Anchor Rock Club, Venue Review

Shoutouts:

On 3/9 I got the chance to finally attend a Gideon show! Thank you again American Mosh Pits for getting me there, it was a blast and loved seeing you all! The owner of Anchor Rock Club and was super nice, but I failed at communicating and forgot his name, I think his name was John but I could be wrong. I don't get to meet them often so its always a pleasure when I do! The bands were all amazing but Fox Lake and Gideon were my favorites. I loved the energy and sound they brought and the crowd control was brilliant from them, especially Gideon! Gideon was just as I hoped it to be, a brutal party and I was loving it! I loved the singer, Daniel McWhorter, he brought the "power" and managed to have fun on stage with his little dance moves here and there. Just such a fun frontman to watch! The Days Inn Atlantic City Oceanfront-Boardwalk was great place to stay, thank you for making my stay easy! Lastly, hit up My Friends Diner if your staying near the boardwalk, such a great breakfast joint and way cheaper then the big name areas!

Intro:

Having been to Atlantic City when I was a small child, there wasn't much that I could remember, so this was a new city in general for me. As we crossed over the Delaware Memorial Bridge I could see off in the distance the bright red sign for Ceasers Palace Atlantic City Hotel & Casino and the tall Bally's Atlantic City hotel towers. My first thought was uh oh, I could get into trouble here! Luckily I was accompanied by my father to keep me on track! The weather was absolutely horrendous though on Saturday. Gale force winds and a coastal flood warning had me worried the show would be canceled, but thankfully it went on without a hitch! I cant say the same about the boardwalk, as I learned a part of the pier was damaged and right outside my hotel room at the Days Inn Atlantic City Oceanfront-Boardwalk a parking booth was blown over with someone working inside of it! All the side streets were flooding and the ocean waves were HUGE. Could see them breaking from well beyond the pier.

Hotel:

The Days Inn was exactly what I paid for, and to be right on the water I couldn't of gotten a better price. Sure, its not your fancy 4+ star hotel, but if your on a budget I highly recommend them! The rooms were nice and big, the employees were kind and helpful, and the venue was located only a block away from my room! If the weather was good I would of totally just pushed across the parking lot to get there. I think the winds would of blown be away for sure if I tried! Now that would be a sight! My room was the double queen with a balcony, so worth it on the beach! The breakfast was a grab and go style but they had fresh coffee that I made sure to take advantage of! We ended up eating at My Friends Diner right on the water, such great food for an amazing price being in AC!

Venue:

Anchor Rock Club was a lot of fun and has quickly risen to the top of my favorites list! As a concert goer, I loved the design. From the aesthetics of the place to the modernized sound and lighting, I thought to myself wow, this place is cool!

There is no designated parking, but there are plenty of paid lots and a transit stop just down the road. The entrance is nice and large with plenty of space, even with people coming in and out I did not feel too cramped in my chair like some other venues I've been too. As you enter the main floor, your met with a large wrap around bar that had stools on the stage side along the railing. The railing is separating the bar area and the dance floor, which is about 4 steps lower to the ground. Around the bar was all the merch stands, which I love that design. It allowed for quick moving lines when trying to get merch or meet the bands that came out to say hi to the fans. I did not see any signs or anything for handicapped seating, however, the employees were quick to make any accommodations I needed. They moved some of the stools along the railing for me so I parked myself there. I normally do not like the locations of the ADA seating venues use, but I loved it here! Perfect view of the stage and since the bar side was raised a few feet there was 0 visibility issues even when sitting. I feel like anyone who was sitting there had some of the best views in the house as you were almost eye level with the bands. Hot Take: OTHER VENUES TAKE NOTE. So many times the accessible seating areas are obstructed or just far away from the stage. My ticket costs the same and in some cases MORE than the average concert goer. Everyone deserves proper viewing, disabled or not. The bathroom doors were super light but the bathroom itself was on the smaller side, but did feature a larger stall. They could be bigger, but than again I say that about most bathrooms, they aren't ever big enough, aha! To get down into the pit/standing area there was a set of 4 to 5 steps on either side of the railing. For me, I chose to use my crutches to get down and have fun in the pit, but I did not see any ramps or anything if someone in a chair did want to come down. I've said it before though, if you seriously wanted to, I guarantee a few muscle headed fans will do their part and get you down so don't ever be afraid to ask! There was a 2nd bar down on the floor which I thought was great, no matter where you went you had quick access to drinks and never felt like you were missing the show. The bar was even raised a little bit on that side too, also providing great views if you could not get a spot along the other railing. As I said before, the stage, lighting, and sound all were perfect to me and fit the venue perfectly. The bands seemed to enjoy it but I'd love to hear from them! So if any of the guys from NO CURE Left to Suffer Fox Lake or Gideon want to pitch in I'd love to hear it!

Overall, my experience at Anchor Rock Club was great and there's not much that could of made it better! If I had to nitpick, maybe have the employees be more vigilant about moving the stools for handicapped individuals as you see them, at one point I gave up my spot for another wheelchair user because the people along the railing wouldn't move to make more space. Besides that, I have nothing negative to add! I highly suggest catching a show at Anchor Rock Club, disabled or not!

Some upcoming shows at Anchor Rock include: Back To The Core: A Metalcore Journey on 4/26 and Lovelight Band on 3/16!

ADA Rating: 8/10 🤘