The sound guy did a terrible job!! Mix was poor couldn't hear the guitar...even with video from 10 ft in front of the stage! Worst in the back of the room, artist work to hard for a sound guy to blow it for them. 3 sept 2016 read more

Came for a show and ordered VIP/meet and greet tickets. Received a email that said be there at 4:30, doors open at 5pm for the VIP package. Well, after asking the security guard what was going on and getting a "I don't know/care" answer. We finally went inside at 6pm (when the tickets said doors opened). Finally get inside and 10min into the meet and greet, a guy walks up to the artist we went to see and said "were out of time." Even the artist was like WTF?! So needless to say, nobody knows what they are doing here. Venue is pretty small and gets really hot inside. Will never go back.. read more

Terrible sound and a very good chance at getting towed if you dont park in the venues very small parking lot.

I think everyone in the area spent the majority of their high school careers here, well, I know I did anyway. Good music, amazing environment, and friends. What more can you ask for at 15? It's been 5 years and I still find myself going back. It has changed some, but I'll always love it. I mean, minus getting landed on by huge stage divers or being crushed along the divider! Ha. read more

As a person that has played there chain isnt the best venu to play at. half of there plugs dont work an the sound guys r rude, once we were done playing they just threw r gear out side and broke a tube in my head. As a fan chain is a small an nice vune to hangout with your friends at. chain always has mucis but most of the bands that play there blow... over all this venu is what ever. read more

I go here all the time to see bands and even been in a music video shot here! Its a good place for Hardcore bands mostly but all music is played depends on the show of course. The rest of the reviews pretty much sum up this place. It is very small and kinda gnarly within but its fun with some friends. The security never checks anyone basically which is weird but whatever. The bands that play usually are local with a headliner thats bigger . The shows are very cheap 10-20$ great deal ! read more

The only reason I'm giving this place 1 star is because I really like the band I went to see. That being said, this was the worse venue I have ever been to. The atmosphere is just a bunch of kids hopped up on cigarets and candy. The sound system is garbage and the place a mess. So if you ever feel going to a concert here, do your self a favor and go to LA or the IE instead. read more

If you're expecting a crazy show, this is the venue for you. This venue Is definitely not for everyone, if you're looking for a place where security will always have your back and make sure youre okay you may not like chain reaction. But if you're looking to just go to a concert and have fun at your own risk and rock the fuck out, this is the ideal place for you. read more

kind of a hole in the wall I wasn't impressed. The small space makes it super easy to see the bands do their thing on stage, which I like. But other than that.. there's not much to it. read more

Sound guy left guitar and bass almost inaudible without fixing for most of our set when we drove an hour and a half and brought 30 people out to watch. This venue clearly only cares about making money. read more

I always cringe when I see an artist I like is playing here. This place is local and cheap, but that's where the positives end. The place is trashy both inside and out, and the bathrooms always have a long line, no toilet seat covers, and no soap. The acoustics here are pretty awful, the parking situation is bad (if you don't manage to get a spot in their lot, you don't have too many other options without the risk of being towed), there are always sketchy people in the parking lot, and the place only has a single air conditioning unit in the back which makes it super hot in the venue whether it's packed or not. A lot of young kids come here, so be prepared to feel old if you are over the age of 18. One of my favorite trashy moments from chain was when two girls started fighting in the parking lot and were punching each other and pulling hair in front of my car, and I could not get out. A crowd formed to watch and jump in photos with the girls. Basically, only go here if you absolutely have to. read more

This place was the place to be 10 years ago, they since have found enjoyment in screwing bands every day. They simply don't care about the bands. Making them pay to play. What's pay to play? Long story short, imagine you are new in the scene, started a band, and want to play a show at chain. Sure you can play here, just fork out $1000 to play in front of the security guard and "sound guy ". Meanwhile the "promoter" does nothing, he puts your name on the website and doesn't do any promoting, then he collects the $1000, drives away in his BMW and then you, the band got screwed into playing a show on a Wednesday in front of 3 people. Go down the street to Di Piazzas or basically any show Orange County Music League does. read more

New sign they bring out once doors open says "no re-entry for inhalers, insulin, or feminine products." Pretty sure that's illegal, denying people what they need for serious medical issues... read more

i went to the chain on a thursday night to see a band that grew up with my friend. since they came all the way from jersey, it's the nice thing to do to go cheer them on right? well we went for a pit stop at sonics first before going to the chain, and i was worried the whole time that we wouldn't be able to find parking since people on here said that parking's terrible. well it wasn't. dude, it was so UN-packed that i drove by the chain without even knowing that i passed it. i had to make 2 U-turns to get back to the chain, and had my pick of where i wanted to park. i felt like a tourist when i got inside because i checked out all of the 'spots' mentioned on yelp, i.e. the gum/spit covered walls, the nasty restroom, etc. the sound system in there sucked big time. if i wanted to hear static, i would've just sat in my car with the radio tuned into an empty station. and the people who work there are so rude. i understand that they have to deal with kids every night, but at least force a smile onto your face however grim it may be. as for the lack of ventilation, there wasn't that problem that night. since it was a school night, not many people were there (go figure huh?), parents just like to ruin all the fun. i realized one thing that night: scenester kids can be pretty scary. a pack of little girls (age..14 maybe?) there looked like they wanted to kick our butts when the band mentioned my friend and smiled at her. the loyal friend that i am shied away from her when all the girls in the room zeroed in on her. in my defense though, i had my phone ready to dial 911 if anything bad were to happen to her. :) um. would i ever go back to the chain again? eh. it would take a really good band to draw me back there to listen to more static. :P GOLDEN RULE REGARDING THE CHAIN: don't touch anything if you don't want to catch something. word. read more

would go here for my brothers performances... very grimey... bathrooms beat to shit... hardcore dancing on the dance floor... raging out... it's pure fun read more

My fiancé's band, Sharks on Wheels, played at chain reaction before, everything was great until last night. First, the guys who are usually there were at self help fest so they brought in new guys. Second, they cut sharks on wheels set short. We paid $300 for a 25 minute show and we didn't even get the full time. Third, they knew the reason why we were coming was to film a live show, they refused to let us record SOW's set. And to make matters worse they cut them off DURING a song. NOT Ayer a song was done, DURING the last song. While of course their fans and other bands got pissed they started yelling at the fans like they didn't matter to the venue. This wouldn't have happened if the regular guys were here. This is the worst that they can do to a band WHO PAID MONEY to play a 25 minute set and got cut out before they had to move. Another thing is they let the first band play and extra song and they gave us shit and stopped us early. If I can give this place no stars I would. Unbelievable what they did. Many bands who played tonight won't be playing there anymore. Fuck chain reaction and fuck those shitty ass guys. read more

Chain Reaction is a great place to go see your favorite artists. Since it's so small, you have a better chance of getting up close and personal with the band/artists playing! I went to go see Ghostemane, Fat Nick and Pouya for my first concert at chain reaction a few days ago and had the best night of my life. I got there two hours before the venue opened the doors and waited in scorching heat to get a good spot and even saw the artists come through in their van and waved to us before going in to get set up for the show. The only think kind of suckish about chain reaction was the fact that if you diddnt have your ticket if it was being held at will call you had to get out of line to pick it up and then go ALL the way to the back of the line. I diddnt wait outside for two hours for nothing so I ended up cutting the line to the front. When I entered the venue I noticed all the cool band tees on the wall and headed straight for the side of the stage instead of going to the main stage because I knew it would be less crazy and was able to get a spot right in front! Ghostemane was amazing, I've been a fan of his for awhile now and seeing him in concert was the highlight of my spring break. Since I was up front I was able to hand him my phone and he took a picture of himself on it! I also got great video of him and the other performers and loved the feeling of being squished and rocked back and fourth all while standing your ground and not letting ANYONE take my prime spot. When the concert was over I unfortunately lost my key to my car but the employees there were very nice and did as much as they could (except one guy who diddnt believe me when I said I lost my key and diddnt let me back in at first when there were meet and greets going on) and even offered me a water while I waited outside for someone to bring an extra key. Overall, this is a great place to go see your favorite bands and artists and I'd definitely come back again if any of the artists I listen to play there! read more

The venue is small so it's very easy to see the bands and get up close to them. The bands were great. There were a lot of mosh pits and crowd surfing which is awesome. However, if you have an option to see the band you're trying to see here at a different venue, go there. The staff is unnecessarily rude and ruined my experience. I've never had a bad experience at a concert until I came to Chain Reaction. It's an all ages venue which is cool if that's your thing but the staff uses that as a power trip to boss people around. First issue was after parking and calmy pregaming a little (there's no alcohol sold at the bar. Just candy, soda, & water. The bartender lady was nice, though) we were told no drinking in the parking lot and to go somewhere else to drink. OK, whatever, fair enough. We walked and when we came back another worker comes over and tells us we can't park where we parked and that a tow truck was going to come even though it was obviously a space and EVERY OTHER ROW had a car parked in the same spot where we were parked. Whatever, we moved the car because we didn't want a problem. We came back and another car came and parked where we were parked and STAFF TOLD THEM NOTHING. Hours later when we left this horrible place that car was still there. It was probably their way of opening a space for one of their friends. There's a small space outside where people can smoke and some wanna be skinhead looking rent a cop was coming up to people telling them not to smoke weed. He could have asked people nicely but he was acting how he thinks a cop would act. Probably watches too much tv. Last and final thing, there's no re-entry. So your options are stay inside the 100 degree room which smells like sweat and has no ventilation with walls covered in t shirts that trap the heat, stay in the smokers section outside which is horrible if you're a non-smoker, can't be around smokers, and are easily irritated by it, or leave. The staff makes it really unneccesarily difficult and are extremely rude about leaving even just for a few minutes to check something or get some fresh air. I can't even explain in words how horrible and unjustifiably pretentious they are. They made the whole night really uncomfortable so we ended up leaving early. Never going there again. Oh ALSO, when you call their phone number they have a recorded message that basically says "we almost never answer the phone." So...what is the point? read more

it's ok. pros: small venue, not in LA, free parking, cheap tickets (usually), smaller bands that you otherwise wouldnt get to hear, seeing how many of the bands on the walls you recognize during the set breaks cons: not 21+ (last time I went there was literally an 8 yr old sitting by the stage) = no alcohol, bad sound quality, stuffy i'd probably love it if i was still in hs (or junior high), but i'm almost 27...so its just ok. read more

This place is horrible! If you are a band DO NOT PLAY HERE! All they want is your money. They make you sell rediculous amounts of pre sale tickets and give you no cash in return. The workers are jerk who rush your set just so they can go home ealry. The venue is crap, the stage smells like puke and the sound system sucks. My band and i will never play here again or go see other bands play because we know it's just going into their lazy pockets and not the music scene where it belongs. read more

When coming to Chain Reaction you have to ask yourself, "what is a venue like Chain Reaction meant to provide?" If you are looking for a super air conditioned environment, with barriers to protect the stage, this isn't your venue. If you are looking for cushioned-numbered seats and people behaving themselves so that they are mindful of you watching the show, this is not your venue. If you are looking to snack on nachos, peanuts and drink a beer while watching the show, this is not your venue. If you are looking for a top of the line sound system, overpriced merch and professionally trained security staff, again, this is not your venue. As you read this you are probably thinking, "well hell, then what do I get?" For your hefty investment of about $15-$20 per ticket you get to see an up-and-coming band that tears the house down. You get a small crowd of about 250 people, no stage barriers, stage diving, mosh pits and a concert where you feel like you are part of the performance. You get merch at a fair price, water if you are thirsty and an environment that screams "We are punk/metal, and we don't need luxury to have a great time." Chain Reaction is not a venue for the spoiled concert goer that is willing to pay $300 to watch Katy Perry from the rafter in the Staples Center...that just ain't gonna happen here. Chain Reaction is for the true punk or metal fan that is more concerned with having a good time, regardless of the no-label, no luxury, atmosphere. It is a venue where the band members walk around among the crowd, before or after they play, because they are one of the "people". Autographs and pictures with the band members won't cost you $500 here, they are free if you are willing to walk up and ask them for a picture or autograph. The bands that play here appreciate their fans and will give you everything they have in their performance...no fake Britney Spears wiggling here...you get loud, crazy, real music without recorded lip singing. There is a reason why now famous bands once graced the stage of Chain Reaction, and why established bands come back to perform small intimate shows when they could play larger venues and make more money. It's because this place IS punk/metal. It is the reason you listen to indie or unsigned bands rather than cookie cutter manufactured music on the radio. It's the reason you pay $15-$20 per tickets, and get every penny's worth, rather than paying $300 and leaving a concert feeling like you've already seen it before. Chain Reaction gets five stars from me, not only because of what it is...a true punk/metal venue that showcases bands that refuse to bow to the music industry in an environment where it doesn't matter if you are wearing Levis or True Religion jeans...but it also gets five stars for everything that it is not. read more

I've played here a few times in the past, and the gigs @ Chain have been some of my favorite out of the 50+ gigs I've played in the past. I would also recommend coming to see talent at this venue, and is very much all ages friendly. I give it a thumbs up,....or at least 4 stars read more

Horrible experience. Highly recommend NOT to perform here or bring your friends here. Bouncers and staff were very rude and unprofessional. The acoustics were terrible. Also, if they recruit you to perform a show on Sunday don't do it. There won't be any people there. read more

Man, Chain reaction has been a part of my life since I was about 16-17 years old. My friends band Off The Record (formerly Boy Wonder) played this place a few times and I have been fortunate enough to see some great bands at their begginings here. The place is not huge, but i have to say their sound quality is great, the intimacy is awesome, and it's so rad that you can stand so close to the stage and watch your band perform right up in your face. The floor is pretty open and ideal for moshing and stage diving with no lethal objects or posts to pose a threat while doing so. Only draw back is their snack bar is cash only, so take a few dollars if you want a monster or bottled water or soda. I recently came to chain reaction again for New Found Glory and it was just as good as i remember the place. This place does get rather warm inside. So whether you're moshing or not, a sweater is definitely not needed. Having just turned 30, i know my time for coming to shows is coming to an end, but i hope this place is around for my kids to come rock out at when their time comes. Keep it rockin Chain Reaction. read more

certainly this place rocks, whenever your fav bands playing here. small and cozy, closer to stage, crowded. chain reaction is the place if you enjoy seeing punk rock/ indies bands on live without paying hefty $ (other than warped tour). bands like the starting line, fall out boy, up syndrome, fire rocket red (rocks! www.myspace.com/firerocketred) been seen at the chain reaction. i give 1 less stars because of too many teenage kids here make me feel like im too old to be here (perhaps maybe i have the rights for the handycap parking space) read more

Chain Reaction reminds me of exactly what another poster said, my younger years getting into underground music whether it be punk, hardcore, ska, grind, metal, etc. I went to my first show at chain reaction in february with my girlfriend to see touche amore and the hope conspiracy. I love the fact this place doesn't have alcohol because I don't drink and I don't really like how people act when they are drunk at shows ( i use to work at 9:30 club in dc) anyway. i like the decor, i liked the atmosphere. the patio spot is cool. call me old, or lame or whatever but lately i like to take breaks and sit. I work hard and i like to sit down. there isn't much of that. no balcony. no tables. and if they don't have alcohol they could get a simple cafe of some sort to serve cookies, and sanwitches. that's not a must but...whatever. i'm starting to sound like my parents. chain reaction rules and i hope to attend a whole lot more shows here. read more

This place is pretty good. It's a very small venue so you can get RIGHT up to the stage and interact with the bands, and the bands they book are all pretty awesome. Lots of moshing and stage diving, etc. My only problem is that the people at the door were complete assholes to me, my friends, and everyone else. read more

cool place. Reallllly reallly wish they made it so more poeple can fit in the venue... also need to remove the side wall that divides the people.... the people on the outside of that wall are really missing out on the fun. They should not be afraid to be part of the show if you know what i mean..... they are safe and sound back there.. read more

the only reason this place gets two stars is because of it's special place in my heart from when i was younger and some of the good bands that they book. otherwise, if you like mediocre sound and the atmosphere of a high school locker room, then this place is for you. taking into account that sometimes you don't have a choice where you see a band, chain can be bearable for a few hours. also, they have enough parking in their lot for about half the capacity and you WILL get towed from any of the neighboring lots. read more