Harper’s Ferry

I think it’s sad that Ethan Drew who was fired from Harper’s Ferry for hurling a racial epithet at a member of the band Busdriver fronted by a black man, is on here claiming the club was led astray. This is your history. Know your history.

I love that all these reviews are from the last 5 years of existence … This was one of my favorite Clubs from the 80’s and 90’s in 2006 the GM passed away and after the worst choices I could see they put people in charge that killed the club what ever happened to the good old days

It’s the first concert venue I visited in Boston, and I have mixed reaction to it. I loved some of the bands playing in the place, but it is way too crowded, too loud, and the doorman isn’t quite friendly. But I guess those are common defects of most establishment of this kind, so I can’t blame them much

NO STARS!
The last time i was there I went to see my friends play and they were promoting buy one Narragansett get one free, so I did. When I finally saddled up they charged me for all of the beers and told me that the promotion was only through the cocktail waitresses walking around selling the beers. This was neither explicitly said nor should it make any difference because the beers were coming from the same cooler and under the same liquor license. When I asked to speak to the manager, he refused to accept that my bill was incorrect and he even said «you expect me to know everything that’s going on in here.» No really, he did. After yelling at him, I was thrown out! I tried to dispute the charges but they never acknowledge the affidavit from my bank.
Needless to say I’ve never been back and have missed out on some good shows because the management sucks.

I had never even heard of Harper’s Ferry until a friend recommended me see On the Drop play there. The atmosphere is very open– especially for a small concert venue. All of the bartenders were extremely nice– and they actually made the drinks pretty strong for being in a plastic glass. One huge benefit is the location– you can get drinks and food at Sunset Grill and Tap only a block down the street while you wait for the concert to start– and then arrived buzzed and ready to dance.
The $ 10 cover for the On the Drop show went all to charity– so it was awesome to hear a concert venue support a cause! I would recommend checking out their website to see if there are any shows you’re interested in– it make a pretty fun night.

The bartender did not pour me a strong enough brandy and the bathroom smelled of stool sample. However, I was lucky enough to stumble into Harpers on a night when the stars aligned in my favor. If I hadn’t walked in there this particular night, my life would never have changed for the better! A band called OF THE OPERA was playing. HOOOOOOOOO MAN. The music touched me in a way no woman can. I learned the true meaning of life and the value of music all in one milisecond of electric guitar riff. What a group of talented playas. I would go to eleven hundred more of their shows. The high I got from their performance is unparalleled by any street drug from my youth.
I don’t recommend Harper’s Ferry, but highly recommend Of The Opera. Check ‘em out if you wanna feel the sweet sensation of inspired musicianship.

I come here any time Love in Stockholm is playing, and there’s always a giant crowd.
This is a really good venue; there’s a very large open room where the bands play, and if you’re not digging the frontliners or something, there’s another large backroom with pool tables and good spots to chill and talk.
Definitely a place to have fun dancing and listening to live music. Staff has always been courteous and professional, never encountered a rude bartender or bouncer with an attitude.
I notice there’s a lot of other ⁴⁄₃ star reviews. I’d agree; Harper’s Ferry is a great spot, very fun, excellent music, but it’s lacking that bit of finish or some kind of surprise factor that would really make it a 5-​star experience. If their covers were a steady $ 10, rather than the usual $ 12 — $ 14, I’d give this place a five. (Or if you got a free lower-​shelf beer ticket with the higher cover.)

I was surprised at how much fun I actually had here! I’m always a fan of live music and one of my friends had said he was going for a show and I trust his musical taste, so me and another friend tagged along. $ 14 at the door, but hey, for five bands that’s worth it. The covers seem to range depending on the bands’ popularity, but that’s not exactly a surprise.
My best friend and I had our usual drinks, she got a Jack and Coke, I had a Midori Sour. I was impressed that these drinks were pretty strong, and for $ 7 a pop they should be!
I think that for smaller shows this is a really great venue, not sure I’d be too anxious to see more popular bands here as it would get very crowded and uncomfortable. Overall it was definitely a fun night.

Ideally, I would be able to give this place it’s overall average, 3.5 stars. It’s a larger venue than its modest façade would suggest and I’m giving it 4 stars for two main reasons: The have live music every night and they book some legitimate names, especially in the hip hop world. This is one of those places that makes Allston Rock City what it is.
They’ve had acts like Slick Rick and AZ over the months and they’ll book all sorts of local acts. My roommate went to a reggae fest there and had a ball. One of the musicians wound up coming over to hit our bong and got kinda weird after, wound up throwing up raspberry ice cream in front of my door. Then he brought us a 30 pack the next day because he had forgotten his prayer beads or something and he needed them. But I digress.
Harper’s can feel really empty if there’s just a local band up there and like 20 or 30 people in the bar. It is truly built to accommodate a couple hundred people. I guess there’s also some monthly party there called Paper that seems to be really popular. I think it’s 18+ though and very hip so I’ve never gone.
For headliners like Slick Rick you’re gonna pay 20 or 25 bucks for the ticket, but it’s really worth it when you can get right up next to the stage and be no more than a foot away from some legendary performers.

Harper’s is your stereotypical rock bar, and does a great job hosting local and regional talent, fun tribute bands and past-​their-​prime headliners. It’s sizable enough with three bars and a handful of pool tables in the back.
Most of the shows here are 18+, but I’ve found it’s one of the few 18+ venues that doesn’t get completely overrun by the 18 – 20 crowd (thus making me feel like a senior citizen).
Concerts are usually fairly priced, but everything else (cover on regular nights, drinks, pool) is overpriced relative to comparable venues.
However, my overwhelming experience has been that the staff, frankly, sucks. Bartenders have about as much personality as a soda machine, bouncers treat patrons as an unpleasant side affect of their real job (talking to their friends, flirting with girls and otherwise looking cool) and management that would rather jump through a flaming hoop into a pit of death than deal with a paying customer.
Yes, I’ll probably go to Harper’s if they’re hosting a band I really want to see, but I would never stop by just for a drink.

With a lack of 18+ places to go, I found my way to Harper’s Ferry because I needed something to do and somewhere to go. Totally lame. I felt extremely awkward as my friend and I hung around the huge floor while this band went insane on stage and only a few people clapped after they were done.
Maybe it’s not my kind of music, but I was like: Dude, why are you getting all worked up and flipping your hair when people aren’t looking? Ah… I don’t know. Maybe I just don’t understand the music, but I don’t see hip-​hop artists trying to show off their c-​walk when the audience is more concerned about hickey-​ing the permanent marker off their hands so they can snatch a drink. Psh. I’d rather wait AT HOME til I’m of age than come here. And that says a lot coming from a low-​standard carrying desperate underage teenager now, wouldn’t you say?

Maybe it’s me, but I feel like I’m either too OLD or too YOUNG to go to events here.
If the lineup isn’t some kind of Pink Floyd of Grateful Dead tribute band, it’s some shitty M.A.C wearing screamo bands teamed up with decent DJs. MAKE UP YOUR MIND! That’s like comparing Apples and Onions! I’m not a BU Freshman, so I tend to avoid most of this stuff.
Also, I am pretty sure JIMMIE’S CHICKEN SHACK played here recently, and that’s almost as bad as what the owner of Blanchard’s did to that puppy around the corner!
If a venue thinks it’s cool to give Jimmie’s Chicken Shack a stage, best of luck. You will not be getting my business, JERKS!

If I were under 23, I’d give this place 3 to 4 stars. I completely agree with David D… I am in the 29 to 34 age range and I felt really out of place. There were tons of BU students and tons of blue hairs. Weird. At first I thought that was specific to the show I was at but apparently not.
They have a decent beer-​on-​tap selection and it’s not super pricey but the bartenders’ service level leaves a bit to be desired. If a band I’m interested in seeing comes to Harper’s Ferry, I’ll be back but not for any other reason…

Great venue for a band… never have an issue with crowds. The only minus is it seems the bands playing together don’t really fit into the same genres. which can have a weird crowd response. Overall though, good times here!

It’s a great venue, it really is. I’m holding off on a 4^th star until I see a rock show. And I’ll tell you why, Beverly — I saw a hip hop show here, and the sound wasn’t so great.
Thing is, when you’re rhyming over a beat that’s on vinyl, you can’t adjust levels of different elements of the beat… you can’t say «oh the bass needs to be turned down, and the keys and horn patterns need to be turned up,» because the tune is already mixed on the record the dj is spinning (yet another argument for live hip hop a la the ROOTS… blup blup).
So we’ll wait and see. The show was great — CunninLynguists — I definitely recommend them if you are a real hip hop head. Wasn’t too crowded, but if you’re seeing a popular act, the place will fill up and make it tough to get brews I’d imagine.
Bar isn’t too pricey, $ 3 PBR drafties, nice touch.

well let’s start off by saying that the bouncers are mean tubby machines.
they kicked my boyfriend off stage at «Paper» because he wasn’t a girl.
SEXISTS!
the drinks are too expensive
and the music is mediocre.

Boo to Harper’s Ferry. It is frustrating that such good bands get booked at such a crap-​tastic bar.
I’m giving 2 stars instead of 1 because they do a good job of getting a good mix of upcoming local bands and more established groups. They also have a pretty rockin sound system.
That being said, the staff here are all a bunch of jerks. I’m basing this on the 10+ times I’ve been, so I swear this is not a rant about one bad experience. I’ve found them to be some of the rudest bartenders/​door men in Boston. Plus, my ex-​bf was in a band that played here a lot, and apparently the booking guy and sound guys were worthy of some pretty nasty nicknames. To top it off, they refuse to give out water– on a night I wasn’t drinking, I had to pay $ 2.50 for a glass of tap water!
Unacceptable.

The sound is quite good and the room is decent, but the people who work there are jerks.
Once I was meeting up with some friends in the middle of a heat wave in July and they wouldn’t let my friend in because he was wearing a tank-​top. They said that it was their policy — sleeveless shirts not allowed. It was really stupid because there were dozens and dozens of girls wearing tank-​tops.
I also hate places that won’t give you tap water and force you to buy their over-​priced bottled water. The bartenders are a bunch of turds and you’re basically invisible to them unless you’re scantily clad.
It’s really a two-​star establishment to me, but they DO get some very good acts there sometimes. Otherwise, I don’t go out of my way.

Just got back from seeing a couple bands here. The acoustics are great, a little loud but not deafening. The bartenders need to up their game a little though. Not too friendly, or welcoming either. The club soda and ginger ale tasted like it came from a toilet, so I got a mixed drink. I think it was straight pineapple juice and no coconut rum. I should have been cool like the girls in their shiny silver tanks and skinny jeans and got a cool girl beer like PBR, but went with what I knew I liked. Did not like this place, but it is better than TT the Bears (aesthetically).

I have seen many bands here over the years, and always had a good time. Unfortunately they lost their lease will will close on 11÷1÷10.
RIP Harper’s Ferry!