Straight No Chaser Mesa reviews
Venue not appropriate for performance.
First, let me say that this was the 6th Straight No Chaser concert that I have attended and it will be the first less than 5 star review that I have given. The band themselves did an amazing job, but the venue was simply not a match for their talents or type of performance. I honestly feel badly for the folks who were attending for the first time because they probably weren’t wowed like they should have been. Although the folks at Encore were professional, friendly and efficient, the physical venue was simply not appropriate for the show. For example, due to the poor acoustics, the band didn’t perform their usual unamplified piece at the end of the show as there was no way everyone could have heard. The acoustics also made the group sound less blended (you could pick out individual voices much more readily than usual). The stage was barely raised up off floor level and I can imagine it was hard to see the group from the majority of seats, especially from the strangely oriented side sections. This lack of height also made the rear video screen (which had content important to the performance) be partially obscured. When Straight No Chaser returns to Boston, I hope they again play at the Wang Center or other similar venue. They need a theater or concert hall, not a convention center ballroom. They will be in Worcester at the Hanover Theater in April 2020 and I can’t wait to see them perform there!