The crew is always helpful and nice, great atmosphere!
Might just be my favorite place to see a show. This place is notorious for getting headlining performers to play in a small venue for a very reasonable ticket price. I have yet to be disappointed. Also serve late night greasy pizza from the street and have a couple bars as well. The Atrium is the second stage. It is floor level viewing has a bar and is good. But I prefer the main hall.
Fun Venue, great show on Halloween, good bar service!
Cozy. Great sound. Saw some great bands. Beers at the show cost less than at my local bar.
Wow, magpie salute was fantastic. I brought two friends who absolutely loved the show too. Im looking forward to many more sbows to come from this brilliant band
Cool venue. Real hipster vibe. A little old school looking but gives a really close and upfront interaction with the audienece. The balconies look like a cool spot(i did not go up), but the opportunity to be closer to the performer seemed more appealing. Slightly on the small side(its santa cruz, what do you expect?). Gets hot quick if the venue is decently full. Hopefully you can park close and not take a jacket inside if its cold out. In general, great place to go with friends to see some great artists.
it was good i love the catalyst but a tour manager of sobxrbe hit me in the face and the manager who worked at the venue told me too call the police respectfully they cared about my safety and sobxrbe i wouldnt reccomend anybody taking there kids too see them there violent two more fights broke out at that show and people got injured i hope they are banned because there immature and attack people i now have a contusion bleeding too the brain because of them i hope they get banned from there but other than that i love the catalyst such a big help sergio is also the best
Great venue for concerts. It's like hanging out with the band and it's str8 personal here.
Be weary of buying tickets before hand. Concert got cancelled and they did not want to refund my tickets. Only buy tickets if you're sure this venue has no way of stealing your hard earned money.
Great spot to see live music and bigger groups in a rather intimate setting. Billiards upstairs. Don't mess with the locals and you'll have a good time!
Nice place and good choice to either be on the floor or up on the second floor
Always a great show at the catalyst. Great beer selection for the venue, even better than some bars.
Great venue, excellent stages, good sound system. There's cheap pizza, and good drinks. I've seen all kinds of shows here; rock, EDM, punk - it really runs the gamut. Always very impressed by the venue and the staff is wonderful.
Yikes!! This is not the first time I ve heard horror stories of violence and drugging at this establishment. STAY AWAY. Vote with your dollars and DO NOT SUPPORT a place that doesn t take violence against women seriously.
I usually love to attend shows and concerts at this venue, but lately I feel the service has been slacking. Last night I tried to buy tickets at the box office around 11pm. The gentleman cleaning up told me no one was available and to come back the next day at 3pm when it reopens. So I arrive today at 3pm on the dot and walked in (door was unlocked). No one was around, so I waited until I saw someone and asked if I could get some assistance purchasing tickets. I was then asked to wait outside until someone was available to come up. So I waited another 15 min or so, and no one ever came. I was on my lunch break, so I couldnt wait any longer. I'm really disappointed I still haven't been able to get my tickets. I dont mind buying them online, but I didnt want to pay the additional $7 in fees when I live about 2 miles away.
Pretty bad-ass venue in SC. I went and saw one of my favorite bands here last year (2013). It's a good size with provides for a pretty intimate environment. Go check it out and have a blast.
This place is a must to stay in tune with their calendar! They have many well known bands/performers and it gets packed! Awesome to be able to see someone who's music you love in a small place and up an front. I've been going here for years, definitely a place not to miss!
Average venue, but they get some awesome artists that come through there
Cozy but not cramped, either venue is a great place to enjoy music. Staff is polite and effective, and the pizza is good too.
Small venue with solid shows and decent bar prices.
Only go here if your favorite band is playing. Kook central otherwise.
The catalyst is grungy, run down, and really not in the best place of town. It is really not the best place to be at night time, when you are walking back to your car. With that being said, it is the premier music venue in Santa cruz, this is where the most popular musicians will come, it is a santa cruz staple and has been for many years, and this is why I will continue to come to shows here. The catalyst has a bar and pool hall upstairs Downstairs they have a pizza kitchen, that also faces out onto the street through a pickup window. The pizza here is actually really good. Off to the left is the atrium, where smaller name bands will play, and the mainstage is straight ahead. Once inside the main hall, there is a wheelchair ramp to the right to take you down to the main stage area (**for handicaps** I believe the ramp will also take you up to the balcony but now I can't remember if it is a staircase? I'll check and edit my review) the balcony on the left side is only a staircase. There are two bars in the main stage area, with at least one of them being a cash only bar. For some events they will roll out a pizza cart to the main hall, but often times you just have to walk back out to the pizza kitchen. The sound system is solid, this is a great place to see a show forsure. It does get crowded, and there is usually just standing room only on the main floor, but there are some benches on the outer rim. The upstairs balcony has tables for seating. The security here is a crock, most of the security guards are either hitting on girls, selling drugs, or getting drunk. Don't rely on the security to intervene if there is an issue. I have heard of many situations where security guards allowed people to get jumped and just watched.
Been going here for YEARS. THE STAFF IS REAL FRIENDLY AND PROFESSIONAL. 5STARS
My personal favorite venue. Small enough to have intimate shows, large enough to get the party going.
Great venue for music - a real part of history. As a general bar it's OK. But the secret is going to the Atrium side for breakfast in the morning. Yes, you read that right - breakfast. Don't wait in long lines for the usual breakfast spots. The Catalyst has great local coffee and excellent fresh-squeezed orange juice and a the 4-egg Denver omelette is a fantastic cheesy meaty late-morning meal for a hungry guy (especially after a dawn-patrol surf). They also get bacon and sausages from a local meat production company with bread from a local bakery. Prices are quite reasonable and, again, no waiting in line. Have a great meal and then go for a walk downtown and delight in shopping our fabulous local businesses.
I love this venue. Always had fun and their beer is priced just like any bar. Good times to be had here!
A great local venue that hosts a pretty wide variety of bands. The main hall is long instead of wide, which does limit sight lines, but luckily the stage is elevated enough that most everyone gets a good view.
This is a great venue for small and large shows alike. They have multiple bars and quite a cozy feel.
THE BEST VENUE LAST TIME I WAS HERE SOMEONE'S PEPPER SPRAY GOT STOMPED ON IN THE MOSH PIT AND EXPLODED EVERYONE HAD TO EVACUATE (which the staff was v helpful in that situation) AND THE BAND JUST KEPT PLAYING (The Garden) it's a v intimate venue so if you're going to see an artist you'll more likely be able to maneuver you're way to front row which is always fun
Great Santa Cruz music and event venue. Or is really fun to be there. Loved my room there
I love this spot. Seen a lot of cool shows here. Be warned that standing in line outside the venue can be rough (some of the homeless locals can be a little confrontational). Other than that, I try to see shows here as often as possible.
so santa cruz.. so so of a venue.. but if you want to see shows you will be here
A great rock club... some of the best shows I have ever seen in an intimate environment.
What venue makes you go into a separate zone (with its own giant line) to get a beer, then you can't take it outside said zone? What a hassle. That said, the show was great, and the sound was spot on.
Worst in Santa Cruz.. moe s ally is the place.. this isn t place you wanna be if you wanna have a good time
Probably the least professionally run stage in the bay area - not going back unless whatever band is playing literally don't play elsewhere. PS. Whatever came out of their tap wasn't beer (clean the damn lines if you're selling beer!)
One of my favorite venues in the Bay. Intimate and fun. Great mix of balconies and floor space. They always have the up and coming or underground acts you are looking for.
An established venue for shows in the area. Bar upstairs and pizza downstairs. Two rooms for different shows means the place can get really packed.
I have been coming here since I was 16. My favorite venue, hands down
A super friendly place, everyone is so awesome. Sensory
I will NEVER go to that place, EVER! My friend was beat up by 4 security guards. They nearly killed him. Someone is going to pay for this tragedy.
Catalyst is a cozy venue with a very diverse showing of artists. It's the kind of place whose historic appeal can sometimes attract big names with low ticket prices . However, staff can be very rude when the venue states getting packed and I have already had an instance where a friend got kicked out over perceived gender while trying to use the bathroom, this derailed our whole night as we left our show before the headliner came out without even getting a refund. 5 star place with 1 star service.
EVERY time i come to the catalyst they NEVER end at the time they say they are going to end they say the show will beginat 9 p.m. but always start late around 9:30 or 9:35 and always END super early by 11 p.m. people drive from other cities just to support and pay for this events. I have videos to prove the time I arrived and the time Securities start kicking us out , DEFINITELY not worth driving here anymore . it aint the first or second time this has happened
Best place in town to catch an amazing band or two. The venue is great and they always have great names performing
THE downtown Santa Cruz venue. Great bands, great bar upstairs and the best pizza downtown (has some crunch in the crust). The bar overlooks the Atrium so you can see the bands playing there, the main hall is long and narrow and seating is unassigned but a great place to see a show. Frequent great special events Worth stopping in whether you are seeing a show or not
i've enjoyed many shows here ranging from tech n9ne to suicidal tendencies and gwar!
Great venue with a variety of spaces, full up with kink equipment.
the Catalyst is a historic concert venue, and i would love to give the place 5 stars. the acoustics are great, and there is a real sense of history when you walk onto the floor. That said the staff is just awful - surly, discourteous, relentlessly unfriendly. A 5 star venue, with a 1 star staff.
the venue is nice. unfortunately my friends and i ended up leaving early from the show we had been waiting months for. too many people smoking weed was super overwhelming and made us feel sick and uncomfortable. super disappointed with the rules and regulations of the catalyst. they really need to stress more and new rules about it being a non smoking venue. still so sad we had to leave the show. i hope it improves with time but for now i won t be a returning customer.
Awful security and notorious for non action for violence against women. Not a place to go to feel safe whatsoever:
Good fun venue but it's not what it used to be. Decor is very run down now. Blackout theme now vs tropical in the 80's. Good sound and service, poor selection at the bar. Just the basics. A fair beer selection, not great IMO. Limited cocktails. Fair drink prices, except for bottled water. Cold pizza is the only food now. This used to be a nice place. It's a dive now, but a nice dive.
My friends warned me about this place. That they had become way too strict with their customers. I had to see for myself. I went to see J-Boog with 5 other friends. Nobody was overly drunk. My friend ordered 5 drinks from the bar downstairs. We didn't realize it was cash only. When the bartender saw that my friend didn't have any cash he began to flip out. My friend said "hey hold on for one second I'll have my friend pay for it no big deal". I ran to the ATM while my friend waited at the bar. I was back in less than 3 minutes. I paid the bill and the bar tender proceeded to accuse us of attempting to get over on the club and take drink without paying. He was paid albeit 3 minutes later but the bill was taken care of all while somebody waited at the bar. Because of this all 5 of us were kicked out of the bar. Meanwhile as we are getting escorted out of the bar we had to walk through several huge clouds of weed and the bouncer didn't even trip!! The bar tender was extremely rude and so were the bouncers. Very unprofessional. I will not return. This place is for the kids.
Was threatened by two men trying to take a small woman with MS's table. They tried to steal the table and said they would throw me over the balcony if I alerted security. Got there 4 hours ahead to get a table because of the health issue. Told security anyway. They did nothing. Two other women tried to steal my friend's purse. Really bad place now. Been going each year for Y and T. Never again.
Travis one of the employees for one live media helped me with an order I placed for its confirmation to see if it was legit and he called me back as soon as I left a voicemail. Thank you!
Awesome venue but the door/ticket people are completely rude/unpleasant. Otherwise a total 4/5 star! !
Love this place been going to the catalyst for years!
Always a good time at the catalyst! I've gone to this venue dozens of times over the years and have never been dissapointed. The staff is nice and atmosphere is good. You can even catch a pizza before or after the show. Drinks are reasonably priced.
Not a huge venue by any means, but the environment is very welcoming. It can be a bit hard finding some parking at times so make sure to get their a little bit early. The bathrooms are usually trashed though and there can be poor ventilation when it gets too crowded.
surprisingly good music plays at this kinda bad venue. Go for the band but if you get the chance see theme else where.
OK size venue with a 21+ section...people can be rowdy but it's a good place to come to a show were you are trying to get away with smoking
decent venue when its not so crowded you are shoulder to shoulder. they always over sell tickets and it ends up being really crowded.
