Regent Theater — Attraction in Los Angeles

Pop quiz class: What do you call a concert where only half of the speakers work half of the time? Kishi Bashi at the Regent on Monday night! An all together upsetting and unacceptable concert going experience. It actually might have been better if the speaker stage right had been out the entire show, as it was, the speaker would flux in and out of operation, tantalizing myself and the rest of the crowd with a true stereo experience that was never fully realized. If you went to see a film and they only projected onto the screen half the film, you'd ask for a refund right? That's how I felt at the end of this evening at the Regent Theater, a not so well maintained theater just off the main Broadway drag of old Hollywood Downtown movie palaces.

It has two nice anterooms, one for food and a small bar for libations, and the main theater is spacious, and allows for a fair amount of people both on the slopped floor, a remnant of its life as a movie theater, and upstairs on the "balcony". A balcony that was half occupied by VIP table sections roped off from the hoi polloi that might want a better view of the stage. You have to pay more to enjoy your eyes from here! I'd include ears but as I had previously mentioned, speakers. UNLESS, perhaps if I had paid more than the 25 dollar door fee, and had opted for an upgraded ticket, I'd have been able to enjoy sound binaurally?

I had previously been to the theater to see a staged reading of Fast Nein: The Fast and the Furher. That was a fantastic experience. Hilarious comedians reading a parody film that mashes the world of Dominic Toretto and the third reich. Perhaps that what this stage was built for, something not so focused on sound production and musical experience. If I was reviewing just that show this place would get 4 stars.

They have a bar inside the venue if you like drinking, I don't know the prices, but I have to assume they're in line with the rest of the night spots in Downtown. The mens bathroom was fine, nothing exceptional, but it worked, which was nice.

Parking on the street is difficult. There are a couple of loading zone spots on Los Angeles Blvd. There are plenty of pay lots, use those it's the easiest option even if it's a little pricey. Walking around at night isn't scary, but it can be unnerving, but that's sort of Downtown in that area, gentrification and it's sprawl hasn't fully absorbed that part of Downtown yet, so there are still homeless and others wandering the...

Great venue once inside. But unfair entry process. Regardless of your position in line, they will scan your tickets early if you want to enter the restaurant or the bar. They let people know the line is forming for bag check/entry inside the restaurant or bar first, so even if you wait for hours for the show, it’s not even guaranteed you’re up front because people will be able to skip the line all the way from the back and get in line before you when they announce they’re letting people in.

The benefit is we have our tickets already scanned so we can essentially walk right in, but it still isn’t fair when people like myself get there 4+ hours early and see people from far behind us get let in early so long as they agree to buy food or whatever. Our wristbands aren’t numbered so there is no way they can actually manage a fair entry for who was there first.

I think a better process is just keeping the line outside until doors are supposed to open. People can go buy food or drinks if they want when doors open but that way it’s fair and people who are first in line are guaranteed first of where they want to be…or maybe let the first 15-20 people in but wait for everyone else lol.

Me and the others who were first in line were definitely peeved and felt almost forced to go inside because it gives anyone who decides to enter under the agreement of buying something an advantage. If we kept our place in line we would get in after everyone who entered the restaurant early because they haven’t scanned the tickets yet.

It’s just not fair.

Sound and concert experience was great though, that was just something super annoying about the entry process of the venue. Pls change it, I wouldn’t want to skip out on concerts I want to see just to avoid this...

The Regent occupies what was once a 1914-vintage movie house, albeit with the original cinema seating removed. That explains the gentle yet noticeable slope to the street level audience space. If you're someone who hates having their view blocked by someone in front of them, then this will alleviate the issue. Although to be honest, there is not really a bad viewing spot in the place. When I attended with my girlfriend for a Jarvis Cocker show, we managed to secure a great vantage point and the dead center of the balcony viewing area (which also contains high-school style bleacher seating if your feet get tired). The sound quality was excellent: powerful and clear without being over-loud. The lighting design was top-notch, although there was a point when the large mirror ball in the ceiling was lit up with floods from the stage and everyone in the balcony had to squint or hold hands up to their eyes to beat back the glare. My favorite element of the place was the cool design on the proscenium arch of the stage, which was decked out in a repeating geometric pattern that evokes early modernist graphic design. Possibly a holdover from the original theater, but I'm not sure. What I AM sure of, however, is that the Regent is one of my new favorite music venues in the city. Highly recommended if your favorite band is...