Altar Bar

I am not sure what happened since my last visit to Altar Bar, but the staff was downright mean and nasty. I went for the Combichrist show, and while all of the bands performed really well, and it was a night to remember, the staff made me think twice about coming back. I don’t fit the «image» that Altar Bar attracts. I needed a water bottle on me for medical reasons, and they told me that I had to throw it out. Fine. When we asked if we could leave it up front, they rolled their eyes. Hey, there are people in this world who can’t afford clean water — and I am not about to waste a $ 2 bottle. After the show, we went to grab it and the guys up front howled with laughter. I don’t find it funny that we wanted to take what we paid for, and what I personally needed.
I should have spoken up about my medical need, but I didn’t want to deal with the embarrassment.
Side note: What kind of bar sells water bottles and doesn’t even offer free ice to non-​drinking partiers?
I am frustrated and disappointed.

I came into the Altar Bar expecting a lot worse, I read reviews with people who had problems with everything but I had a relatively good experience. The staff seemed friendly and attentive. The lights were a bit mediocre but I really don’t pay attention to the lighting much at a concert. The sound wasn’t the best, but it was good. I read a review where the person said they could barely make out the words, but I did not have that problem. It was fine to me. It was kind of small, but I’m used to tightly packed venues so I wasn’t bothered at all. Would definitely come back again!

The sound is pretty bad, especially for a venue.
The space is cool, security is quick to remove assholes, the drinks are surprisingly cheap for a venue, viewing a sold-​out show from upstairs is a treat, the staff are nice, and they book some solid acts at affordable prices.
Except that the sound is pretty bad, especially for a venue.

If I could rate this place 0 stars I would. I have been here for so many concerts. Last night I could not believe the way we were treated. We attended a general admission STANDING Concert. We were pulled aside and almost kicked out because someone complained we were STANDING in front of them. I am 5’2″. I highly doubt I was obstructing anyone’s view. That’s how general Admission concerts work. Maybe someone should let them know. Security was rude and unprofessional. We had planned on attending another concert here next Friday but we will not be attending because i refuse to ever support this venue again.

I came here for the David Duchovny concert (see the «current crush» section of my profile, heh); it appears pretty much unchanged on the outside, but has been remodeled on the inside to accommodate its new life as a bar/​club. When you walk in the merchandise counter is directly in front of you; to the right you can head into the room or to the main bar. To the left is another entrance to the main room as well as the staircase up to the balcony. The balcony runs around house left and ends right over the stage, with a barrier wall in front of what appears to have been the organ loft. At the end with the staircase is a rose window over the upstairs bar.
As I’m average in height and being packed into a crowd of people makes my skin crawl, I headed up into the balcony directly over the end of the stage and had a great view.
The concert itself was a lot of fun, but the sound wasn’t great – I couldn’t make out 75% of the lyrics and 25% of the between-​song chatter, and the instruments dominated too much – and the lighting rig isn’t much to speak of, and as far as I could tell, there’s only one exit to the balcony unless you jump the barrier to the stairs leading into the organ loft. As a pyrotech, this makes me uneasy! The staff were fine, though I really didn’t interact with them other than to get my wristband (while queued up outside, very efficient) and to flash it to prove that I was allowed into the balcony.
Overall, not a place you’d go for a high-​end experience, but pretty good for a small, fairly intimate show.

Super cool venue! The stained glass windows add an extra touch to the overall experience. They have a main floor and an upper level. My husband and I watched the whole show from the upper level and had an amazing experience. Would definitely recommend going to see a show or two at this location.

It’s kinda small and tight. The employees I didn’t have any trouble with. Lots of moshing and crowns surfing. The people here can get a little crazy but overall had fun

This place is a joke. We had a wrap party for a TV show here and the security/​door people were a bunch of rude kids talking crap about how people were dressed and looked. Good luck employing arrogant bully’s!

I went to the Craft Brewhaha and I was pleasantly surprised. Altar Bar is a small space and they limited the tickets so it was easy to navigate around to the different beers. Unlike other beer «fest» type of events the brewery staff wasn’t in attendance it was the bartenders from Altar Bar. Most bartenders were awesome and very nice. The only downfall was the girl serving the Evil Genius Trick or Treat. That girl apparently is not happy with her job. I was afraid to go to that stand and sad part was she had one of the good beers. She actually told us only one sample was allowed. I paid $ 52 for tickets for 14 beers and assumed (as did the other nice bartenders) that you could have more than one. My guess is we didn’t tip her and she had a bug up her ass. I’m a former bartender and tip well at the end of an event. Sorry for that chick. Good job over all Altar Bar. One bad seed doesn’t ruin the entire experience. Thanks :)

Love this place so so much been to so many shows here like thousand foot krutch (TFK) sleepwave RED reliant K red would have to be the best show they had there or reliant k’s show just because it was the 10 year anniversary tour for MMHMM and that was amazing but I also saw tfk there for the first time ever seeing that band love that place so much

Good place. Friendly staff and security. First time here and I’m impressed with the cool but simple interior and nice sized stage!

I didn’t mind this venue, but it seems a little haphazard (and maybe more than a little dirty). They have a main floor area and a lofted area where you can watch the show. We stood by the bar, which was not bad. The stage is higher, so people taller than 5 foot nothing (sadly me) could see from anywhere.
They also had food and bathrooms downstairs… The food situation seemed a little more than sketchy… One lonely dude slinging tots out of a doorway right next to the bathroom (no thanks). Overall, I would go back for music, but not for the scenery.

attracts a good deal of bigger national acts.
acoustics are not great. this is an old church, renovated for a bar/​performance venue as is common in the PGH area .
seems like some fairly shady types own/​operate the place but no matter, I guess.
can be hard to go buy tickets for shows as they are hardly ever there /​open unless it’s right before a show.
good luck finding parking … good place to take a cab/​über/​lyft /​limo to.

Friendly people at the door, bartender was quick and skilled at handling a 3-​deep crowd, music sounded good… overall great experience. Coat check was a bit pricey, but I was glad they had one at all considering the 20° weather!

I have to say I was very skeptical as to what my experience would be after all the negative reviews I have seen here and elsewhere. I am very happy to report that the night with Big Wreck was a stellar success and I couldn’t recommend the Altar Bar more. It reminds me of the 9:30 club in DC, but with half the capacity, which IMHO is great! I drove up from DC and a few hours prior to the show wanted to ask questions about the 21+ section since I had read it’s a drink hassle if you are milling around with the juvies. Unfortunately I guess they don’t open until close to doors, but they did provide an email which I wrote to. Much to my surprise, someone named «Devin» corresponded with me and gave me the scoop (21+ on the top level and no early access needed). Woo Hoo! Now as it turns out, many in line, and even the awesome security guys and bartender (Josh, Joel, and JT) never heard of Big Wreck and said the show was not sold out. Better for me! Went to the top deck, looked over the rail for the entire show (2 bands pre BW) and had just the greatest time! Met some other cool «out of towners» and frankly, I have to say, all of those people out there trashing this venue must not know what to expect at rock shows. Perfect night– thank you Altar Bar and your staff for making it great! Also– the ticket prices were soooo cheap; I would have paid double to see this band! Big Wreck is AWESOME!

I frequent this place a lot because 50% of bands play this place when they come to Pittsburgh. The staff is always rude and security is a joke… the guards are always ALWAYS trying to pick up girls. This place is crammed for the capacity that they hold. You walk in and literally the merchandise stands are right in front of you with the ends of the crowd right there as well. The stage is one of the smallest and most awkward you’ll ever see.
Also… parking… FORGET ABOUT IT! There’s a few lots on the street if you find a spot. Don’t even try street parking. The McDonald’s next door are crazy about you not parking near their location and they close at 10 so no one after the show can order.
I also dont think I enjoy watching the band and crew almost get hit by a car every time they get on/​off the bus.

This club would be a lot better if the sound wasn’t completely muddy and they didn’t flash blinding strobe lights at the audience every 30 seconds. Seriously, cool it with the lights, kids.

I am a fan of the old churches converted into venues and their space is really neat. It’s a bit smaller than Mr. Smalls, but still a very cool vibe. The staircase that runs down the middle of the room is quite inconvenient for those standing on the floor, but I guess it’s a great spot to watch the show if you get there early enough!
I went to see The Presidents of the United States of America and while their performance was AMAZING, the sound was awful. The mics were so unclear that I missed a good bit of their between song banter. The balance with the sound overall was just off. Normally if there is a problem with the drums, it’s that they are way too loud, but in this case I could barely hear them!
I would check out another show here because the space is cool and it is conveniently located right in the Strip District, but I really hope they get everything straightened out with the sound.

I really love this venue, but my last trip there was less than stellar. The guys checking bags and tickets at the door might be the slowest bunch on the planet. I waited 40 minutes to get my bag checked and the line was only 30 people long. Once I got to the front, I realized why. They are chatting with each other, flirting with girls creepily (myself included), slowly putting on wrist bands to those of-​age concert goers, and taking things out of bags. I’m all for security, but this was just slow and weird.
The venue is a fun place because it is in a remodeled church, but their sound equipment isn’t the best. Their drink prices are also ridiculous for what you get. 9 dollars for a mixed drink and it wasn’t strong or good.
Overall, I think this is a classic venue of Pittsburgh that has gone down hill lately.

Not a bad venue for live music… being that it’s an old church the acoustics are really good.
It’s nice when the balcony is open as a 21+ area, nice to stand along the railing and watch and without someone 7 feet tall standing in front of me which is what generally happens to me at concerts.
The bathrooms are downstairs and are very clean but I am always weirded out by «bathroom valets». I can turn the water on myself and grab my own paper towels, thanks… I shouldn’t have to tip every time I need to pee.
Drinks are WAY overpriced… I generally don’t buy drinks when I’m at a show like this but I was dying of thirst the other day because it was so hot in there and it was $ 3 for a bottle of WATER, I think I overheard $ 5 for a bottle of domestic beer. Ridiculous!
Parking is easy in the strip and $ 5 if you park on Smallman.