Best Club/ Music Venue in NY?

Town Hall has some great shows but they tend to be more sedate (i.e. I saw Ben Folds there and everyone remained seated). Webster Hall is great because it's standing room only and notably smaller than The Music Hall. Union Pool is such a meat market! I secretly kinda love the place but it is impossible to make it out of there without having your leg humped by an 18 year old. Zebulon and Lovin Cup are both great for up and comers in Williamsburg!

I generally get annoyed by the hipster-than-thou vibe of what's left of the LES music scene. Love the Bowery Ballroom. Don't go to willyburg for concerts nearly as often as I should but that will change soon, as I've made it my new springtime/summer project...

What about the Knitting Factory? I was once invited to a gig there by a friend who is a musician but I never did make that trip.

The old Knitting Factory venue in Manhattan closed down, I was at their very last concert on New Year's Eve 2009, with Deer Hoof, among others. Haven't been to the new venue in Brooklyn, so I can't say how they are now...

Anyone been to the Philharmonic in the Park during the summer? That is on my must-do list for this upcoming season!

I am having trouble remembering a time in recent months when I went to see a band that wasn't in somebody's basement or something. But I have to say that seeing bands in basements is usually pretty awesome.

Pianos kind of holds a special place in my heart, you guys. Does that make me an aging hipster? Oh...to when the LES was the spot.

@JenMac You're going to have to let me know how that goes - I've heard great things about the Philharmonic.

@Love the Philharmonic. It is definitely worth doing.

@BroadwayBK Nah, you're not an ageing hipster, BroadwayBK, you're just sentimental. What would be the age at which you qualify as an ageing hipster. Somehow I doubt you're there?

Guess I am going to have to check out the Philharmonic. I wonder if I can get anyone to go with me... what do you guys think of going to concerts solo? Is that kosher? I know a lot of people who do it, but I do like to enjoy company whilst soaking in live music.

@NeeverSleeps Well, it's a lot more fun going to concerts with someone. At the Philharmonic I would guess the people who are there alone are the middle aged divorcees, trying to be cultured even though they're lonely. Don't be that, bring somebody!

@DBlack You have to find a like minded person to go to a concert with you and sometimes its just difficult to find someone who has the same tastes as you.I often have this problem when I want to go to see a Bollywood movie and my husband is not interested and my best girlfriend is not around. I then just trot off alone to see the movie.

@DBlack I don't know... isn't the age cap for a hipster pretty low in the twenties? Those dudes in their thirties who still have five roommates and only two dirty shirts terrify me.

@uptowngirl Agreed... I would rather be alone than with someone who is only half-heartedly watching a movie or listening to live music. I think that's something that's great about NYC - it's socially acceptable to turn up in public places all alone.

I love Webster hall. They play all kinds of music including my favorite - the oldies.

@broadwaybk: oh no, there is no age cap for hipsterdom. I know plenty of over 30's who still have roommates and wear flannels with the sleeves cut off. Take a swing by union pool on a weekday afternoon: it'll blow your mind.

JenMac: Who doesn't have roommates in this city. How many people do you know live in an apartment in this city by him or herself. Not many.

@hhusted I had no idea that Webster hall was still around!! thought it shut down when Limelight did.. they play oldies now?? I remember it being hardcore techno from the 90's..

hhusted: I know A LOT of people who live by themselves in this city.

@uptowngirl: Webster Hall still has so many great shows! I just saw Owen Pallett there about a month ago and Edward Sharpe is coming to Webster in just a few weeks!

I know A LOT of people who live by themselves in this city too, and they all seem to work in advertising or TV. Dang, I need to get in on that action.

It seems like all my female friends (in their middle/late twenties) either live by themselves or with their longterm boyfriend. All of my male friends (late twenties/early thirties) live with roommates. Wonder if that is the Peter Pan syndrome or if they are just used to years of living with roommates in NYC - but it seems to be a guy thing. I can understand living with roommates when you're young and don't make too much money, but it gets old after a while.

@uptowngirl That's crazy! I went to Webster Hall recently to see a friend's band play, and they send me emails every week to let me know who is playing there... it's kind of annoying.

@NeverSleeps Every theater I've seen a show in the last six months now spams me on a regular basis, geez. How likely am I to return when they harass me?

@NeverSleeps @Uraniumfish I have the same problem. Every venue I have ever bought at ticket from online sends me a constant stream of emails that I don't read. I have to agree that seeing a bunch of spam in my inbox doesn't exactly drive me to want to return to any of those places.

@everyone I also know a lot of people who live alone in the city. NYC is full of tiny studios. I've also seen some pretty spacious once in Greenpoint.

I don't live alone but I feel like I do - I never see anyone else who lives here.

@Uraniumfish @BroadwayBK I wonder why those places do that? Like they can really annoy you into buying more show tickets. Seems like the sort of thing that sell themselves.

@Everybody Don't you need to be asked if you want to receive such emails, or at least be able to opt out of them in some way. I get them too, and they're really pushing their luck. But because you like the venues you don't want to call them on it.

Most of the people I know live by themselves. It's related to age, of course. Once you cross the 30 line you've probably found a decent job and don't need to do the roommate thing. Unless you're working for a non-profit, and all those guys I know live with roommates.

@Everyone I don't live alone as you all know but with the crazy hours the husband works , I sometimes feel that I live alone and happen to love the solitude...
That's so true about the theaters and ticket agents spamming you, I once bought tickets through broadwaybox.com for an off broadway play and was bombarded with spam for months after ..I have never bought anything from the site since and all their mails now directly go into my spam folder.

Granted, I live in Williamsburg -- but, I live alone and in a 1 bedroom. I totally think it's the NY Peter Pan syndrome. I'm from Los Angeles -- rent's pretty high there and I don't know more than a handful of people over 30 who have roommates. I was kind of shell shocked by that phenomenon when I moved here.

@DBlack I never asked for any emails (and I'm sure to uncheck any ominous boxes asking me if I want such things), but whenever I buy tickets for some local show online I am bombarded with event notifications. A lot of times I try to opt out, only to be sent the same sort of emails continuously anyway.

@everyone I really don't know many men who have their own places. But I would like to.

@BroadwayBK I do know of my husband's mate, he has a two bedroom in Newport across the river and a fancy car but is a total louse and wouldnt want to introduce him to anybody .. he is not particularly good looking or even nice but he seems to attract women in droves.. the car and the apartment are perhaps the draws...