Avalon

A true shame that the place went away. We loved coming her for all the music. This may have been the only music club that wasn’t strictly 21+.

The perfect score is a review for when this was Bullwinkle’s! Who said this was Chuck E Cheese before? Guess we know who the OGs are around here now lol.
Bring back Bullwinkle’s! For nostalgia for us OGs and for some OGs. to bring our kids and future kids so Chuck E Cheese doesn’t monopolize here in the bay area.
Avalon? Backbeat. forget those. This was and always be Bullwinkle’s

GOOD VENUE, YOU GUYS WERE CLOSE, IT WAS NOT CHUCK-​E-​CHEESE, BUT BULLWINKLES. I KNOW, I GREW UP GOING THERE! :) They unfortunately closed the place For some unforseen reason.
THEN it became Backbeat .then Avalon! I went for Beyond The Realms Of MetalFest 2012. IT WAS FUN! I GOT TO SEE THE PLACE I SPENT MANY A BIRTHDAY AT AS AN ADULT .NOW!

I remember way back in the day when this was called Back Beat. I never went and for years I worked near it and never caught a show. They played a lot of 80’s bands that had lost their way and were touring on nostalgia. Low and behold someone I want to see: Filter. If you don’t know this band than it’s safe to say that they can rock out a venue pretty hard. How would it fare in such a small venue? I’d never gotten to see him as lead frontman Richard Patrick (the brother of Robert Patrick aka T1000 in Terminator 2 & and exe Nine Inch Nails guitarist) checked himself into rehab before I could catch them. Cut to near present day and they’re on the road again. Even without the drugs they can rock a place and it was actually quite nice to have good acoustics and to be this close to a band that can absolutely punish you with their sound.
«Hey Man, Nice Shot»

Dude, this place is awesome for the bands that come through.
Service, however, SUCKS.
The one blonde chick behind the bar looks like she HATES her job. She still gave me a hard time cause my tab was with someone else, even though she was making BANK in tips cause Dredg was playing that night.
I tried going to another side of the bar, and a couple friends forcefully pulled me away saying that their bartender sucked. That says something about that place.
Go for the bands, drink in the parking lot.
Peace out

I’ve been to three shows now at the Avalon (Saxon, English Beat, and last night the Zion I & The Grouch.) The venue has a lot of space and decent seating and standing around options. The staff has always been professional and the shows are well produced.
Acoustics are quite good, although I always wear musician’s earplugs, I have sensitive hearing and would like to keep it that way, thanks! The LED house lighting is generally well produced as well.
Acts start quickly after opening, and there’s little delay between acts. The English Beat show had a band playing within 15 minutes of opening! Having had a terrible experience in SF (doors opened at 9pm, first act at 10:30, headliner didn’t hit the stage until 3am!?!) this is very very much appreciated. This place isn’t a poseur prison trying to squeeze your wallet dry on drinks while you wait for the show to start. Headliners were on stage by 11pm for all three shows. (Saxon rocked it past 1am, amazing!)
Security here is very strong as well, I’d guess 20 security folks for a crowd of around 200 and I’ve never seen an altercation in the crowd.
Oh and lots of safe and close parking. Suck it, SF clubs.

I’m not big on watching old music acts hitting the stage, rehashing it like it was 20−30−40−50 (yikes!) years ago. I’ve turned down invites to the Stones, Journey and even Belinda Carlisle (from The Gogo’s), just because I can’t stand to see old folk rockin’ it out. It’s a living oxymoron.
But somehow I got dragged here and this place seems to be a ground zero for old time music acts to once again perform before throwing out a hip or being completely unrecognizable due to the proliferation of gray hairs or worse the lack of any.
Okay enough, this place is fine for such events. It is spacious, clean and accommodating. Once again oxymorons for rock n roll but yes, conducive to the older set (yes, I am joining the club).
Lots of seating (bar area), acoustics are decent and bathroom hand driers are jet-​engine technology good. Man, I am getting old cuz I remember a time when washing ones hands at a rock show were optional, if not frowned upon.

As someone who almost exclusively listens to independent hip-​hop, I’m used to traveling to small venues. A few years back I almost made the effort of driving down from the East Bay to Avalon to see E-​40, but I neglected to and passed. However, I couldn’t pass up seeing Andre Nickatina and Berner for under $ 30. The ticket said doors at 7pm and show at 8, but in the hip-​hop world that means 10 or 11.
The venue is located in a shopping center, which makes sense because I read that this was a Chuck E Cheese at one point. The cool thing about that is that there’s plenty of free parking, which is something you don’t get in San Francisco or Oakland. The club had security, as they should and patted down club goers and check id’s. I was there pretty early, so I zipped through security and made my way inside.
The venue is pretty cool and has a 360 degree feel to it. The venue does not allow in’s and out’s, so once you’re in, you are in. The club has several sections to it, with plenty of seating and one big bar that’s not too far off from the stage. If you’re there early enough, you can actually spend your whole night at the bar and enjoy the show from there. Additionally, there’s bar stools that line up near the stage, which is perfect if you’re not trying to stand all night. I was able to have a seat for the entire show, which is something I prefer rather than standing next to drunk fools.
The club has a decent audio system and did well with the bass heavy tracks of Berner and Andre. There was tons of security at the show, which could be specifically just for hip hop shows or that’s how Avalon likes to do it. I’ve been to tons of venues and this is definitely on top of the list. Also, as a side note, there’s a 7 – 11 diagonally across the street and several fast food spots near the club.

One of the most interesting venues I’ve been to in a long time! Someone told me that it used to be a Chucky Cheese or something like that — and I’m not surprised!
Went to see Foreverland, the 14-​piece Michael Jackson cover band, here on Friday. There were Halloween decorations everywhere and the DJ that was spinning before the band went on was rocking the house with ’80’s music. It’s a little dark inside and the décor is reminiscent of a ’90’s skating rink, but I kinda liked it.
Drinks here aren’t nearly as expensive as most venues. Beers were about $ 5 – 6 each, not sure about mixed drinks. Bartenders were nice and let you keep a tab open, no problem.
The band rocked it! Seriously, that was one of the best live shows I’ve seen in awhile. Everyone was on their feet dancing! I wish more people would have come out to see the show, since Avalon can hold A LOT of people. Maybe more will show up when Color Me Badd comes to town?

I was here for Foreverland (the 14 piece Michael Jackson tribute band)‘s Thriller Halloween Ball on October 21^st. Great show in a beautiful venue!
It was doors@8, show@9 and we arrived about 8:45pm. The check-​in system was a bit odd but efficient enough. At the front door there was a guy stamping hands, then at the end of the long hallway there was the ticket guy who took your pre-​paid ticket or charged you the ticket price there. He checked my ID but I don’t know if that was to make sure the name on my ticket matched the name on my ID or if he was verifying everyone was 21+. I hope it was the latter because the show flyer claimed «All Ages» but no one ever ID’ed me at the bar.
A standard rum&coke is $ 8. It’s a bit of a gouge, but you expect that at any concert venue. Acceptable pour, not weak but not strong either.
Lucky we did some pre-​drinking across the street at Homestead Cocktail Lounge! Cool little dive, check it out before heading to your show!
I had seen bad reviews about the bartenders but they all seemed quite friendly and efficient to me :)
I also took advantage of the coat-​check, which I discovered is the same as the ticket booth. Coat-​check was a whole $ 3, but at least the guy working the station was cute and super friendly! Call me, coat-​check guy! ;D
I’m not sure what time the show actually started but it couldn’t have been later than 9:20 or so. The sound was perfect throughout the whole show. The band even praised Avalon over the microphone for the beautiful venue, great DJ, and perfect sound! I liked the music he played before the show and during breaks too. Mostly 90’s dance/​hiphop and some 80’s stuff (Prince, though? How are you gonna play Prince at a Michael Jackson show? :P)
The room did get a little warm but how can it not with 200 dancing bodies? I did wish they had a bit more seating. All the tables were taken when we arrived and I felt bad stealing somebody else’s table when I wanted to take a break.
Overall, nice venue! Felt very private. intimate. Even with all the weirdos walking around in costumes (including me) this place seems to attract a friendly, trustworthy crowd :)

This is a great venue for a show. Saw Badfish last night, a little surprised it wasn’t a little more packed. Staff was pretty friendly and efficient. Plenty of seating here, very open and nice stage. Not a huge beer selection, which was disappointing but we’re there for the show so we can let it slide. So instead of beer, we ordered cocktails which were really spendy. 2 cocktails=$ 19 (one was a double, I’ll give em that).
Would definitely return for a show. Not very many places that can offer this amount of space so you can have a huge crowd and some big name bands.

I went to the Avalon this past Saturday night to see the great British rock band «UFO» live in concert! I was very impressed with this venue. My friends and I got a real nice booth to lounge around in during the show.
The floor plan is set up nicely and I had a great time meandering about this concert hall. The bar is set up along the back wall and the service at the bar was very good. I did not have to wait too long before I was asked what I would like to drink.
I plan to return!
One more thing, for the people who complain about the price of a drink at this establishment, get over it, this is a concert venue. If you wanna to play here, you’re gonna pay here. Otherwise, go rent the bands DVD and watch it at home with an inexpensive six-​pack of beer while kicking it in your underwear…
Yeesh!

Went and saw UFO here on Saturday night. The line to get in was well organized and could have been a zoo because of the amount of people attending the concert.
The staff was friendly. I was even thanked on my way in by a person in a chair just past the check in. He said thank you for supporting us! I was shocked and did not expect that from a night club.
The bathrooms were very impressive for a night club. The bartenders were fast and did a great job getting the drinks out with so many people there. The sound was good and we had an overall great experience. After the show there were exit signs for door to get out, but we were ushered out through the front with everyone else. It would seem quicker to be let out directly. It must be a fire code rule or something.

With all the venues in the Bay Area closing, it’s nice to see that the Avalon is still up and running.
+ Spacious
+ Lots of places to sit
+ Easy access to the front of the stage
+ Big parking lot
+ 7 – 11 across the street to get a lil something something
+ Clean bathroom
+ Awesome gigs (Devin the Dude!)
It’s a nice venue overall that’s really trying hard to stay open. I suggest, if you see an artist come through here, don’t hesitate. Support them!

Before I went to the event there last night, I checked some of the reviews. Seems most of the complaints are about the security and the drinks.
I liked this place so far – very spacious, good interior, cool lighting and effects on stage. Sounds systems and music are okay, it’s important for me to go to a nightclub that have enough crowd, and I actually have enough space to move around and dance, instead of get stuck at one spot and just move butt up and down: P
And guess I don’t have any problem with security people and don’t need to worry about drinks, i’m pretty happy with it.

Avalon is getting better.
For a while there I wasn’t even bothering to look at the lineup, but the shows are getting better and better. If you haven’t visited for a while, you might check it out again.
Security is still really heavy tho, and I think that’s kind of unnecessary. Perhaps it will lighten up a bit with time. Hard to say. But, just know that going in.
Also, forget about lingering after the show is over… you’ll flat out get «Ok the club is closed, leave.» Just do yourself a favor and try not to take it personally. It is what it is.
Drinks are pricey — might wanna get your buzz on before hand so you can just maintain. We had no problem getting drinks during a sold out show, though… didn’t have to wait long or fight too hard to get noticed. YMMV.
I’ll go back again. :-)

Came here on a Friday night to see a Hieroglyphics concert. The concert stated that it was supposed to start at 8pm, so I assumed that things would actually start at 9pm. Boy was I wrong. The line was dealt with so inefficiently, that it took an hour for me to get in. I literally had to wait in 3 separate lines to finally get inside.
Avalon is pretty spacious and there are plenty of booths, which saves this place from one star. Nonetheless, I’m not sure if its the management or the artist themselves, but the main act did not start until 12:30am. Thats over 4 hours of waiting and waiting and waiting. Somehow I felt that Avalon was doing this so that they could milk the bar.
The sound system sucked. Too much treble, the speakers often popped, and it just plain sounded bad. Def will not be coming back.

This is a rather nice Nightclub where I have seen a variety of venues. This particular night I saw Ghost Town Hangmen, Motor Punx, Merry Widowers, and another band that we didn’t stay for.
The bands that we saw … EXCELLENT!
I do however have to agree with Nam N. about the bar. «As for the bar… good luck trying to order a drink on busy show nights. They often under staff bartenders and hire the ones who are „selective“ on who they take drink orders from. HELLOO — do you see us over here waving you down for the past 20min trying to get a $ 10 cocktail from you!!! My advice, go college style and have most of your cocktails ahead of time. It’ll save you money and wait time.»
We’ve seen the same guy bartending a couple of times, and let’s just say that he isn’t the friendliest or patient. Our buddy is a HEAVY tipper, like $ 20 at a time, each time. You’d think that would get the bartenders over more frequently and with a smile, but not this guy. It’s not our fault that Avalon under staffs for event.

To steal a line from Artie Fufkin in the movie ‘This is Spinal Tap’: «Do me a favor. Just kick my ass, okay?»
St. Hubbins and I attended the Phil Kennemore (Y&T) benefit NYE party here last night. It was a packed, partying house, and very well orchestrated. Sound was better than our previous experience. The staff was again nothing but cool and intent on everyone having a good time. They were also willing to allow event recording, which is increasingly rare. Guests respected the fact that a smoking area is always available and kept it outside. It was also good to see that some of the performers were pretty comfortable with this crowd, enough so to be out among us to watch others on stage rather than just hang out behind the stage all night.
I have to credit the management, the performers and the guests for making it a great night of entertainment. A solid 4.5 stars.

«Most Elegant Nightclub in Silicon Valley»??? Seriously, that cracks me up every time I see ads for Avalon with their tagline. Not only is that a tall order but it just sounds ridiculous…
As for the venue, I’ve seen a handful of concerts here over the past few years — mostly island and reggae bands. The club is pretty roomy and offers a number of nooks and spots around to sit and get away from the crowds near the stage. The acoustics for music in this place isn’t the best – but it’s a nightclub after all and not the Orpheum.
Depending on the promoter of the bands/​shows, you’ll get hit or miss service for tickets, etc. I’ve been to a show where they actually oversold tickets and the folks in line outside were not too happy.
As for the bar… good luck trying to order a drink on busy show nights. They often under staff bartenders and hire the ones who are «selective» on who they take drink orders from. HELLOO — do you see us over here waving you down for the past 20min trying to get a $ 10 cocktail from you!!! My advice, go college style and have most of your cocktails ahead of time. It’ll save you money and wait time.
But when all is said and done… I appreciate that they host island-​reggae bands at their venue. It gives a great alternative for us folks in the South Bay who don’t want to drive into the city during the work week to catch a show.