Crowbar

If you find yourself in Ybor City on a Sunday… you need to head to Crowbar ASAP for Old Dirty Sundays. I was in town for a Sunday and Monday night recently… not the best days to discover the nightlife in Ybor. Most of the bars were pretty tame, but I found a good crowd at Reservoir Bar. After hanging out for a couple hours, my new friend and I made our way over to Crowbar to check it out.
It was pretty late and the crowd was still going strong. The moment I walked onto the patio and they’re blasting Notorious BIG’s «Come On», I knew I was in the right place. The DJ was phenomenal and had complete control of the crowd. I could’ve sworn he had my entire CD collection from the 90’s on deck. From Bad Boy to Death Row records and Outkast to Big Pun, each track was a nostalgic masterpiece.
People were dance battling and breaking all over the place and the amount of culture represented on that Patio was palatable. A rare site to see coming from Charleston, SC. I ended up meeting the owner and he was an awesome guy as well. I stayed til they kicked everyone out and wished I had ventured over sooner. So much fun!

I ordered a cider, I got looked at by the bartender like a privileged white girl on the wrong side of town. Luckily the other bartender knew they did carry two kinds. The outdoor area was neat. There was a pool table, and lots of space. Why have I not been here for a show before? I’m not quite sure, but it does seem like a good venue. I have seen some bands I like listed as playing there, just haven’t made it in. Maybe I will someday and be able to review it higher.

Crowbar is a cool venue for music and dancing (given the night and/​or event). There are two bars on the inside and one on the back patio. High top tables and stools are a nice feature.
Very cool intimate setting to see bands that are up and coming or to jam out to some old school hip hop music on Sunday nights. Drink prices are reasonable and service is good.
Overall, it’s a nice night entertainment venue in Ybor. Cheers!

Pretty fun place to watch live music! It’s definitely not the nicest bar (remember, you’re in Ybor), but it is pretty spacious and there’s an outdoor patio.
There are a lot of groups that come here to perform, from national rock bands to local rappers. There are two bars: one inside and one outside. The people there are very friendly and there are often a lot of local artists displaying their work in addition to the music playing.
I’ve been here to hang out with friends, but there’s always a music group playing. But for an average night? I don’t think Crowbar is a bad decision. I love the patio and I like the atmosphere. It’s a classic Ybor pit stop. I’d definitely recommend it to someone who likes live music in a grungy atmosphere.

Saw Mobb Deep here and had a really really fun time. They just don’t make rap music today like they used to. Shook Ones, part 2 and Quiet Storm are pure awesome. After this show, I went on a 90s hip hop binge for weeks. The layout inside works decently for moving around as it was never too difficult to get back to the bar and it was a crowded Friday show. It is a rather small venue, but I will surely come back for more shows. The sound was good and the artist is practically part of the crowd, but still high enough on stage for everyone to get a good view.

Went to see a show here last night-​MC Chris. It was actually well organized, staff was friendly, sound was good, and the crowd was surprisingly very courteous (which is a rarity these days at shows). Anytime someone needed to get by me they said excuse me, which is pretty polite from someone who grew up in Tampa. Most people these days who live here just don’t seem to have decent manners.
Anyway, the drinks were pretty damn strong. Not sure how much it cost because I’m a girl, so obviously my drink was automatically paid for (hehe) but damn… that shit got me loose. I could only have one! Granted, I’m not much of a drinker, but shit! I started to stumble over my own feet. If I had another one I would’ve been on the floor at some point in the night. Lol.
If there’s another show here, I would definitely pay a visit here again. All in all it was a pretty decent night.

First off, the back patio with its little bar is pretty awesome. It’s exactly what you’d hope a music venue/​bar in Florida would have for nice nights where sitting outside certainly beats being in a stuffy bar. The caliber of artists and shows Crowbar books is also very impressive and it’s a great place to catch some indie acts that don’t tour just everywhere. The stage is intimate and the sound guy seems to know how to deal with the space and get good live sound out of it (not always an easy feat anywhere). Depending on the show or the night and the crowd it can be a bit like bedlam, though, although you kinda expect that in Ybor, and certainly at any venue like this. Bully is playing here soon, and they’re worth seeing if you like rock-​influence pop-​punk. If you like early No Doubt you really need to see them.

This is a good venue with good artists. I am sure if you go here 95% of the time it will be fun.
My only complaint is with the bar tenders. My date and I asked for waters which were supplied. Then we asked for a drink and the bar tender refused. We finished our waters and then asked for drinks again. He refused and told us we had to wait 30 minutes.
That was all fine. But I assumed he thought we were too drunk when really we were just thirsty. So I tried to explain that. He responded by calling the bouncers and having is thrown out.
I am frustrated that I paid for tickets to a concert and did not get to enjoy it with all of my friends because of a small miscommunication.
I did get a chance to talk to Tom, one of the bouncers who threw us out. He was reasonable and helpful. But my money for tickets was wasted just the same.
All in all a fun place. Just be very careful with the bar tenders.

Wee woo wee woo! We had an excellent time here for the pre fest concerts! Loved the access to some seating between acts and the sound in the venue was excellent! Definitely the best venue in Thor! Whoops I mean YBOR! Silly autocorrect lol

Crowbar, located right off 7^th Ave in Ybor, is a music venue/​bar which brings in a lot of up and coming bands/​singers as well as local acts to open for them. On any given day, a national or international band may play a gig at Crowbar while touring the US (oftentimes preceded by a gig at The Social in Orlando). They may not have a strong following locally or maybe not even within the US but elsewhere they could be huge.
Because it’s such a small, intimate venue, this allows for an even greater experience if you’re a fan of the music. For instance, Chet Faker, an Australian artist, came to Crowbar last minute while on a US tour in 2013. At the time, he was relatively unknown outside of Australia but I had been listening to his music nonstop for about a year. I sent Crowbar a message on FB to book him when I found out he was coming to the US and lo and behold, they somehow were able to get him. Only a few dozen people were at the bar, half not even paying attention but since he’s one of my favorite new artists, I talked to him after the show. Fast forward two years later and he was performing on The Ellen Show as her favorite new artist of 2015.
So it’s a cool place to discover new music at a very cheap price (usually $ 10 – 15). A lot of artists who are popular now have come through Crowbar (or The Ritz, also in Ybor, ex. Lady Gaga) at one point while working their way up (including another favorite of mine, Future Islands). Most recently, I saw Leisure Cruise (a band from Brooklyn), along with HotBox from Tampa and Saskatchewan from Orlando. That was a great show and I’m sure they have big things in their future.
The sound guy does a good job with the acoustics. The only negative things I can say are 1.) smoking is allowed and that can become bothersome after awhile and 2.) the bands don’t usually play at the time advertised. Doors may open at that time but the bands might not play till an hour and a half later. Other than that, it’s a cool place. They do have an outdoor patio/​bar area where you can get a little relief from the smoke. They also have a pool table to help pass the time waiting for a band and the bartenders are cool. So check it out! A lot of interesting acts come through and you can follow Crowbar on their Facebook or walk by the bar to see posters of upcoming shows.

This venue brings in lots of smaller acts and has plenty of room for your different concert types — your wall huggers, your dudes hitting on disinterested (or overly interested) girls, your thrashers, and your dude who is always way more excited to be at the show than anyone else (note, if you were at any shows I was at that dude was mine, so no comments about him, m’kay?). There’s a bar inside the main concert area so you don’t have to stray too far from the spot where you glued your shoes to the floor and there’s an outdoor patio area where you can go to smoke or just get away if you don’t like the band that’s currently on. Probably the only reason I didn’t give 5 stars is because I tend to like the bands that are booked at other venues a bit more than ones who play here. Definitely worth a trip if you’re a music fan and live in the Tampa Bay area.

Love our Bön-​Bön who always makes a trip to Crowbar a great experience! Great bands, great music and world renown, this is the best bar for indie music, meeting great people and if you’re part of the happy hour, even a better group of guys to end a workday on a Wednesday!

Sunday nights! Woah!
We stopped by for Sunday night hip hop and it was awesome. A super dive bar kind of vibe. The hip hop outside on the back patio was epic. Awesome Dj with a giant dance off happening in the middle of the floor. Cheap drinks quick service. Will def be back.

Went here last night for King Tuff show for the first time. Pleasantly surprised. Friendly bartenders, nice stage area (almost any spot in this bar its easy to see) pool table and two bars inside flanking the stage on either side. It also had a beer garden in outside area. Acoustics were good as well! Great place to catch a show! We sampled the local brewary Coppertail’s «unholy» delish!

Went to see jukebox the ghost at this fine concert establishment. I had an excellent time, the beers were $ 3 and the show was rockin. I enjoyed the outdoor patio and bar and even though it was cold, it was nice to escape the crowd and get some fresh air. The bartenders were quick and nice, & I would recommend this place for a show to any band.

First time here, impressed with service and the venue as a whole. Of note: I’m pretty sure they allow smoking because there was a sign up saying, «No smoking tonight per artist’s request.» I’ll have to inquire about the smokes
It was $ 16 for 3 bands:
Mike Mains & the Branches, Coin, Jukebox the Ghost
There are 2 bars inside and one outside on the patio. Lots of craft beer options and High Life, Yuengling, and the like too. There are high-​top tables and stools and the awesome addition of risers to one side. We had a great view of the bands but weren’t right on top of the stage either.
Nice bonus about this venue is that it’s next to all the other bars and restaurants in Ybor City. We bought our ticket then went around the corner to Tampa Bay Brewing Company for dinner and the best damn pumpkin beer I’ve ever had… then came back and caught the 2^nd and 3^rd bands.
Plenty of stalls in the restroom and when I told the manager (?owner) that there were some issues he went right in and took care of it. We’ll definitely be back again soon!

it’s a dirty, gritty place, but I wouldn’t change it for the world!
The only reason I come to the Crowbar is because they’re where WIT Improv performs. And hence the reason I was just there. They hosted WIT IMPROV reacently for a reunion show featuring Alex Crow.
As usual the drink prices were great, the comedy show was fantastic and getting to see my friends was a huge bonus!

The hubs & I came here to see The Movement on a Friday night.
The venue was easy to find, but I didn’t know what to expect as we waited at the door.
They let us in, and I was pretty pleased with what I saw. They have two fully stocked bars, one inside and one outside, and plenty of standing room for patrons. I was really diggin’ the decorations for the outside bar. it’s decorated in cheesy lights and little toys from back in the day (I think I even saw a ninja turtle).
The drink prices are reasonable and they had all sorts of specials going on. I pretty much stuck with the wells but the bartenders were great.
The sound quality of the concert was decent, but not as good as it could be. That being said, we all had one hell of a time. You can thank the bartenders for that.

This review is about Sunday night, Old Dirty Sundays specifically.
Before I get to that, this bar is a hop, skip, and a jump from the Improv, so that makes it a fun diversion after a comedy show. There’s an alleyish patio area as well as a very large interior space. The walls are covered in skateboardy, hip-​hoppy stuff. On the patio, the bar and the DJ stand are at the very back, and all the Sunday cray happens in the rest of the space.
They offer a pretty great selection of craft beer on tap including Maduro, one of my favorites. There was also a hot food stand near the patio’s entrance.
Now back to Old Dirty Sundays. What a blast from the past. I don’t know if this is the clientele of Crowbar in general, but Sunday drew a very distinct culture of people. From dress to dance moves, everyone was decked out and ready to step into an old school hip hop music video. There was a break dance circle, a legit one complete with battles and two stepping.
I don’t know if I will ever go to this place on another night, but Old Dirty Sundays alone is worth the trip back out there.

Old dirty Sundays is the only reason I ever pop into Crowbar, and that’s just to see old friends and listen to some real Hip-​Hop, not the crap on the radio masquerading as music.
The venue is cool, the staff is cool and the prices are fair.
Hip-​Hop horaaaaayyy! Hoooo!