Swedish American Hall

Intimate is a great way to describe this venue. But don’t forget «sit-​down» as well!
I came here for an event held by Culture Collide and Noise Pop SF to see some of my favorite musicians/​bands *cough* Milo Greene for their so-​called «An Intimate Evening with Milo Greene,» and I have to say… It sure was intimate!
The place is charming. It almost reminds me of a little dance hall with people line-​dancing all around, arm-​in-​arm as the cute Etsy-​style strung lights are hanging above.
The event was pretty low-​key and there wasn’t much management going on. Just two simple guys handling the bar (thanks for the yummy daiquiri), and a floor and upstairs viewing area. The stage itself projects pretty well throughout the hall that the music seems like a full-​out concert. The only thing that makes it more intimate and stripped-​down is that you’re able to be close to the performers and see them in all their glory! Also, you can totally hear people having conversations with each other. Very light-​hearted. Very intimate.
I just wish I weren’t strapped down to my seat to see the performers… Their music just wanted to make me get up and dance and scream and sway right in front of their faces! Made me want to fan girl, but this ain’t the place for it. «Whooo’s» and cheers are just enough!

What a great newly renovated venue the Swedish American Hall is, the Scandinavians have come there for decades, but now it seems that the daily management there don’t really care with an indifferent attitude towards parties, especially those who bring their own catered food. Recently our Swedish chef had a rude experience there. I’m a member of one of many Scandinavian clubs/​organisations who uses the facilities! We decided to move our 65^th anniversary to a different venue because the SAH management never got back to us. One wonders what’s going on?

I don’t know if it’s the staff at SAH, or the staff from Noisepop, but the staff are completely non-​responsive and rude. Need to contact them regarding a venue question? Need to know what time the box office opens? Nope, you can’t. There’s no contact info. When I managed to get a way to contact them, they were pretty much non-​responsive.
Something came up and I wasn’t going to be able to stay for the show. Look, life happens, and sometimes, we have to change our plans. I showed up AT the venue, in-​person, and asked to get my will-​call ticket changed to a friend-​of-​a-​friend. They absolutely refused. WTF.
Come on guys, you have a freakin PIECE OF PAPER where you just have a list of names. How hard is it to just WRITE SOMEONE ELSE’S NAME in my place, especially when I showed up IN PERSON at the venue to confirm my identity with my ID and credit card? Will call tickets usually imply that I go in person and PICK UP tickets, not «get my name crossed off of a guestlist». I purchased the tickets — I should be free to do what I want with them.
Also, do you understand how business works? If I end up NOT going to the show, you will lose money as a venue since you lose potential income from drink sales, etc. If you just let someone else inside in my place, it costs ZERO dollars in extra marginal cost, and you may gain extra revenue from them actually making purchases inside. Think about that for a minute.

Yes, «intimate» is the word for this venue. It’s like a community center with an old-​fashioned north-​European interior. I see Noise Pop indie rock music here. I’ve seen Rilo Kiley like ten years ago and last night I came back for Mark Eitzel. They offer some drinks. I like this small music venue. If you have an indie lifestyle, you’ll fit in here.

What a wonderful venue! Swedish American Hall is a lovely space filled with character. I love the architecture and it’s a perfect space for an intimate concert. I definitely recommend looking at the calendar to see if anyone you like will be performing here. I’m pretty sure they rent out the space for private events as well. Check it out!

While I haven’t been to Swedish American Hall as often as I should, when I do go, it reminds me how much I love it
This most recent visit was to see THOMAS DOLBY do his «Invisible Lighthouse» show which combined a mixture of media, music & memories.
Thomas had filmed a short documentary about a lighthouse that was being torn down, in the city where he grew up — it goes on to delve into the world of childhood memories & how reliable our memories are overall… but no spoilers here!
I really liked how there were live sound effects during the show — like walking around a field or on the rocky beach
The Q&A after the documentary however, was excruciating! This guy would NOT get off his soapbox about the devaluation of music by the digital age of YouTube & Napster… he also apparently has a Documentary coming out sometime next spring — will definitely be passing on that one!
But this review is about the venue… which continues to offer great sound levels & sightlines. Checking in at Will Call is painless & laid back & drinkys are allowed inside
Only minor complaint was w/​their actual «seats». This was a seated show & they used the MOST uncomfortable wooden foldout chairs that were crammed way too close together & gave me a backache
There was no sense of ergonomic support at all… and when you’re forced to sit there for 2.75 hrs w/​no ability to adjust your seated position b/​c of the cramped quarters, it takes its toll
But even that said, this place rocks & is such a small, intimate venue that I’d still happily come back again & again… I would just make sure to better position myself in the crowd so I could get up & stretch the legs

DO NOT. I REPEAT DO NOT BOOK THIS VENUE. They say it’s wheelchair accessible. That’s a joke. The place is three levels without an elevator. Good luck rolling up those stairs. The bathroom doors can barely fit a normal sized adult let alone someone handicapped. Also keep in mind that there is no sound system. I’ve been here twice for two different events and the staff was never kind. They took their time to open the venue for set up and even laid hands on their guests. The location is convenient and that’s pretty much all this place has going for them. Unless you’re into shattered glass windows, run down floors, dirty bathrooms, and unruly behavior look for another venue.

Here for a Matt Alber concert on March 28, 2013. Yes it’s a handsome hall; yes, the acoustics are terrific; yes, the sound was really well done. But there is no ventilation! ! Management allowed the temperature to get over 80! ! …then they allowed staff in the hallway to do noisy tasks during the show (like dump ice). Both are inexcusable and show incompetence.

This Swedish cultural center was one of the venues for a NoisePop 2013 event. The venue was adequate for the event, with nice meeting rooms complete with funny throne-​like Swedish crafty-​looking chairs and gingerbread trim.
They have various meeting rooms, and a ballroom for rent, and it would be a good place to hold a small conference or a meeting. It’s conveniently located on Market Street, and the Muni stops right in front, and there is an underground station down the street to the east.

LOVED this gem of a building!
If you like the points and spirals of Swedish architecture you will love this place. The building is old so expect quirks with that but worth a visit.
There are 3 levels. The back of the building is a large ballroom that opens up to the middle and top floor (not the first floor – weirdly). I went during Noise Pop festival 2013 for their culture center which utilized the entire building.
I don’t know what people are talking about when they say ‘no alcohol’ because Noise Pop had a full bar set up.
This would be a lovely, old, quirky building to rent out for events.

Good small venue to see music for solid acoustics (the band we saw –BellX1– comes back just for the acoustics and even did a live recording there). The building is a little quirky/​old, but it all adds to the character.
Taking away from the overall experience: the chairs are NOT comfortable (you better hope that the concert doesn’t go on too long), the bathrooms are old school — one of the women’s toilets was out of order creating long lines, there is NO alcohol served there (we consumed down the street at Lucky13).
Don’t know that I would seek out concerts there, but I would return for the right band and price.

Great venue for Swing-​Dancing!
SITREP
It was a bit odd when I came here on this evening to attend a swing-​dancing event at the street-​level venue part of this building know as the Swedish American Music Hall. For YEARS I’ve enjoyed coming to this building, but to go down into the «subterranean» part of this complex known as Café du Nord where several events — but my favorite, «DARK SPARKLE» — have been hosted here since I’ve been coming since 1999.
THE SETUP
However, on this occasion, it was to go to the multi-​purpose room to enjoy some live music and dancing. The floor is an exceptional surface for dancing since it doesn’t have a sticking problem.
There is plenty of room and I can see why so many people love to have their wedding receptions hosted in this room. This is a definite plus location if you are looking to just rent out a hall so that you can put together your own set-​up if you are a «do-​it-​yourselfer.»
THE LOWDOWN
The Swedish American Hall is a great venue for that special dancing event you are angling to put together!

This venue looks small and unassuming from the outside, but the interior is remarkably big and has so much character. I come here every Sunday morning for church, and it’s awesome how many people can fit in this venue. I have heard this place is also used for shows, I would love to come here at a time other than Sunday morning to see a favorite band play!

wifey and i just got back from a private event held here at swedish american hall.
i have to say that the place is pretty nice… decent for what it is. the amount of space was unbelievable… it looked pretty tiny from the outside but once you go in, there was a bunch of room to boogie down and even set up a bar. there’s also an upstairs which was set up with tables and chairs.
my one complaint? the bathroom. ugh. it was so freakin small… i almost got slammed in the head twice when someone attempted to walk in. the 2 stalls did not have any locks on the doors… heck, the doors wouldn’t even close all the way. once again, i almost got hit on the head again when someone attempted to come into my stall. oh, and the soap dispenser thing in there is super old school and broken… not to mention, unsanitary!
oh, and the place was freezing cold! even those who were drunk were still shivering! not sure if there is a heating system… but whoa, it was cold.
other than that, pretty good venue. not sure how much it costs… but not bad for a work event!

The Swedish American Music Hall just breathes character. You can feel the past and charm of this place — the moment that you step inside. From the dark wooden regal pointed throne chairs to the dim lighting and yellow and blue curtains — this hall bears testimony of it’s Swedish Heritage and stands out as a truly unique event venue.
Trust.

Oh god. Memories of wicked awkward middle + high school talent shows soaring back to haunt me…
Maybe if it weren’t for the uncanny resemblance to a school auditorium I could get into this place a little more. Or maybe if they had some tasty libations to get the energy flowing.
Came here for Girls last year, and while they put on a fantastic show, the layout of the place kind of sucked the energy away. The seats went all the way up to the stage, so there was no bop-​your-​head-​and-​rock-​out-​to-​the-​music space except for in the way back. Acoustics were okay but not mind-​blowing.
As others have said, I might come back for a chill show. But even then, there are so many other great places to check out around here that I’d definitely think twice about it.

Saw Noah and the Whale here a while back. It’s a nice venue, but I think they should change it up depending on who’s playing.
For one, seats at certain shows just make things awkward. I would’ve felt much more comfortable watching NatW if I were standing and dancing along to their upbeat songs. I think at some points they were thinking the same thing too. Luckily, by the end the audience collectively agreed to get up and dance to the last song. Overall, seats are weird at certain shows, and they’re not always needed.
Second: The sound and stage was just alright. I mean, it’s kind of cool because since it’s small and school-​theater-​like the artists seem really close to you, but I think I would’ve appreciated a bigger stage.
Other than that, I would probably watch another show here if it were a more mellow one (like Jazz or such). It is in a nice location and the people who took tickets were very friendly.

I went here to sere the Jazz mafia string quartet as part of the SFJAZZ spring season. The stage looked like a high school concert stage and the chairs were just fold up chairs lined up. The sounds system was 2 speakers in the front and so we couldn’t hear all that well. The lighting wasn’t anything spectacular and they didn’t serve drinks.
I do like the location and the show itself was pretty sweet. I just see so much room for potential. It’s a quaint location but don’t expect any bells or whistles.

I came to see BellX1 acoustic concert here and it was so worth it. The band is awesome but the venue really made it magical with the dim lights, awesome acoustics, and intimate feel.
There’s a small stage that isn’t raised so the audience feels super close to the band – the room fits about 150 – 200 people I’d guess in small foldup chairs. I didn’t try these chairs actually, so I can’t comment on them.
There’s a balcony thing with more seats if the main floor fills.
I sat along the side, where there are huge leathery chairs. There’s also a «king chair» on each side which is pretty cool. HAHAHA It made me feel like royalty in my big poofy chair.
I can see how this venue would not work for some kind of loud band but it’s perfect for intimate acoustic experiences. and I’m pretty sure the people who run the venue are not stupid enough to book Metallica or something.

Sort of reminds you of an AA meeting hall (not that it’s a bad thing, I’ve been sober 26 years so I should know!), but set up for live music. Excellent acoustics, totally unpretentious and down-​home vibe. Intimate.
I had the profound pleasure to see Aqualung here, and as he played his gorgeous, soulful music on a baby grand piano I felt he was singing just to me.
LIFE IS GOOD!