Backpage

My friend and I went to this bar a few months back and I was appalled at how the bartender treated us. We had just left dinner at Blue Taleh next door and decided to grab a drink at Backpage. We walked in and both needed to use the restroom. It’s a single restroom and we both went in together just to save time and because we’re females who clearly can’t pee on our own (lol). We weren’t being obnoxious girls taking forever in the bathroom, we were in there all of 2 mins and heard someone banging obnoxiously on the door. We said one second while I washed my hands and opened the door.
We walked out and this pregnant woman (the bartender) sneered at us and said some comment about us taking so long (which honestly was false). I don’t even know what she said, but my friend said «well there was 2 of us in there…», no exaggeration she yelled at us and said «well I’m the bartender in this bar so you can get the f*** out» … We were both shocked and just walked right out and went elsewhere.
Pregnant, Hormonal or not, an employee of an establishment should never speak to their customers like that. I was so shocked and appalled she spoke to us in such a way when we had seriously done absolutely nothing… needless to say I will never go back.

Lets start with the music… its usualy pretty mediocre. That said, it is still usually a good time.
Eclectic group of patrons which makes it quite interesting if you are into people watching (or being watched by judgemental people like me)
Over all a pretty decent place for a drink.

I guess I’m a regular here going back to 2012. If you haven’t been here in awhile, there are improvements. The bartending crew and waitstaff is an upgrade. Haven’t seen Bob the owner in awhile, perhaps related to the incident March 14 with the band. The bands are better (if you like blues and rock) after a rough time in 2013 – 2014. I do miss some of the music regulars from old days, where are you Evan?

OK, here is the good and bad The good: Nice little spot for catching a band or comedian. It is small and tucked away in an alley along the canal in Lowell. I think the owner does some of the standup comedy as well, if it is him, nice guy and quite funny. The Bad: We paid $ 20 cover each to get in to see Frank Santorelli, the guy who played Joey the Bartender on the Sopranos (he was a great guy and pretty funny) I had no problem with the cover for the show. HOWEVER… we sat the bar and seemed to have a good view until they kept letting people come in who were there for the band after and were not charge a cover. These were the same people who ended up standing in front of us and everyone else at the bar who paid and then it of course got really loud so you couldn’t hear or see the show. and these are the people who got in for free!!. So, to the owner. I am telling folks on Unilocal not to go to Backpage and pay a cover for a comedy show until you change your procedure making sure that you only take in enough people that you can seat if you are going to charge a cover. Otherwise folks, wait until about 9:30 to go if you want to see some music and enjoy the bar scene. Again, great concept and location, you just need to deal with this problem.

I want to thank the fans and friends who came to my show last night at The Backpage in Lowell MA. I’d like to apologize for having to end the show early, and offer a short explanation of what happened. In 17 years of performing music I have never had to stop a gig half way thru the night. The treatment my band received from the owner of the Backpage last night finally forced me to do so. After playing at this venue several times, the owner has repeatedly treated me and the great musicians I have brought to his club with nothing but disrespect and rudeness. His outrageous demands and insulting, condescending manner of speaking to professional musicians is just unacceptable. After an especially bad situation last night, it was the last straw and I decided to take a stand. After playing 2 sets we were 2 minutes into a break when the owner walked into the club and decided that we needed to go back on immediately and play a 2hr 15min set with no break (11 – 1:15). This was well outside our agreed arrangement, and he refused to understand why it just wasn’t fair to ask my guys to do that. Given a past history of dealing with set time issues and his belligerent attitude, things escalated. Some words were exchanged and I decided that out of respect for myself and the guys in my band I was done. I paid my band out of pocket costing me hundreds of dollars and a wasted night for all of us. It’s not unusual to have snags between performer and venue but I really wanted to say a few things about this. I’ve never vented on Facebook before and don’t plan to do it again. I want music fans to know what kind of ownership and establishment they are supporting when they go to the Backpage. There are many other excellent venues in New England for seeing great live music, where the musicians are appreciated and treated well. I’m sure other musicians have had the same experience at the Backpage and I wanted to share my story. I don’t think anyone should have to deal with people like this in order to make a living. We all just want to play and be respected, treated fairly and paid for our hard work. Please think twice about visiting and supporting the Backpage. Musicians and fans deserve better.

This is the best place I have ever been to. I was there ONE time few years ago and three months later I go back, Jillian not only remembers my name, she remembers what i like to drink! I love her, she is the best :)
Awesome place, awesome music and equally awesome waitstaff!
Very cozy, comfortable and friendly. You really can’t have a bad time there.

Went for a show on a Friday night, place was packed and show was great but service was horrible. Took forever to get bartender’s attention and when we were (finally) waited on pretty much got yelled at for ordering 3 martinis on a «crazy» night. Ended up with bad drinks that were left barely touched. A friend of mine went up to the bar later for a glass of water (she’s preggo) and was told she had to order a drink in order to get it! Wtf?

My new favorite place. Basement/​lounge feel, brick walls, dim lighting, and stellar service. And I haven’t even gotten into how great their live acts have been. I was there when Amy Black came into town for the Folk Fest and she was outstanding. The place holds up well with a sorted crowd of 35 + who are there clearly to enjoy some music and chill. Great location near the canal and behind the Blue Taleh. Will be coming back often.