From the outside, Terminal 5 is decidedly unimpressive. All that can be seen is a garage door sitting below a blank building sign. The queue line to get into the venue winds through an underpass with construction lining both sides. However, the inside of Terminal 5 offers the complete opposite: a lively club that’s one of the most well-known in the city.
What’s first noticeable inside Terminal 5 is how animated it appears to be, despite a relatively conservative look. There are no fancy paint jobs or other gimmicks meant to spruce the place up. All the focus here is dedicated to the music itself. The concert hall is divided up into three floors, all right above each other. The bottom floor is where the action can be found. During sold-out shows, the environment turns almost claustrophobic, as most of the 3,000 attendees compete for space on the floor. Fortunately, it’s a good type of claustrophobia. Instead of feeling trapped and cramped, you feel like you could drown in the music and general atmosphere of the show.
For concert-goers who don’t want that level of intensity, the second and third floor balconies are the places to be. The spots against the balcony railing offer a perfect view of the stage without the crush of the first floor crowd. However, if you’re not against the rail, it gets tougher to see. There’s also a VIP area on one side of the balcony for those who can afford it. The design of the hall can best be described as an industrial warehouse crossed with an abandoned house. The furniture looks world-weary, probably due to its previous use as a part of Club Exit, which closed in 2003.
The best part of Terminal 5 is its consistent track record for booking of great acts. The venue has had a number of music’s most talked-about stars walk across its stage. This includes everyone from Nine Inch Nails to Lady Gaga, Santigold to The Cult. With such megawatt acts gracing its doors, it’s no wonder that people keep trekking over to 11th Avenue in Hell’s Kitchen to get into the venue.
It’s true that Terminal 5 may be lacking in décor. But it more than makes up for it with the music. By booking a ton of heavy weight performers and making a three-story room that offers great views from nearly every angle, Terminal 5 has pushed itself to the forefront of smaller concert venues, and it’s not planning on going anywhere.
Terminal 5
610 W 56th Street
New York, NY 10019
(212) 665-3832
Upcoming Events:
10/16 – The Gaslight Anthem
10/17 – The Avett Brothers
10/23 – STS9
10/24 – The Zac Brown Band
10/31 -Thievery Corporation
11/08 – Wolfmother
11/13 – David Crowder Band
11/14 – Peaches
