Shrine Mosque

So far I have been to the Shrine Mosque twice to see 311 however I have to admit that this is quite possibly the most unusual concert venue I have ever been too. Basically the entire place feels like a high school basketball court with a stage at the end. One thing I really think is that this place is in desperate need of some major renovations, also the sound has been off both times, could have been a lot better seems to me that their sound guy is a volunteer. Also another thing that I found very odd was that they technically didnt sell beer or alcohol, they sold wooden tokens, which could be exchanged for drinks. Honestly it seemed like a racket or a way to confuse patrons with not know exactly how much a beer was considering that the tokens didnt match up with the beers, I left with an extra token not quite enough for a beer so I think I probably overpaid, however I think that the money raised goes to the Shriners, so if thats the case I actually dont mind paying a little bit more for a beer, just be upfront about it.

I feel bad for writing this because I have had some really good times here. The problem that I have with this place is it is in desperate need of some renovations. I hate to see this place in such disarray. Springfield doesn’t have that many options to hold concerts. I really like the hard rock genre and there isn’t a whole lot of options for bands to come to in springfield. The place is falling apart the last time I went to a concert there plaster was being rattled off the ceiling and landing on us (it was very small specs nothing dangerous). The sound system they have is so horrible the only way you know what song was playing is if you are familier with the band and you can pick it out from the instrumentals. I hope by writing this review it motivates the shriners to take this review in a positive way and do some renovations.

One of the only places to see any type of sizable event in Springfield and they’ve had and continue to have good shows here. That being said this place has some pretty big issues, at least to me.
Their sound system sucks. Plain and simple. I went once and the building’s PA system that they were speaking over was popping and cracking like a piece of wet firewood. I thought, «Surely they’ll get that fixed before the next show, because that was no good.» The next time I went to an event almost 6 months later they hadn’t replaced the system and the speakers actually went out about 15 minutes into the show. Which pretty much ruined the whole night.
Another time I was at a show there and went to the bathroom on the first floor. Every urinal and stall was taken but one. I opened the door and it looked like someone had backed into the stall after eating eating 50 Exlax laced White Castle Sliders and washed down with a couple of gallons of coffee and had their ass explode. It was one of the 3 nastiest things I’ve ever seen in person. I swear that the toilet had been filled to overflowing with crap and it was on the floor and walls of the stall. I didn’t know that a single human being could hold that much feces. Either that or someone was running through the bathroom with a 5 gallon bucket of chilli, tripped, and dumped the contents into the toilet. At any rate, ever since that night the first floor men’s bathroom at the Shrine Mosque no longer exists in my mind. It has been edited out of my universe.
I realize that this was an isolated incident, but it was horrible. If I could have given 2.5 stars I would have, but it’s not bad enough for 2 stars.

Disclaimer: This review is solely for a concert experience at the Shrine Mosque.
We drove 9 hours to catch the 311/​Steve Ewing concert at the Shrine Mosque. Big props to a gorgeous building (yes, could use some updating, but I agree with Ginger A. in that it has loads of character). I’ve been to many, many different concert venues throughout Illinois & Missouri, and I’ve got to say that the security guards at the Shrine are probably the nicest security I have ever met. Bathrooms are clean, concession vendors (are they actual Shriners?) were insanely nice as well.
Please remember that 3-​stars is a good review, it’s just not the greatest venue I’ve seen a concert at. I was definitely disappointed in the sound quality (we went to an after-​show at a bar a few blocks away and the bar had much better sound)… just overall bad acoustics, which sucks the fun out of some of the concert. Also, smokers, smokers everywhere, despite all the «no smoking» signs plastered around the joint (no pun intended). If you’re a smoker, that’s great, but I’m not & I absolutely HATE coming home smelling like an ashtray.

Great place for entertainment in Springfield. It’s a little shabby in spots but I think that lends extra character. Definitely an asset to the Springfield area.

This building houses the Abou Ben Adhem Shriners which I am a member of. Where I understand a lot of people do not understand what the Shriners do, I’m not going to explain a whole lot of it here but would love to explain it to you if you have any questions and will also provide a link at the end of this to help explain more about that.
The Shrine Mosque was built in 1923 and in 1982 was added to the National Register of Historic Places. Besides Shriner events it houses tons of other concerts and events. It almost seems that there is something going on every weekend there. I just helped out for the past two weekends as a clown at the Shrine Circus. It is a very unique old building that several of our past Presidents have visited and Elvis Presley even played. At the time it was built it was the largest Shrine west of the Mississippi and it’s stage size was only second to the Metropolitan Opera stage in New York City. The main auditorium seating is right under 5,000 people with a basement area that other events are held at that can seat over 1,500.
So next time you find your self at a concert, circus, or the «Vines at the Shrine» make sure you look up, around, and take in all of the nostalgia that makes this building a old gem in our city.
oh ya, if you are curious about what the Shriners do and where we came from, here’s a good link or you are welcome to just ask me…