Terminal 5

I've seen quite a few shows here in the last year, including Coheed and Cambria's 4-night Neverender, the two-night Built to Spill "Perfect from Now On" gig, and Hot Water Music. I wavered between giving three or four stars. It's a reasonably comfortable venue, big improvement over the less comfortable last generation of venues like the 9:30 in DC for example (where the only place to sit down is on concrete steps in the balcony). Also I have not noticed the sound being particularly bad, and the light shows are often very good. But, I finally went with three stars, because I have to agree with the people who said the sightlines in the club are poor. Something as simple as raked floors would go a lot farther towards letting more people see. As it is now, if you're on either balcony and you're not right in the front you're not going to be able to see the show all night. You can try standing on chairs and tables but often the staff (most of whom look like they don't want to be there and don't listen to this kind of music and can't wait for the night to end, which is not the kind of people I want to see manning my music venue) will make you get down. It's true there are a lot of TV screens to watch on, but that's not really the same thing.

I've also had the distinct unpleasantness of being let in early for a show only to find that the balconies were not open, which created havoc when they finally were opened as people who'd come later rushed up there. So standing in line early was all for naught - you ended up in the back anyway, unable to see.

Also, exiting the club after the shows is a bit of a hazard - instead of letting people out all available exits, they make everybody trickle out down two narrow halls, one of which is usually clogged with a big traffic jam because the merch booth is in it. I sincerely hope there's never any reason people need to get out of there fast or someone is going to get injured.

To return to my complaints about the staff: the first couple times I went there, the staff were pretty cool and non-oppressive but the last few times it was to sold-out shows and I really felt like some of the staff were getting off on how much they could push people in the crowd around. I also go to Rams Head in Baltimore a lot, it's a club with a very similar layout, and I don't perceive such an "attitude" on the part of the staff there.

The bars at Terminal 5 are plentiful, which is nice, and the restrooms are also available and in reasonably good shape, which is also nice. However, there is one food place that basically only serves empanadas at inflated prices. Would it kill these folks to serve some hot dogs, fries, etc.? Again, Rams Head manages to do this...

Seating areas are also padded and plentiful, which is nice for those of us who don't want to stand up in a pit all night, but if you sit down the odds are you will be watching the show on TV all night or not at all. If you are able to get there early enough to grab a cube and drag it up to the balcony, be prepared to guard your spot all night as if you so much as go to the restroom without someone watching your place, you'll lose it. Also, there are booths on the left hand side of the top balcony, but they're so dark that no one sits in them. Why not put some lights so that people can hang out more easily there without feeling like they're in a closet?

Overall, what could be a four or a five star venue only gets three, at least till they fix the sightlines problem and hopefully hire some workers who don't seem to hate the audience so much.

We did not try any food or drinks because we just came from dinner. We paid extra to enter early and didn't want to leave our spots by the stage. So, I can't comment on service or food, but security entering the facility was thorough with metal detectors, ID checks for alcohol, and bag checks.

View and acoustics were great from stage area, but I cannot comment on the rest of the space. I have read that areas of the second and third floors are reserved for VIPs and Friends/Families.

We had a nice time and I would return. But, there was no seating, so prepare to stand throught the night. Because we arrived early to be by the stage, we were standing for 4 hours straight.

Speakers are ok, they don't use AC the whole show and to top it off they over-book the place to the point that it feels genuinely unsafe.

They also wouldn't let people leave out of the many doors and forced people to leave through the stupid tiny hallway. Not to sound morbid but the recipe for a dangerous crowd-crush is SUPER apparent when you're in there.

Would only go back to see a band on the up-and-up or on their last tour ever, would not go back if I have the choice to.

Where the Fire Marshal at?

Went to see mum (Roìsín Murphy) there back in September. The venue is very spacious. It reminds me of a venue we have here in STL the Padgett.

The ticket prices were very reasonable.
Drink prices I cannot speak about as I was too excited to see the concert than I was worried about adult beverages.

If you get a chance to go see one of your favorite acts in NYC hopefully they'll be at Terminal 5!!!

Here are some pics.

I highly recommend this venue.

While not a native New Yorker, Terminal 5 evokes a sense of nostalgia reminiscent of the music venues I frequented as a teenager. It brings back memories of attending concerts with friends when my mom granted me a bit of freedom by not attending.

The venue's spaciousness ensures that regardless of your height, you'll have a clear view of the stage from anywhere on the main floor. Arriving early is advisable for prime spots, but don't overlook the balcony for its scenic views.

Terminal 5 boasts good acoustics, provided the sound system isn't overly amplified, resulting in a clear audio experience. I enjoyed seeing Victoria Monet from the main floor and later Ari Lennox from the side balcony, both experiences were equally enjoyable.

The bar serves well-crafted drinks, considering it's a concert venue, and the security and entry process are swift and efficient. I wouldn't hesitate to attend another show here in the future.

I went to the Jack Daniel's Art Beats and Lyrics Free Event and BABY!!!!!!!!

We had TIME LAST NIGHT!!!!

The art was definitely a vibe and definitely brought some Brooklyn ethnic background of today's color world.

The drinks we tried were the Jack Honey with lemonade and the cranberry apple with Jack apple. The DJ was playing them tunes for real. The art was a pleasure to see.
The bartenders they had was rocking they were amazing

Just the usual entertainment venue for many entertainment events, spacious interior, great light system, great sound etc. like most NYC events sociological drinks can be on the pricey side but hey it's Manhattan it's expected. Water is $5.99, bathrooms were actually kept in order by staff and security wasn't too aggressive. In all a successful event by Masterbeat. Just was kinda meh for me though as the DJ is my one of my favorites and not sure why the music wasn't lively. In all great event space.

I have been to Terminal 5 several times for various events. Often times it is GA, standing room only, but there are VIP sections. On occasion, you can get seating especially if you arrive early. It all depends on the reason you're there. It's a large venue that can become whatever you want, with multiple bars. If it gets too crowded, the temperature inside can become pretty warm; although, they don't seem to fill to capacity since COVID which is great. The last time I was there I had some tasty bite-sized hors d'oeuvres in the VIP section which helped me hang out longer. I always have a good time here minus the waiting forever outside before getting cleared to go inside. Whether I'm dancing all night or sitting while spectating from above, it's always a memorable night.

I came here for N.Flying's "Do What U Want" tour earlier last month. The venue was a bit far from public transportation but the walk was about 10 minutes if you walked fast.

No outside food and drink were allowed so make sure to fuel up before entering the venue as they only sell beverages (I saw water and alcohol) and no food. They also made us past through a metal detector before we could enter.

The view from the floor was pretty good no matter where you stand. There were no loud speakers or TVs (like at concert stadiums) to block your view of the stage. This was the closest I've ever been to a kpop group for a concert!

At times the background track overpowered the volume of the microphone but overall it was alright. Whoever worked the lights did a GREAT job as the lights turned on/off and changed colors to the beat of the music which made for an awesome concert experience.

Bathrooms were clean and well stocked.

I've seen a couple of different shows there and it's great. If you're not on the floor right up front, you won't be able to see a whole hell of a lot it's unfortunate, but true all that being said. If you need a kind of different place to go where you have your own individual bathroom, you could definitely go in in your own private bathroom, and the middle of a rock concert and unload.

Don't waste your money here, one of the worst venues in NYC. A friend and I spent extra on top of the already expensive tickets to get mezzanine level access. We arrived well before the band was to start, but the mezz was already overbooked, and we could NOT SEE THE BAND AT ALL! And I'm 6'2" tall, but that is no help when you're trying to enjoy the band below.

The clearly have a giant air conditioning system, but they refuse to use it, creating a hot, uncomfortable place you need to stand in for hours at a time. The band went on late, extending the standing time. This is NOT just my one time experience, many friends who've been here report similar issues. It feels like this venue is only interested in packing as many people as possible and spending as little as possible on your comfort or improving sightlines. Calling them on the phone prior to the date doesn't seem like an option either.

The bars have plenty of capacity it seems (be prepared to shell out $$ though) and the bathrooms were nice enough. But who cares about all of that, if you can't see the band.

Because of it's remote location, food and drink options are very limited.

It's quite a shame, because this venue seems to attract some of the best bands.