Bowery Presents Launches Terminal 5

Traveling to the opening of Bowery Presents newest and largest venue, Terminal 5, I was reminded of how little I travel to this part of town. Along the way from 8th avenue to 11th, I noticed a large amount of luxury car dealerships, something that I would never find on my way to a show in the L.E.S or Brooklyn. There was no marquee out in front of the west 56th street, but the long line out in front of the building, along with security in bright yellow shirts, let me know that I had arrived. They were running a little late with opening doors, so thankfully the rain had stopped. At around 7:30pm, the doors of the new venue were opened for the large crowd of first timers. Unlike the other Bowery Presents venues, the front doors lead you directly to the main floor. Upon entering, the only instant reaction is to gasp at the size (3,000 capacity, 40,000 sq. feet, 3 levels, and 40’ ceilings). Bowery Presents has built this venue to be a step up in size from Webster Hall, to compete with Roseland Ballroom and Hammerstein Ballroom. And compete it will. Architecturally, Terminal 5 is more modern than any other Bowery Presents venue. The standing space of the main floor is somewhere between Webster Hall and Roseland in size, and there is a bar located in the back. The two wrap-around balconies are massive, and squared off, unlike the rounded balconies of their other venues. Each balcony contains 2 bars, plenty of comfortable couches, and seating along the rail.

Annie Clark, aka St. Vincent, was giving the opening slot, which is no easy feat. Standing alone on a stage so massive it could comfortably contain Polyphonic Spree (whom she is a member of), Annie Clark was rather impressive. Much like PJ Harvey, who played Beacon Theater a day earlier, Clark created and played over loops, rocking out with perfect precision. Her cover of The Beatles classic “Dig A Pony” was a great choice, as her rendition was perfect homage to the original.

St Vincent

St Vincent

St Vincent

By the time headliner The National were set to go on, Terminal 5 was packed and getting around on the main floor had become a challenge. The National seemed like the perfect band to launch this new venue. There have been few bands that have had a bigger year in 2007 than The National. Their album “Boxer” is one of the finest of the year, and their impressive string of sold out dates at Bowery Ballroom, and Radio City performances with Arcade Fire have made the band into indie stars. Playing nearly all of their best material off of their last two albums, they played for about an hour and half. As usual, the amazing “Abel” was a highlight of the performance, as well as a brilliant version of “Start A War,” which built up from a delicate ballad to a sonic burst of noise. To further support the theory that they’re at their best live when their rocking out, The National closed their night with “Mr. November.”

The National

The National

The National

Today, music bloggers in NYC will be trying to evaluate this new venue. Where they were standing and when they arrived will decide whether or not it’s as good as they hoped. On the main floor, sightlines and sound were generally very good, but it was a bit overcrowded (something easily fixed by selling less tickets—openings are always going to be the most crowded). The only area of the main floor where the sound is not great, are the few parts where there is a low ceiling (towards the entrance and back by the bar). If you’re more into watching shows from the balcony, then my suggestion is arrive early. While there is plenty of space on each floor, you will need to find a sport along to railings in order to have any chance of seeing the band. If you can’t get one of those coveted spots—there are a lot, but you’ll have plenty of competition—you can always sit back in one of the back comfortable couches, located on both balconies. The sound remains crisp on both balconies, except back by the bars, where it starts to become muffled. If you’re drinking, you’ll have a much shorter wait at any of the 4 balcony bars than the one on the main floor. There is little décor, besides a gigantic disco ball that hangs above the center of the floor, at eye level with the top balcony.

It’s impossible to judge a venue of this size by comparing it to smaller ones. There’s no question that there is always something more intimate about smaller spaces, and venues such as Union Hall, Mercury Lounge, and Joes Pub are hard to top. So there’s also no sense in comparing it to Bowery Presents’ other venues (Mercury Lounge, Bowery Ballroom, Music Hall of Williamsburg, and Webster Hall). As far as competing against Roseland, Terminal 5 is the superior venue and will further Bowery Presents’ progress towards becoming the music empire of New York. If they avoid overselling, Terminal 5 could also be better than Hammerstein. That said, Terminal 5 will soon become New York’s best large venue to regularly house indie rock shows, but institutions like Carnegie Hall, Radio City and Lincoln Center are easily better places to see live music. No matter what, it sure as hell beats seeing a band at Madison Square Garden arena or ever MSG’s WAMU Theater.

Photos courtesy of [Jonny-Leather]