The Wiltern

10/13/09

Your info is wrong

by smgradman at Citysearch

Your info page says smoking is allowed. The Wiltern in an indoor venue. It's in California. Therefore there is NO SMOKING anywhere at the Wiltern, except out on the street.

12/08/08

yay

by grabtrees at Citysearch

i like this venue for having all seats. the sound is nice and big and theatrical, and you can see anywhere you sit so thats a major plus

09/26/08

Molested, Ravaged and Violated!!

by crystalann07 at Citysearch

Generally I enjoy my experiance at The Wiltern but last night was my worst experiance ever! The Staff was extremely rude and unpleasent. When it came time to be searched this nasty rude security guard yanked my bag out of my hand and started to toss everything around pulling everything and searching through every crevase of my bag when i asked her if she was really allowed to search my bag in such a manner ( because i really felt violated, molested, ravaged) she didn't look me in the face to tell me that it was company policy she just giggled like i had told the funniest joke... I had never been searched in such a manner and so many girls were walking past me with bigger bags and not being searched i didn't even get scanned with the metal detector.... is that company policy too? It was COMPLETELY UNPROFESSIONAL!! She ended up finding my boyfriends little bit of herb and tiny pipe that i carry around for my boyfriend because he has really bad asthma. We told her we had a valid prescription which allows us to carry it on us and she still didn't care. still took it and tossed it. I have never been treated that way ever. Not even by security in larger venues or much more bigger shows......

• Pros: I've had better experiances
• Cons: RUDE EMPLOYEES!!

07/17/08

My favorite General Admission Venue

by kiercemartin at Citysearch

This is easily one of the top 5 venues in LA. Really classy old-school interior makes you feel like you're in Carnegie or something, rather than a couple miles off of the 405. If you get there a little bit early you're bound to get a good spot, if you don't mind standing the pit's great, but I'd definitely recommend the first level tables over anything else. The bar offers a solid selection of pretty much everything, and all the times I've been there I've never had a problem with any of the staff. If you're looking for a good show, this is the place to see it. A must-see in LA for sure.

09/19/07

Get their early

by fneagermthrfr at Citysearch

As long as you arrive early (in southern california that means on time), you should get a good space. I arrived a little after 8pm and got a good space on the 2nd level, front row. I saw BRMC and black angels and the sound quality overall was pretty bad. They amp up the volume so high, and in such a small venue, the electric guitars reverberate too much. Could barely make out the vocals.

Best part about the wiltern is how intimate it is. Very tiny venue. I was about 15 feet from the band, for a very cheap ticket price. Thats the best reason to attend the wiltern, is to see your fave band up close, which normally you may not have the option of.

• Pros: small, intimate theater
• Cons: Not the greatest sound quality

04/05/07

bad view.

by juju13es at Citysearch

I remember coming here to watch Ben Folds a few years back, and it was quite the experience. The whole venue isn't too large, but large enough to hold a good amount of people. There's no assigned seating or seating at all, for that matter, so people just have to make their way and stand wherever they can. This can cause quite a problem when you're 5'3 and standing behind people that are a lot taller than you~ The ground is also pretty leveled, so it's even more impossible to see if you're standing near the back. I remember my friend got in a verbal fight with this extremely tall giant of a woman because she wouldn't let us stand in front of her. But on the bright side, Ben was awesome.

01/29/07

Great views... if you're 6'6"!

by palolokid1 at Citysearch

Saw Coldplay there in 2001, that was the last time I saw seats in the venue. That was a great show. Sure, the renovations may have made the place a little more shiney, and maybe even improved the sound quality, but what good is that, if 50% of the people in the crowd can hardly see the stage. The problem is, when all the seats were taken out, all that remained were four or five tiers, that rise a foot or so with each tier, BUT they are all FLAT. This means the further back you are, the more level you are with the stage, meaning, if you aren't in the front two rows of each tier, or you're not at least 6'6" - YOU AIN'T SEEING ANYTHING! I was just there to see Keane last Friday and someone at the venue had the brilliant idea of putting chairs back in there. They were lined up nicely and the height of the charis increased as they reached the rear of each section. Sounds good, in theory. However, what happens when the music starts? Duuuh, everyone stands up, of course. Now we're back where we started, but with chairs in the way too. As the show went on all the seats in the back rows were empty, as the people snuck up to the front of the venue. Replacing the fixed seats on an incline, like it was in the good old days, would be nice, but obviously that won't happen (too expensive). Now I'm no engineer, but to me, a simple fix would be to just get some wood and make each tier incline a bit. Obviously, nothing unsafe, just enough of an angle to make the people in the back of the section taller than the people in the front. BRILLIANT! C'mon Wiltern, you're a great venue, with so much history. You consistently get the best bands to play. Now, all your customers ask of you, is a little common sense!?!?! The people have to be able to see the stage.

• Pros: Consistently, some of the best acts in town
• Cons: ... if only you could see the stage

11/13/06

Hollywood's historic music venue retains its classic Tinseltown charm after a first-rate facelift.

by Contributor at Citysearch

The Appeal
This breathtakingly beautiful theater is one of L.A.'s most beloved historical cultural monuments, with its amazing art deco architecture from Hollywood's Golden Age. Although it originally opened in 1931 as a movie theater, and has been featured in numerous films, it's most famous for hosting music concerts from the Rolling Stones to Radiohead.
 
The Experience
Renovations in 2003 to the tune of $1.5 million only added to the glamour of this legendary venue. The orchestra seats have been removed, allowing for a large, albeit still intimate, standing-room-only space for 2,200. The upward slanting, five-tiered floor is ideal for crowd interaction, and balcony seating is still available. The pristine design and decor and first-rate sound system are still intact, while modern touches like plasma TVs, lounges, a smoking patio and roaming waitresses have been added to increase the concert-going experience.

09/13/06

Great venue for seeing and hearing.

by digdoug2001 at Citysearch

This is one of those old school venues that was built for sound and has great seeting. The location isn't the best but it could be worse. Go see one of your favorite acts there. You will have a blast.

• Pros: Great acoustics and viewing
• Cons: Location

12/17/05

If you love small venues, The WIltern is KING

by cbucka at Citysearch

If you like small venues like I do, the Wildern is the best place to go. Right at Wilshire and Western, at a Metro stop, The Wiltern brings a historic presence as well. I would rival it with the Fillmore in San Francisco as my favorite spot of all time to catch a concert.

• Pros: GA Tickets, Next to Red Line, Historic
• Cons: NONE