The Viper Room

My wife and I have lived in L.A. for twenty-five years and, to our shame, had never been to the Viper Room until this past weekend to see The God Bombs. It's such a cool venue, reminiscent of the old 40-Watt Club in Athens, Georgia. Intimate, with a dive bar feel. The DJ kept the crowd amped between acts, and the bar offered discounts that only lasted the length of certain songs, which added to the fun vibe. "Five dollar shots during this song only!" they'd announce, to squeals of delight, people rushing to the bar. The bartenders were very friendly, and put out a vibe that they love their jobs. The sound quality was great, and The God Bombs put on a fantastic show. But seven or eight songs in, something happened that could have ruined the night for me if not for the incredible Viper Room staff. I began feeling dizzy and had to lean against the bar. I had not had anything to drink, and I wasn't sick to my stomach, just incredibly dizzy. I told my wife I was going to go outside for some air, but as I reached the door I suddenly collapsed and blacked out. I'm told I was only out for a minute or so, but it felt like longer; when I came to, Viper Room staff helped my wife gather me to my feet and hustled me out to Sunset Boulevard. They offered me water, comforted me, asked if I wanted an ambulance. They were so attentive to me during what was a scary -- and very embarrassing moment. As it turned out, I was very dehydrated, and I felt much better by the time I climbed into an Uber a few minutes later. I don't write many reviews on this site, but the manager's incredible compassion towards me and my wife Saturday left a real impression on me. I had already decided the Viper Room was a great venue before "The Incident," so their hospitality is the icing on the cake for me. I hope this place isn't torn down. The Strip is iconic because of venues like the Viper Room, not because of condos. My wife and I can't wait to revisit! Finally, check out The God Bombs if you get a chance. They're a lot of fun and put on a great show.

Happened in here last night for the first time, when a friend of a friend's band was playing music. It was cool because there were really good bands upstairs and then a smaller room downstairs that felt more amateur. Case in point: a horrific "performer" named Leo who literally played songs from his computer and sang along with them (not karaoke; literally sang with it like a car radio) and kept telling everyone to shut up and listen to him. I'm iffy on whether I'd recommend it as a music venue, if that's the quality they offer down there (he had a crowd of relatives there to see him so maybe they bought a lot of tickets?) but we did wonder if it was being filmed for some sort of Punk'd show.But upstairs we caught Lele Rose and the band Thalo, both of which were excellent. If you're thinking of going and either of them are playing, it's worth it. If Leo's there, go another time, lol.Three stars because the quality of entertainment was so inconsistent.

Getting in and served at the bar was pretty efficient. Restroom is dirty, but large and functional, so prepare for that.Goodness gracious, some of the people who work here either hate humans, themselves, their job, or all the above. If you break any of their rules (good luck finding what they are), they will not treat you kindly, they will not give you the benefit of the doubt either, but they will automatically assume that you are purposely going against their rules. If you're really unlucky, they will bitterly corner you and yell at you like a child, while using their finger. Very degrading. Extremely disappointed in this experience. Glad I didn't get kicked out that night for watching over someone else's tripod. Literally was attempting to disassemble another person's tripod and got yelled at for not putting it away and trying to use it secretly. Btw the rule is no tripods.

We came here to see Dear Delta which was an AMAZING band!!! The bar service was very friendly and kind. Parking attendant was helpful in where to walk for dinner. It was a sold out show and people turned away at the door, I was happy we got there early! We did not try any food there. Would for sure come back to see Dear Delta!

I am old enough to remember when we got our tunes from ... wait for it ... the radio! Uh-huh. That oldfangled last century fossil that crackled out the same 9 songs the DJ was shekeled to play ad nauseum until you surrendered and thought you actually dug that stuff.Not any more.Thankfully we have hundreds of other ways to find music and assemble our own playlists that can then devolve into a monotonic repetition of all the other pedestrian jingles our finite brainlets open the doors for.Or, we can bust out of our routines and find a hot groovey spot on Sunset to hear something edgy in a room as inky and intimate as lingerie.The sound was studio crystal, the bar tenders were cool and mirthy, while lights glowing with swirls of obsidian, sapphire, and amethyst were downright sorcerous.Yep, I am describing The Viper Room (gotta love that imagery). We've all vibed on the Viper at some point in our lyrical journeys but last night I got to hear an original harmonic buffet that could morph into obsession.Bewitching bedazzling Brooke Howard chose TVR for another mind-altering concertina, blowing out ethereal bars that spun toward the ceiling, hovering like violet smoke. She bends and launches her voice like only a few other vocal artists have in the past, but with fractal percussion.Brooke, effusing a Kim Novak-alike aesthetic, rolled out some of the hits from her first album, Witch trap, and teased a sample from an upcoming second that, if my eyes didn't deceive, created a crowd at the street end of the murksome tunnel that draws fans into the Viper, packed to the ceiling (or so it seemed! -- see my pix).Belting like the best of them and frosting her vocals with a few rock-coloratura notes unexpectedly, Brooke is creating her own genre, a sound that has to be heard to be appreciated, unconfined by the acoustical jewel box downstairs at TVR. If I am not mistaken, I spied a few trebles still floating over the Strip when we emerged at the end of her set, reluctant to leave.For now. There will be more. Watch this space ...(Shout out to Fever Dream Production)

I went to The Viper Room last night for the first time ever. I went with a friend to attend The Emo Night Tour event. The vibe of the crowd was good. I liked that people were allowed to go on the stage and dance. There was a good sense of community amongst the crowd. The event was fun and enjoyable.The Viper Room is a small venue. It's definitely historic. I love that it's located on the Sunset Strip. I love it's past connection to popular rock artists, socialites, and Hollywood actors (RIP River Phoenix).My gripe with The Viper Room is for the door attendant working the entrance off Larabee St. on my visit. The door attendant had a bad attitude. She talked to me and other guests in a rude tone. She even warned some guests as they entered the venue's hallway before me not to talk sh** about her because she can hear them. The attitude I saw and received myself left me disappointed. Luckily, she was the only staff member who seemed to be an issue.

I'm living a rock star dream because Courtney G was performing in the Acoustic Lounge (downstairs). Main entrance is on Sunset and a side entrance for the Acoustic Lounge is on Larrabee. There's a parking lot next to the Viper Room to park for $20-30 depending on what time you arrive.There are two floors - the main act is upstairs, while the downstairs area is small and intimate for an acoustic (1-3 person) act. The downstairs area has a full bar. Surprisingly, the downstairs area is well insulated for acoustic acts.Restrooms are upstairs and unisex. There is also a full bar upstairs with seating. Merch can be purchased at the bar.

I have no clue how this place has 3 stars it is the absolute epitome of "Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll" It's a straight time capsule to the late 90s and early 2000s. It is a damn shame the place is going to be demolished and should be classified as a historical landmark https://laist.com/news/the-viper-room-will-be-torn-down-and-remodeled-as-part-of-a-12-story-high-rise

This place is rocking! Love me some Viper Room on a Friday night! The drinks are strong and the bands are good! This is a fun place to hang out and listen to live music! Love it! Happy Yelping!

Terrible experience. Was minding my business in line about to give my ID when the old hag who thinks she owns the venue decided to tell the security "don't even look at his ID I know it's fake" when I'm 23 and it was a California state ID... I tried to explain myself and she told me to shut up and to stop arguing if I wanted to go in. All for what... the ID was completely real.