Fantastic music spot. Really enjoyed watching Electric 6 here and the energy of the crowd. Great…read moreservice

Came here to watch a "chinga la migra" fundraiser that was being hosted here to help immigrant…read morefamilies. And I had a great time! Enjoyed the energy of the place and enjoyed all the areas I was able to see performers perform on! My favorite part is the size of the venue I feel like it's not too big but not too small and a really cool weekend vibe. This was my first time here but i definitely would come back !

An amazing place to watch a concert. It's a small venue, so there's a Good view from almost every…read moreseat and the sound is great. I will note that the seats are hard and narrow so it is not the most comfortable place for every type of body. The staff are excellent, bartenders are fast, and there are plenty of bathrooms. Try the margarita on tap - it's delicious! Whoever does the booking chooses great bands. I've seen the Indigo Girls and Team Dresch thus far.

I LOVE THIS PLACE! The vibes, the drinks, the old school feeling, the concerts, the roof!!!!!…read more(extra hard on the roof). Such a perfect place to choose the vibe you want. In the summer the roof is great, in the winter going inside for a show is ideal. The workers are so kind and I can't wait for my next visit.

Intimate, in your face (in a good way) performances and certainly getting harder to find this type…read moreof venues. Came down recently from the north of Seattle area in order to catch Mark Hummel and his Harmonica Blues Blowout show and so pleased with the venue and of course, the Blowout! 35 years and Mark continues his procession down the blues back alleyways. So glad the JL Review is one of those!

Was in town for the weekend and was looking for something to do on a Saturday night…read more The main area has billiard tables and bar seating where you can grab a bite or drinks. There was also a live music concert going on downstairs the night we stopped by, but we didn't have tickets so we just hung around the bar. Ordered some wings and a drink, which were not bad. Giving this place a 3/5 because the service wasn't too great. It was hard to get the attention of the bartenders behind the bar even though there were quite a few of them there.

I traveled the world with a bar band, and I have performed in venues, big and small. So when I say…read morethat this is one of my favorite venues of all time, I'm comparing it to a lot of places! The showdown is a beautiful piece of Portland history. What was obviously once a country western venue, has turned eclectic, and Portland quality weird. It's old, it's worn, it's beautiful. The sound is excellent, distinct sounds from each instrument even above 90 dB so super props to the sound guy! I thought the menu was great and an exceptional value for a music venue with salty nibbles, and locally made red hot sausages, Also really delicious. Everybody there was super nice, the bartender was quick, efficient and knowledgeable. The seating is not the most comfortable in the world, but I sat there for four hours and barely moved because it was just that much fun. Can't wait to go back and see the next band I can't stop listening to.

It is important to understand what The Showdown is before you attend. While it is a live music…read morevenue, it is mostly open ballroom, with seating around the periphery. Dancing seems to be the priority here. Some would say that The Showdown is a proper honky tonk, but it seems to be a bit more upscale than that description would imply. On my visit, one of the televisions was showing "Star Trek: The Next Generation", which was a fun surprise. Food is available at very reasonable prices. The menu is very small, and the food is nothing spectacular, but it is better than expected. Despite what Google Maps says, parking around here is TERRIBLE. It is all street parking, and not much in close proximity. Staff is FANTASTIC!!! Very friendly, very helpful, very professional. Service is prompt, and there is a fair number of non-alcoholic options. Tuesday nights feature a drop-in two-step dance class if you're interested. The instructors were top-notch, friendly, and great at what they did. There were probably 20 people in the class when I went, and the periphery seating gave me a great vantage point of the instructors and students (I couldn't wrap my head around it, but all participants seemed to be having a great time). The PA system sounded great, and the volume levels were very appropriate for the size of the room (it is nice not to have been deafened by needlessly loud music). The band was the true highlight of the night. They were awesome.

I came here for 80s night. The ballroom is quite large and can accommodate a lot of people. When…read moreyou first walk in there's a bar and there's also a bar towards the middle. At the bar, you can get different things to include beer, cider, mixed drinks, and even food. The bathrooms are located on the second level, which is kind of odd. However, it worked out since I also had access to Lola's room for 2000s night. This place definitely gets warm. So if you're trying to look cute, go for it on a cold night. The dance floors are bouncy, which was a lot of fun.

I am writing this review not regarding to the performers, but rather to the absurd policies and…read more unwilling to accommodate concert goers who do not have a personal vehicle to store items. I traveled from Seattle to Portland by train and bus on a day trip, in order to attend the Cultura event on May 10, 2026. I bought a to-go vermicelli entree at Van Nien Temple ( https://vannienvegan.com/ ) earlier in the day. It was a Sunday and Van Nien Cafe closes down at 4pm (hours 10 - 4pm) so I planned to save the entree for my late dinner after the concert, because I did not feel hungry before going to the event. The security rejected me, telling me that 'outside food could not be brought in, you can either discard it or finish it outside' (it was not listed on your policy, and I am not the type of person that would bring outside entree to eat in a music venue). Not wanting to waste the food, I was forced to eat the entree on the street while I was not hungry. I personally feel it is quite insulting, and the venue and their security staff could have done a better job to accommodate event goers who don't have a vehicle to store the food.

Went on 3/25 and had an awesome time, decent drinks and fun creepy-kooky vibes, very friendly and…read morepacked crowd for a Wednesday, music was great all night. However, went again last night 4/12 and it was dead, the DJ set was listed as starting at 9 but they had a very quiet "Drink-and-Draw" going on until 10 that wasn't on their events page. When the set finally started it quickly devolved into shitty EDM and the dancefloor was was dead. Guess I've got to learn what nights are worth going.

Good ambiance/aesthetics, slightly cramped dance floor featuring a small stage area, generally good…read moremusic, overall decent layout with a smattering of seating areas. Restrooms are acceptable. Drinks are maybe avg-slightly overpriced. Not sure what happened but, if you're expecting a patio or rooftop or any kind of outdoor area within the confines of the club itself, you will be displeased that they no longer exist, for whatever reason (as well as the food cart). Reentry is allowed but drinks are not allowed outside.

My daughter has been getting into the Cure lately and so we went to see a Cure cover band called…read moreThe Lovecats. The opening band was a Depeche Mode cover band called Hiding from Love (lots of "love" in the air tonight). My daughter has been on restriction, but we took a break from it as tribute bands are my guilty pleasure. I used it as an excuse to dive deeper into both bands beforehand. I know most of the hits although not always by name. My daughter and Sarah went up front to dance at the show and we had fun. Something interesting i found out was that Personal Jesus by Depeche is not even in their top 2 songs on Spotify currently. The other two songs are hits that i've heard, and i understand Depeche Mode is not a one hit wonder, but i was shocked to find out their song Enjoy the Silence has twice as many plays as Personal Jesus. Personal Jesus in my experience has always been the stand out hit, even at the show the crowd loved that one the most. Also Personal Jesus was released first as b-side in 1989, and was later released on a studio album the following year. The other big hits on the studio album (Enjoy the Silence, Policy of Truth, and World in my Eyes) although very 80's sounding, were released in 1990, which i had forgotten. Weird, i think of them as 80's songs. Not only that, but Depeche Mode, I learned very recently, has multiple other great songs that sound like they are from the 80's but were released years or decades after the 80's ended. Last note: They have an album (at least on streaming and it's listed as a "single" even though the collection is 3 hours long) of remixes called Violator: The 12 Inch Singles, and although i generally dislike remixes there are quite a few good ones on there. Many of them could fit well in a movie score.

My boyfriend and I came here to see Margaret Cho for a Saturday night late show. Tickets were super…read moreeasy to buy online. Tbh, that's always a bonus so I can pick my seats that I want. I'm an aisle girl. I will say parking around here is kind of hit or miss. But you can find parking like we, about a few blocks away from the theater We had seat tickets up in the balcony and because it's a smaller theater it was pretty decent seats in my opinion. The actual seats themselves are old and uncomfortable. Just wanted to note that if you have problems like me. We ordered some drinks from downstairs and prices were typical theater prices. They do have a full bar and cider and beer draft. Also have bathrooms upstairs. Overall, I'll probably be back to see another show

We were able to enjoy "The Nightcap Before Christmas" menu. The drinks were delicious, the tiki…read moreholiday mugs were a great touch, and decor made it Xmas overload but comfy. Service was okay, server was friendly but I think over extended so to close out we did have to find him. If you have a chance before this is gone, go enjoy a festive nightcap.

It's been 7yrs+ since I've been and I love coming here when visiting Portland. The food is always a…read moregood base for the drinks that follow. The staff are nice and always down to meet new people. Over all I love the rustic, hole in the wall comfy vibe. Love the Annex! :)

KILLER venue. Got to experience this place by somewhat happy accident. I was visiting Portland and…read morehappened upon Stumpfest while here and got to go to 2 nights of their 3 night fest. Sound here was pretty top notch. Stood or sat all over the venue between the two nights and each spot was great for different reasons. Sitting in the chairs watching the closing band Old Man Gloom felt like I was experiencing them in an imax theater. I'd definitely fly back up to see a band here in the future.

Mississippi Studios is a venue connected to Bar Bar. It's actually my first time catching a concert…read morein Portland despite growing up here, but a lovely first experience. I didn't notice this at first, but I liked how there is a seating option above (basically a mezzanine), but my friends and I decided to stay on the floor level. We caught the Jack Van Cleaf JVC tour which I was super excited about, and his performance was perfect, definitely check his music out! It wasn't a packed show, so the room felt pretty spacious with a good amount of personal space. Staff were friendly as well, and they have a water tap and restoom inside if you need it.

A classic neighborhood pub that also has live music regularly, often more than one act in a day…read more That combo makes it a very unusual and special place -- most music venues don't have "neighborhood bar" vibes, and most neighborhood bars don't have live music. There are some young people among the clientele, but the majority are in their 40s and up, including many way past 40. From that demographic, you might think this is a quiet, sedate kind of crowd. You would be wrong. You'll see plenty of outlandish attire, tattoos and behaviors from the oldsters here. It's a hippie place, many of the regulars seem like refugees from the '60s, even those too young to have been around then. The music often reinforces the '60s vibe -- lots of folk-rock somewhat reminiscent of the Dead. But excellent! I am not a Deadhead but do appreciate much of the music here. Many of the regular musicians know each other and sit in with one another. The thing that stops me from giving this place the fifth star is I'm afraid to actually enter -- it's a classic cozy, packed pub, the sort of place I loved before Covid but can't relax in now. (Yes, Covid is still with us, as are a host of other illnesses that you could catch in such an environment.) There are outdoor tables, and you can hear the music from outside, so that's an option. Even during bad weather there usually are a bunch of people hanging out outside. I haven't tried the food.

Came out for live music that did not disappoint! I really enjoy a good divey aesthetic and…read moreLaurelthirst had plenty of it. The older gentleman at the door was welcoming and kind, and very apologetic that the door fee was cash only (tip - bring cash or you'll have to walk a couple blocks to the plaid pantry for atm access). The food we ordered was good (burgers and fries), the bartender seemed a little annoyed or bothered in general, maybe he was having an off night, so he wasn't the friendliest person but he poured cold beer and put our orders in correctly so there's that. Come for the live music and divey aesthetic, and you'll leave feeling quite satisfied! Oh, and parking was a little meh considering the area.