Places Vienna should play

[collectingbees]

I would like to see her play at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco again.

[tmac9311]

I would like to see her in Seattle. I couldn't make it at bumbershoot, and I hope I get another chance to see her.

[eloquentmayhem]

I'd really really REALLY like her to play in a Pittsburgh venue that isn't 21+. I know that Vienna's come to Pittsburgh, PA 2 times (at least since I've fallen in love with her music), but since I was underage both times and the venue was for 21 year olds and older, I couldn't go. So my point is, I want Vienna to play in Pittsburgh... at least anywhere that's not in a bar!

[Michele]

I'd really really REALLY like her to play in a Pittsburgh venue that isn't 21+.

Yinz just got a brand new venue, Club AE, that I've sent over to the powers that be to review. Hope it works out Welcome to the forum, and hope you can see VT next time she's there!

[Fred]

Yinz just got a brand new venue...

Where did you learn to speak Pittsburgh? (I grew up there.)

[Michele]

Where did you learn to speak Pittsburgh? (I grew up there.)

My husband's from there, so I have a vested interest on the shows my in-laws go to. Despite having visited several times, I don't think I've ever actually heard anyone say that, or else it's so subtle I don't notice. I swiped it from TapersSection...

[Fred]

Despite having visited several times, I don't think I've ever actually heard anyone say that, or else it's so subtle I don't notice.

It was real enough back when I was a kid, not all that subtle, either. Probably Pgh has gotten more cosmopolitan since then, and the regional dialect has faded. Having grown up in the far far exurbs north of the city (in the country, really), I never learned to speak Pgh-ese myself, but I heard it spoken by the kids whose families had recently moved out there from the city. Having moved around a lot, my English is about as neutral as it gets, aside from the occasional lapse into generic Midwesternism ("I'm going to get a drink of waaaater", etc.) which may have more to do with my time in MI than PA. Moved to NJ and NY far too late in life to pick up the accents, thank goodness.

[Michele]

Found another Pittsburgh venue, but it's a theater, and taper friendly...the Rex. They have a mix of all ages and 21+ shows.

[Kwon2m]

The next time Vienna wants to play on Long Island (NY), maybe she should check out the Boulton Center in Bayshore. It's a very nice small venue. Seats about 260. Comfortable and intimate. Plenty of free parking too. They also have a good set up for artists who want to do meet and greet and sell some merch. I've seen quite a few shows there, and I just love the place.

John

[Fred]

The next time Vienna wants to play on Long Island (NY), maybe she should check out the Boulton Center in Bayshore. It's a very nice small venue. Seats about 260. Comfortable and intimate. Plenty of free parking too. They also have a good set up for artists who want to do meet and greet and sell some merch. I've seen quite a few shows there, and I just love the place.

John

Hi, John!
I absolutely love Boulton Center!! Comfortable, great acoustics/sound system, excellent sight lines from everywhere in the house, and you can sip a drink while you listen. Within the last year I've seen Dar Williams and Richard Shindell there (2 more of my top 5-6 favorite artists), each probably the best show I've seen by the respective artist. Vienna played there, too, before I started seeing her. (Green Caravan tour, or maybe later between tours when she lived in Brooklyn - you can find it in the gig list archive, probably 2007.) However, Vienna has booked up the Northeast portion of this tour tight and I don't think she could fit another NYC-area date in the calendar. Additionally, I think it may be smaller than what she's looking for, for full band shows on this tour, based on a comment she made to me about a NJ venue a few months back. A little farther out the Island, I'd also love to see her return to the Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center where she last played, and I saw her, in 2009, in one of the 3-4 best shows of hers I've seen live. Not only would that be a nostalgia trip, but they just finished a total renovation and it's gorgeous. I'd love to see it again. However, the same objections that apply to Boulton also apply to Westhampton - no open dates in this area, and probably smaller than she wants for the full band.
Take care!
Fred

PS Oh, and the other great thing about Boulton is the great meet-and-greet room at the top/rear of the rear section. Lots of space to hang with the fans. And it's ridiculously easy to get to by train or car. And there's plenty of convenient free parking. And there are good restaurants within a block of it. And...

[Fred]

...And in NYC, the Rubin Museum of Art, sometime if she's in the area and wants to do a solo gig, after this tour is over. They have a regular Friday night singer-songwriter series in an acoustically amazing small room (probably less than 200), it's totally unplugged, and the musicians are invited to suggest art from the museum to project behind them that coordinates with the music. (It's a museum of Himalayan art, much of which is Buddhist. Fourth Messenger songs, anyone?) I've seen Joan Osborne, Richard Shindell, Aoife O'Donovan, and Ari Hest there (the last 2 just recently), and every show was amazing. The only problem is that she probably couldn't do it on a short-notice drop-in basis like when she comes to Rockwood Music Hall; the program is set months ahead.

Actually why don't I suggest this to Tanya Shaffer as a place for a reading of The Fourth Messenger?

[Fred]

The next time Vienna wants to play on Long Island (NY), maybe she should check out the Boulton Center in Bayshore...

I absolutely love Boulton Center...A little farther out the Island, I'd also love to see her return to the Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center...

Rounding out the medium sized community performing arts centers on LI, I'd love to see Vienna play the Landmark on Main Street in Port Washington, where she has never played before. This is the PAC I frequent most often. It's a tad smaller than Boulton and less opulent than the others, but the 2-level layout with a large overhang creates a very intimate setting from all seats, the programming is consistently more in line with my taste than the others (more contemporary roots and acoustic music, less classic rock, especially compared to Boulton, reflecting the influence of John Platt of WFUV), and the regular audience there is uniquely knowledgeable and enthusiastic. They like hearing new music. I was at Landmark for Red Molly last week (their 3rd time there) and I watched a sea of people mob them at the merch table after their set. My friend who sells their merch told me they had the best sales night in the history of the band. They get big names there via a robust sponsorship system for the season and individual shows (this being the "gold coast" of the North Shore of LI). This also keeps ticket prices pretty reasonable, especially compared to Westhampton, where they can get pretty scary.