Underground Arts — Attraction in Philadelphia

4.5 stars would be most accurate. Yes, Underground Arts get some great acts. I’ve seen multiple shows here and had great times. In fact, one of my favorite concerts ever happened here. The location is not too big so you can pretty much see from anywhere. And because the merch table is in the concert area it’s quite often open for the entire show so you can pick up something during during the sets. Is it a beautiful concert hall or some amazing building? Not exactly. It has the true indie feel of going to see a band in the basement down to the industrial beams that can block your view, depending on where you’re standing. Think black light parking lot with a bar, actually more than one bar when the doors are open to the other part. Everyone’s at the same level, so it’s all equal maybe not equitable if your short standing in the back but equal. The place holds a max 650 people which when a concert is sold out is basically the equivalent of a sardine can. this is my main reason for thinking about giving four stars instead of five. There was barely enough room to get from the front door to the bathroom without having to excuse yourself two dozen times and getting to the bar on the main floor was nearly impossible unless you went to the other bar. There’s not much the venu can do about this. There’s not that much room, but it does make things a little bit more difficult. Like the rest of the glow-in-the-dark art, they could make a glow-in-the-dark path on the ground to get you from one side to the other. People might not comply, but it would help I think.The building is ADA compliant and there is an elevator to get in and out. You need to talk to staff to do that because the main entrance is steps up and then steps down, so if that’s difficult talk to the staff member...

Went here for the first time because their "Snack Time" event looked interesting. Cool venue and the food was good. I'd give it a higher rating except that I felt cheated. The tickets I bought were supposed to include what was listed on the menu along with music. The meal was supposed to include dessert - specifically a fancy cheesecake. They never served any dessert. They had an ice cream cart there, which you could pay extra for, and which only had one kind of ice cream, which I couldn't eat because of an allergy. I asked three different people working there about the cheesecake and none of them had a clue what I was talking about, even after I showed them the menu I bought tickets for. So... that was really disappointing.

Also, the ad for this event was deceptive because it said that there would be music by several artists. They failed to mention that all the artists were playing as a single jazz band. There was no description of the music to be played, just these names and googling the names didn't produce any results. I assumed there would be multiple bands...

So, whoever is in charge of promotions should probabaly be a a little more explanatory in their ads. And they shouldn't say you are paying for a meal which includes dessert and then not...

Really neat venue that I'm looking forward to coming back to. Easy to get to with parking nearby, cool artwork on the walls, nice merch for the venue itself. You have to take a few flights of stairs down to the performance space - not sure if it is ADA friendly. It's not a huge space so the show felt intimate, and since it is in the basement, the ceilings are kind of low. There are multiple pillars that may slightly block your view so get there early for a good view. They have cameras recording the stage and have 2 screens on pillars in the main performance space to watch, or a separate room altogether with dedicated seating space and a large projector screen. Nice spot to take a rest if the main room is too overwhelming. There are 3 bars that can also pour draft beers which are very affordable compared to other music venues. You can buy earplugs for $1 in case you forget your own, and you'll need them - the speakers are DEAFENINGLY loud. Bathrooms are gender neutral so that is a bit chaotic if not used to that set up. Didn't try the food but they are a decently long menu. Only reason I didn't give 5 stars is because it got extremely hot and humid in the space. Bring a hand fan. All staff...