Music Hall of Williamsburg Concert Venue

WILLIAMSBURG, NEW YORK –

Three bars and two levels of seating offer lots of views and plenty of booze at the 550-capacity hipster haven – and former mayonnaise factory – that is the Music Hall of Williamsburg.

Owned and operated by The Bowery Presents – same guys behind Bowery Ballroom – the venue focuses on indie acts, with a wide roster of past performers that includes everyone from Fiona Apple and John Mayer to Ani DiFranco and They Might Be Giants.

The first bar on the couch-strewn ground floor sees its biggest crunch pre-show, when regulars and first time visitors alike revel in the anomaly of a $5 beer at a NYC music hall.

Once the music gets going in the main hall upstairs, rowdy fans gravitate toward the spacious floor in front of the stage, while more laid-back patrons scour the balcony for the perfect vantage point.

Bar number two sits directly across from the merch booth at stage level, and draws a steady traffic of concertgoers mingling between sets. The upstairs bar features more couches and ample seating where revelers can rest their feet beneath the hanging spotlights.

A Shepard Fairey-designed “Obey” mural separates the couches from the bleachers, which offer better performance views, while an acoustic-enhancing sloped ceiling anchors a dangling disco ball that reflects young bloodshot eyes – and at least one crowd surfer – on most nights at the Music Hall of Williamsburg, one of Brooklyn’s largest indie hubs.