Port City Music Hall

I’d actually rather give PCMH a 4 star rating but the truth of the matter is that I’ve seen some pretty amazing shows there. Somehow a great live concert puts on my critical blinders. The beer selection is decent, not great. But once again, they bring in some great acts. Be sure to keep an eye on their lineup especially if you’re into jam bands. I’ve seen great shows like Dopapod, the Disco Biscuits, Moon Hooch and more. Obviously, they have other genres as well. Every type of music brings another type of crowd so the the atmosphere can be affected by the music. Go support live music, it’s a good thing.

This place is perfect for a mid-​sized show. Staff was friendly and helpful. I didn’t even realize there was a «preferred seating» section (think it’s been closed the times I’ve been there) but I don’t see how it’s necessary. The GA section is a good size and you can see from anywhere.

Went to see a show here, and the show was really good. The venue is really great as far as the sound is concerned. However, when you have a «preferred seating» ticket, don’t get too excited, as one of the only perks is a separate bar. The general bar wasn’t overcrowded, and the minimal seating in the preferred section didn’t allow for myself and my friends to have seats together, even arriving well before the show began. This prompted us all to just spend most of the night in general admission. Not sure where these guys get off with charging substantially more for a mediocre VIP section, but I digress. Again, the show was great, however, some of the staff are perhaps not in the right line of work, as they seem to forget they host CONCERTS with LOUD MUSIC. If you are at a rock show and are reprimanded for being too loud, you’re probably at port city music hall. If you want to go see a wicked rad band and quietly jam out sitting Indian style, with your hands folded neatly in your lap, by all means go here and don’t forget to splurge for preferred seating. But if you want to go to a real music venue, and rock out the way the music gods intended, I’ll see ya in Boston ked!

Great venue for mid-​sized rock artists. The depth allows for a lot of people to fit in this downtown hall. The sound is impeccable, no matter how loud the performers get. Very clean, and good choices for food and beverages.
My negative opinions about the venue start with the «preferred seating» area. It’s a complete waste of money unless you’ve got a bad back, weak ankles, or happen to be under 5’2″. Otherwise there is very little reason to be there instead of on the floor in front of the stage. Also, for the most part, the staff is nice and accommodating, but… I was also asked by a member of the house to be quiet in the midst of a show… a ROCK show. I was about as far from the stage as I could be without standing outside, no song was even being played when this happened, and my friends and I weren’t even being loud! And oh yeah, IT’S A ROCK SHOW, with guitars and amps and distortion and bass and ARE YOU KIDDING?! Get rid of the control freak (s), please.

Traveled up from Boston to see a show here last weekend. While the act was also playing Boston, we wanted to take a trip up North and plan a weekend away.
I’ll start with the few positives. It was a nice small venue-​very intimate and the sound quality was excellent. There was a very friendly knowledgable bartender in the preferred seating section. That’s where this part ends.
We had called in advance to ask what the «preferred section» was-​they stated elevated seating with their own bar. What we got for double the price of a general admission ticket was not at all worth it. Yes, there was tables and chairs, but the section was TINY and very dark. We could barely find 2 seats next to each other to accommodate our party of 5, and we arrived long before the opener took stage.
We stood in general admission the whole show. As we left the show to purchase band merch, the main act was still on stage. We were as far away from the stage as you can be, and we were told by an extremely rude woman of the venue we were «too loud» Yes, you read that right, we were told at a concert we were too loud. The other customers around us not with our group even laughed. It put a damper on the whole evening, and that’s not how you want us to remember you.
While I loved Portland and would come back To the city in a heartbeat, I would not return to this venue. That female staff left a bad taste in my mouth. I’ll catch the act in Boston next time.

Censorship alive and well in America — Unilocal removed my original review… Okay so here it goes, I attended the Juliana Hatfield 3 show at Port City Music Hall with 4 other people.
So the venu itself is nice, spacious and set up a bit awkwardly for vip seating, it’s elevated and off to the side and too dark. Sound was good and the drinks weren’t too expensive. They have apps you can order and there are two bars one for the ga and the other for preferred seating. Here’s my problem with this place, we were there for a rock show last night, and near the end of the night, the performer was in between songs and talking to the crowd we were real far from the stage and near the exit when (I would estimate close to 200 feet or more) when one of the staff members, a female literally told us to quiet down? I said you’re fucking kidding me right, this is a rock show ! Not even sure we were loud at all, I think we were laughing and just enjoying a night out with our friends etc… I’m still at a loss, it really soured our whole experience in the Portland area that night, there’s a reason Boston is better for music venues, and this is one of them!
My friends were all very turned off by it as well, again this is a rock hall with a live band, and no where was it ever declared it a quiet show or acoustic show and please keep the talking to a minimum. I’ve been to those shows and just in case management is reading this, one in our party has seen Juliana close to 100 times and this has never been an issue. I hope you enjoyed the $ 300 we spent in your hall, because its the last time I will ever visit your ill managed establishment.
^^^^^^ this post goes to the top and there isn’t a thing you can do about it. It’s called freedom of speech and last time I checked this is AMERICA !!!
Perhaps a meeting and a set of rules is in order !!!

I’ve been here for both stand up comedy acts, musical acts and even a mustache pageant. Port City Music Hall works perfectly for all of them. I love the intimate atmosphere. If you are a die hard fan of a band, you can get within 3 feet of them and maybe that dreamy bass player will sweat on you. There isn’t a bad view of the stage from anywhere. Plus if you’re tired of being squished up front, you can always move back towards the bar and still enjoy a concert.
I will say that I enjoy comedy shows here more only because I really like sitting. Having a chair to call my own for an extended period of time makes my toes happy. Even being vertically challenged, I could see the comedians.
I’ll echo some of the other reviews: what the heck is up with the beer prices? I know when I’m going to Port City that I will be drinking PBR out of a plastic cup because I don’t feel like spending $ 7 or $ 8 for anything better. I prefer my wallet to not be empty.
Pluses: intimate setting for super fans, good sound system can be heard from anywhere in the venue, coat check especially during winter
Minuses: beer prices, it gets super hot near the stage in winter so be prepared to sweat

They book some seriously good acts here and if you can get past the why-​is-​this-​beer-​$ 7 shock that seems to come with being at any sort of rock club, this is a great place to see a show. Most events have a separate raised seated area for those who want to chill out, and you can generally get a nice unobstructed view of the stage from most areas within the venue as well. The bathrooms could use a thorough cleaning and/​or total overhaul, but beyond that I have only nice things to say. And it is a rock club after all, you don’t want it to be *too* clean.

We took a trip up for the weekend to see M. Ward on Friday (⁹⁄₅) and then stick around to check out Portland. Initial reaction upon walking in was «woah, this place is awesome!». Really cool atmosphere. You can tell they put effort into the design here, instead of most venues this size (which are usually much more bland and half-​assed).
Beer prices were a little steep (especially for stuff brewed in Portland!) but not as bad as other venues.
Sound quality was great, and we were up against the stage (this is hard to achieve).
Here’s why I gave this place 4 stars and not 5: the sweaty sound guy by the stage kept running out into the crowd, pushing everyone out of the way just to tell people to put their phones away. All of the security staff said it was okay for me to shoot with my camera, as long as I didn’t use a flash (which I wasn’t going to anyways). I was able to get about 20 shots until the sound guy told me to put it away. Thanks for contradicting the rest of the staff, buddy! The security team then told me I could take pictures if I wanted to, I just had to get out of his view. It was insanely disruptive during a mellow, quiet show like M. Ward to have him running through the crowd every 3 minutes blinking his bright LED flashlight at people.
Other than that, great show!

The sound is great, the atmosphere is great, it’s clean, the bands are happy and it’s a pretty intimate environment. I really like Port City. See a show here!

As small music venues go, this one is great. It has a nicely remodeled feel and is clean as a whistle. Nothing about this facility feels cheap. The main room is longer than it is wide, with lounge seating in an elevated area to the side that costs a little extra. The sound is good and there are no visual obstructions.
There are two bars, one as you enter on the right and one in the lounge /​VIP seating area. Both are full service, well stocked and also offer a number of beers on tap. I’ve been twice and both times the bartenders were friendly, competent and professional. You won’t find mixology type cocktails here, which is completely forgivable as there’s only so much they can do in high volume setting in a plastic cup. As mentioned, they’re competent and will shake up something tasty if asked. Drink prices, as noted by other reviewers, are on the steep side. If you already forked over your hard earned dough for a ticket be prepared to dig a little deeper.
The bathrooms are down a very long flight of stairs past a pool table and a few arcade /​pinball machines in the basement. The stairs are wide but watch your step. Parking is on street and there are reasonably priced off street pay lots within a few blocks walking distance.
In summary, this is the grown up version of the smaller live music club venues of your youth. Many of the musical acts are the same as your youth however absent are the sticky floors, smokey air, standing behind a pole, low quality PA and sweaty neighbors. They’ve been replaced by a slightly upscale and comfortable experience with prices that match. I enjoy seeing concerts here.

Sufjan, Stars, Ra Ra Riot, and The Neighbourhood… these are just some of the lovely musical acts I have seen at Port City Music Hall. I’ve been to Port City for the Portland Phoenix Awards where there were hundreds of people. I’ve been to Port City for private events where there were dozens of people. I appreciate this venue in our neighborhood for so many reasons… the amazing indie acts that grace its stage, their community involvement, their dedication to art, and their general approachability. I like the staff who works here. I dig the vibe, too. And the space suits Portland perfectly, in my opinion.
There’s only three things that deter me from being completely enamored with Port City:
1) The price of some of their beers — $ 8 for a Bunker?! WHAT!?! Okay, nevermind. What else you got on tap? Allagash White… for $ 7!!! Ugh. Most places in town have Allagash White for $ 5. What else you got back there, bartender… oh, Miller Highlife for $ 4? Yeah, so, I guess I’ll just get one (or two) Allagash (s) and nurse it the whole night. Boooooooo.
2) The security staff — The last show I was at, the security guard lost his temper with me because I wasn’t putting on my winter coat, hat, and scarf on fast enough for his liking. Chanting «c’mon, hurry up; c’mon, hurry up» over and over again at me is ineffective. And then, as we were trying to make our way to the bar to pay our tab, he started yelling at us (again) over and over, (and this time) louder and louder that «it was time to go.» Can’t really go anywhere until we we’ve paid our tab, can we? It felt a little like a wolf herding rabbits.
3) The VIP seating — The VIP seating is terrible, please don’t sit here (that was sarcasm, but I need to convince you, dear reader, not to take these seats so that I may have them… because they have revolutionized the way in which I go to concerts. Call me «old», but DAYUM sitting here all night is wonderful). In all seriousness, though, the reason I had never gotten VIP tickets before was simply because of price. They’re a little more expensive (which means an internal battle has raged within me for years: drink beer or sit in the swanky VIP area? ‘Cause you can’t have both here if you’re on a budget), but well worth it if that means I don’t have to worry about being elbowed in the face by some drunk skater kid that the security guards keep stobe-​lighting their flashlight at.

I saw Punch Brothers here last Sunday (²⁄₁₇). Anais Mitchell (and her friend Jefferson, his last name is escaping me at the moment) and the boys were marvelous. I can’t fault them one bit. Chris Thile really loves Portland, and it was such a treat they chose to play at Port City for the last stop on their tour. I would give the actual concert itself five stars. However, this is a review of the venue.
What gets my goose about this place are two things:
— Allowing people to drink way past the point of «being drunk» and to the point where they’re being obnoxious. I get it, people drink at concerts. It’s not my thing but I’m not knocking people who do. However, the bar tenders need to make sure they are cutting off people when they clearly have had too much to drink. Luckily, the band was quick to play along with the loud drunk man who kept yelling random things throughout the set. My favorite part was when he decided to shout, «VACATION!» and Chris Thile goes, «I’ve been on vacation for 26 years!»
— Security.
A group of us were waiting for the band to come out after the show. We waited in the lobby area for well over half an hour. I was sitting with my mandolin case (I had brought my mandolin with me in hopes of getting Chris Thile to sign it) along with some fellow fans. We saw the band members walking up the hallway behind an area we were not allowed to go in. There were many security people milling around. Finally, after half an hour or so, one asks us who we are waiting for. We say we are there for the band. He almost laughs at us and tells us the band isn’t coming out and that they are breaking everything down. WOW, THANKS! So nice of you to make us wait when you could have checked with us earlier!
It put a bit of a damper on the night because I was really hoping to talk to Chris and thank him for getting me into playing the mandolin (I wondered afterward if it would have made a difference if I specifically said I was there for Chris Thile but I doubt it).
But like I said, the concert itself was of five star quality and the guys always are on their game, no matter where they’re playing.
Outside of my two criticisms, the physical venue is nice. It reminds me a bit of Bowery Ballroom as far as size is concerned and I liked that they played big band music before and in between acts. I was up front and felt close but not too close, which was also nice.

Been here a bunch of times in between stints at the Windham Correctional Center. My most recent visit was for the Dre Dog show back a few months ago. Nubes may know him better as Andre Nickatina but I’m old school.
Did some pregaming that involved some heavy weed smoking. C’mon don’t judge me. It’s a freaking Dre Dog show! His #1 song is called «Smoke Dope and Rap!» Anyways when we got to the door there was a line so we waited patiently to be let in. Once inside they had the standard 2 doorman formation; both taking tickets and applying bracelets to patrons that were old enough to drink. Both of my friends go in ahead of me. I give the first doorman my ID and my ticket. He proceeds to give me a bracelet and I’m in. Not so fast says doorman #2. He asks me again for my ID. Needless to say I’m well over 21 and am starting to look the part. After a thorough inspection of both me and my ID, doorman #2 removes my bracelet and marks both of my hands with HUGE X’s! WTF! I kindly ask him what has just happened and he explains that «there has been some sort of a glitch.» WTF kind of response is that anyways? He must have thought I was intoxicated but I was just really high. Anyways I was allowed to stay for the show and just had my 2 friends get drinks for me at the bar. I enjoyed the show other than Portland’s piss poor attitude towards Dre Dog. He finished his set and rolled off stage but the house lights weren’t turned on yet. That is a clear indication from the artist that they are willing to do more songs if the crowd gets loud. Everyone in the audience did a 180 degree turn for the exit and bounced. Dre Dog gets no love from the Portland faithful.
So if your high as a kite trying to see a rap show here, my advice would be to avoid the heavyset, dumpy looking doorman and tell that bitch to kiss the rings.
I’d give the venue a 5 but the doorman a 1. Hence the deuce

Came here for a show during a romantic getaway recently, and the acoustics and setup of this venue were fantastic. Daedalus DJ had a great rockout set that helped get people moving, and even the between-​set music was better than most venues — Purity Ring, Four Tet, and other strong DJ mixes that kept the energy level of the room up and at the right place for the next band.
And then yeasayer came on and rocked the place out, and everyone had a blast. Dancing and moving.

sweet spot in portland local music scene and reasonable prices

Great venue! This listing is wrong though — address is 504 Congress Street. 11 Lewis Street is in the middle of a residential neighborhood (though not too far from the actual venue). Port City is now 18+.

I really like this venue. It’s right in the center of Portland. There have been a lot of great performers who’ve played. The interior looks fantastic (minus the downstairs).

Top notch Music Venue located in the heart of downtown Portland. The staff is awesome and the sound here is better than anywhere else in Maine in my opinion. Now if they could only book more HEAVY acts!

Port City is pretty much your standard music venue pulling what I consider (mostly) pretty typical mediocre acts (most) of the time. That’s not to say that I haven’t been there and enjoyed a show, mind you.
The physical space is nice, recently renovated with tons of chairs and couches. The site is a former movie theater and sports bar, and covers three levels. The sound is decent, and most of the time there is plenty of room. The staff is decent but the beer selection kinda slim. Most shows you can come and go once stamped, and that is a big plus.
The space is decent but for the most part I find the booking pretty lacking. They do a great job supporting local artists, though. One promotion that I particularly enjoy is the 2 for Tuesday… $ 2 to get in and $ 2 drafts once you are in enjoying 2 local acts.
One more thing to mention is that, as of now, Port City is 21+