Senator Theatre — Attraction in Chico

I've been booking, performing and attending concerts for 2.5 decades. This is a textbook example of a venue wasted by inadequate management + promotion. I hate going to this place and seeing how bad they've let it turn into an afterthought.

The ceilings are so high and their in-house sound equipment is cheap, so the sound is bouncing all over the place. They employ a "sound guy" who just moves dials up and down after soundcheck... one of "those" sound guys.

I came to a show here in 2018 where the plumbing backed up over the weekend and the entire building smelled like a overflowing festival Port-O-Potty... to the point that you could smell the odor while standing on the sidewalk. Management appeared unfazed and basically communicated "sucks for you" to its paying customers. Meanwhile, the headlining act burned incense on stage and sped through their set in record time to get out of there...

Cheap security who seem indifferent about the safety of show-goers. I've mistakenly brought pocket knives into this place and they don't care.

Now, it sounds like bands have started having their gear/personal belongings stolen from the back. Heck, their website doesn't even load the majority of the time.

I desperately wish somebody would take promotion from J Max and his constituents, because these people don't know how to adequately market live music anymore. It isn't the year 2002, the methods used more than two decades ago aren't enough in 2024. All they do is book middling electronic/DJ or country acts, Taylor Swift/Shrek raves, punk bands 25 years past their prime and eyeliner metal for little kids.

There are mid-sized indie, hip hop, pop rock and metal acts EVERYWHERE right now—not sure why promoters affiliated with this theater can't devote a few hours each week to making contacts and perhaps getting added to future tour routes? I mean, God forbid they get some acts people actually...

Went to see Madeon live at Senator Theater. The venue itself was okay. It wasn't the biggest or coolest venue, especially for any EDM-type event but it ended up working out decently. The crowd here wasn't the best. We had a lot of people trying to crowd surf throughout the night and it ended up just annoying a lot of people. One guy even fell on top of me while trying to crowd surf. I understand it's an event and it should be fun but hurting other people through sheer stupidity diminishes the experience. The security here was pretty lenient about the event. However, they at least sometimes knew when to step in. One girl was being obnoxious while sitting on someone's shoulder and security gave her the death stare and gestured to her to get off. I normally don't care for this kind of stuff but it was actually quite funny. I met a few cool people and others who seemed less than excited about Madeon. They did not allow us to bring water, bags, or CamelBaks into the venue so we had to resort to purchasing water bottles inside which was annoying. They didn't try to extort you with outrageous prices, though, which was nice.

The city of Chico itself was very strange, however. Before the event started, we hung around the city but felt very uncomfortable being there. There were some interesting folks and some normal folks but everyone seemed to be judging us for whatever reason. My friends even got cat-called by a passing vehicle.

With all things considered, I wouldn't recommend coming here and to save your money for a different event. Only come here as a last resort if you really want to see your favorite...

Went to a show here this past weekend and was pretty disappointed. Their website lacks information in regard to what items are permitted inside. I attempted to call them multiple times the day of the show to find out what I could bring but no calls we answered.

In case you're having the same issue then here are some general rules that I discovered upon arrival:

Based off what I saw, you can bring in small bags and hydration packs. I'm assuming that the packs need to be empty upon arrival. There is a water fountain for you to fill them up with when you get there.

They have a snack/coat check on the first floor. They accept cards and Apple Pay at this booth.

The bar is upstairs and it is cash only.

Re-entry is allowed if you have a wristband and you must be 21 to get said wristband.

My group had some confusion about the ticket methods that they allowed. We were told by some that you had to print them but our QR codes worked just fine.

Overall, the venue is fine. It's pretty old but it seems to be taken care of. I went to an EDM show and the turn out was sort of small so there was plenty of places to stand. Seating was open and they had some on the fist and second floor.

It would not be my first choice for a venue and I would really have to like the artist...