Stanhope House

When shows were poppin in the early 2ks, it was business as usual, get one headliner and make 3 bands sell tickets to pay for it. Now they have an even less stellar version of its former self, selling mediocre shows with same awful sound, pretentious too cool staff, and lame food. Go elsewhere, lot of local pubs having great bands with no cover (yes it 's possible). No one answers the phone or emails either. Just no.

I wanted to love it. But sadly the food was horrific. They were out of items even though the menu is small and we got there when the doors opened. They rationed ketchup, which was needed due to the terrible food. All that aside, I couldn't wait for the live performance. Sadly the sound system was abysmal, drowning out the lovely singer with instruments way too loud. I gave it an extra star because they overpoured the wine which was appreciated.

First time here was this past Sunday night. This is a tough venue to review. On one hand it 's everything I wanted from a NJ punk show. Small but not too small, dark, great crowd, and good people. Sound was pretty good too. Plus the price for admission was right. One the other hand I have 2 major knocks. First is their sound guy that night was having a rough night. Now I don 't know if that comes down to him or the bands but during the band I went to see their guitar kept cutting in and out. It definitely hurt the flow of their performance. Second, and probably more importantly, is their stage is about 6 inches off the ground. So if you 're a person of normal size, i 'm 5 '8, good luck actually seeing the band if you have anyone taller in front of you. I was quite literally next to the stage on the right where bands come on and off and couldn 't see the band. Everyone in front of me was taller than me. I get that isn 't necessarily the venues fault but it hurt my experience. If someone one was playing here and it was my only option to see them, i guess i 'd go back. However if I had other venues to see a band, Stanhope House would be a last resort.

This restaurant is a stunning piece of history, but unfortunately, the management leaves much to be desired. They seem to squeeze every penny out of visitors attending performances. There's an older gentleman named Ren at the bar, who is notorious for his unpleasant demeanor and for being overly aggressive with guests. It's frustrating that you can't even bring a water bottle inside, as they charge $4 for a cup of tap water.

I attended a performance at the School of Rock, and it was fantastic! The venue is perfect for their shows. The staff was also wonderful.