Great location for comedy. I don't know how it is for other entertainment. Also: Ventura is delightful

Ok music venue. It's not set up for a sit down stage show. Rows of folding chairs directly behind each other and behind the sound board creates limited visibility. Sticky, dirty carpets but who cares when dirt has a history! Bathrooms are upstairs. Security was over the top. They searched my wallet!!! Is there a drug problem in Ventura? They allow vapes, not sure what banned substances they were looking for. They missed the taser in my sock and the pepper spray in my underwear... read more

I feel like this theatre has so much potential if they maintained it a little better. It is very spacious and nice looking at night but I'm sure in the daytime it doesn't look as vibrant without the lights. I went here for a comedy show and enjoyed my time but I will also note that they didn't have enough bartenders to keep up with the demand. read more

I came here to see Caifanes a Mexican band so of course the majority of attendance is hispanics and latinos. I'm getting my tickets ready and get checked by security and my tickets were fake, which I do not blame the venue for I blame stubhub. The attendant (over weight white man with beard) was very incredibly rude. He was loudly talking about the type of people in line with his coworker, and just had a rude and off putting demeanor. I was already in tears at this point because I was looking forward to this concert and he was making me feel bad for purchasing fake tickets which wasn't my fault. After driving almost 2 hours for this concert being treated like that was insane, I asked him nicely if there was anything I could do and he didn't even look at me just said No, and looked at his phone so I broke down in tears I don't care I was frustrated very rude. read more

The Ventura Theatre for me is like 3.5 stars but I'll bump them up because music venues in the 805 are extremely limited and I am happy that we have this venue as sometimes pretty decent bands do roll through to play. This venue brings back a lot of good memories and the theater interior is definitely cool and vintage, giving a really solid vibe and old time feel. The positives are that the security working the front always seems to be nice. They do their mandatory searches and I appreciate the effort to enforce safety. I've never minded being pat down or having bags checked, in this day and age it seems reasonable. Staff here overall are nice from the security, to the wristband guy, to the bartenders. The venue is intimate and easy to navigate once inside. I appreciate the size and that they do have seating options if you need upstairs. I'd never go up there but glad there is some separation by having two floors. They do a pretty good job of updating their website and social media accounts that I can gauge their shows way in advance which is nice and appreciated. Ticket prices are average, usually more than $30 but not too expensive. The cons are similar to what others wrote. The sound could be better for sure. Also the floors are always sticky and gross up by the bar, even if only shortly after opening. It's definitely way too hot in here. I get it's a small venue and concert goers will always feel a bit hot or stuffy but here it's always extreme to me. I really wish they would update their air systems. I always leave here unnecessarily drenched. I guess now I just chalk it up to being apart of the experience. Last room for improvement is get rid of the $20 bar minimum for debit/credit cards. I really would love to just buy one beer. Paying with a card now I always have to buy two to hold or at least buy one for a friend and then they get the next round. Not terrible but inconvenient. Most venues have gone away from taking cash post Covid and that honestly moves the crowd along faster at concerts so I do think they are a little behind the times to still be taking cash or basically punishing you that if you want to use your card you have to pay more? It's not the end of the world but every time I come here I forget and get a little annoyed that I have to dish out extra money when really I just want one beer at a time. Maybe that will change with time but if it hasn't by now post Covid, I doubt it will. Definitely this place has its pros and cons, like most music venues do. I do appreciate this place for what it is and have seen many great concerts here - so I look forward to coming back and I can overlook these little issues, but it would be nice if overtime they made some changes and took the customers feedback into consideration seeing as a lot of reviewers had similar critiques. read more

We came here to see Steel Panther. The venue is quaint and personable. The staff was very friendly. The sound was okay. It got better as the night went on. Free parking lot right across the street. Great little area to walk around before it after a concert. My biggest gripe was if there was air conditioning, they either didn't have it on high enough or it just really is not adequate for a full house. It got so uncomfortably hot inside, my husband and I decided to leave early. They section off a small area near the entrance for smokers. They did rope off an area for disabled, which I appreciated as I really needed to sit. There are two small restrooms on the ground floor for gender neutral or disabled. Additional restrooms were upstairs, but I did not go up there as the stairs were a little much for me that night. I'd be concerned going to this venue in the summer because of inside temperatures but I'm sure it's great in the winter. read more

Ventura Theatre - Music Venues Near Me - Ventura, California

Very spacious venue... staff is friendly and work well... strong drinks and they also have snacks available... large restrooms upstairs. Overall great experience not too crowded and free parking across the street! read more

Billy Vera &The Beaters with opening act : Teresa James &The Rhythm Tramps put on a fantastic concert!! Front center table/seats with balanced sound system thank you to the sound n light crew they had it set pert!! Felt every note n beat n vocals perfectly set. You could feel every bass note, drum beats n solos from all players as well as vocals. We're long time friends/fans since '72 Cafe Cordials, Bkd Potato, la VeeLee n more... read more

I love this venue! It's a large and spacious venue and all of the staff are really nice! I've been to 2 different shows here now and each have been a great experience. Is this venue one of those fancy LA venues? No, but if you want that, go to LA! This place is a Ventura classic and has chill, laidback vibes, much like our city. Pro-tip: bring cash for the bar and enough to tip your bartenders! Bar is cash only, so avoid ATM fees by being prepared. Drink selection can be updated for an even better experience, but honestly have never had an issue having a good time here! read more

I love Ventura Theater, it is such a cool venue, full of personality! It used to be a movie theater, it is intimate and has a cool architecture! It is nice inside, very elegant with a beautiful ornate stage and decent sound. The venue is easy to find, right off the Main St. in Ventura, there are various parking lots around. A band my husband really likes played here and we made the round trip from LA which it wasn't bad. Totally worth it! read more

I want to start off by saying the last thing I want is for this venue to close. The security outside were very pleasant and overall it was a fine experience in terms of interacting with a venue. The inside is cool, old and funky with elaborate details. It has potential to really shine with a tasteful and preservation centered face lift. However....the sound in this place is absolutely horrendous. I'm a musician but based off of other reviews, it's clear it doesn't take a musician's ear to hear how embarrassingly insulting the sound is. My partner and I came to see St Vincent who I have seen several times before. All we could hear the whole show was the sub. It was so subby that her vocals were vibrating. We even had concert earplugs in and the sound quality was still absolute trash. I don't know if they have an in house sound tech/ I'd assume someone as big as St Vincent would have their own on tour with them. I'm left to assume that there are not as many bad sound techs out there coming to the Majestic as there are bad reviews of it so it has to be their sound system? We almost asked for a refund but stuck it out. I also almost bought a ticket to the LA show just to hear it properly. If you weren't familiar with her songs you would not even be able to get a sense of what the song was supposed to sound like. I wish I was exaggerating but I'm not. They should truly be embarrassed. I would be pissed as an artist playing there. I would also like to note that I was parched and asked for a cup of water on my way out and they only had bottled water with I believe a $20 card minimum. Ridiculous. I think everyone in these reviews want this place to succeed but they clearly don't give a damn. Tomfoolery. read more

Found out Gogol Bordello were playing this venue a day before their concert and managed to get tickets online which I was so excited about. LOVE this band and never managed to see them before, plus it was a tribute to their homeland Ukraine and a fundraiser. We drove from South Bay and managed to find free street parking just down from the venue by a park, and went for a pre concert dinner at one of the many restaurants in the area. There was a small line when we rolled up at the theatre and our bags and pockets were checked before we could enter, but the staff doing it were ready to laugh with us and did a great job. Nice to know that they are taking security seriously and keeping us all safe inside the venue. The theatre is a lovely old building, a little decrepit, but still able to wow you with a beautiful chandelier, rococo decor and murals. It is also a great concert venue with a bar at the back which is open all night and serves stiff drinks, a 2 tiered seating area and a mosh pit in front of the stage. The show was everything I imagined it to be and more and I'm stoked I managed to see the Gogol Bordello in person. I was also impressed by the theatre team working that night. The sound system and lights were very professional. A woman took ill and fell during the concert (looked like illness not drunkeness) and the security staff went to her aid immediately, spending 10 mins with her lying on the floor cradling her head and helped carefully carry her out when the paramedics arrived. There was also an idiot who tried to start a fight and security dealt with him immediately in a no nonsense way. I have a feeling they are used to stupidity at this venue and deal with it accordingly. I was pissed that someone would start a fight at a fundraising concert for Ukraine! Come on people, why start a war at a concert fundraising for a war!! I don't live in the area but I will return if a band I really want to see are playing and I can't get LA tickets. read more

They have removed 95% of the seating out of this theater. There are a few seats upstairs in the balcony, and a few tables scattered around near the downstairs bar, but the majority of those are reserved. So, if you bought a general admission ticket, either scramble up to the balcony if you want to sit down for the show, but know that the stage seems a long ways away, and the speakers don't reach up there, so you hear more ambient noise than you do music. Otherwise, if you don't mind standing for the whole show, you can amble right up to the front of the stage and enjoy the show on your feet. Being in my 60s now, I'll just wait for the band I want to see to play some place that actually has seats. read more

OMFG! What a complete disappointment this venue is, especially considering how cool it COULD be. First the positives: The building has fantastic and beautiful architecture, and it's about the only thing that's "majestic" about the venue. White Buffalo was outstanding: super tight, and great songs. His drummer and multi instrumentalist guitarist/bassist/keyboard player were top-notch musicians, so no complaints there. Having said that, I'll never go to see him at that venue ever again. Their solo opener Chris Pierce was also outstanding. What a set of pipes! Unfortunately, the mix the sound people gave him was just a wash and very muddy, but even through the din, you could still hear how talented the guy was. Negatives: Where to start? First of all, on their advertising it says "doors open at 7:00", however, they didn't let the large line in until 7:45, and it was absolutely freezing outside. So basically, we missed dinner and stood in line for half an hour just to freeze our asses off. Next, while waiting in said freezing line, I asked security "do you guys sell food in there?" and they replied "we sell bar food: you know, like hamburgers, hotdogs, and pizza." Fair enough, so when they finally let us in, we got to our seats and we left our jackets there and went back to the concession area. There were no hamburgers, or hotdogs, but they DID advertise a corndog and pepperoni and cheese pizza, so I ordered a corndog and a slice of pepperoni, but the lady taking my order remarked "we only have cheese pizza". OK, I can roll with that because I'm starving. My girlfriend ordered a soft pretzel with cheese sauce. After the lady took our order, which she wrote down on order paper that looked like it was from 1979 and handed it to the "chef?" I saw said chef lady open up the freezer behind her, and then it hit me that our food was all coming out of a freezer and was going to be microwaved, and I thought to myself "uh-oh, that was a big mistake", and sure enough, it was! Imagine the crappiest over-preserved microwave food from the 1970s, and this was it. I mean, they couldn't have made the food worse if they'd tried, and it actually seemed like they were trying! The corn dog, and the pizza we're both soggy and lukewarm, and completely inedible. My girlfriend's pretzel was quite rubbery, and the "cheese sauce" that came with it was disgusting and even worse than microwaved cheese whiz. Needless to say, it all went into the trash, but we were still starving, so I thought to myself "how badly can they screw up popcorn?" So out of sheer desperation and starvation I went back to the concession stand to get some. There were two people ahead of me in the concession line, but the lady working the line suddenly turned her back to everyone and started filling up multiple bags with popcorn as we all stood there, and I kept thinking to myself "OK she's going to turn around and actually help somebody instead of stockpiling bags of popcorn", but that seriously must've gone on for three minutes before she finally turned around. I was thinking perhaps she had taken a big bong hit before work and just forgot why she was there? Anyway, turns out, one CAN screw up popcorn! The oil it was popped in tasted rancid, and even though I only had a few bites of it to figure that out, for the rest of the evening, I was burping up the taste of rancid oil. On with the show: As we were watching Chris Pierce and then White Buffalo, I noticed how drunk everybody on the floor in front of us seemed to be. There was one group in particular that seemed especially sloppy, hostile-edgy, and seemed to be antagonizing each other with shoves and bumps and throwing things at each other, etc. As I looked around the venue, I didn't see any security whatsoever. The only ones I saw were at the front of the venue where you walk in with your tickets. It was pretty obvious that it would be quite easy for a fight to break out in that type of environment, and I could forsee it going on for quite some time before any security would even realize what was going on. That place is an obvious melee waiting to happen. Anyway, maybe someday someone will buy that place and make it a true worthwhile venue and maximize its potential, because it could be a beautiful spot, but until that day, we'll never go back. read more

Ventura Theatre - Before the show - Music Venues Near Me - Ventura, California

Had a horrible experience at the theater. Felt like I was about to faint and they wouldn't give me tap water. So I was going to buy the bottle water but there was A $20 CREDIT CARD MINIMUM!!!!!!!!!! Absolutely reprehensible the pure evil greed of this place. They'd rather have someone faint then give free tap water or god forbid allow them to even buy bottled water for three bucks on a credit card. Will not be returning and I strongly urge all patrons and bands to avoid this venue. Disgusting. read more

Came for a concert, and the sound engineer was not good. Felt amateur, couldn't find a balanced mix. Turned up vocals when could have just turn down the tracks or at least EQ it better. The vocals were drowned out completely by tracks. read more

I would love to write a more positive review of the Majestic. The staff are wonderful. The bar service was quick and polite. The venue is beautiful. The talent they book is great, but the sound, especially vocals was very distorted. I know all of the songs by the band I went to see, but had to strain to hear the words. Only occasionally could I pick out a word based on the music. When the artist talked to the audience, I couldn't tell what he was saying. I moved around the room and I found that I could hear better in the center, but still the sound was distorted. Unfortunately, my son is disabled so we needed to grab a pair of seats that were not in the center. I love that we can see great bands in our town, but I'll have to think twice about going to another show at the Majestic. read more

For the community of Ventura, it's great to have a small-medium sized theater on Main Street. Some decent sized acts come through, such as the case with a band I saw there last night. I wasn't sure if this was the bands fault or the venue's fault, but on both the website and my ticket doors opened at 6. Around 7:15 we are standing around, scratching our heads as we were all under the impression the show started at 7. When we get in, a security guard told us all shows start at 8. Interesting. I was lucky to get in early, and get a great spot right up on the rail. Those who had shown up maybe 15 minutes after I did were subjected to whatever space they could squeeze out. Not ideal. The sound was pretty good overall, but the bass was a bit distorted for this size venue, and would occasionally drown out all other sounds. And to have general admission shows like this with limited seating, there is some different properties with how the acoustics behave (less surface area for the sound to bounce off of). The ambiance itself was quaint, and I could see this place lending itself to a comedy show nicely... if chairs were added. I'm not sure why, but the floors in this venue were really really uncomfortable to stand on. A very hard surface with little give. It made me feel like my legs were gelatin before the headliner even came on. And I wore my concert shoes. Maybe it was from standing on the street a bit longer than I expected. The service was also ok. The admittance process was a little convoluted and honestly could have been a lot more efficient. Maybe a metal detector and/or magnetic wands instead of having the employees empty your pockets and pat you down on the side of the street? The free parking was a huge plus and a pleasant surprise. Getting out after the show was a breeze, which is not always the case. Overall I'd come back in the future, but change my game plan a little bit to better reflect the experience I had tonight. read more

Been here a few times and the nachos with jalapeños never miss. The concession stand is cash only so don't forget to bring your dollar bills

Worst venue in Ventura to see a concert. They canceled at the last minute and then cheat you out of your tickets and lie about when the show was actually post pone just ask Daniel. read more

I've been here three times, it is the worst acoustic sound of anywhere I've ever been and I've been exploring new concert spots in LA. Don't go here, even if you spend $10 on a ticket it's not worth it! I also asked for a cup of water and the woman working there said I had to pay for a bottle of plastic bottle and they didn't have any water which is illegal. I hope it shuts down and they are held accountable for not providing free water. read more

Ventura theater Along with the unbelievable numerous complaints (mind you they delete the bad comments and reviews from their Facebook) and horrible ratings regarding rude staff, overbearing security, body and bag searches that are over the top and invasive, rules and dress codes that make no sense, extravagant prices for beer and water, not honoring legitimate tickets, or the complaints about how rundown and dirty this place is, you can now add ripoff artists to the list. I purchased two tickets for the October 6th Social Distortion show that was then postponed until the October 10th. My girlfriend and I could not attend the show on the 10th due to the new mandates put in place by the city on October 7th and preexisting plans on the 10th, so we asked for a refund that was offered to us in one of the emails we received from the venue. The policy on the email we received explaining the show had been moved stated that anyone who could not make the show because it was postponed would receive a full refund. After going back and forth several times with a representative through email, we continued to get the same decline for our request saying that on the venue's purchase policy, the tickets are non-refundable. We explained several times that their email said different, but just kept getting the same representative telling us no refunds. Although they sent this email stating we can receive a full refund due to the event changes, when you actually follow the directions below their response is "our purchase policy states no refunds. read more

I'm so glad I waited until now to post a review. I've been coming here for years because it's a great local and intimate spot to see groups touring up and down the coast. My friends and I were there last night for Social Distortion. We were super excited because it was basically like HS all over again. The crowd obviously depends on the act. I got there and stood outside while I waited for my friends. Ended up people watching and noticed how they would turn people away who had whatever type of contraband with them. We lined up and were told to empty out everything from our pockets. I complied. I was patted down which I was cool with. The lady then opened my purse and did a quick look then gave me the go ahead to go in. I was about to do so, but at it turns out my friend had her vape on her person and they told her that was a no no. So we left to put the vape away. We got back and boy was the treatment different. The girl, whose face I will never forget treated us like we were some criminals. I was prepared so I put my purse and phone on the table. She gave me a pat down that made me feel violated. She did a full body pat down and put her hands on my boobs. ON MY BOOBS! Before you even say, well why didn't you say anything.....do you want to argue with someone who decides if you get in or not? Also, she was bitchy from the get and there was no way I was going to try to argue with her. That's not even the worst part. Oh, it gets better. So she takes my purse, empties it out, and I mean when I say she LITERALLY emptied everything out. She took out my agenda and flipped through the pages. SHE FLIPPED THROUGH THE PAGES. She took out my wallet and looked through all the crevices. She took out the box that held my phone charger and stared at like she was going to find something. She unzipped all the zippers and even took out all the small items from the front pocket like gum and some pens. I don't know what she was looking for, but she definitely look annoyed that she couldn't find anything. My friend was standing right behind her as this was going down and kept mouthing "WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON" to me as I stood there patiently waiting for the ordeal to end. I'd just like to point out that 95% of the attendees were white and not one person were treated the way we all were. There were 3 of us who happened to be POC. I never play the race card because as an Asian, I'm treated fairly better than other POC, but at one point last night I personally felt singled out. Every other person went through what seemed like a 3 second pat down and yet I was out there for what felt like 5 minutes. One of the other women mentioned that we smelled like weed. Well bitch, you would too if you stood in a parking lot where everyone was smoking before going inside the venue. Someone asked me if I was holding and I politely said no. Guess what, when we got inside I saw a bunch of hooligans smoking their cigaweed. Looks like you didn't do your pat down well enough on the whitefolk. So to the girl in the green bomber jacket who felt like she was a demi god - fuck you and everything you represent. I hope someone does the same thing to you that you did to me so you can realize how much of an asshole you are. I don't think I'll ever set foot inside this shithole ever again. read more

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Awesome place for a concert the building is just beautiful the seating is great every seat has a fantastic view of the stage you won't be disappointed! read more

This is a very beautiful location, and it is used for a variety of venues, whether it be a concert or an exhibition. When I went there, I was impressed by the majestic (no pun intended) feel of the place. I hope everybody gets a chance to go here. read more

I will always love this place. Some of the best shows I've seen have been here over the many years I've lived here. When they closed indefinitely during the height of the pandemic, a huge part of my heart carried great sadness. Live music and dancing is my drug of choice and two years without seeing shows or dancing was really hard. This place has had a special place in my heart for decades and it will as long as it exists. Just saw Manchester Orchestra there.... 2nd best to The Pixies which I also saw there. Seeing Epic bands in a smaller venue is really special and this place 100% delivers an amazing experience every single show. read more

Just as everyone else has been writing for years.. Sound quality sucks, old crappy bathrooms, NO security on the floor when drunk morons are trying to start fights, and EVERYONE exits thru 2 doors.. Really wish someone buys this venue and turns it into something worth while. read more

I've been here plenty of times for plenty of good shows, but the last time I went (Cavalera Conspiracy, 9/29) they didn't throw out a Nazi doing the sieg heil in the crowd. The only have enough staff to cover exits in the front of the stage, but there is nobody on the floor and nobody has radios. I sent an email through the contact form on the website, to no response. I don't go to venues that allow Nazis inside. That means I won't be coming back, unless they hire more staff and invest in some radios and explicitly commit to making their establishment free of hatred. read more

Came last night to see a Prince tribute band. Had to wait quite a long time in line to get in. Show was supposed to start at 8, they didn't come on until 9:05 and stopped at 10:30 including them taking an intermission. The place is old! Paint peeling off the walls, old theatre smell. Security was nice, they check your body and purses be prepared. Best part was the long hair blonde lady bartender. She makes the best drinks 75% liquor. Make sure to see her. We parked on the street it's free. Parking lots are small and very tight. They have free popcorn. There were a ton of drunk people acting foolish there, but we still had a pretty good time.they must of upgraded the sound system because the band sounded great, except for the singer. read more

I have been here many times to see Yachtly Crew at 10:30 my daughter walked her husband to a uber in front of the building and try to go back inside to join her our group of 7 and 5 security people stopped her and told her she could not go back in. Why don't they hire people with common sense the concert was almost over i understand there is a rule you cant reenter but they should have told her that when she walked out. I don't know who these hired so call security people are but they act like they are Gods i will be complaining to them directly on Monday and i will never go back. read more

Always a great place to visit. Owner is amazing. It's a very cozy theater. Amazing place.

Saw my favorite band here. Want to give 5 stars, but the Venue charged different prices in the lobby vs in the actual theater. Other than that, great venue. read more

Terrible sound system; bad management. Waste of money. If sound was done better maybe but it is horrible. If the band I heard had any talent at all, couldn't tell as sound was so bad. And management not open to hearing any feedback. read more

Here in 2017, where I live, you can print your tickets out at home. Because, see, there are things called "printers" you can own, and they're not even that expensive, and there's a thing called the Internet, which can deliver an electronic copy of your ticket to you, which, if you have one of these aforementioned printers, you can then use to generate a physical copy of the ticket. At this theater in Ventucky, though, it's still 1965 in every way except for the pricing, and if you don't want to drive to the Majestic Ventura Theatre in person for the sole purpose of buying your tickets--if, say, you are attending a concert in Ventura EVEN THOUGH YOU DON'T LIVE IN VENTURA, and if driving to Ventura in order to do something that every other theater in California allows you to do online would therefore be an undue burden--then fuck you, you can wait in the world's longest and slowest-moving will-call line to get your tickets. Because they're certainly not going to mail you your ticket, or let you print it at home. I mean, for the $20-ish "ticketing fee" that was tacked onto the ticket price, they could have sent the tickets via FedEx instead of making us stand in line and get sneered at by smug employees walking up and down repeatedly asking you if you might already have a printed ticket. (No, asswad. I'd love to have a printed ticket and move to the front of the line, but your aging technical infrastructure actively refuses to support that. Plus, that's the same answer I gave you last time you asked me, six minutes ago. I'd have a ticket if you'd go ahead and move into the 21st century and let me print it myself. If you're not going to do that, will you at least stop spraying saliva at me while asking me the same questions over and over while I wait in this incredibly slow will-call line?) As far as I can tell, the rationale for not letting you print your tickets at home is "because fuck you, that's why." Or perhaps "Go ahead and drive to LA or San Francisco to see this band. We don't have to care about whether the people coming here to see a show actually enjoy that show." The venue itself is moderately decrepit, with lots of shabby little touches that say "we're milking whatever bands come through here for whatever we can get out of their fans, but we don't want to invest too much back into the venue." So don't be surprised if the carpets are a darkish non-color in spots where things have been spilled a lot, or if the paint is kind of peely, or if there's stuffing coming out of a seat. I don't know what the original purpose of the building was, but it looks like the kind of place where, sixty years ago, it didn't matter what the movie on the screen was because you only went there to sit in the balcony when you really needed a handjob and weren't too picky about who was giving it ... but you were still picky enough that you didn't want to actually see that other person. It kind of smells like they haven't changed the carpet since then, too. EDIT. Will someone please tell the moron running the sound board tonight, who apparently has never seen a sound board before, that yes, even though we all like guitar and bass a lot, it would be great to hear the vocals too? EDIT 2. I was told by two separate employees at the door that I could bring in my camera. Several songs into the show, when I was standing in the balcony enjoying the music despite the shitty venue, some douchebag event staff came up, grabbed me by the shoulder, and told me that "the manager" had decided that wasn't true, and I'd have to miss fifteen minutes of the concert while I walked my camera back to my car. The manager was apparently too much of a coward to tell me this him- or herself, though. Apparently here in Ventucky, there's no actual policies that employees know & are trained on, just a series of gut-level calls by a variety of quasi-managerial people who don't communicate with each other or their employees, and everyone who works here is more or less just making shit up as they go along. As far as I can tell. Next time I want to see a show, I'll drive further to a real venue in a real city where there's not a bunch of low-grade fascists making up "rules" about how you can't hold a beer in your left hand, or wear a pink T-shirt, or who have opinions about what brand of phone you can point at the band, or what you're allowed to have for dinner before you come in. And, you know, where there aren't a bunch of angry employees shitting all over the customers everywhere. It turns out waiting in line for forty-five minutes while getting sneered at by several employees and then paying around a dollar an ounce for beer while seeing a band playing songs whose lyrics you can't hear because the idiots at the sound board have no idea what they're doing while you sit in a shabby, odd-smelling concert hall is not all that much fun. Whatever band you're trying to see here, chances are you'll have more fun seeing them somewhere else. read more

Ventura Theatre - Somebody tell these two idiots that although we all like guitar and bass, sometimes it's nice to be able to make out lyrics, too. - Music Venues Near Me - Ventura, California

If I could post NEGATIVE zero I would ONLY because the security staff ie. SHANE was such a fun kill because of his aggressive behavior. He obviously has deeper issues because of the way he treats his patrons. We left a show we had been waiting for a long time because of his rude, intimidating demeanor. I will NEVER return to this venue as long as he is "head of security " ... and I will share my experience to anyone asking about this venue. I gave it 1 star, the band deserved 5. read more

Venue is great. And they get some good bands. A little bit dirty and grimy. And has a very musty smell. But you're going to listen to music, not to eat. Huge parking structure across the street, so parking isn't an issue. But, the Staff sucks. Management needs to clean house. Rude. Personalities of a fern. And chain smoking and blowing smoke in the direction of people waiting in line to enter. When politely asked to refrain, they didn't say anything, just nasty looks and continued. No consideration for anyone other than their unbathed, greasy looking selves. I will say, that I had no interaction personally with any of them other than passing off my tickets. But I did witness multiple instances that warranted a response from those being humiliated and disrespected. The multiple instances between staff and patrons I did see was beyond shocking. It was bordering on harassment. How can Management/Ownership allow their employees talk to customers like they do? Most of the morons that work there need a lesson in decency, respect, and personal grooming. read more

An absolutely miserable experience. I've been to two shows in this venue. Most recently, of four members in my group, we were all asked to empty our pockets on a table. No problem. I was the only one required to submit to a pat down for entry. In the process, I WAS GROPED ON MY SCROTUM! I was extremely upset, and at that point my evening was ruined. Once again, the sound mix was terrible. No balance. Then I went looking for a drinking fountain. There was none, but I as told I could buy water for $3.00. I called the venue to lodge my complaint. The manager, Daniel, who refused to give me his last name, assured me that each and every patron was to be patted down after emptying pockets. I did not see anyone else forced to submit to this. I will NEVER attend another concert there under any circumstances. I have contacted the City of Ventura regarding the lack of accessible drinking fountain. Do yourself a favor. Avoid this smelly, noisy theatre. read more

Not Sure why this place is getting such a bad rap! sure it's older and that's a whole unique thing about this place when you walk in it's beautiful you see a huge crystal ceiling and it's just a unique in its own way. We had no problem with security we had no problem with drinks...drinks were great $13 really strong well worth it! We are such a great time I think people are very very picky and expect something different out of them place it was built in the 1920s. read more

This is one of the best theaters I've ever been to. I absolutely love the historic architecture, the large floor & the loud sound quality of the bands that played. The Nardcore scene from Oxnard, CA is strong & alive. I appreciated how the line up was posted everywhere during the show. The pizza & the French fries were bland, but I tolerated them since I was pretty hungry. I had no issues with security or getting my ticket during will-call. It's smart to show up early.. early birds catch the worm. The prices + fees were a bit much, but the experience I had there was 100% worth the cost. Plus, all the profits go to a wonderful cause- saving dogs from kill shelters. This theater has done so much for the city of Ventura, from fundraisers & donations for victims of the recent fires & helpless animals. read more

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2014 YELP 100 CHALLENGE - 71/100 Only been here once so far. I got the bf VIP passes for us to see Anberlin last October 2013! :) One of the best days of my life! Ventura Theatre is located in this cute little downtown area of Ventura. There are a bunch of cute little shops and restaurants all around the area. There's some street parking, and several free public parking lots, but those seemed to be pretty packed. Fortunately we found some parking in one of the lots just up the street from Ventura Theatre, so we didn't have to walk very far. The venue itself is relatively big in terms of venues. It reminded me a lot of an auditorium-like theater. It's a bit run down and dated, but still has a cool historic presence to it. Because of our VIP passes, we arrived much earlier at the venue before the concert started -- at around 3pm. There were already a ton of general admission ticket holders formed in a line outside the venue. It was SUPER hot that day in the middle of October, and I think one girl might have fainted or something! Our VIP experience was absolutely awesome. We got to hang out with Anberlin on their tour bus, played games with them out on the sidewalk next to the theater, and watched them sound check. Inside the theater, it has several different levels of standing room. The front pit area probably holds 200-300ish people, and then there's a second tier, and maybe 2-3 after that. Surprisingly the venue wasn't totally packed for this show. They had all of the merch tables set up in the lobby, and there was a pretty good amount of standing room for lines to develop. Bathrooms are located upstairs. We had the honor of going backstage with Anberlin and watching them perform from side stage. It was absolutely phenomenal and the best concert experience I've ever had! The venue staff were all very nice to us and understood our special VIP experience with the band. There was a ton of security making sure that everyone was kept in line and in check. Overall, not a bad venue. Kind of a far drive for me, but if any bands come through here that I'd be interested in seeing, I'd definitely come back! read more

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