Tipitina's Uptown

 Photo taken from Wikipedia

Tipitina's one of those vital organs in the body of New Orleans. The venue hosts both local and international acts and caters to a wide variety of musical genres, allowing the music lover in everyone to get in on the action. Most larger venues tend to suck for one reason or another - the New Orleans Arena has stadium seating (which makes sense for Hornets games, but is less fun for concerts), places like the Hard Rock Cafe and House of Blues smell like corporate bullshit, and places like Rock n' Bowl lack the vibe that a packed, sweaty crowd and good music provide. Tipitina's has a capacity of 1,000 but manages to keep the small intimate venue feeling alive.

The Good
-Three separate bars, two downstairs, one up, all with seasoned bartenders
-Balcony viewing upstairs, most of which is good
-Bathrooms downstairs/upstairs
-Generally great line up of shows - no matter what you like
-One of the nicest door guys in the city
-Free Friday shows during the summer months!

The Not-So-Good
-There's no possible way to adequately staff the bars, so you'll have a decent wait for drinks at a packed show (it's not all bad, I've made lot's of shot buddies in line at the bar)
-Overpriced drinks by comparison to the rest of the city
-When the venue is at capacity, that nice crowded vibe feels more like hanging with drunken sardines

Good to Know
-If you want to go to a show for an out of town or famous band, buy your tickets early. This place does sell out pretty regularly
-Pregame at one of the bars on Magazine, it's only about 5 blocks away from the venue and the drinks will be half as expensive
-Ladies: the upstairs bathroom is way cleaner than the downstairs
-Non Smoking
-Standing Room only (more room to dance!)