The Vanguard

I have had the opportunity to visit The Vanguard twice in the last week. I saw Dave Mason and Eli «Paperboy» Reed and they were both great shows. I paid $ 100 per ticket for Dave Mason and $ 15 a head for Eli. Big difference bit I’ll explain.
This place is small and I mean SMALL. Not a bad seat in the house. I know you have heard that before but here its really true. It has a large bar but no servers. If you want a drink you walk up and get it which was OK for these shows since neither one sold out.
Dave Mason (member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame) played on a Sunday Night with no opening act. I bought the highest price tickets ($ 100 each) that were offered mostly because all the other price tickets were posted as General Admission tickets which means you are standing for the entire show. My wife has bad knees and cant stand for too long without her knees hurting and therefore ruining my evening so i bought tickets that said «Reserved Seating» but had no seat numbers printed on the tickets.
The door opens at 7pm and the show starts at 8pm. We were able to park right in front on the street since we were having a drink at the Hunt Club next door while waiting for the doors to open. At 7pm, everyone in the Hunt Club got up and went next door to The Vanguard. We were drinking among a bunch of other Dave Mason fans and didn’t even know it.
We walked down a long hallway finally came to the end where a guy put 2 (not 1) two wrist bands on us. One for the VIP area and one for being over 21. Now comes the weird part. We were told to go up front and look for our names on the backs of the chairs. Sure enough we found our names printed on 8×10 sheets of paper that was taped to the backs of the chairs and sat down. We were in the 4^th row which was the last row of seats but was still only about 20′ from the stage.
The problem is that right behind us was a velvet rope that separated us from the GA section. In other words I could have paid $ 35 a ticket to stand about 3′ farther back to watch the show and save me some cash. And since there was no opening act, the show only lasted about the usual Hour and a Half so we could have stood that long with no problem. Oh well. Live and learn. There is an upstairs area with chairs but I don’t think the view of the stage was very good from there. I believe that they charged around $ 65 per ticket to sit up there.
I couldn’t believe that the place was not sold out but there had been some confusion with the ticket seller (Ticketfly) and the venue concerning the actual date of the show because Dave had cancelled an earlier show for health reasons and they had two different makeup dates posted. I can’t think of any other reason why this little place wouldn’t sell out for Dave mason.
While standing in line to get in we looked at the schedule and saw that Eli «Paperboy» Reed was going to be their on the following Tues. So we decided to go back.
This time there was no one in line to get in so we walked up to the security guy. We paid the $ 15 a head to get in. This time there were no designated seating. Only a few chairs on the perimeter and an area to dance in front of the stage. There was maybe 10 people in the entire place so we were able to sit down very close to the stage. I noticed that the upstairs area was not even open for this show.
The show started with a singer/​songwriter singing and playing guitar for about ½ hour. Then a quasi rock-a-billy/50’s band from New York got up and played. They were pretty good but not exactly my cup of tea. By the time Eli and his band got on stage there was maybe 15 people in the place. I felt bad for the band. It didn’t portray Tulsa as the great music city it calls itself. But it was a Tue and there wasn’t much advertisement (if any) for the show so? It was so bad that if anyone got up to go to the bathroom or bar, everyone stopped and looked. Between songs it was very quiet. The show was good but would have been much better with a larger, louder crowd. There were no dancers on the dance floor.
We were able to park right on the street again but I understand this is rare with the more popular shows. Mixed drinks at the bar run around $ 6. I’m not sure what beers went for. Obviously there was no waiting for drinks. I’m not sure if the place was decorated or not because it is pretty dark inside. The stage was a good size for this size venue and they had good lighting and sound.
I would go back again especially now that I know what to expect.

Interesting spot to see some live music. I’m usually there on a weekend and they can pack the room. Getting a drink when it’s packed is very difficult. The staff is nice and helpful once you get up to them. The venue could use an upgrade but all in all a good time.

I saw the New Politics here over the weekend and had a great time! The room was nice and intimate, the staff was friendly and the drinks were reasonably priced. I would travel back to Tulsa to see one of my favorite bands in this venue.

this is a good venue. i went to a couple of shows (well-​known & local artists) & the atmosphere is cool. a few drawings surrounding the area and the bartenders stay active. when it comes to the well-​known/​popular artists, it’s best to come early if you want to get real close to the stage b/​c the area isn’t THAT big, no seating unless you go upstairs to the other floor. also located in a good area, surrounded by other bars and restaurants.

Always have fun here, the events are usually fun and a little different, been to a couple of concerts here as well. Fun, small venue, feels very intimate. The bathrooms are usually pretty bad, left once and we all had black paint on our feet/​shoes/​legs? Odd. The bar is usually pretty hard to get to as well. But the bartenders have always been cool. Great location downtown, hard to find parking though.

I really love this venue. It is much smaller than Cain’s, but allows for a more intimate and acoustically pleasing concert experience.
When you first walk in, it looks like the space is going to be tiny, but it is very comfortable! There is a VIP area available, but unlike Cain’s it is only on one side of the room and doesn’t offer a straight-​on view of the stage. The bar is very big and they usually have at least two people behind the bar. Drinks are pretty affordable and there usually aren’t long lines (I’ve only ever been to concerts that weren’t packed, so there might be lines during the busier shows). I quite like this venue because at all the shows I’ve been to, the sound quality is excellent. You’re actually able to hear the band clearly and I love it! Check out the Vanguard for smaller touring acts as well as local talent!

Typically when I go to a concert in Tulsa, it’s usually at Cain’s or Brady, not a little club just off Main St. But when said little club promises a night full of Smiths and Depeche Mode tribute bands, you bet your bottom dollar I’m already zooming down the turnpike from OKC.
Needless to say, I enjoyed The Vanguard. It’s cozy with mostly standing room, but some seats scattered along the sides. I was happy with my spot — right by the stage, but by some stools and a ledge where I could put my drink and my coat. The bartenders were friendly and attentive, even amidst the noise. One guy was clearly an excellent lip reader and figured out my beer order despite the music all around as well as the crowd.
It was a cool little joint. I’d definitely come back.

Nice music just wished it had more of an «lounge» feel with comfortable cushion seating

THIS PLACE IS AMAZING.
I’ve been to plenty of venues for shows before and this month was my first visit here, for three consecutive nights. A lot of places I go to don’t let you get that close to the stage and most places definitely don’t let you crowd surf. BUT THIS PLACE DID. And it was amazing. When it comes to punk shows, I’m pretty sure we all know that anything we do is done at our own risk, so it was fantastic to be able to have a good time without worrying about getting kicked out or yelled at. To be completely honest, I’m just plain shocked at how well the employees of The Vanguard put up with all of us for an entire weekend and I applaud every last one of them.
The bar had a couple drink specials, none of which I necessarily took advantage of, but they were there. The worst part about the bar is that they require a $ 10 minimum for credit card transactions.

Went here for the Genitorturers show 5÷17÷2014. I like small clubs like this especially when they have bands that not many in Tulsa have heard of. The Genitorturers ALWAYS put on a great show and when you can be right up front to see what’s going on it’s even better. Drink prices aren’t out of line and service was good.

The Vanguard is a unique music venue. You enter through large doors that take you to an incredibly large and a bit awkward hallway that leads you to the ticket booth if necessary for that event. They have a «VIP» section for certain concerts but it is just an upstairs area that allows for a great view of the performers.
The venue is somewhat small, but still comfrotable. The bar area is a bit limited and on busy nights a long line is to be expected.

I only watched a couple episodes of The OC in my teenage angst but being in this venue made me think I could see Seth Cohen walk by.
The venue is intimate and in a great location in downtown Tulsa. Parking is tricky but with the Guthrie Green nearby more spots have become available.
Upon entering, you walk down a mysterious dark hallway where you do your due diligence and have your ID ready to be checked and parooze the merch tables. The bar is stocked and the bartenders are quite friendly.
The venue is two stories. I have never paid the extra money to be a VIP and explore the upstairs but I can certainly vouch for the lower level being awesome. The lighting creates the perfect live music ambiance and the sound is always a great balance of «I can sing to the top of my lungs to this song and not worry about my friend hearing me» and your ears not ringing the next morning.
Thanks for bringing fantastic and reasonably priced shows to Tulsa, Vanguard! Now, let’s work on Seth Cohen.

Visits: Once, on vacation recently.
Service: I only spoke to one employee and she wasn’t very friendly.
Establishment: Small and a bit rundown. Small stage.
Items Purchased: None.
Restroom: Eh.
Parking: Street parking — not a lot of it out front though.
Special notes: Kind of a small, grungy place. In LA it would just be some hole in the wall place. Maybe that’s what they were going for.