Of the midtown trifecta of General Admission clubs – Terminal 5, Roseland Ballroon, and Best Buy Theater, Best Buy is vastly superior than the other two. Best Buy improves the concert going experience by its very existence and while it is much newer than Roseland, Terminal 5 only became the loathsome hell hole after a renovation in 2007. And while it is the smallest of the three with a capacity of 2100, Roseland, the largest of the three is only 3500.
However, everything about Best Buy is excellent, from its 85 foot LCD Marquee to its state of the art everything down the basement (which still hass cell reception -BB Kings doesn't), from its smart as hell, half GA seating and half at the foot foot of the stage standing. And most of all, its many many nooks and crannies from where you can perch and see the stage fine, this is the club that sets the standards.
Even the staff are nice, knowlegable. It must be the venue because at T5 the staff are first class assholes.
EVEN THE REST ROOMS are clean and plentiful. And its circular lobby is like a sea of discovery, close circuit TV sets are all over the place.
Best Buy is for the comfort of its guests, and every show I see there is at least a comfortable, pleasurable experience. This is precisely where the concert theater needs to go. On the corner of 44th and Broadway, there is place where part of the thrill os the venue. That is true of only the smallest clubs in the city, the Arlene Grocery and Piano.
My grade for Best Buy is an A. I don't know how this wonderful room could make the experience any more pleasurable.