I've been to Shank Hall a couple of times now. Once awhile back to see KMFDM and again last night to see My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult. What can I say, I'm a degenerate.
My first experience was a little touch and go. The drop ceiling and carpet must have really absorbed the sound waves because for a band like KMFDM the place sounded surprisingly muted. I spent the night a little bit peeved at security--it seemed like they were enforcing a strict "no fun zone" ordinance by putting an end to any mosh pits that broke out and being quick to throw people out. They did redeem themselves late in the show. I'm a concert veteran--I talleyed it up and I've probably been to about 70 or 80 industrial, electronic, or metal shows in the last 6 years or so--I know how to handle myself in a crowd and have a good handle for "concert etiquette." My fiancée is a newbie when it comes to going to shows and doesn't really know how to make room in a crowd or claim her space, or deal with people making the night suck; at KMFDM, some drunk girl had been trying to force herself into a tight spot in front of my fiancée for the whole show. The trouble was, there was no spot to give--we were squeezed in pretty tight and my fiancée couldn't move out of the way for this girl even if she had wanted to. Eventually, Drunky the Clown got frustrated and started throwing punches at everyone around her. A few people helped restrain her and security got in there in no time flat to throw her out. Security redeemed themselves, I suppose. Overall, I'd give the night a 2.5/5.
Last night was an entirely different experience. We got to the show about 15 minutes after doors opened and found the place...empty. There were no more than 20 people in the club. "This might be an extremely awkward night," I thought to myself. People did trickle in as the world's least charismatic DJ played a set that stretched on for way too long, but everyone mostly kept to the bar or up against the walls. Security was a lot more friendly tonight as they checked IDs and made small talk with people. Drinks were expensive, but that's pretty typical of a club like this. The audio equipment was set up properly and quickly during the intermission and the music didn't sound muffled at all (except for the first song, but the first one usually goes a bit rough at any show so you can't fault them for that). Last night was easily a 5/5 experience.
The typical crowd here (at least for the music I like) seems mostly decent, with the inevitable drunk asshole thrown in.
Intermissions here are a weird experience. They played Southern Rock to a crowd of sorta campy, sorta gothy industrial music fans. But for whatever reason it worked and didn't actually seem that unusual.
Parking in the neighborhood isn't so bad if you keep west of the club. Ogden, Humboldt, and Astor usually have spots that aren't a terrible walk. You will not find a spot on Farwell unless you can work miracles, so don't even try.
Taking the average of my two experiences, I feel like Shank gets a comfortable 4 out of 5. read more