Win Tickets to See O.A.R. and Eric Hutchinson at Club Nokia Friday
DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — Another Friday night, another decision to make on what to do. Why not take advantage of Downtown's new musical offerings and go check out O.A.R. and opener Eric Hutchinson at Club Nokia? Tickets start at $29 before fees, but we've got five pairs to give out to blogdowntown readers.
Along with new restaurants, the opening of L.A. Live's second phase brought Downtown a pair of new venues for mid-sized acts. Conga Room holds just over a thousand concertgoers, while Club Nokia has a capacity around 2,300. The new venues, combined with the pull of AEG concert arm Goldenvoice have brought a steady lineup of shows Downtown that would previously have ended up in Hollywood.
The billing for Friday, January 23, is an interesting one for me, since I've actually seen both bands live.
Headliner O.A.R. has had a strong following for over a decade, starting via the college circles and later finding strong exposure via radio and media plays. The band put out its sixth studio album last year. I saw O.A.R. at the House of Blues back in February of 2002.
blogdowntown readers are less likely to have heard of singer-songwriter Eric Hutchinson, but that will likely change. He creates catchy, smart songs and ties them together with an engaging stage presence. Kathy and I first ran across Hutchinson back in 2004, during a show at the Hotel Cafe (at the time, somewhere I visited at least weekly). Back in those days he had talent but not much of a song library. These days the playlist is starting to flesh out, and it's good to see Hutchinson playing to larger audiences.
We've got five pairs of tickets to give away. To win, just leave a comment mentioning your favorite place to see music. We'll close off the contest on Thursday night at 10pm and alert winners via email or Facebook.
dan golembeski on January 20, 2009, at 10:48PM – #1
nokia center!
James on January 20, 2009, at 10:49PM – #2
My favorite place to see a concert is at the Greek Theater. That way if the concert turns out to be lame-o, you can always walk up to the observatory.
Monica on January 21, 2009, at 09:30AM – #3
Hotel Cafe of course! My favorites in music have been after I saw a live performance here. I appreciate what this venue does to support a growing list of up and coming singer-songwriters. Perfectly tucked away into an alley off the busy Cahuenga Blvd., it's an unpretentious LA spot.
Mark S. on January 21, 2009, at 10:04AM – #4
Nokia Center. Ticket me.
Bodhi on January 21, 2009, at 11:12AM – #5
Hollywood Bowl! BYOB are you kidding me?
Ben on January 21, 2009, at 12:36PM – #6
Hollywood Bowl
Eric on January 21, 2009, at 02:00PM – #7
I think the Hollywood Bowl is best. You have the trees and natural feel of the Greek Theater but you get the free picnic and group feel that you can't find elsewhere.
Joey on January 21, 2009, at 02:08PM – #8
The Music Box! Redline it so you can buy all the $10 beer you can drink... plus the rooftop is cool.
Isaac on January 21, 2009, at 02:53PM – #9
I'm partial to the Echoplex.
Brian on January 21, 2009, at 05:34PM – #10
The only venue I've taken in since arriving in Chicago has been the Staples Center and of course it's just like every other arena in the country.
I thought I was spoiled with a number of intimate and/or historic venues in Chicago but I'm quickly learning the LA area is home to some gems.
Who wouldn't love to hear That Was a Crazy Game of Poker in one of the new LA Live venues. Count me in.
Sasha on January 21, 2009, at 08:23PM – #11
The Orpheum Theater downtown.
MD on January 22, 2009, at 09:26AM – #12
Hollywood Bowl!!!! Warm summer nights and a picnic basket.
Adam Pogach on January 22, 2009, at 04:08PM – #13
the Joint in West LA, the best live music spot no one has heard of.
Eric Richardson (@blogdowntown) on January 22, 2009, at 10:01PM – #14
It's 10pm and I'm closing off the comments. I'll fire up the random number generator, pick winners and then send out emails to those whose names get drawn.