Last night I went to see Kay Kay & His Weathered Underground at the Triple Door, and it was a completely different concert experience than most of the places in town. They have tables set up for a dinner cabaret, a fancy wine list, and exorbitantly priced food. The beautiful sound system makes up for all this, though, and quite a few bands are booking here now that the Crocodile has closed. So, here are a few observations for the next time you find yourself contemplating going to a show at the Triple Door:
- Buy your tickets ahead of time. If you're going with a group, make one group ticket purchase so you're seated at the same table.
The Triple Door arranges their seating ahead of time, so even if their show doesn't sell out (like it did last night) you might be shunted to the standing-room-only crowd in the back. That area has varying degrees of visibility, but it always has people crossing in front of you to get to the restrooms. I had a cushy booth seat that was quite lovely!
- Eat ahead of time — or order the fried rice to get the most bang for your buck.
When you order tickets or look up concert info on the Triple Door's site, they recommend getting there two hours before the show starts "to save your table." We arrived about an hour ahead of time and our eyes popped a bit at the prices for show venue food–then again, what else would you expect from a place that gets their food from the same kitchen as the Wild Ginger? After hemming and hawing, I ordered the fried rice and received a ginormous plate of it for about $5; it ended up feeding about three of us (followed by vows to get more food after the show because we're cheapsters). Another option is to arrive super early for their Happy Hour, but most of the appetizers are tiny little dishes meant to accompany drinks rather than fill your stomach. - Try the Triple Door's Bloody Mary. It was $6, spicy-hot like I haven't found anywhere else in Seattle, and delicious.
Did I miss anything? Kay Kay put on a spectacular show. I got a bit distracted by the music.