4th and B

One of the worst live venues I’ve ever had the displeasure of suffering through — dirty, horrible sound, over-​priced, NO FREE WATER ($ 5 for a bottle at the bar) — AVOID this dump at all costs !

I came here for a Bone Thugs-​N-​Harmony concert. I’m used to seeing them at the House of Blues, Club Nokia, all in the LA area. I decided to try a different location since I’m always in SD. I don’t know what to think of this place. because theres a good and bad experience.
Pros: If you get VIP you will def be comfortable since the opening acts were putting me to sleep, I was sitting down and not forced to be standing up like the rest on the floor. If you’re not a smoker, its good because no kind of smoke is allowed in there. ANY KIND OF SMOKE! Usually within the crowd someone sparks up a blunt and the whole place starts smelling like weed. well not this place! Security is on it. they are so on it that they go in the middle of the crowd and tell any individual to turn it off and step on it. YES… you read write!.. lol
Cons: If you’re a smoker you will not be able to smoke anything! The VIP section is so far off that once the main performers come out you will not be at a good distance to enjoy the show. So once they came out I left the VIP section and got closer to the stage.

Hole –Eeee – Sh*t people lets talk about 4^th and B… Pure class. Went to see the most underrated raper alive (mosdef) a couple weeks back and now that I’m Unilocaling I feel that I should share the experience. Evening began humbly enough drinking copious amount of perfectly overpriced vodka on The W rooftop and by the time my group was ready to cab over to 4^th&B we were in no mood for lines. A fifty dollar handshake later and I have us quickly escorted pass the common folk, excuse me the people who did not have a perfectly folded Grant locked and loaded, and we enter what I could loosely describe as Dante’s ninth ring of hell. And we were in heaven.
Cheap liquor and mischief was the only thing on the menu and 4^th&B serves it up gourmet. The melting pot of debauchery went a little something like this, drug patios (that you can’t drink on, hmm), midgets and tattoos, gangsters, and pimps; then US, clad in polo button ups, goddamn steve madden dress boots and jeans that actually fit. Yet somehow we all shared the common goal of getting as weird as possible and 4^th&B provided us the perfect venue to do just that. There was not a bad seat in the house provided you have two functional legs and you’re 5’11 or taller. which c’mon, if you aren’t that’s clearly a personal problem and I don’t want to hear about it.
One knock is that they can use a speaker upgrade. Noticed a little bit too much feedback once we actually started paying attention to the music when Mos arrived (promptly 3 hours late)
all in all 4^th & B. is about that life, are you?

I wish I could give no star. This place has gone down the hill.
Service: HORRIBLE, I have never seen more rude people in my life. I strongly suggest staying away from this place.
To the owner of the place sets the tone for his employees. I sincerely hope they change the management.
A total let down.

Attended a concert last night – my second at this venue – and it will be my last. Major problems with scheduling makes it clear that this is a 4^th rate concert venue and should be avoided at all costs.
At the risk of proving how lame I really am, I will admit that I saw the Little River Band. There, I said it. I paid $ 10 extra for VIP seats that were anything but. They cram 8 people into the small «VIP» boxes. I saw 9 or 10 people in other boxes nearby.
But my main gripe – and this should concern you if you’re even thinking about seeing a show here – is the show scheduling – or lack thereof.
Last night’s show was sold as an «early» show, beginning at 8pm. That was the main reason I bought tickets, as it was a Sunday night. Not only did the show NOT begin at 8pm, they forced us to sit through 3 (count them THREE) crappy, no-​talent opening acts. The LRB didn’t come on until after 10pm. Not cool. Not cool at all.
So, in line at 6:30, doors open at 7, main act comes on at 10:15. Does 4 hours of drinking over-​priced beer sound appealing to you? That’s a 4-​hour wait for a 60-​minute show.
And if you read other reviews you will find that this sleezy lying is a common tactic. Concert goers should expect to stand in line for an hour THEN wait at least another 2 hours for the main act to play. That is a sham by anyone’s definition.
I’m all for late nights and I understand how Rock and/​or Roll works. But when you advertise an early show, and sell tickets to old timers like me who actually think we can see a show as promised and still be in bed by midnight, well, you really should keep your word.
There are several better, cleaner places to see music acts in town. I highly recommend that you see shows there.
This is the 2^nd time this has happened and it will be the last. I cannot recommend this dive for anyone for any reason. I don’t care if Van Halen reunites for a free show. I will not see another show at this dirty, rundown, truth-​challenged dive.
Also, soft drinks are $ 4 and beers are $ 8 a can.
You’ve been warned.

Are you a person that has no experience in running a sound board for major musical performers? If you answered «yes», than you are overqualified to work at 4^th and B. This place is straight garbage to see a performance. The «Walking Dead» assistant manager who comes out to the line of people asking for their email addresses so the club can contact you about other shows to come see and leave disappointed, is a nice touch. But he is nothing compared to the Vinnie Delpino (see Dougie Howser) doppelgänger handing out wrist bands during the latest Mos Def concert October 19^th.
The Mos Def tickets said that the doors open at 9 and the concert started at 10pm.
The 4^th and B ad wizards (see SNL) failed to mention that Mos Def wasnt going on until 1230am. But the best part? Vinnie D aka «the hander-​outer of wristbands» kept telling the line at 10pm, «ok people hurry up, ‘he’ is ready to go on.» And then he lets it slip that Mos Def isn’t coming on until 1230. Well, then who the hell is «he» Vinnie? By «he», did you mean opening acts like «Homeless Kid Cudi» and «Shetland Joell Ortiz»? And for the record, Mos didn’t come on until 12:45am. Yay! Also, try turning down the 14 boom boxes you guys borrowed from Radio Raheem long enough so the audience can actually hear the lyrics!
No wonder such a top notch venue like 4^th and B was able coerce Bone Thugs and Harmony to take a day off from their jobs at Quiznos to perform next weekend. Can’t wait to hear that the homeless guy walking around the Gaslamp with no shirt and 200
American flags is the opening act.
Straight garbage!

I’ve been to 4^th and B almost a dozen times. Each time has been a big let down. It usually always costs money to get in, even if the entertainment isn’t very good. This place has the most expensive drinks out of anywhere I’ve been downtown. They try to make up for the expensive drinks by making the drinks really strong, but to me, they are so strong, I can’t really enjoy them (and I enjoy a good stiff drink). They will not give you a glass of water if you ask for one. They make you pay for water! Can you believe it?
One particular time I was in there, this extremely drunk girl was dancing and flashing her private parts for everyone to see. She was one of the only people dancing, and her dress was rolled up all the way for everyone in the entire venue to see. I talked to some of the security guards about it, and they said there’s NOTHING THEY CAN DO about it. Umm, how about kick her out? I felt violated and disrespected as a woman having to be subjected to this while I was there. I felt like a crazy person because no one was willing to do anything about that.
The last time I was there, we were showing our IDs to the guy at the door, and the guy said to the young man in front of us, «We kicked you out already tonight, don’t let me regret letting you back in.» Who kicks someone out and then lets them get back in line to come back in? 4^th and B does. Should i be surprised by this point?
I will never be back to this disgraceful place. I hope it gets shut down.

We saw Marcy Playground here on ⁷⁄₂. Couldn’t believe how good the sound is at this little venue. It’s kind of a scuzzy place, and they don’t have much to offer in the way of drinks, the drinks were definitely not top-​shelf. All that aside though, the sound was excellent and we were there to hear music-​not for the ambiance and liquor! Would pay lots more for tickets if they actually cleaned the seat and the sneeze guards! :) Good people watching too, I liked the guy that seemed to be the producer or something. he reminded me of a good looking Phil Specter when Phil was young and hip.
Marcy Playground gets 5 stars-​a fantastic band and we were excited to get tickets. They were awesome.

I’ve been fortunate enough to see 4^th and B from a lot of different perspectives over the years and that is what makes this venue aight.
They don’t just host concerts and are versatile enough to throw a wrestling ring in the middle of the floor or blanket it in seats for a comedy show. Little has changed here after all this time but I did notice last night that there is a new bar on the middle of the wall stage left. It may not be that new but this is the first time I have seen it and it has been a little while since I walked through 4^th and B’s doors.
Drinks are pricey but no different than any other downtown bar/​club. There is one thing about 4^th and B that really separates them from other venues in the area… you never have a bad view of the stage! I know this sounds like it should be expected when going to a concert but it is something that so many places get wrong. It’s a bit dirty but always has been and it’s something you come to expect and live with but all adds up to what 4^th and B always has been and always will be.

I have been going to this venue since moving to San Diego many years ago. I used to enjoy it and then there was last night.
First problem was we get in there and find out that all of the seating areas, except for one bench that sat maybe a dozen people, was VIP. The stands, the balcony etc had a bouncer keeping us peons out. Shows i have been to in the past were really «general admission» free for all and I have never seen this situation before. I was not prepared to stand for 5 hours on a bare concrete floor and we arrived early to be able to find a seat. Last time I was there they had bistro tables with chairs and that was at least a option. When I purchased my tickets I only saw one option for general admission so who these vips were is a mystery.
Second problem is a common one with a venue but this seemed extreme. Doors open at 7, show says it starts at 8. The opening band started at 9:20pm. This means the main act did not come on till like 10:30 ish. Really? There is nothing to do in that time except stare at people who have a spot on that one bench and hope someone has to pee so you can snag a spot. Or you could drink but when the small cocktails are $ 9 a pop (rum & coke), you really can’t do that all night. No food available either.
The heat got BAD. I believe this was a sold out show and the A/​C could not keep up with the bodies. It was warm in there and no air flow. There were no fans. Maybe ceiling fans would help move it around a bit? I actually went outside into the smokers cage to get fresh air which seems ironic.
Went to the bar to ask for a glass of tap water and they refused. Only option was to buy a $ 5 16 oz bottle of water. I bought that end filled it up over ad over in the bathroom. Lovely.
The sound was horrible. Way too much bass. Could not hear the lyrics at all, just boom boom boom.
Suggestion for people going to a show here: Wear comfortable shoes. don’t go all dressed up because you are going to just be standing in a sweatbox for many hours and no one can see your cute dress/​pumps anyway. Good padded athletic shoes are a MUST.
It would have to be someone phenomenal to get me back to 4^th and B.

NYE 2012 to see KINKY = 5 stars!!!
2 stars for the venue…
1 star goes to the fact we actually found parking in the lot adjacent to the venue
2 star goes to the awesome artwork for sale on the wall by the bar.
Now for the negative…
We apparently had table seating, which we did, we had a unstable dirty table that was place along the oldest nylon couch my booty has ever been on.
Even thou the bar service was quick, the drinks where very overpriced for my tiny Dixie cup
The bathrooms where soooooooooo dirty… we had only been there an hour and there was toilet paper on the floor, or no toilet paper, cold running water, so dirty I did the squat and dash in the stall.
The sound. it’s a small venue so no matter where you stood or sat you could see the band perfectly but since we by chance where seated next to the sound guy, I hardly saw him at the sound station during the performance.
I could see from our table that there was 2^nd floor which I’m going to assume was for VIP but from the looks of it, there was nothing VIP about it for me.
Other then that, no issues, good NYE and friendly security, which always surprises me.
Would I come here again? Yes! Only if it’s a band I really really really like!

I’ve been here two times and both times I had a blast! Once before for Laidback Luke and another time for Alesso and Sebastian Ingrosso. LED lights were allowed for all you ravers out there. Even though the events deserved a five star rating I had to knock it down to three stars because of the sound system.
Venue:
1^st Floor: Pretty much a large warehouse, so there’s a large open floor for dancing. A bar on each side of the dance floor.
2^nd floor for tables and bottle service.
Music:
Many House Music events.
The sound system isn’t that great. I feel like it deteriorates each time I came (–2 stars)
Crowd:
Mixed and friendly.
Dress code:
You can dress casual, which is nice. You don’t have to get all dressed up.
Highly recommend pre-​sale tickets to avoid waiting in line.

This was my second time to 4^th & B, but my first time for a performance (last time was for a party). We came for the ‘Micro-​championship Wrestling’ if we are being PC, but Midget Wrestling if we are being frank… also I think it should be very clear that the promoters and the ‘talent’ used the word midget constantly so it’s not my personal choice.
So this review is both for the event itself as well as the venue. I would give the event itself 4 stars, but the venue 3 (really a HIGH 2), but 3 if I am being generous.
We arrived at 8pm when the event was scheduled to start. Upon entering we used the facilities as we had just came from dinner. This is the first area I think they could improve upon. I understand it’s a large facility, but do the bathrooms have to be so groos and dirty?!? Anyway, on to the bar. We walked to the bar to the right when you enter. We were a little disappointed by the options of either a can of newcastle or a can of heineken, but we went ahead and ordered one of each. Although I appreciated the not so friendly bartender for popping the can open for me and ever so politely pointing at the stack of plastic cups that we were expected to pour the beer into ourselves I wasn’t too hot on paying $ 15 for two cans of beer. Anyway, we proceed to walk over to the other side of the venue where the performers were selling merch and posing for pictures. 5 stars to them for being so cool and friendly to everyone. Let’s face it, they are selling a product and they are proud of it. PC or not I will leave to the readers, but these guys were cool.
Unfortunately when we made it to this side of the venue we realized there is another bar with a large variety of options. Just a little lame that they don’t make that evident at the other side.
Anyway the show started around 9 with a cover of an eighties hair band. Then the wrestling started!!! They seriously put on an entertaining show. Costumes and very realistic «wrestling». I;m not that big of a fan of 4^th and B, but when Micro-​Championship Wrestling returns, I am there!

Alesso and Ingrosso at 4^th and B was an awesome show! We got there pretty early and when I walked in I thought the place was just a big open area with a stage and LED screen behind the DJ booth. It wasn’t anything fancy but it felt like the stage was pretty close and you could see the DJ really well. The line to get in moved fairly quickly and the process was quick and easy.
There are bars to both sides of the stages but only a few accepted credit cards. The drinks were pretty average in terms of amount of alcohol and price. I don’t remember waiting too long to get drinks so that’s a plus!
It’s pretty cool how the tables are at the back and went up, but I think I prefer GA so I could be dancing closer to the DJ all night.
The girl’s bathroom had a good number of stalls. Even though there was always a line the line kept moving at a decent pace and I didn’t feel like I was ever in line for FOREVER like at other places.
I had a pretty good time here, but nothing stood out in terms of sound (speakers) or lighting. Both Alesso and Ingrosso played awesome sets that kept me dancing all night though.

I’ve been to two shows at 4^th and B. If I had written this after the first show, TV on the Radio, I would have said stay far, far away. The sound was awful. Neither my date nor I could make out the vocals; for a band that utilizes multi-​vocal harmonies like TVotR does, this is a big problem. Whereas last night, at DJ Shadow’s show, the sound was top-​notch.
Normally, I’d split the difference and give the place 3 stars, but in both cases, the shows started super-​late. And the overall space arrangement is kind of awkward and off-​center. Of the four small venues in SD that play major acts (also Casbah, HoB, and Belly-​Up), this one is the least impressive. Unfortunately, you can’t really choose where artists play.
Summary: The second show was good enough that I’d go back. If the next experience is as good, I’ll bump it up to 3 stars.

Beer. Sweat. Vomit. Urine.
All combined. That’s what it smelled like in 4^th & B. But that didn’t stop me – or likely anyone else – from having a blast at last night’s Bush concert with opener Chevelle and special guest Filter. Definitely one of the best intimate shows I’ve attended.
Music to my ears: when I called a few hours before the concert to ask about bringing my camera, I was informed that «small, personal cameras» are perfectly acceptable. Later, I did notice that a concertgoer with a long lens camera was instructed by Security not to take photos.
Major props to this venue:
* Swift entry. It’s never fun when it takes what feels like years to enter a venue, especially if perhaps you showed up early for a General Admission event to score a spot by the stage and have already been waiting in line for X minutes or hours.
* Fantastic security staff. They were so attentive and did their jobs so well that Gavin Rossdale motioned for them to back off several times. I’m also biased because I was given a guitar pick and set list at the end of the night.
* Cheaper mainstream act ticket prices than most other San Diego concert venues. I still can’t get over the fact that I paid just $ 55 total – taxes and everything, purchased online via Ticketmaster – for my ticket to last night’s show.
Sound could have been better, could have been worse. I was right up front near all the speakers though, so one can never expect exceptional sound at that close range.
Oh yeah… a speaker caught fire during Chevelle’s set. That was an experience. Much thanks to Security for relatively promptly putting out the fire and monitoring the damaged speaker afterwards to ensure that a catastrophe didn’t ensue.

4^th and B: A warehouse with a bar on each side– go there. The bouncers are cool as hell too.
The 4^th and B is like having a party in your friend’s garage with boos. I don’t really care about comforts and décor as long as the company and show are good.
Allow me to put a noted issue in clear perspective here: It isn’t the place that stinks, but the people here who stink– let’s pull it together people.

I came here with a friend to attend night one of FM94.9’s 7^th Anniversary Bash. The lineup included Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears, Cage The Elephant and Jet.
Aside from being totally blown away by CTE’s performance, the rest of that night is a blur. My friend and I left after several songs into Jet’s set list out of sheer boredom.
The venue is small with decent acoustics. I remember the floor being especially sticky from all the spilled beer.

I think your rating and overall experience at 4^th & B has a lot to do with who you are seeing and the mix of the crowd (which you obviously have no control over). Even with that being said, I had a great evening with both of those working in my favor but still could only come up with 3 stars.
Security — I’ve had fewer questions asked and had less frisking done by TSA agents. If you feel that compelled to spend that much time on everyone who comes through the door and stopping just short of a cavity search, just buy an outdated body scanner from over at Lindbergh Field. Bloody hell, we’re seeing Underworld who is two guys in their 50’s with a crowd that was around the same age. They were «old» when they appeared on the Trainspotting soundtrack. Did you really think that elderly couple, as cool as they were, was packing brass knuckles?
Bathrooms — No shocker here but they get progressively worse as the evening goes on in terms of their sanitary condition. Maybe it was just luck but at the end of the show there was a less than 5 minute wait time for the ladies but don’t take that as gospel next time you go.
Bars — $ 10 was the charge for a vodka and energy drink with most other well drinks $ 9 or so it seemed as no matter what I ordered it was always $ 18 for 2. The lines varied on the intelligence of the bartender and how quick they poured. Mine was perplexed by the following question — «if you don’t have 7&7 what can you make me that’s similar?» After a few seconds of her trying to think of something and scanning the bar led me to asking her for a scotch with a splash of Spite instead. Yes, I know, but it was just faster to take that route.
Sound — Close up where we were it was very distorted with the vocals hard to distinguish. If you are an excellent lip reader this probably isn’t much of an issue or if you’re just there for the experience probably won’t matter much either.
There are definitely better venues out there (Casbah in my favorite in SD) and would return only if it was someone that I really wanted to see.

Thanks to 4^th & B for hosting last Friday’s Jonsi concert. It was one of the most fabulous concerts I’ve attended, and 4^th & B was a great venue.
Virtually everything about the evening managed to fall into place just so. Here’s the rundown:
1) Doors opened at 8pm for a 9pm show, but my guest and I arrived at 7pm to pick up my «will call» tickets. Lots of street parking in the neighborhood, and no line and friendly service at the counter.
2) 4^th & B is down the block from the Local, so we sipped cocktails until 8:30pm-ish.
3) We arrived about half-​hour before the start of the show, but still managed to snag spots mere feet from the stage. The only downside was getting an overly aggressive pat-​down from security.
4) The space was rather spare, but I suppose that’s the norm for off-​the-​beaten-​track music venues. A stage, a wide-​open standing-​room area, a bar, and a couple bathrooms are all that’s found here. No frills — but at least the place is clean.
5) Great sound! No concert is complete without a post-​show buzzing in the ears, and 4^th & B delivered.
6) Jonsi attracted some of the friendliest concert-​goers in San Diego. This was probably the first time I’ve left a concert having made a few new friends out of the people who happened to just be standing next to me. Maybe everyone’s skinny jeans were improving circulation to the pleasure centers in their brains. Riiiiiiight.
There seems to be a lot of dissatisfaction with 4^th & B out here in Unilocalland, but the place gets no major complaints out of me. Rock on!