I just want to open this post by saying: The wait was TOTALLY worth it!
As some of you may know, I’ve actually been looking forward to seeing Wayne Krantz at 55 Bar for several weeks, and was even forced to postpone it once. I could have simply gone to see a different musician at 55 Bar that may have been playing at a more convenient time for me, but after having heard Wayne Krantz’s music on his website, I opted to wait until his next performance. Finally, on Thursday I got to see the man play, and it was everything I’d hoped for! So lets break it down:
The Scene
Having been checking out cultural events and local attractions in New York for a little over a month now, I’ve begun to realize that most things worth doing in this city are going to have a line at the door, but I didn’t think that this particular bar would give me any trouble. Suffice it to say, I was wrong. Very wrong! Even arriving forty minutes before the show (scheduled to start at 10:00pm), I was a good twenty people back from the entrance to the bar, where a bouncer was holding people up.
I learned from the people in line that while Wayne Krantz is, in fact, a particular crowd pleaser at 55 Bar, lines and packed performances are more or less the norm when live music is scheduled there. Once I got inside I could immediately see why that was. The place is pretty small for even a very moderate bar crowd, let alone the numbers brought in by any kind of live performance. As I mentioned, I was about twenty people back from the front and I was one of the last lucky few that got a seat. I’m sure the place was filled to capacity, as a lot of people where standing for the show, and I’m equally sure that a good portion of the people lined up behind me didn’t even make it inside, so the moral of this story is, get there early!
Once you are inside though, 55 Bar is actually a pretty cool place. It’s a little loud, but the background music before the show fit just right with the atmosphere, the people around me were friendly, and there was a very attentive waitress who came around taking orders, which was good because i doubt anyone would have gotten up for drinks for fear of losing their seats. By the time Wayne started his set, I’d been sitting in the bar for about twenty minutes, drinking and chatting with some of the others at my table who were apparently big fans, and this wasn’t a bad thing.
The Music
Simply put, Wayne Krantz rocks! I’d specifically selected his show over many other possibilities, based solely on what I had heard on his website, and even considering the long wait in line and the crowded bar, I wasn’t disappointed with my decision. The recorded music on the website was good, but what I heard him play live blew that out of the water.
Wayne played with a lot of intensity and you could definitely tell that the crowd in the bar was digging it, even the ones who weren’t specifically Wayne Krantz fans, such as myself. As I watched, I found myself thinking that he actually seemed excited to be playing for us, the maybe fifty or sixty people who were lucky enough to make it inside to see him. Knowing that he does this every Thursday night, I would have thought that it might seem a little more run-of-the-mill to him, but he rocked out like it was his last show on earth (so it seemed to me) and I was totally absorbed in the music.
I’m not exactly a music guru, so I won’t try and actually classify or describe his sound. you’ll just have to visit his website and check it out yourself, which I highly recommend if you think you may want to see one of his fantastic live performances. My one regret was that I didn’t take more time to familiarize myself with the music before going to see him play, but the show was great nonetheless.
The Bottom Line
This show cost me $15 at the door, but considering that the ticket covers the cost of some great musical entertainment and doubles as two free drink vouchers, I’d even go so far as to say it was a bargain at that price! The only downside to the experience was the crowd, and incidentally the necessity of arriving early to get in and get a seat.
All told, this event took about two and a half hours, including the wait at the door, and cost me a little over $20 bucks for the ticket, an additional drink and a tip for the waitress. There was going to be a second show, but I think the bar staff would have ushered most of us out so that the next long line of people could get in to see it, had I not decided to leave at that point. In any case, the show was great and well worth the cost. I would definitely do this again, though maybe on a night when the place isn’t so crowded.
Coming Up
My next event is going to be First Saturday at the Brooklyn Museum next weekend, so keep an eye out for updates and I’ll let you know if it’s worth the hype!
I gave First Friday at the Guggenheim a shot and wasn’t especially thrilled at the outcome (art good, party bad, if you recall), but I’m told that the Brooklyn version is much better, and much cheaper. With that in mind, I’m gonna take a chance and visit the Brooklyn Museum for their First Saturday event on the 7th. First Saturdays go from 5-11 but I’m given to understand that a ticket line forms about 30 minutes before things get started, so I may try to arrive somewhat early to make sure I can get in, or maybe try to obtain tickets beforehand if possible. The bright side is, the tickets are free and there will be a cash bar (no messing around with drink tickets like First Friday). Now it’s possible that for various reasons I may abandon this effort, if, for example, I screw up and fail to get a ticket, so in the event that I can’t make the action on Saturday night, I’ll simply plan to attend the regular museum hours on Sunday instead.
Overview
Okay, to be perfectly honest, visiting the Brooklyn Brewery was not exactly an earthshaking experience. I took a long ride on the subway expecting an interesting and entertaining tour followed by at least a short period or beer-filled enjoyment, but alas, this was not to be.
The Trek
I jumped on the subway around
The Tour
Unfortunately, as it turns out, the “tour” is really not much more than a view of the brewery’s single brewing room and a difficult to hear history lesson with some beer brewing basics mixed in. I’ll save you the trouble of making the trek over to
The Beer
Now as I had mentioned, I expected to get some beer out of this trip, but after getting out of the lackluster tour, I didn’t have the heart to wait in the gargantuan line that spanned almost the entire length of the building, just to get one or two cold ones before the place closed down at
The Bottom Line
The tour didn’t cost me anything aside from the time it took to get there, but it also wasn’t really worth that trip in the first place, and the bar was the same story. I’d have to say that unless you’re a diehard fan of the Brooklyn Brewery’s collection of delicious beverages and desperately need to make the pilgrimage to justify your beer worshipping existence, you’re probably better off sitting this one out. If you really want to learn more about the brewery and its fruits, save yourself the trip, buy a couple of six packs of your favorite variety (there are eight, all quite good) and read everything you ever wanted to know about them on the official website.