by Darrell Harral on I'm not a big club goer, so maybe I'm clueless-- This club actually has a pretty good vibe I went to see a standing room only concert My main issue was they left me a message on the day of the event that the show started at 8 pm....so like a puppet, I arrived at 7:45 I was laughed at by security saying the show started at 9 so come back.... I come back at 9 and there is a short line waiting to get in...no problem.. we wait outside til 930 and they finally get going and let the people in around then....since the show started at 9---haha, I figured we'd had a good vantage point....so we waited........and waited.........and waited they didn't even play music to keep us entertained, a few musicians warmed up on stage here and there, and they had some lame tape loop on the screens, but not much else was going on....so we waited some more.....I was surprised that everyone was waiting so patiently, no one seemed to be bothered...maybe they are regulars and this is the norm.........finally after 11 they opened the curtains to let the crowd surge to the stage---and there we waited some more....still no announcements....if the scheduled groups were not there, they could have just said so......I was patient for the first 2 hours but by 1130 I was ready to leave when the show still hadn't started.......but I managed to tough it out...it did start shortly after that------but next time tell me the show starts at 1130...not 8.... so I'm not wasting 3 effing hours for nothing....or an explanation or apology once over the pa system or something once in awhile might have been good. Once the show got going it was better, my annoyance forgotten til I started to write this review. Place is small, sound system is good, so the music blasts and its pretty cozy...but definitely an ok place to hear a band you like one and they are playing here.
by Mingus R. on I've lived around the corner for 6 years and in that time I have only dared to cross the threshold about four times. My fist official day as a San Francisco resident, a fist fight erupted out the door and onto the street. First impressions are lasting ones and I pretty much stayed the hell out. Peer pressure and proximity have forced me to reassess. The horseshoe shaped bar is classic and clientele are an interesting lot as well. Envision a scene strait out of Bukowski. Picture painters, contractors, mechanics, pensioners and your random "entrepreneur", professional drinkers one and all. This spot is strait up working class so if you haven't got paint or oil on your trousers, prepare for the stink-eye. Come ready to get your drink on and you should be alright. They pour them stiff here. Lately Clooney's has gotten a bit of a facelift. Paint and a Plasma Screen do wonders for the ambiance but the characters remain the same. (To those of you with a real sense of adventure I hear that lunch is cheap and tasty.) If you work the third shift and 7 AM is your happy hour your going to love it. Show your face often enough and the stink-eye will change to smiles. Put enough time in and sooner or later you may even be invited to play a game of Liar's Dice.
