Foundry On First

Its dark n dirty… perfect for an event space.
There is a lot of space and a big stage.
I attended an art event ($ 10 pricy entrance fee) and was promised TACOs but by the time we arrived…7pm…they were sold out.
Starving, we drank a bunch of beers to fill our bellies and caught a buzz… and some fodder for Facebook pix LOL
So don’t go there thinking there will be food. And they should have food available… venders or food trucks or something. hint hint
Coronas were $ 5 and cocktails (tiny cups) were $ 9.
There is a lot of potential but its gonna take some work.
I will check it out again

Disregard the earlier negative reviews and give this new venue a try. The ⁹⁄₂₀ Buddy Guy concert was great with excellent sound, lighting and an ample stage. Air conditioning kept everybody perfectly cool and comfortable (and i think it was 104 degrees outside at the time). Lines to get inside were minimal and very well managed by staff on hand. They provided seating at this concert but there was still plenty of standing room and space to circulate around in back. I would agree that there may not be good value in the VIP tix as they were so far away from the stage. Feels most like a club of any of the existing music venues downtown and it is nice for us to get to see artists like Buddy Guy up close in this type of setting. The warehouse is just a block south of the arena and conveniently located to parking options and light rail. I drove since it was a weeknight and was glad I did so as not to worry about having to leave before the last song to catch the train. Great atmosphere inside with exposed wood beams which remind you of the history of many of the old buildings in this area. So glad they are reusing this one as a creative venue. Bring back Buddy Guy and more blues please! Bravo to Foundry on First, I will be back!

Having read all of the previous reviews, including one from less than a week ago, I felt a little skeptical about attending the Buddy Guy concert last night… well, I am sure glad I ignored all the bad reviews. This place is great for a show! Old converted warehouse with great sound, good lighting, even our seats with a post in our line of sight were great seats.
It may have helped that Buddy Guy put on an amazing show, but the temperature of the place was nice, the staff was friendly, we got right in, grabbed a drink at one of the three enormous bars and grabbed a couple of seats off to the side of the stage where we were promptly greeted by a waitress.
I can see why the VIP section might be a little frustrating (most people end up standing on the railing which forces you to either watch on a TV or get up yourself, thus defeating the purpose of the nice couches), but other than that, I highly recommend this venue for a show. I would go so far as to say that if you are in the mood for live music, you should check the lineup here before anywhere else.
we will definitely go back, maybe I will even take my wife to see Blondie…

Really a two star place, but I can see the potential.
Like many others, my first experience with The Foundry was for the RCPM concert. It’s a quick walk from the light rail, which is a big plus.
The interior is spacious, and the lighting is just right. The sound system was very good.
The bar staff could definitely use some seasoned veterans to help them out. While very nice (and pretty), the skills just weren’t there.
The big issue I had was the lack of air conditioning, or air circulation. No antiperspirant on earth could have kept me dry. My entire shirt was soaked through. Also, some guy near me was very gassy, and with no airflow you can imagine just how terrible that was.
I’d definitely attend another show at The Foundry, I’ll just wait until the weather cools off a bit.

Crazy round the block lines to get in glad I had paper tickets, will call was a joke. The VIP section is so far away from the stage its laughable! Bars are SLOW and overpriced the bathrooms are like going on a ghost hunters adventure to find. ITS HOT AS HELL INSIDE like birkim yoga hot. UGH and the allow glass beer bottles on the floor to get dropped and broken in a sea of people… This place needs mad help.

With the recent arrival of the Foundry on First to downtown, we can proudly proclaim yet another great venue to our burgeoning music scene.
What an ideal venue this is too! The grounds are sprawling and massive, with two bars; one for beer and the other for spirits. The place is divided up between a large dancefloor and a balcony area with lounge seating.
Saturday my entourage and I made our way there for the first time, and although the whole cast wasnt in tow, we still managed to have a rip roaringly good time at The Foundry. When we first arrived we shelled out a tenner and got our wrist bands then made our way inside, past droves of cigarette toking hipsters posturing hard to retain an air of apathy around their peers. I was unabashedly excited grinning like an idiot most of the night, because I knew two of my favorite local acts were headlining that night, Mergence and What Laura Says. We bought drinks, the lovely Barbara G. and myself opting for vodka and red bulls as we were both a little drowsy, Scott and Katie going straight to hopville with two sudsy pints.
This is where I have to voice my one complaint. The cocktails Barbara G. and I ordered had to have been a ratio of 4 parts mixer 1 part vodka and at $ 9 plus tip I felt like I’d been boned. We both sipped our weak drinks disappointedly, and grumbled, reminding one another to avoid spirits on our next go round. The pints of beer were also a little disappointing, for two reasons– one. the best beer offered was kilt lifter, two. they came in plastic cups. This is one of my biggest pet peeves, and while I understand the reasoning (not wanting to have any broken glass and or ensuing legal problems arise from said broken glass) I just cannot stand drinking beer from a plastic cup. SO long story short just pregame it on riot punch before you head to the Foundry and you should be keen for the night, and your wallet will thank you in the morning.
The Foundry is in a sweet spot downtown, just a block or so south of US Airways Center, it’s conveniently located around other pubs and close light rail access and the various other draws DwnTwn has to offer. Hopefully the Foundry will be around for a long time yet, and it will be just one more great reason for people to come visit and spend their hard earned dollars in our lovely city.

There’s a lot of rock to get through to find out if this place is going to be a diamond in the rough.
I don’t want to give this place any halo effect from excellent concert we attended there. E.G., not reviewing Roger Clyne (5* btw:)) but the venue itself.
It’s not finished, appears to be poor on safety grounds (really slow at removing piles of beer from the cans so many chances to stumble, /​stick your foot in glass. And the toilets are stuck somewhere around platorm 9 ¾. Luckily they had a guard posted with a light to show which door was the mens. (yep it’s that unfinished)
Thankfully on the seriously hot, for indoors, night the prices for the water /​beer was reasonable. Crowd started to thin out well before the end so they are doing something seriously wrong here. Oh hell they know what they did, more a warning to others to check out the current state of the place before you pay a lot of money to take a sauna with 1000 of your closest friends.
For a reflective barn it sounded good, ok the main act sounded good and I’d hate to think they shared the same sound guy because it was night and day.
The extra cash for the «vip» area wasn’t worth it it’s higher up with worse AC than the main area and the seats were all taken way before we could get in. Upperbar staff were oblivious to our attempt to order so we joined the main floor and had no trouble getting served in a reasonable amount of time.

We were also there for RCPM. AWESOME show (always is) and that is the only thing that saved it for me. Danny Z should know by now that you never get a second chance to make a first impression.
Terrible system for will-​call AND for pre-​purchased passes. Gotta fix that ASAP!
Non-​functioning A/​C is a BAD idea. I had a pretty good drink experience since there were tubs around and we camped out near one. Would highly suggest selling bottled water out of the tubs too!
Had a good time due to great entertainment and the sound was really good but will hesitate to go back to this venue unless I hear it has the «all clear». Potential to be a good venue if some things are fixed and I look forward to coming on and giving rave reviews if that happens!

I hope this place figures out how to host large events, otherwise they should stick to low key acts! As for now, they are using trucks to pump in the a/​c and for their sold out show last Saturday for RCPM, this was pretty useless. We ended up leaving early because it was miserably hot. Anytime someone would bump into us, we’d get a sample of their DNA because everyone was sweating in full force.
They are still pretty unorganized with their ticketing system, there isn’t enough room in front of their building to handle will-​call and purchasing tickets, they also had no line for people who had printed tix online.
Also, they must have not anticipated a large crowd in the bar area. It took at least 20 mins to get a beer. They did not have enough bartenders staffed and only had 1 tap for most of the beers so that backed up everything.
Its a great location downtown but not worth it unless they understand they can’t cram a sold out crowd into a room with no a/​c in the middle of AZ summer.

Foundry, how I wanted to like you! But then you opened before you were ready and you are giving people the wrong first impression. Phoenicians are in dire need of a downtown music club. It’s true. But I went to see Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers last Saturday, and couldn’t stay for the 2^nd half because I was so nauseated and dehydrated from the 101* and 80% humidity temps… indoors. It was hot. Bikram yoga hot. It’s July in Phoenix, AZ so don’t tell me you didn’t know temp a/​c units that were meant to cool a space ¹⁄₅ of the size of your facility wouldn’t work. And the slow bar service. And the super secret bathrooms that required you to travel down an unlit, un-​signed pitch black hall and feel around for a door.
I will be a good sport and try you out again in a few months once you get your sea legs. But that will not be any time soon. Good luck.

This is one of those places that you have high hopes for and your first impression is anything but awe-​inspiring. I showed up for the RCPM show on 07÷30÷11 and was greeted by a line out the door, around the building and down the sidewalk. After waiting ~30 minutes and hardly moving, we were told that they were «all sold out» of tickets. Many people were turned away. Luckily, I was able to get in after waiting about 25 minutes more.
As everyone else has said, this place is HOT. Everyone was sweating… not glistening… SWEATING. A pregnant woman (clearly 7+mo) was advised by other concert-​goers to not go in. The «temporary» A/​C appeared to be working from the outside, but could not be felt once inside the building. The bar was poorly staffed and ran out of many types of beer before the first set ended (ran out of Stella before the second song, seriously). I only saw tequila at one bar, so I’m unclear as to what it is they actually DO serve.
On the up side of things, this is an intimate venue, standing room, with a VIP section which is not that closely guarded. The sound was good, lighting good as well… overall, I think this place is lucky that artists such as RCPM agree to play there as I’m sure they made $$$$. Ticket prices are a little pricey for such a new and cramped venue. Lots of cool people showed up for this show, hope this is going to be the «usual» for the Foundry.
My suggestions for foundry:
1) Figure out your ticket sales. Have clearly defined lines for ticket-​holders, will call pickup and those looking to purchase tickets.
2) Get A/​C, pronto. People could be critically hurt if suffering from heat stroke and dehydration. In fact, this could border on illegal during July in AZ.
3) Staff your bar appropriately for concerts and make sure there is adequate liquor and beer. RCPM fans can drink anyone under the table, please note this and make sure your liquor choices are visible.
My suggestions for concert goers:
1) Arrive EARLY, especially if you have not purchased tickets. Showing up when the show starts is out of the question here. You will not be able to see the performers and will be squashed in the back corners.
2) Purchase your tickets ahead of time, if possible.
3) Wear cool clothing. Just a suggestion, but stiletto heels and your favorite Gucci linens are just not suitable here. It’ll probably be ruined by sweat stains or that drunk dude’s Heineken that he just sloshed on you. :/

I recommend that you do NOT go the Foundry. It is the worst venue in Phoenix. No AC in July, ran out of bottled water, entrance by the front of the stage that causes a traffic jam, sewage smell near the restrooms, out numbered bar staff. The list goes on. I will never return.

My experience with this new venue was disappointing. They should have finished the building, before opening the doors to the public. It looks like all the money went into making the bars look nice. I suggest that the air conditioning WORK, because Phoenix in July with almost no air flow inside a building is absolutely miserable. RCPM were the only saving grace of our experience. Have a grand re-​opening once the ac works.

Tonight was opening night. I was expecting snags. How could there not be, right?
Well — there were WAY more snags than should have been. Construction is not done! Doors opened over 2 hours late due to lack of permits as the electricians were still wiring the place. Sort of.
In the ladies room, the lights were portable shop lights on extension cord attached to the ceiling. The faucets in the sink were hose faucets, as the real ones haven’t come in yet. From what I was told, the urinals for the mens room haven’t been installed yet, either.
The a/​c is not on — there were two large trucks with generated a/​c and snake like coils of ductwork being pumped into the building.
According to their facebook page, it will be a few months before the restaurant is open.
So, yeah — opening night snags, for sure!
BUT — I was there to see the band Cowboy Mouth. I could pretty much go to see them in the middle of the summer in a swamp and have a great time. And I did!
This is a much needed and long overdue venue for downtown, and the potential is definitely there! The staff was all friendly and hard working. The setup is great, as are the acoustics.
I paid extra for the premium seating, which is an elevated area to the side of the room with table service. That was a waste of money for me, as I was dancing and singing and screaming down in front of the stage the whole show — but for people more into watching the action instead of being in the middle of it, a place to sit down is quite nice — and I see the value there.
I am sure after some time goes by, construction is completed and the kinks are worked out, this will be a 4 star place.
Welcome to Phoenix, Foundry! Can’t wait for you to show us what you’ve got!