Toad’s Place

Toads is old, dirty and the bathrooms smell like piss. The acoustics are ⁵⁰⁄₅₀. 30 years ago Toads might have great. Today, its pretty rundown.
I’ve seen two bands here. The first was The Darkness. They were great! I think I saw them the night they got re-​signed. The second was Buckethead. He’s a monster player with tremendous ability but lacks in the composition department. The nunchaku solo was interesting.
Back to toads. Its a classic venue and an OK place to see a show. Pretty much any spot has a clear view to the stage.

What a dump. This is one of those old vs young arguments. Hey! When I was 20 I didn’t mind being packed in a crappy joint and waiting until 12am for the band to come on… that’s what makes it FUN! I could also sleep hanging upside down with my head under water! And its CHEAP too! Well, I am a little older now and I like some amenities like being able to 1. sit down once in a while 2. See the band maybe 3. not being packed in like an animal at slaughter.
Toad’s is an institution that a lot of big names come to so I figured I should check it out once in my life. Well, once is enough. The tickets were very inexpensive but you get what you pay for. Its super dumpy and I don’t mean like cool dive dumpy its just old and gross and probably hasn’t changed since 1982. There is not a place to sit. There were some tables in the basement but people were camped so forget that. The stage is about 2 feet high so forget about actually being able to see the band with my eyes unless I am Big Bird or bring a milk crate to stand on. The place is packed, going anywhere is an ordeal. Plus no matter how crowded people are still pushing by to try to get to the stage. Its tiring and sucked the life out of me. I had no idea when the band would start. Tickets state «doors open at 8 show starts at 9» Well, the opener (I didnt know there was an opener no mention of that) came on at 10 and the band I paid to see came on well after 11. I was there at 8:30 so whatever I saved on cheap tix I lost at the bar.
If there is really a band I want to see I will go the the Capitol in Port Chester (simply beautiful venue) or basically any other venue in the tristate area. I’ll pay a bit more but really enjoy a show like a civilized human.

Danced with Derek Jeter here and tried to dance with secret service men repeatedly but they’re pretty serious about their job, apparently. If you need to ruin a pair of shoes or smell fresh Yale baseball/​hockey/​laxer piss – go here! Find the hidden hot tub room! Highly recommend! Don’t stop believin’!

Came here last night with my boyfriend for the Grateful Dead Halloween Party. It was a really fun time! I didn’t know the band, but my boyfriend did. The light show part of it was great, the staff was friendly and it was pretty cheap to get in. I have also been to a edm glow party here which was soooo packed but very fun! Drinks are not too cheap (9 dollars for a 6oz margarita) but they are good so I cant really complain =)

Came here the other night with my girlfriend for a concert and I must say this is a pretty cool venue.
I like the way this place is set up. There really wasn’t a bad seat in the house. Made the concert feel intimate despite the fact that there were a few hundred people there.
Also, the drinks were pretty cheap.

Toad’s Place was cool. I’m a big fan of «hole in the wall» type venues, and that’s what this was. I saw Lord Huron play (tickets were 25 bucks), and it was an amazing experience. They’re a great band. The sound was awesome and the although the place was pretty packed, I never felt cramped or like I didn’t have any room. I didn’t want to move once they started playing, but wanted to grab a beer. Lucky for me a staff member came through the crowd with a 30 rack of PBR — I thought that was hilarious and great. Would 100% see another show there when I’m in the area.

This place has made my college experience so fun. I wouldn’t reccomend if you aren’t a college student and do not want to be around a yount crowd. Its alot of fun if you want to dance and have a good time.

Being one of the best small venues in Connecticut. I’m pretty much obligated to write a review. I’ve seen many bands here like Static X, Sevendust, Underoath, Silverstein, This Wild Life and tons more. I love that it’s a small intimate venue and if you’re patient you can usually meet some of the bands and/​or artists. I love the sound and the acoustics are great for just about all the shows I’ve been to. Growing up in New Haven. I think I speak for everyone that this place is a staple! I only wish they had more well know acts throughout the year and not just during the fall and winter months. Other than that, easily one of the best.

Toads Place is the best music venue in CT hamds down. Very intimate setting. You can really get up close and personal with the artist. And also, pretty much anything goes inside. You would really have to be the hugest asshole to get kicked out. WARNING: do not use the parking lot on broadway st across from the apple store when going to toads. They charge a $ 35 flat rate when parking after 9pm. There is no signage to indicate this however and it was not always like this. So spread the word people! Fight the power!

It is so sad that the owners do not care one bit about the up-​keep of this place. I try so hard never to pay to get in here, it’s the absolute worst venue in CT. Location makes it seem like it will be fantastic and old school, but only if old school means you never clean or upgrade a damn thing then it is.
My musician friend comes to play and even says how horrible it is for them to preform. Nothing to help them after being on the road, horrible downstairs area to hang out while waiting to play. Way to make your performers who are getting you $ feel good about coming. The % they take from the merchandise is outrageous too.
I hate hearing when an artist is coming to CT & it’s at Toad’s Place. You’ll need to take a shower if you just look at this place. So many health codes not being met.

This place is grimy. Came on a Saturday which is a Top 40 dance night. Entering the club is complicated– they check your ID at the door and give X’s to under-​21s. Then once inside you need to have your ID scanned again to get a wristband, then they check your student ID before selling you a $ 5 ticket. Annoying process.
When we finally got in the place was packed. No room to breathe. It took about 30 minutes to get a drink, and they only sell one drink per person at a time, so it’s not like you can get two and go dance for a while. When I got my second drink the bartender ignored me for several minutes, helping people who must have been regulars. He even took my money and put it in the register, then proceeded to take the order of the customer next to me without even starting to make my drink. WTF.
The crowd is TRASHY. Reminded me of high school, with random guys coming up behind us trying to grind without so much as asking. Even got grabbed once or twice. No thanks.
The bathrooms are downstairs, and they are disgusting. The floor is slippery with spilled drinks and god knows what else… Literally just gray mud all over the floor. Half the stalls didn’t lock and there was NO toilet paper in ANY of the stalls. No paper towels either.
That said I can see it being ok as a music venue with a smaller crowd. They had nice laser lights and a big dance floor area. But for club nights? NEVER AGAIN.

It’s just a classic venue. Maybe it’s the nostalgia talking, but I love going here still. My formative music years were spent going to shows at Toad’s, and I’m always excited if a band/​dj I like is playing so I have an excuse to return. The drinks are decent, the bathrooms are not (soap? Hard to find). But the crowd and staff are always super friendly, and I’ve never not had a good time. I love looking at all the artwork of past artists that have played here (Rolling Stones, Primus, Blondie, it’s really a who’s who of music). I recommend everyone try to catch at least one show in the very intimate Toad’s Place.

Normally ratchet. Tolerable on Wednesdays.

I came to New Haven to see Saves The Day perform «Through Being Cool» in its entirety, and they played Toad’s Place. I have never been before, but I heard it was cool. While I did enjoy the show, I found it really hard to find a spot to watch the band. There’s a lot of support beams in this venue obstructing views, which means there’s less space for the people that are there to watch. The sound was fine, not sure what other reviewers are talking about. But this venue is really nothing special. Tomorrow I will forget what the layout was like, I think.

Toads WAS great. They had lots of impressive names play there. Most in the 70s. I’m not saying they never get good shows lined up, im just saying a lot of the reputation of Toads was built up a long time ago.
The problems with Toads as it is now? I’m pretty sure every sound guy they have is deaf. The bars are routinely at least three deep, which is frustrating if you just want to grab a beer and get back on the floor. I’m positive the bathrooms have never been cleaned. I’m also pretty sure the men’s room was a set in one of the Saw movies. There’s basically nowhere to sit. My favorite worst thing, though? Every show I’ve been to routinely gets cut off early so they can start their dance parties. Can’t give a paying audience an encore — there’s Yale kids waiting to run a bar tab!
My only reason to go there at this point are shows that are only happening there in state or rarely for local bands, although I’ve made a point of trying to avoid those, too. The less money I waste on Toads, the happier I am.

Ugh, 3 stars I guess.
What the hell, Toads? Strange strange place.

This place is a New Haven institution that has managed to select and draw in incredible talent. Usually, prior or after to the height of their career. Either way, if someone is playing here that you enjoy it’s a great intimate venue, with ample parking in the immediate area and fair booze prices.
Ticket prices have always been on the better side of good, and it’s a central location for dinner prior to a night of singing along and drinking.
As for the nightclub, I’ve never stuck around or went here in my too little clothing college days to club here.

Toad’s really deserves two separate pages, as its vibe as a music venue couldn’t be more different than its vibe as a dance club.
I’ve been to ~25 concerts here. Toad’s brings in an interesting selection of bands, so I suppose your mileage will vary depending on whether they’re featuring music you’re interested in. The stage acoustics are excellent for a smaller venue and beers aren’t nearly as overpriced as you would expect. If you want drinks, they scan your ID when you first enter and you get a wristband – simple enough. The crowd differs from band to band, but even for all-​ages shows it’s rare to find yourself surrounded by a throng of screaming sixteen-​year-​olds. Size-​wise, it strikes a nice balance between being large enough that you don’t feel crushed and small enough that it’s still intimate. Very solid, overall.
Contrast this to Toad’s as a nightclub, where I have seen (among other things that will cause you to lose your faith in humanity) two Jersey Shore look-​alikes pulling the hands and feet of a sloppy-​drunk girl so fervently in opposite directions that she was literally suspended two or three feet above the dance floor, at which point her equally drunk girlfriend (who had previously been encouraging the tug-​of-​war) yelled at them to stop, resulting in Girl A being dropped into a full faceplant. I can only imagine that there were many more lucky ladies who found themselves the target of those gentlemen’s affections that night.

It’s a very low key, small, divey place to see music. As a result the ticket prices are usually pretty cheap, the crowds can get pretty rowdy and at times pretty much anything goes.
The upside is that this equates to a pretty intimate experience, because you get to feel apart of the concert. It doesn’t have that distant feel of an arena concert and for certain bands there’s a whole lot of audience participation and the groups often feed off of that.
The downside is that it can be tough to see the stage since its general admission and the stage is not a whole lot higher than the people. Also if you’re in the middle of the mass of people the floors can get sticky and drinks will get spilled around. The lines for drinks are pretty rough.
Overall if you’re big into music and you want a great musical experience this place is great. If you’re just a casual fan taking some music for a night than the negative aspects might get on your nerves.

I was excited to come to Toad’s for the first time Thursday night. We went to see State Radio and their opener Bronze Radio Return (we weren’t the oldest people there, yay!). I really like the size of Toad’s. It’s small enough to be intimate and you can easily get close to the stage if that’s your thing, but it’s also big enough not to make you feel claustrophobic.
We hung out closer to the bar than the stage and had a great view, only occasionally blocked off by peoples crazy big wigs or Santa hats that were part of their Halloween costumes (it was the day after Halloween after all). I noticed another reviewer compared this place to Lupo’s (in Providence) which is funny because I made the same comparison in my head when we were there. I agree that Toad’s is similar to Lupo’s but better.
Bar beverages were average priced and had the typical offerings and the basement bathrooms were decent in terms of cleanliness but typical bar bathroom so don’t do go expecting a luxurious bathroom experience like the plush couches and carpeting at Nordstrom’s. I really didn’t want to spend more time in there than I had to. Overall, good venue but the volume was definitely cranked up too loud for us to hear the words coming from the singers mouthes with both bands. Would have sounded better if it hadn’t been quite as deafeningly loud.