text: Phoenix has a dearth of good music venues.  When Crescent Ballroom opened up, I heard great things.  I finally had the opportunity to see a show there.\n\nMy first impression was great.  There is seating in the back if you need to rest, the place is intimate, the acoustics seemed good... In fact, it was great until people started showing up.\n\nThe problem with Crescent is the scene.  If you want to hang out and chat (loudly) with a bunch of hipsters, it's probably the place for you.  If, however, you are there to actually listen to a live band, good luck hearing the slow songs over all the chatter.\n\nThe parking situation is also pretty annoying.  You really do need exact change, and there's no other obvious place to park nearby with an actual parking attendant.\n\nIn all fairness, it's really a decent little venue.  The live music is just unfortunately secondary to the social scene.