Stephanie Han

Review of The Viper Room

Came here with some friends to check out Black Sab...

Came here with some friends to check out Black Sabbitch (yes, an all-female Black Sabbath tribute band--they rock) and we had a swell time. It was my first time here, and I was amazed at how very tiny it was! I mean, I knew it was small, but I didn't realize it was THIS small. The downstairs "lounge" area is about the size of a postage stamp but it does open up on the 2nd floor, which is the performance area. The soundproofing in this place is pretty incredible; when you're downstairs you can't hear ANYTHING that's going on on the 2nd floor, even if there's some horrendous and horrendously loud death metal playing (which there was). As you ascend the stairs the sound becomes louder and louder until you're completely walloped when you get to the top. The stage is small and you can get right up to it, which is always nice. I love being able to see bands up close. Black Sabbitch really brought it with surprisingly faithful covers and a theatricality I wasn't expecting--we had a blast! There's a bar on each floor and we availed ourselves to both--the bartenders were friendly and on the ball in both areas, so no complaints there. Tiny bathrooms, though, ugh. After the show was over we were lingering a bit, finishing our drinks but security was anxious to shoo us out, which made for bit of a buzzkill, but oh well.