could sell enough tickets to open the top they would; so when they don't open it, it's because not enough tickets were sold to warrant doing so. Therefore, the bands are essentailly playing a venue that is 60-75% full. The Pageant feels more empty when it is floor-only, even when the floor is packed, than a venue that could hold 800-1000 people but did not have an empty balcony would. St. Louis is desperately lacking a venue that can hold 700-1000 people. It does not surprise me that the production costs are high at the orpheum. But they don't actually really ever do ANYTHING there, so maybe they should figure out a way to lower the operating costs and do something that actually adds to downtown St. Louis. The current calendar has about one event per month. I hope EITS sells out. Floor and balcony. That would be sweet.

• the production costs to open the roberts orpheum are sky-high. you have to have a show that's a guaranteed draw/sell-out, to make it worth any promoter's while. that's the main sticking point, i've heard. you totally underestimate crowds in this town...i hear explosions is selling quite well. the whole point of having it main floor *isn't* because these acts are too small; the pageant wouldn't book things if they think it couldn't at least, you know, break even on a gig. the pageant did main floor only before m. nights closed. the point of having it main floor is to make things more intimate. i saw dar williams, seated, main floor only. stuff like that. the venue can also the nraise teh capacity if they find demand is high.

• And by the American Theater, I obviously mean "The Roberts Orpehum Theater."

• That show at Miss Nights was also with Calexico and was probably a one-tour only thing. And the fact that they make these shows main-floor only reinforces my point: the venue is tto big for these acts. The empty upstairs makes it feel like it's... half empty and slightly morer cavernous than it needs to be. Teh American theater has all ages shows, too.

• i'm pretty sure iron and wine sold out mississippi nights last time. and i don't know about this show, but other so-called 'indie' shows are main-floor only, making them 1000 or so capacity. that brings the pageant down to a mid-sized venue. which is doable. plus, I&W needs to be all-ages.

• Again. The Pageant? Oh, how I wish the Roberts Bros would get someone that knew what they were doing with live music and book great shows at The American Theater like Iron + Wine, DeVotchKa, Explosions in the Sky, Built to Spill, etc... The ones that are stretching just a little too much to be in the Pageant.

TotalComments: 11