The Echo

Cool intimate venue to see some local bands. Parking is a bit scarce but if you park by the nearby park you should be fine.

I hate that I'm old enough to remember when a venue was cool, and to have watched it totally decay. Feels like a soulless shell of what it once was.

Decent venue, nothing fancy, but is affordable, sometimes you can snag a spot on the street near by, they have cool acts and events. I am surprised I never reviewed it since I have been going to the Echo for over 10 years for concerts, NYE parties and always had a good time. The crowd is OK, bathrooms clean enough, drinks are reasonably priced.I like their DJ-s and their sets, really fun and gets you on that dance floor. I prefer small venues like the Echo, more intimate, with more character, edgier! Keep your eyes on their Events calendar!

Oh man this place is awesome Cheap drinks Wasn't overly crowded. 15 dollar tickets to see the fame on fire band with 2 opening bands that were just as awesome. This place was so awesome. The only downside is it's hard to find parking in the area so make sure to come early and your going to be walking a few blocks so beware

Great intimate venue, but rude staff-- The young lady with glasses working the front, the security who likes to judge people based on appearance, and some of the bartenders. Only one bartender was really nice. Never experienced such a high volume of rude staff members before from a musical venue.

I'm only giving The Echo four stars because they need to update their hours. That aside...this is one solid gem I wish I had discovered much earlier in my life as an Echo Park native.My friend invited me to watch a band this past Sunday, so I decided to finally make my acquaintance with the Echo Park landmark; ten-dollars at the door is not bad for what the venue has to offer. Spacious dance floor, retro wall art, and the bar has an array of available beverages that I haven't seen in any other bar in LA; from June Shine Kombucha, Cold Brew Coffee, and draft beers, The Echo caters to just about any drinking palette. What really caught my eye was the shelf full of candy; KitKat, Twizzlers, and Reese's Pieces, what a way to maximize your profits! No one is leaving the Echo without tipping the bartender at least once! The outside patio is also quite spacious and caters to consecutive bands playing at once within the venue; I was somewhat surprised to see children with their parents, but I suppose this explains the candy at the bar...In all seriousness, though, I love this place. Merry times all-around over good music, drinks, and candy? What's not to like? Would gladly come back to watch a band play on any given night.

I may be old, uncool, have a creaky body rife with illnesses/conditions; but I was once an avid concert-goer who has dated famous rock stars and also toured/worked in the music industry. I have stories galore but nowadays, I prefer to be at home cuddling with my cat in pajamas. I traded my grandma clothes for some leather on a Monday night to attend my 101st concert (not counting all the ones I've worked) that my friends in the band Hoobastank (yup, I'm friends with them!) were playing at The Echo. I've been to The Echo a few times but it has been quite a number of years so let's revisit with some updates...The Echo is a tiny concert venue that is more on the dive-bar end of things located on Sunset within walking distance of Echo Park Lake - literally, as it is practically around the corner and one can often spot a line for an event on the sidewalk circling toward the lake. The Echo is relatively a baby in the Hollywood concert venue scheme of things only being in circuit since 2001 having been a Latin night club in its previous life. Yet, it has firmly established itself and has been the backdrop to some of the biggest names in popular rock, punk, indie music and even some rap. The Echo has managed to grow an aura of 'cool'.Many of my fellow Yelpers mention difficulty in parking, a lot a couple blocks away and/or having to look for residential parking; but apparently none of these folks went down the side street as there are two huge lots directly behind and adjacent to the venue. I'm talking directly in the back behind the building. Not sure how people missed this? Parking is $2.50 max for the day and is free after 9pm. Careful though, as it requires paying ahead of time at the pay station kiosk and one was broken with no 'out of order' sign so we had to figure it out ourselves and walk to another one. The line for a show starts directly out front by the door which is standard but the entry process has changed since my last time in attendance. First of all, they only allow small bags, clear bags if slightly larger and no backpacks or anything resembling a backpack: my friend had a tiny purse in the shape of a backpack and they didn't allow it. Yet, they told her to go next door to the pizza place and grab a shopping bag because she could put her bag inside the shopping bag and THEN enter. So they allow a shopping bag but not a purse shaped as a backpack... so weird. Next, we had to first have our purses searched, walk through a metal detector and then a metal wand search. Am I at LAX security or a concert? Sheesh! The Echo itself is quite tiny (350 capacity) with the smallest, lowest platform stage and a long bar on the left-hand side. There is no barricade and you are practically on stage if in "1st row" standing. In fact, I was an inch away from the guitarist Dan's pedal board and he nearly kicked me a few times. One of the main complaints everyone, and I'm talking everyone in the audience, had was that it was FREEZING inside. We all had jackets and even huddled together in a rock show audience; we were still icicles. It was December! Turn the heat on or at least the AC off! I'm sure this is great for the performers under the lights and in the summer but it was quite uncomfortable for attendees.  The bar is credit/debit only for those who care. No cash.The actual concert experience at The Echo is legit for such a small space. Sound is optimal and akin to larger venues so their sound guy and system is grade A. Lighting is also quite good with the mixture of blues, pinks and house lights. Overall, it is surprisingly better than what you would expect. Staff is also quite chill not acting like attendees are children and didn't even come outside when we hung out with the band on the sidewalk for an hour after the show. The Echo is best summarized as an intimate venue where you can be up-close-and-personal with the act you are seeing versus having to deal with annoying, pretentious staff or a high stage. Just make sure to bring a jacket and a card to pay for drinks and parking. As for me, my old fart self is still recuperating from not getting home until 12:30am.

Recently came again with my roommie to see Janelle Kroll, Jagwar Twin and Transviolet. I decided to get some drinks this time around and shoutout to Kim for being an amazing bartender! She was very nice and chatted with us for a bit before it got busy. The AC wasn't blasting as much this time, which I was grateful for. I found out they have a patio in the back for smoking and the mural out there is really cool. I don't know if it was intentional, but I loved the glitter all over the floor out there. All the bands did amazing and they made really good use of the small stage space. Such great vocals! Jagwar Twin did have a cameraman on stage that was blocking my view for half the show, so that was pretty annoying. One of the security guards was pretty rude. He kept yelling at my roommie to move and "make a path" when he wasn't in anyone's way. There was already plenty of room for people to walk behind him, so I don't know what his problem was.

This venue is so dope. I was hugging the stage which I did not expect at all. Parking is a nightmare but the affordable drinks and good vibes make up for it. Sound is great and the artist I saw; wifisfuneral was amazing. Side note: I ended up going to the Echoplex by mistake but the staff over there was super chill and pointed me in the right direction. Definitely a cool venue to check out.

People were super friendly and helpful. Such a great show, great location, and vibe. Juliet Ivy's first tour and it was fantastic. Sabrina Sterling had her first concert here and I know they both are going to make it big