The Royale is not your typical concert venue. The first time I went, to see Pinback a few years ago, I was amazed by the luxurious space and pristine upkeep. Then I discovered that the venue was a nightclub on the weekends and it all made sense. The Royale hosts concerts a few nights a week, and club late-nights on weekends. Because of this set up, the concert hall is filled with comfy couches, a huge bar, and a fantastic sound system.
The nightclub side of the venue has grabbed some great acts as well including Laidback Luke and is home to some of the hottest resident DJs in town.
The venue is booked by Bowery Boston, an offshoot of Bowery Presents in New York. Because of this, they are able to book a wide variety of nationwide acts in their 1000-capacity main room. I have seen some great acts there over the last few years. Dawes, Blitzen Trapper, The Head and the Heart, Daughter and more have graced the beautiful stage. Having re-opened in its current form in 2010 (it used to be The Roxy), it still maintains a sleek, new feel.
While it is limited in the sense that it cannot host shows every night, the ones it does present are always picked with care. Also, because of its in-between size, it is able to book large acts that haven’t quite blown up to House of Blues level yet.