Though it’s not even a year old, The Chapel is the lone Mission venue (even including the honorable mentions) in SFist‘s list of the top 10 music venues in SF. Here’s why:
Valencia Street’s newest music venue has a lot of soul for a newcomer. The beautifully revived church-like 1914 building is the official West Coast home of New Orleans’ legendary Preservation Hall Jazz Band, so naturally the music lineup leans towards the soulful and folky side. The rest is rounded out with local acts graduating from Mission District dive bars and national touring acts that play to the Valencia Street sensibilities.
 in SFist‘s list of the top 10 music venues in SF. Here’s why: Valencia Street’s newest music venue has a lot of soul for a newcomer. The beautifully revived church-like 1914 building is the official West Coast […]</p>
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Jeez, do a little research Sfist. They dropped any mention of it being “Preservation Hall West” pretty much right after opening weekend, which was HSB weekend 2012, and PHJB hasn’t been back since.
you may want to do some research on SFist so we can get your expectations in proper order here….
The chapel is gorgeous, but it is possibly the worst place I’ve ever been to for seeing/hearing quiet acts. The acoustics are atrocious, as the high ceilings create an echo chamber that completely drowns out quiet bands. Thee Oh Sees? Great. Jazz bands and folk singers? You can hardly hear the music over the talking patrons in the back and upstairs. I saw Steve Earle there and he was barely audible. He repeatedly asked the talkers to quiet down to no avail. You could hear the bar patrons from the back as loud as you could hear the band onstage.
A seriously poorly designed venue. Looks great, sounds awful.