Preservation Hall
New Orleans, LA 70116
Phone: (504) 522-2841
- Hours:
- Vary
Editorial Review for Preservation Hall – by Kevin Forest Moreau
In Short
The place is gracefully worn. An ornate iron gate provides a glimpse of the lush courtyard in back. Inside the gray, bombed-out-looking structure and some paintings provide what passes for atmosphere. The clientele is more often foreign than local. No matter their nationality, all patrons stand--there are no seats. The music here is authentic with a capital "A." The Hall offers down-home, traditional New Orleans jazz performed by a mixture of old and new talent.
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Insider Tips
Know Before You GoDon't expect creature comforts like food, seating and air-conditioning; there are none.
User Reviews for Preservation Hall
05/29/2008 Posted by missjeebie
As a life-long fan of rock and roll, I wasn't sure if I'd appreciate the tradtional New Orleans jazz that I knew reigns supreme at Preservation Hall. We'd been told we simply had to go, though, so go we did. It's nothing fancy--just a smallish room with a few rows of folding chairs and standing room behind those. It was only $10. admission, so what was there to lose? Well, the experience was amazing. It was the first time I'd ever seen a band play without electricity--no microphones, no plugged-in instruments, nothing! The band was so great (New Birth played the night we were there), I never wanted it to end! The musicianship of these guys was staggering. We stayed for two sets, and definetly plan on returning on our next trip. After all the bad cover bands we heard spilling out onto Bourbon Street, it was nice to finally hear the music New Orleans is famous for. It's a shame there aren't more venues that feature this type of jazz in the French Quarter. Wherever else you go in New Orleans, make Preservation Hall a priority!
Pros: Hearing great traditonal New Orleans jazz
Cons: none!
11/24/2007 Posted by hotrodriguez17
I could have had a ton of fun at this place. It was very old-fashioned, not glamorous by any stretch of the imagination. The music was awesome. On the night I went, there was a very talented trombone trio playing. Now for the bad parts. There is very little seating. if you want to be able to sit down, you better be one of the first 20 people to enter the hall. It's not the small amount of seating that upset me. It was the fact that I was probably the 50th person in, but not the last. I should have been one of the last to be let in, as the room was already full when I entered. But instead, they just kept letting more and more people in, taking their money and not caring how they managed to fit inside. This "hall" is actually just a room that is about 40 ft. long by about 20 ft. wide. There were probably 250 of us crammed in this extremely tiny room. Then there were about 20 other people in the hallway who couldn't even see the band. In my opinion, this is against fire regulations. If a fire started in the room, I highly doubt that everyone would have been able to get out in time. But of course, just like every other place in New Orleans, they don't care about you, just your money. We left after the first intermission, as I was tired of my shoulders being crammed up against 2 strangers for an hour.
Pros: Location, venue, music, atmosphere, lighting
Cons: Owners, crowded
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