The last time I saw a show at the Stone Pony was twenty years ago, Gorilla Biscuits and Murphy's…read moreLaw. That was a great show, but for no particular reason I didn't visit Stone Pony again, other than an outdoor show on their Summer Stage, so this past weekend's Offspring "Just the Punk Stuff" show was my first time inside the building in quite a while.
It was more or less as I remembered. Capacity is 850 people, and the way the floor is set up, rectangular-style, pretty much wherever you're standing provides a good view of the stage. The floor doesn't incline, though, so shorter folks should take this into consideration.
The Offspring sounded great at this venue. The speakers were crisp and loud and all around you (ear plugs necessary for me, for sure, but it isn't, like, ear-splitting decibels or anything). I like the height of the stage (about three feet), and while I'd always prefer my club shows to be sans barricade, at least this barricade isn't super far from the stage, so you can still get very close to the band.
Security is friendly and on point. Any time a crowd surfer was coming up behind me, I had advance warning by the staff who'd be quickly moving to the appropriate spot, anticipating and ready to bring the crowd surfer down over the other side of the barrier.
Staff was friendly, also, from the people taking tickets to the ones inside doing security, merch, etc.
Of course, Stone Pony is in a good location, also. I recommend Porta, just about a half-block away, for drinks and food before a show. Park via the Asbury Parking App (I paid like twenty-two bucks to park for about seven hours). And there are public restrooms directly across the street from Stone Pony, in case you're on line for a show, waiting to get in, and need to use the john.
(I can't comment on drink prices, as I did not buy any booze at this show.)
