General Who was the biggest musical act you seen in the smallest venue?

[crowbar]

Mine was Motorhead at California Dreams night club in Anaheim (100-150 people)

No barriers what-so-ever.

I could play Lemmy's balls if I wanted to.

Motorhead was already established & not just starting out.It was a promotional show for radio station KNAC.

 

[gangsterkathryn]

I saw Reel Big Fish at Florida Atlantic University, in an auditorium that was closed off to like 200-250 people back in 2007.

 

[ManDingo]

Marilyn Manson at Aragon Ballroom

 

[kaladin stormblessed]

Smashing Pumpkins (this is not a joke)

 

[Hauler]

I've seen lots of bands at Bogarts - a smallish venue with a capacity of about 1500.
Most notably Pearl Jam (Ten) and Pantera (Cowboys). Jackyll (90s). Beastie Boys(90s).

They aren't known by many people so not really a "big act", but I saw Roger Clyne & PH Naffah at Rumba Cafe in C-Bus. Tiny bar that would be lucky to get 150 people in there. They played the entire Honky Tonk Union album beginning to end, with stories about each song. It was a great show. I saw J Roddy Walston in the same place. That was nuts. I thought the place was going to cave in it was so loud.

 

[Jesus X]

The novo in L.A has hosted a lot of famous acts from the 90s and early 00s it is a pretty shitty venue claims to hold 2400 people but I doubt it could even hold 1000 comfortably the way it is built is a huge fire risk the exit is tiny and claustrophobic. i last saw buckethead perform there.

The Novo - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

 

[SongExotic2]

Only been to two. Both at Nottingham Ice stadium series lots of people. There's a bar in Nottingham called rock city, holds a couple hundred, my buddies went to watch arctic monkeys there before they got big, I declined as I was mad at the bouncers there from r something else

 

[Poiupoiu]

elton john in a room, devo in another

 

[billy tully]

I saw the popular arena rock band Thirty Seconds To Mars play a full show at a small club in Toronto back in 2013.

 

[kvr28]

Meatloaf and RHCP at SUNY brockport in 89 at the student union, it was basically a large cafeteria. No one knew who the hell RHCP was and they sucked for the record.

 

[AVClub]

Prince would often do a small club show after the concert at the big venue. In 2007, saw him at the club inside the O2 Arena. Only a few hundred folks and it was incredible.

 

[NotBanjaxo]

Mine was Motorhead at California Dreams night club in Anaheim (100-150 people)

No barriers what-so-ever.

I could play Lemmy's balls if I wanted to.

Motorhead was already established & not just starting out.It was a promotional show for radio station KNAC.

I saw the thread title and was going to say Motorhead at the Southport Theatre, but that's around 10 times bigger than that.

 

[AVClub]

Before he blew up into the stratosphere, saw Garth Brooks in a studio in Burbank fllming a Bob Hope special.

 

[BALLSDEEP]

Red Hot Chilli Peppers the early morning after getting inducted to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame at the House of Blues for a private show.

Kid Rock at a private outdoor show during the RNC for delegates only. Some friends got me in. I was the only one not in a suit on that 90 degree day.
Probably some others if I think about it.

 

[BALLSDEEP]

I've seen lots of bands at Bogarts - a smallish venue with a capacity of about 1500.
Most notably Pearl Jam (Ten) and Pantera (Cowboys). Jackyll (90s). Beastie Boys(90s).

They aren't known by many people so not really a "big act", but I saw Roger Clyne & PH Naffah at Rumba Cafe in C-Bus. Tiny bar that would be lucky to get 150 people in there. They played the entire Honky Tonk Union album beginning to end, with stories about each song. It was a great show. I saw J Roddy Walston in the same place. That was nuts. I thought the place was going to cave in it was so loud.

I've been to Rumba. Bluestone (former Boma) is my favorite one down there.

 

[megatherium]

The Police at the Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver on their first tour in early '79.

 

[GentleArt309]

Mudvayne in front of like 30 people. Late 90's.


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umWfUT4xDRU&list=PLZnCQ7WvAejgPCxyaG-pkwVGFhTmaRbfL

 

[kvr28]

Mudvayne in front of like 30 people. Late 90's.


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umWfUT4xDRU&list=PLZnCQ7WvAejgPCxyaG-pkwVGFhTmaRbfL

Jesus, that's a band I haven't thought of in a while.

 

[Chrit]

Saliva in a dive bar in Colorado Springs that probably had like 15 people there. Obviously like 5-10 years after their brief run of relevance.

 

[GentleArt309]

Jesus, that's a band I haven't thought of in a while.

Touring with Megadeth right now...

 

[TheVandalz]

Probably the Offspring at Canes Bar and Grill in San Diego (now closed).

 

[Burner2274]

Touring with Megadeth right now...

And still awesome

 

[Burner2274]

I saw Marilyn Manson in Springfield, MO at the Regency in the 90s. It was right before Sweet Dreams hit it big. That place was a shit hole and couldn't have had more than 850 people.

Saw Megadeth perform for a radio show at Remingtons in Springfield. That was another small venue, maybe a thousand.

 

[Wild]

I saw Marilyn Manson in Springfield, MO at the Regency in the 90s. It was right before Sweet Dreams hit it big. That place was a shit hole and couldn't have had more than 850 people.

Saw Megadeth perform for a radio show at Remingtons in Springfield. That was another small venue, maybe a thousand.

I stay in Springfield all the time when driving out to our office in Kansas. Doesn't seem to be a whole lot to do there.

 

[MountainMedic]

Saw nirvana in a bar playing for 20 people.
Saw them the next year opening a theater for sonic youth.
Big place, but almost everyone was in the bar. They killed, and mentioned they had a new record coming out.

2 weeks later nevermind came out.