Ventura Music Hall — Attraction in Ventura

My friend Laura and I saw Matt Nathanson! He is awesome and amazing! He is funny, full of grace, he has style and he rocks! I had never been to the Ventura Music Hall. Apparently, it used to be a bowling alley. I thought it was probably a roller rink, but I was wrong. There are tables/booths on one side, with a stage and open area for standing/dancing on the other side. The ceiling is pretty cool, with lots of wood and diamond shapes. There are giant fans to keep the air moving about. There is a full bar and kitchen for dinner. There is a restroom. The parking lot is adequate, as long as you get there on time, if you arrive late you'll need to find street parking. The building looks old and a little run down on the outside, however the acts/talent on the inside bring the magic! The staff is friendly and super knowledgeable. I had never heard of Matt Nathanson before last night. Boy! Where have I been?! The man is freaken amazing! He's funny! He's genuine. And the man oozes talent. I'm so glad my friend bought tickets and invited me. It was a...

Great, intimate venue to see bands. Anywhere you sit or stand is a great view! Drinks and food are good and at typical prices. I'm not too good with most shows being all ages. I'm just that person who likes to go out without my kids or other kids around at night complaining about how tired they are and wanting to go home. I couldn't believe that at this show (The Ocean Blue), these people literally brought five kids to the venue that sat next to me. All their kids were from about 6 to 12. The little boy was hungry and cranky. I don't know what the deal was, but he was very noisy, so I ordered a pretzel for myself. Luckily, it came with two huge ones (I had planned on sharing anyway). I called the Dad over and asked if it was okay for his son to have the other pretzel, and he said yes. Thankfully, it calmed the kid down, and we were able to enjoy the rest of the show. I love taking my kid to music venues, but sometimes I think you need to be more conscious of your kids' age. If it's all ages, your kid should at...

Small, intimate venue. Parking is easy (just park across the street in the neighborhood for free. It's not a super busy street at night. The bar is good (I hear, I don't drink). Water is provided free. They have food (burgers, sliders, etc... Bar food) and a sit down area left side of the stage for eating. Bathrooms are small but clean and not overly busy. Theres a railing on the left side of the standing area which was nice since I have a bad back and needed something for support. There's no sitting area aside from the eating area, and it's only for people ordering food. But sound was decent. Probably varies from show to show depending on the music type and who runs the soundboard. I saw a metalcore show and sound was 6/10. The vocals were too low and the midrange was washed out. But I don't blame the bands for that. Overall it was a good venue. Would go again, though they don't book many bands I'd actually want to see. Mostly smaller, not well...