Weird Venues: Top Five Unique Places that Held Shows

Top Five Weird Venues

When scientists manage to crack open the fifth dimension, it won’t be long before some wet behind the ears rock band or seasoned jazz fusion impresario figures out a way to book a section of it and do a show there. Here are some weird venues.

According to World Cities Culture Forum, there are more than 6,100 venues in the countries you might consider stops on anybody’s world tour. London has nearly 800 alone, beating out New York’s 453, and LA’s 409. None of these stop-offs make the list for the weirdest, must unique places one could do a show.

A quick caveat: good luck getting some of these bookings. They’re unique, not easy. And some of them may not hold much of a crowd.

Shortlist and Louder each combed the world for weird concert spots, and came up with a few doozies. We found five that were especially gonzo.

Space

They say that in space, no one can hear you scream. Probably no one can hear you sing either. Canuck astronaut Chris Hadfield headlined on the International Space Station in 2013. He played David Bowie’s “Space Oddity” and recorded it, which is great, because you can go to the show and get the live album later. It was lightly attended, by only about 3 or 4 other astronauts. And even though it was a cover act, it was still a good time had by all.

The Berlin Wall

David Hasselhoff, “The Hoff,” high up in the air, feet plated firmly on the platform of a cherry picker. It was the concert to beat all concerts. It’s 1989, the Berlin Wall fell a few weeks prior, and if you were out collecting concrete souvenirs or sharing Bavarian brew with your long-estranged cousins from the other side of Berlin, you might have heard the Hoff sing his smash hit, “Looking for Freedom.” And aside from the cherry picker, he would’ve been hard to miss in his bomber jacket and fancy, piano-design scarf. It was a free, all-ages show, but if he’d pissed off the crowd, they had rocks.

Napa State Hospital

This venue was pretty exclusive. It wasn’t hard getting in; just a little bit tricky getting out. The Cramps got in and unleashed a punk electroshock to the inmates of the psychiatric institution in 1978. The show was filmed, and Cramps frontman Lux Interior commented on the hospitality, and questioned whether the crowd had anything wrong with them at all.

We’re going to throw Johnny Cash’s performances at Folsom and San Quentin prisons here as well, because we all already know about it, and prison is prison.

Bottom of a Salt Mine

In an effort to be kings of the underground, Queens of the Stone Age played a tight (really tight) show at the bottom of a more than half-mile deep salt mine in the German town of Sondershausen. Hard hats and overalls were had by all. Well, they had to – house rules. This may have been the same day that Jamiroquai performed on a jet 63,ooo feet up in the air. Probably not, but wouldn’t that have been cool as shit?

Back of a truck

So a back of the truck show is pretty common, especially in country, but not this one. If you’ve never heard of the Westboro Baptist Church, be thankful. More bitter than crushed aspirin. But at one of their protests (probably protesting some soldiers funeral – yeah, real peaches,) a truck appeared with apparent supporters playing this really kickass song, called “Keep it Clean.” The protesters cheered, but little did they know the band was actually The Foo Fighters in disguise, and the song was about tolerance and love. If there were no other reason Dave Grohl is a national treasure, it is this. You probably didn’t want to be attending this show.

So, honorable mention goes to: The Pyramids of Giza, Parliament, a Paris elevator, Antarctica, Wall Street, The bottom of an oil rig, and an iceberg. Be sure to update us with your own weird venues.