My wife and I recently went to our first show at Blue the other night. Had never really known it…read morewas a spot prior to this concert. It was an album release party for local pop-punk/emo band Broadwing. The card featured other local bands as well as a New England DJ. I know now that some shows at Blue are free or minimal cover which is great. Tickets for this show ended up being $12 which is a great value for a concert/night out. Hard to find tickets that cheap nowadays. The person working the door was friendly and had our name already so didn't even need to pull the tickets up. Bartenders were friendly and the drinks were well made. I especially liked their spicy cocktail Bing Bong which had the perfect kick to it! Prices were reasonable for drinks as well. Venue is on the small side as expected but had a great vibe for intimate smaller shows. Even with a sold-out show it was not overpacked. The acoustics and sound were good for a smaller venue as well. If you love smaller concerts I would recommend checking out their event schedule to see if something piques your interest. Also if you are a fan of pop punk music then do yourself a favor and check out Broadwing (especially their song New England Baby)! Very down to earth friendly band!

The online presence of Blue is a dumpster fire. Why do I need to enter my contact information just…read moreto see what's happening tonight? If I don't, there is NO current reliable information on who's scheduled. Pathetic and unreliable. I'm not doing it. I've enjoyed many evenings there, but the basic management of the venue is a joke. It will be a shame when it closes. What acts are scheduled for the NEXT WEEK? How difficult is that to maintain? Apparently, it's not possible.

My wife and I came to Live At Madrid's for our first event here and were impressed. It was for a…read moreconcert and despite not being the headliner we came for a local pop-punk band called Broadwing. Besides them it also featured another local Portland band called Turner (they did a fantastic cover of Zombie by The Cranberries). Then the headliner happened to a be a New York based band currently on their 10th anniversary tour called Keep Flying. Upon entering they have a great amount of space for the venue size with a large bar area as well as a handful of tables. Staff who checked our tickets and the bartenders were friendly. Speaking of the bar I would say I was actually surprised and thought the drink prices were pretty good for an event venue. My wife and I both got a gin based cocktail with mixer (shoutout to locally made Goldie's Gin by Portland Distilling Company). I had with cranberry juice and my wife with lemonade and it came to just $26. I honestly expected it to be more from an event venue. Was great to enjoy our drinks at a table and sit down before the show started. The overall setup of the venue was done well and we got to be up close to the bands which was fantastic. Didn't feel overwhelmingly crowded and acoustics sounded good so no complaints. Can't wait to check out more events/concerts at this venue! Support local music as well as local venues!

Went to an event here the other night and was super impressed! The bar is large with lots of room…read moreto grab a drink. The inside is nice and open and great for networking. They have different areas you can go to as well. The appetizers were amazing as well. Overall a great new addition to the event space in Portland with live music as well!

My friend and I went to see "Dance Nation" last Friday night. It was my first time seeing a show at…read moreMad Horse. I wasn't sure what to expect. First, it is in a residential neighborhood about 5 minutes away from the Mill Creek area. There is a parking lot and if it fills up, there is plenty of parking on the street. All tickets are "pay-what-you-decide", which means you reserve your tix online and pay after the show, whatever you decide to pay, either cash, card or Venmo. There is a "check in" desk to claim your reserved tix, and a small lobby where bottled/canned water, soft drinks, beer and wine are sold. The theater itself is very small...only 50 seats, 3-sided around the stage. Because of its very small size, masks are required in the theater, but not in the lobby. Dance Nation was a powerful show about girls becoming teenagers and the struggles of wanting to stay a kid and wanting to grow up and not wanting to grow up and not wanting to stay a kid, all at once. The casting, the acting, the staging, the writing was excellent. There was no set, limited props, and neither took anything away from the quality of the show. I teared up, laughed out and gasped out loud, and raised my eyebrows a lot throughout the show. It was refreshingly honest. A well done show.

Watched 'The last days of Judas Iscariot' here. Lovely quiet location, awesome play, awesome…read moreactors, awesome setup. The only thing I would take away from the place is that it is rather small and therefore gets REALLY hot. BUT, I'm not theater goer until only recently so perhaps it's the way of the rodeo. Cant wait to go back!

The OPF. Where people come by the tens of thousands to buy local art, drink, listen to music, ride…read morerides, eat a corn dog or funnel cake... you know the typical festival happenings. For some reason, although it's no one's fault, the OPF seems to have the rainiest or hottest weather of the summer. I think the June in Maine is always a toss up. The highlight of this event is vast amount of local artisans and craftsman who sell their homemade items. I also like the kickoff event of the Shoestring Theater Puppet show at 11 am. Going early may be the best time to grab some freebies and some handcut fries... You beat the heat and the intense crowds. This year I took a LYFT ride down... ProTip. For me, this festival is OK. The prices are high, the streets are packed, parking is a s**t show, and by the end there are many highly intoxicated twenty-somethings. Maybe this would have been my jam back in the day, but unless I'm working downtown, I'm probably not going to go.

Old Port Fest is a staple event in Portland come June. In reading a variety of other reviews,…read morepeople have reflected on how it can get incredibly busy and crowded, and it certainly can, however, I appreciate what the Old Port Festival offers Portland. The Old Port Festival includes a variety of local artists, food trucks, and entertainers, so the fact that the Old Port Festival is highlighting what locals have to offer, then I am okay with the mass amounts of people that are out and about on this day. Along with the various offerings and music at Old Port Festival, there are also some restaurants with drink deals, or bars that get busy, but again, it's highlighting what Portland has to offer. I typically spend my time during the Old Port Festival at the Porthole where they also highlight local talent to play music, and they have a great outdoor deck to enjoy the weather. Overall, I appreciate what the Old Port Festival offers Portland, and I will be a supporter every year.

Great Holiday Show by the POS, atmosphere and seating was perfect. The music was really nice, I…read morewould have wanted to hear more of the Classic Christmas tunes than what they chose but it was still enjoyable.

We have seen PSO shows at the Merrill. The Magic of Christmas and Star Wars a New Hope…read more Both shows were fantastic! The seats were comfortable and not too cramped. You can clearly see the stage and the instrument sounds filled the venue beautifully. The volunteers were so nice and definitely have a pep in their step. There many of them, there to greet and bring you to the general area of your seats. I say general area, because one actually brought us to the opposite end of the row were were seated. It's ok, we were there early and just walked back around. She apologized, when she saw us walking back the other way. As expected with older venues - there are a lot of stairs to traverse if you are in the balcony - this your warning. Drinks and restrooms are not available at every level, so make sure you plan accordingly. Parking is separate and it's not a bad walk - just wear comfortable shoes, so you don't twist your ankle. Security was friendly - expect the metal detectors, wanding, emptying of pockets and searching of bags. Typical for most venues. We look forward to our next show this year!

Restaurant and bar on the riverside golf course. Large deck overlooking the course with live music…read more Large bar area with multiple TVs. Open in the winter even when the golf course is closed. Great priced bar food, and drinks. Good atmosphere and the service was fast and friendly. They even have trivia on Tuesdays! Fun sports bar, with a mug club if you wanted!

Excellent bar food. Best fries in Portland. Service is very good. The owner is usually on the…read moreproperty and is very interactive with customers.

Classic in every way. They do allow well behaved dogs, and yes you can tail gate. Some people had…read moregreat set ups! There is a snack bar with a small menu. Fresh popcorn is available, and a good selection of frozen ice cream treats. Gate opens at 7:30p so you hang out until dark when the movie starts. Absolutely love this place. Friendly staff.

Once again had a fantastic time visiting our local drive-in. So glad that Maine has a handful of…read moredrive-ins still open. It's such a unique experience that I believe everyone needs to visit at some point in their life. Growing up I visited numerous drive-ins with the family and loved it. Pride's Corner is cash only including ticket purchases at the entrance and their vastly stocked concessions stand. You can buy tickets online which I recommend to make the entrance process as quick as possible. You pay per car with a price of $20 up to 2 people and only $30 for a car up til 5 with any additional being 5 per. Try and find a deal this good for a movie theater! Which mind you here that includes typically two movies, so even better! For this particular re-review my wife and I visited to see Toy Story 5, great movie! The second movie was The Mandalorian and Grogu (we did end up leaving rather than sticking around). Round up your family and/or friends for a cheap movie night under the stars!

Great double cheeseburger with LT& Mayo. Great fries. Deee-licious!…read moreBeer & Wine only, Cash only, but reasonably priced. Neighborhood bar feel, friendly bartender/cook. Baseball on the TV. Fun hang!

I didn't grow up in Maine but was still really interested in checking this place out. It was…read moreactually an incredibly entertaining experience. First off, I found out about this place browsing google maps. I see Forest Gardens and I'm thinking it's some plant store I'd never heard of. Check the google reviews and I learn it's an old Portland local dive and apparently they have the best burgers. So I drag the whole family there thinking we will get some good ass burgers. They have a small green neon sign in the window but their main sign is a beer sign up top the building. LOL this place truly is a dive but in a really good way it was just such a funny experience. We were the only ones who sat at a table looking to eat. The interior is very low key and the crowd has been around the block. Nice people but we got a funny stare from the guy who took our order. The food is really not much better than school cafeteria food. This place is a great place to go if you want a drink and want to watch sports on TV. I hope it never goes away!