ONCE Somerville — Local services in Somerville

The facilities neglect the customer. A single food vendor served Indian empanada-like pastries out of a cooler. They came cold and tasted flavorless. The setting has charm (industrial lot next to a railroad track), but felt awkward and uncomfortable, with a large empty space devoid of people and nowhere to sit or rent chairs. A higher level of professionalism would benefit the performance line-ups. The first two performers asked if anyone knew about jobs available. They sang to karaoke tracks of their music. The main musical act, Brandi Blaze, brought energy and creativity for half an hour. The speaker and light systems performed well, but the overall set-up (no tables to eat, asphalt parking lot as listening area, portapotties as bathrooms) felt unrefined. One of the available beers tasted good at $12 a can. Several non-food vendors arrived about 9 pm; the music started at 8 and the doors opened at 7. I would have enjoyed walking around and visiting them before the start of the show. I recommend having them set up before. Overall, for your money you can have better experiences elsewhere, like the Lawn on D Street. ONCE, if you want people to come back: (1) get a food truck serving hot food; (2) provide tables to eat; (3) have non-food vendors set up before the gates open; (4) provide or...

Once Lounge is THE MOST intimate venue in the Boston area. Every time I see a show there, I end up saying, "That was the best show I've ever been to". There is no bad seat; you're basically on top of the band. There are shows there that aren't advertised (at least not anywhere I'm looking) so call ahead to see a live band is playing; there is 90% of the time I think. Now, on to the staff, they are wonderful. I asked the names of three people: John, Melody, and Laura. I got the feeling that Laura was running the floor and she was doing it with utter grace amid the chaos. Plus, she took the time to check on the bartenders AND crack a joke at me. John was a wicked sweetheart. He was knowledgeable about the menu and about all the beers they offered. Melody was the one making my drinks and she is one hell of a mixologist. I can't remember any of the names of the drinks, although I remember thinking they were fun and quirky. Regardless of the names, every drink was an experience: intricate, well-balanced, and creative. Really very impressive.

10/10 will be frequenting there are the weather gets nicer. Definitely...

Not an ideal situation if you're coming from out of town. Tonight the Dead Boys are playing at ONCE, although I won't be seeing them because of the lack of parking in the area for non-residents. I bought my ticket in advance as soon as I found out about the show a while back. Left Rhode Island a little before 7pm and arrived at the venue a few minutes before 8pm, which is when the doors opened. I spent the next hour driving up and down countless one way residential side streets looking for parking that didn't require a resident parking permit or had a blatant tow zone sign. I found none. The closest I found were 2-hour parking spots but longer than two hours and you're supposed to have the permit. The last thing I need is to have my car towed in Boston. An hour of driving around was enough for me before I decided to just drive back to RI. So, for those fortunate enough I hope you're enjoying the show tonight. My ticket is still sitting at will-call if...