The Wiltern

07/17/2008 Posted by kiercemartin

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.

09/19/2007 Posted by fneagermthrfr

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

04/05/2007 Posted by juju13es

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.

01/29/2007 Posted by palolokid1

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

09/13/2006 Posted by digdoug2001

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

12/17/2005 Posted by cbucka

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

07/29/2005 Posted by zerkdave

I have seen the Kings of Leon, Secret Machines, Tragically Hip and many other top-notch live bands in the Wiltern and the sound is extraordinarily HORRIBLE. The sound system and accoustics make these phenomenal bands sound mediocre at best. It sounded as if the bands were beating on banjos and tin cans. I was extremely disappointed. I just don't get why this venue deserves any respect. Again, in comparison to the hundreds of live venues I have been to, I would rate this one right at or near the bottom with the Austin Music Hall. Don't watch your favorite band here or there, you will leave very bitter.

Pros: Historic, Theatre

Cons: SOUND, Staff, Prices

06/10/2004 Posted by jmnla

I'VE BEEN TO THE WILTERN ABOUT 10 TIMES NOW, AND I MUST SAY IT IS AWESOME PLACE TO SEE A SHOW. IF YOU WANT TO BE IN THE FRONT THOU GET THERE EARLY, A LIMTIED NUMBER OF PEOPLE ARE ALLOWED ACCESS TO THE FRONT OF THE STAGE, THE TIER SYSTEM, IN MY OPINION KINDA SUCKS, I PREFER AN OPEN FLOOR SIMILAR TO THE PALLADIUM, BUT IT'S NICE NOT TO BE SMASHED AGAINST INTO THE PERSON IN FRONT OF YOU! ALL IN ALL AN AWESOME PLACE!

Pros: t.v's, small, clean

Cons: tier floor, DRINK PRICES

08/03/2003 Posted by cocovan

I'm furious and amazed about the way I was treated here. I feel like a complete sucker. The tickets were 35 bucks! I know, WAY too expensive, I'm an idiot, but I figured for that price, I'd have a trouble-free night. It was so jam-packed with people, I started thinking that there had to be a mistake and hoping a fire didn't break out. Clear Channel, the new owners, actually tore the seats out of the Wiltern in a thinly disguised attempt to cram more people in, and therefore rip off more suckers (of which I'm one). I never was able to see the band, becuse everywhere I went, some bouncer grunted "can't go here." Screw this.

Pros: cool place

Cons: OVERCROWDED, SEATS TORN OUT, WAY TOO EXPENSIVE

02/10/2003 Posted by luckyfriendno2

i can't believe i paid over $70 for 2 tickets + $8 to park, just to be PACKED into the Wiltern like i was. I'm really insulted. They CRAMMED so many people in there, i couldn't believe it. i knew it was general admission, but i naively thought that for that price, at such a cool place, they wouldn't GREEDILY SMASH in as many people as possible. WRONG! i moved around many times, and i never was able to see anything, i couldn't find my friends, so i left after 5 songs. i don't mind smaller venues being crowded, like the Troubadour, because it's usually $10-12, and you can see the stage from anywhere, but this Wiltern fiasco was a complete outrage. BE WARNED. It's also beyond me how these money-grubbing weasels could rip the seats out of this classic Los Angeles treasure purely out of greed.

Pros: great building, insulting, indecent

Cons: uncomfortable, beyond packed, insulting