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I loaded about 950 shows from the tour archives and such in a database and did some extreme nerd things with the data anyways...here are the top 20 venues & cities and the number of shows. Some of these places are closed or the band has outgrown.
Bamboo Room 19 (Closed) Freebird 19 Skipper's Smokehouse 15 Tipitina's 12 Music Farm 11 Social 10 Independent 9 Culture Room 9 Fox Theatre 9 Wakarusa Festival 8 Smith's Olde Bar 8 Rhythm Room 8 Beta Bar 7 Gypsy Tea Room 7 Georgia Theatre 7 Exit/In 7 High Sierra Music Fest 7 Zydeco 7 Variety Playhouse 6 Stella Blue 6 (replaced by Orange Peel) Proud Larry's 6 Hal & Mal's 6 Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom 6
If you just look at the past 3 years without radio or Australia then... Tipitina's, Music Farm, Independent, Fox, Smith's, Beta Bar, High Sierra, Zydeco, Variety, Proud Larry's, Stella Blue, and Hal & Mal's drop out of the top 20
Jacksonville/Jax Beach FL 37 New Orleans LA 35 Chicago IL 23 Atlanta GA 21 San Francisco CA 20 Austin TX 19 Lake Worth FL 19 New York NY 17 Tampa FL 17 Asheville NC 15 Orlando FL 15 Boulder CO 14 Denver CO 14 Lawrence KS 14 Tallahassee FL 14 Charleston SC 13 Gainesville FL 12 Portland OR 12 Dallas TX 11 Ft. Lauderdale FL 11 Indianapolis IN 11 Louisville KY 11 Memphis TN 11 Seattle WA 11
Finally by State, guess NC ain't so bad after all
FL 170 CA 59 CO 57 LA 46 NC 41 GA 40 TX 35 TN 34 SC 29 NY 28 IL 27 AL 24 MO 23 KY 21 MS 20 OR 19 IN 18 VA 18 MA 17 WA 17
Last Edited by on Mar 02, 2010 7:34 AM
There is no better venue to see Mofro play than the old Bamboo Room, which has unfortunately closed. My second choice would be Tipitina's....my favorite club on the planet!!!
Since, I have only seen them at 3 locations at the present time, I had to choose the Peel. Although I have always heard good things bout the Bamboo Room. ---------- "Lord feel that vibe, Lord feel that vibe....."
Last Edited by on Apr 20, 2009 1:45 PM
Isn't the Beta Bar now the Engine Room? If so that would increase the number of shows played there unless GTD factored that into his count. ---------- The only thing I knew how to do Was to keep on keepin' on like a bird that flew, Tangled up in blue
Although the Bamboo Room has been closed for almost a year now, it seems the website is still up.....hmmmmmm.......wishful thinking!! Check it out, they have several nice pics of many of the bands that played there and a nice little tour of the club.
Giggles, I just used the club name at the time od the show (from the archives). I didn't try to figure out what clubs changed names. But if you know of any more let me know. There is 1 Engine Room show from 2009.01.24 so if you add that to the 2 Beta Bar shows in the past 3 years then that puts that venue in the Top 20 for the last 3 years. All those shows fall under Tallahassee. Good catch! Ashley, NOLA is the numero uno primo #1 city/state Mofro combo because aren't Jax and Jax Beach technically 2 different cities? On that basis shouldn't Mofro fans move to NOLA?
Last Edited by on Apr 20, 2009 8:26 PM
First time I saw Mofro - Zydeco (Birmingham)2003? Best show I've seen Mofro play - Smith's Old Bar (Atlanta) Best sounding Mofro show - Variety Playhouse (Atlanta) Least fun Mofro show - Music Midtown (Atlanta)2005 Most overrated venue - Freebird Where I'd like to see Mofro play - Ryman Auditorium - Nashville
"least fun MOFRO show.....least fun MOFRO show.....I can't comprehend ...........I don't understand what it means.. :o) ---------- "Lord feel that vibe, Lord feel that vibe....."
Last Edited by on Apr 21, 2009 5:21 PM
First Mofro Show - Exit/In 2007 (opened with Brighter Days) Best Mofro Show - Orange Peel 2009 Honorable Mention for Best Show - 3rd & Lindsley 2008, they played 20+ songs, over 2 hours, 2 encores, and it wasn't a big crowd, which was nice for a change. Most Under Rated Venue - The Duck Room @ Blueberry Hill 2008, it is basically a basement at the bottom of a Chuck Berry's restuarant. It was jam packed shoulder to shoulder sing-a-long for almost 2 hours.
I agree with Swamp Cracka, the Ryman would be fantastic, perfect acoustics. I have never seen a show at the Variety in Atlanta, but I have read some great reviews. Do you think they will ever play The Tabernacle in Atlanta? I have heard that is an amazing venue.
Last Edited by on Apr 22, 2009 8:14 AM
It is in a corporate building with offices on both sides of it. From the outside, it really doesn't look like a music venue. It is basically a rest./grill & bar with a stage. There is not a lot of dance floor (maybe room for 15-20 people). It is mostly tables and high tops. There is a loft overlooking the stage with some more tables. It is the perfect place for a small acoustic show, where you sit, eat, drink, and listen. It holds 250 people max. But JJ and the boys basically destroyed the place that night. The first 10 songs were part of a radio broadcast and were relatively calm, not a lot of JJ banter, some sing-a-long from the crowd (Lochloosa). Needless to say, the people who aren't in to singin, dancin, "and feelin that shit" left after the radio broadcast. And then it started. We pushed the tables and chairs out of the way, got our grove on, and turned it in to a TN jookhouse. Listen to Six Ways from that show. Hope that helps.
Last Edited by on Apr 22, 2009 7:12 AM
Sunshine - yes, it is possible that a Mofro show was not as good as normal. I chalk it up to it being an outdoor festival, early afternoon, light crowd, and an extremely short set.
TN_Cracka - having been to both Variety and Tabernacle numerous times, I give the nod to Variety. Variety is a old theater - having a floor that slopes down toward the stage. There is a big area between the stage and the seats for people to stand, and the seats are good viewing as well. Main thing though is the FLAWLESS sound system and mixing they do @ Variety. It's the best. Tabernacle is ok, but the seating situation is not as good, and the balconies can get hot in the summer. It's an old church, so it's just set up differently.
Sunshine, I heard about a show a couple a years ago that was in a upper West state that had a real small, real rowdy crowd that not only wasn't into the music but also one of the drunk bastards came up and started screaming at JJ while he was in the middle of playing Lochloosa. They had words. They near walked off stage. It did not sound like a fun show. And it's not the only time similar things have happened (and I'm talking about years and years ago either.)
As much as we see 'em in sold out venues with appreciative crowds, it ain't always that way. Late last year they had a show that only had sold like 5 tix in advance. The walk-up sales ended up being phenomenal so it nearly sold out. But there's still places they go where they're still carving out a name and working hard to sell tix.
While I'm on this subject, and apropos to this thread, you'll note that while the band is playing some usual haunts, they are also playing some different cities and festivals this year. From a business plan standpoint they're branching out. It's a delicate balance to keep coming back to the markets where your dedicated fans are and going to new markets to foster new ones. Sooooo...it may require a little patience, or a little road trip to see them in the next few months. They WILL get back around to all the places you know and love but may take a little longer.
Grab the dog, throw the kids in a kennel, pack a light bag and y'all head out for an excellent adventure. A little getaway, and a live JJ Grey & Mofro show, is good for what ails the soul.
---------- MofroFan1 "Never order barbeque in a place that also serves quiche." ~Lewis Grizzard
Last Edited by on Apr 22, 2009 7:26 AM
I guess I have been lucky that I have not been apart of a crowd that can bring the show down. Hopefully I never will. ---------- "Lord feel that vibe, Lord feel that vibe....."
It's a reminder that our favorite band, for some our passion (if you will), is not as big as they or we would like them to be. It's tough out there, and it's even tougher now. Like I said above, it's a real catch-22. They can do better at tix sales if they just stick to what they know--but even at that there's no guarantees in today's economy. But if you do follow that strategy you do so at the expense of growth. Without growth, you're actually going backwards. Tough biz.
---------- MofroFan1 "Never order barbeque in a place that also serves quiche." ~Lewis Grizzard
As Clay already knows, my brother and I were the ones dancing in the chairs, but we had a beer bottle in both hands to help keep our balance. Safety first.
