Backstage Lounge

If you are a band you should avoid this guillotine disguised as a glory hole. They will promise you the world to get you to book there and then chop off your member.
We were touring through Gainesville and booked there only to find a bunch of confused old felch mongers who did not know a show was booked. We had booked the show over three months in advance and had several confirmation emails and even started working on the promotions. They lied about everything and we left with nothing. We felt like hookers who didn’t get paid.
Then we booked a show at the Laboratory, that place rules. Larry is the greatest music supporter of all time. He is super nice and will feed you and booze you. They also have a very good crowd.
Don’t go to Backstage it is terrible.

The one star is for the sound guy, he is really good!
Other than that:
1) The place is understaffed, making it hard to get a drink.
2) The bar in the music venue side is always closed! So you have to leave to the concert and contend with the inept front bar to get a drink.
3) The A/​C in on the music side does not work, at all! It was 85 degrees in there tonight!
4) The draft beer has an off taste, probablt dirty lines I would guess.
Then have the have the balls to charge an $ 8 cover? WTF!

I do not recommend this bar. While there is a certain charm to the seedy atmosphere, and the availability of affordable drinks and pool is a plus, the staff rubs me the wrong way.
For some reason, the bouncer picked me out of a group of my friends to shake down for $ 5 cover. He didn’t hassle anyone else in my group. Just me.
Here’s a little advice for the management: While I don’t mind paying a cover, I do mind being singled out as only person in a group that has to pay a cover. I don’t plan to come back, and I will certainly share my experience with others.

The Backstage Lounge is a hole in the earth. And not the trendy kind of hole in the earth… it’s the kind that human garbage climbs out of, pours you a watered down shot of Monarch and charges you 6 bucks for it. The occasional good bands stroll through here, but avoid the bar and douchey bouncers entirely if at all possible.
+1 star for the guy at the sound booth who is actually good at his job.

This place is essentially exactly what a beat up honky tonk kind of place should be — no more, no less. There are always a couple of people lollygagging at the bar — the lifers that rarely see the sun.
The main room has a big square bar where one or two bartenders can mix you a variety of adult libations and/​or hand over the beer. They do take credit cards, which I find awesome. So many places here don’t.
Off to the right is the pool/​darts zone. 3 well worn tables are .75 a play, and couple of dart boards inhabit one end of the zone. The bathrooms are just as tawdry as you’d hope.
On the left side of the bar (as you enter) is another big room, and windows connect the two spaces — you can sit at the bar and watch the action, or you can go thru the swinging doors and enter the performance space. Its a decent size, and lots and lots of bands play here. Difference with Common Grounds is, the A/​C works. I just wish they’d kill the jukebox while the bands are playing. The bleed over drives me nuts.
Don’t park right in front, cuz thats the load/​unload zone for the bands, and you will get a crusty dude giving you a hard time. Apparently, signs that say that actually cost a few bucks, and we simply cannot spend that money, now can we? heh.
Drinks are a good value and specials happen on some days. This is a place to drink alone, or see a band, or hang with a few people and make your own fun.