McMenamins Crystal Ballroom — Attraction in Portland

Out of all of Portland smaller venues, the Crystal Ballroom is my least favorite, and it all boils down to the way they split the hall floor is split down the middle, front to back. It's the biggest pain in my everything. I've not seen another venue split their General Audience and 21+ Audience this way, and it always leads to a subpar experience. No matter what kind of show I attend, I end up getting hurt because of the bottleneck. It's impossible to go to the bathroom between sets and make it back to your friends, and heavier shows end up compacted and dangerous. I've never seen a mosh pit without blood here, because guests are restricted to such a small area. Even the Hawthorne, a notoriously small venue, splits their floor horizontally to provide maximum floor space per group.

Additionally, since the lighting systems are installed so far forward, the light zone ends as close as 20 feet away from the stage; if you're any further back you're watching the lights happen to other patrons rather than experiencing the same show. ESPECIALLY if you're in the balcony, which is a disrespect to ADA patrons.

9 times out of 10 they don't have a coat check. It's apparently up to the client, which is incredibly weird. That's a service provided to patrons that should be on the venue itself, not the client. You're telling me a 100+ year old concert hall didn't have a cloak room?

I appreciate their security concerns, aside from the Roseland few other small venues use metal detectors. I don't know if their security detail is house managed or contracts but either way they appear familiar with the work and keep the lines moving smoothly.

Staff often hands out free waters to those trapped by the crowd, which wouldn't be an issue if it was easier to move about the house but it's a kind gesture regardless.

In the end, I'll only go to the Crystal if it's a once-in-a-lifetime concert. Otherwise I'm sitting it out until the band returns and leases a venue like the Roseland, Hawthorne, or...

Charming small live music venue with a unique atmosphere! The Crystal Ballroom definitely has a fun vibe in it and there are very nice artworks in the walls of the room. The entrance/general admission floor has a bar, food vendor, and jacket racks; and the floor is bouncy! There's a seating area in the 2nd floor with another bar behind it. There's also a reserved area on the right (if you're facing the stage) but it kind of looks awkward because even though you can see the stage, there's a part of the stage where the view might be blocked because of the standing general admission crowd but who knows I could be wrong because I was never on the reserved area. Another weird thing I found is that they have no accessible routes for photographers to go upfront the stage, which means they'd have to go through the crowd with their equipment and bags. There's also an elevator that's accessible for wheelchairs. The lighting is okay but the acoustics and sound is pretty solid! As of when I'm posting this review, they don't have a lot of shows posted on their website which I hope isn't always the case because it's a very nice venue to see concerts! Overall the Crystal Ballroom is a fun place to see shows in and you gotta jump on those bouncy floors!

Edit: Came in here again to see Magic City Hippies. I asked one of the staff why there was a split in the middle and looked like a little walkway and was told that it helps to separate the younger audience from those who are 21+. The little walkway was nice because the performers can walk through it during the show and get close with the fans and I think it's very accessible for photographers rather than going through the crowd. There wasn't any reserve seating on the far right side so I guess it does depend on what kind of bands/performers...

Went to see lamp and they were great, sound was super nice! But the staff just had an attitude. When i got in i went to the merch line and was counting my cash, by the time i was at almost at the register this worker tells me “they don't accept cash” YOU DONT ACCEPT THE MKST COMMON CURRENCY?? WHAT?? So that had me stressed out and i had to get OUT of line to go downstairs and ask am i able to leave and come back and they're saying “yea you can but wait till the line is done” THE LINE IS AROUND THE CORNER?? So i couldn't get to any atm nearby and by the time i got money on my card everything was basically sold out, of course that part isn't on the venue, but they should have had a big fat sign somewhere that said “CASH ONLY” like why tell me when im basically at the register. And when i went to buy more things when everything was sold out the woman at the register had an attitude because i didn't know what they had like thats not my fault they don't have everything on display so i asked “uhm do you know whats sold out and whats not” and shes like “it would be better for you to just ask.” WELL DAMN WHAT DID I DO TO YOU??? I had no idea what else they had in stock Ive never been to a concert i have no idea how merch or any of this stuff works so it would have made me feel better if she was a little more patient with me and not have the biggest attitude known to man. I wasn't even done ordering and she asked me to pay like bro i get it you had a long day but THATS YOUR JOB TO WORK WITH PEOPLE. YOU CHOSE THIS JOB NOT ME ‼️‼️ Then she had the nerve to shove the tip sign in my face i never pressed no tip so hard in my life. Other than all that seeing...