Apollo Theater

If you are looking to catch the next great act before they make it to the big time, then the Apollo is the place to be. Going to this historic venue is not only a musical journey, but it also takes you back in time, and not in a bad way. Everything is modern, from the acoustics to the bar, but it gives you chills to think that Ella Fitzgerald and the Jackson Five preformed here before signing record deals.

Apollo Theater, theatre established in 1913 at 253 West 125th Street in the Harlem district of New York City. It has been a significant venue for African American popular music. Apollo reflects the spirit of Harlem's culture with a century of living, entertaining, amusing and finally educating by producing to us the greatest performers of African American region. Some of 'em, Marvin Gaye, Sam Cooke, Buddy Holly, James Brown, B.B. King and many others. But it was not only a theater for perfomances as became the place of many of the unforgetable recordings who live in our memories through all these years. As the years passing by, the Apollo theater goes by from a lot of changes, mostly operational, but now is open to the public once again to visit it and learn for the history of Harlem's, New York.

All those specials you've seen on Harlem back in the day aren't just hype. The Apollo Theater is an amazing showroom venue. It has plenty of seats without being overwhelming and can easily support a handful of different events. I'd never been past the lobby prior to Friday, when I went for the Homegoings documentary screening. (Great film, by the way, and on PBS Monday night.) The idea of seeing a film in a venue famous for showcases was a bit disheartening. I was curious to see how they would arrange it, however the screen filled the stage perfectly — quite old school movie house. The sound was amazing, for the film and the talkback afterward. The staff — ushers, concessions, tech and crew — seems well trained, even coming out to adjust mic stands for the panelest after they sat. The transitions were seamless and made the experience quite enjoyable. And even if you don't care what's on there, and the programming is amazing, you should catch something there anyway. Because it is, after all, The Apollo.

The Apollo Theater is a great place to go if you want to see talent unfold in front of your eyes. Some of the biggest performers came through the Apollo Theater, including Jackson 5, Gladys Knight, Billie Holiday, etc. However, the seating may distract you from actually listening to the performances. I have personally been to the Apollo Theater. As a child, I watched "Showtime at the Apollo" on TV and dreamed of going to see the show. I was given the opportunity with a couple of my friends. We had seats in the balcony. At the time, I did not know about the seats being very uncomfortable. We were excited about being there and seeing the show. However, some of my friends began complaining about the seats, as well as me. We could not hear most of the show because we were busy trying to adjust our seats to be more comfortable for us. As the show came to an end, we were so excited that it was over, not because of the bad singers, but of the bad seats. My friends addressed this issue with the manager and was able to get our money back. Although the Apollo Theater was a very exciting place to be, I do not want to go back because of the bad experience I had. So, if you're going to the Apollo Theater with seats in the balcony, be prepared to be uncomfortable the entire time.

The Apollo Theater has such an amazing history. It's hard not to think about the legendary performers who have graced that stage over the years. Sam Cooke, Billie Holiday, The Jackson Five, James Brown, Dinah Washington, Jackie Wilson, etc. History aside, however, The Apollo Theater is a disorganized mess that I stay far, far away from. I have given the Apollo more than its fair share of chances over the past 20 years by attending screenings, concerts, plays and fundraisers. If you're fortunate enough to get a seat on the first floor, you'll experience relative comfort. However, if you end up in the balcony, be prepared to sit with your knees pressed towards you dreading each time the person seated in front of you leans back and drives your knees closer to your chest. As a woman of average height (5'6"), I weep for those who are taller. Well, at least the ladies lounge is nice. If only I could have watched the show from there. What was it that turned me off from the Apollo for good? It was my attempt to attend a LaBelle concert a few years ago. Even though I was seated in the dreaded balcony, I was still looking forward to seeing the LaBelle reunion. The show started well. The ladies were putting on quite a show for about 20 minutes. Suddenly, the sound went out. LaBelle tried to continue performing but it was impossible. With great reluctance, they left the stage as the sound was sorted out. Fifteen, twenty, thirty, forty-five minutes went by without an update from management. Meanwhile, the bar was doing steady business. I went downstairs in search of information. The first usher I stopped simply shrugged his shoulders. I continued asking Apollo staff members with no success. They were clueless and didn't seem to concerned. After an hour, management announced that there was a sound problem. Really?!?! They urged people to stay even though they had no idea how long it would take. At that point I headed to the box office for a refund. I was given the runaround and after another 30 minutes, I managed to get the phone number of the promoter. Others who were not as persistent were told to call the Apollo box office on Monday. That was useless advice which they eventually learned the hard way. The Apollo should have been more proactive and responsive to the concertgoers. It should not have been so difficult to get information and customer service. Even though the show was rescheduled, I wanted nothing to do with the Apollo. It took two weeks of phone calls to get fully refunded from the promoter. What should have been a fun evening with great performers turned into a stressful two weeks due to the incompetence and unprofessionalism of the staff. There's nothing that the Apollo has to offer me. As for the history, that's what libraries are for.