---

BY MADALYN BALDANZI

In print | Published April 19, 2007

When talking about good post-graduation cities, it inevitably comes up that “Philadelphia is like the sixth borough these days.” After the Williamsburg, Brooklyn craze over the last several years, it seems that Philadelphia is slowly but surely becoming the next hipster hot spot. Some might even go so far as to call it the “Hot Spot II.”

But what about the music scene in these two cities? While New York has everything you could possibly want and is an inevitable stop on any band’s tour, Philadelphia has the all-ages R5 and much cheaper ticket prices. Which city is, ultimately, a better city for the rock scene?

I used an extremely scientific method of analysis for this study. Using closely scrutinized data sets, I have cross-referenced every possibility of the figures and come up with a precise answer. In other words, I made a list for each city of all the shows that I would be excited to see. I then compared these on three factors: price, age requirement and venue. My results were extremely surprising — and not very scientific.

One of the most important factors to compare these two cities on is sheer show availability. Which has more desirable shows? Through the month of June, New York had at least 30 interesting shows, whereas Philadelphia had about half, at 14. Essentially, New York slays Philly on choice. On the other hand, Philadelphia still had most of the major hitters: Damien Rice, Arctic Monkeys and Modest Mouse, to name a few. Yet, the sheer number of shows in NYC is overwhelming, with many of them booked on the same night. In Philly, you have a smaller pool of excellent bands to see. In the end, despite Philly’s strong showing and much livelier hardcore scene, New York is still better when it comes to number of shows.

Philadelphia just can’t be beat on the price, though. Every single concert that was in both Philly and NYC was at least a couple dollars cheaper in the City of Brotherly Love.

Although this is mostly because of show promoter R5 Production’s dedication to providing cheap and all-ages shows, even some of the bigger venues, like TLA and the Electric Factory, were still less expensive. And while many New York shows are also inexpensive, many of these are actually in Brooklyn: it’s a really great place, but the longer subway ride is definitely a drawback.

When it comes to the admission age in both cities, things get a little fuzzier. Philly is great because only the John Vanderslice show is 21+, whereas there are many 21+ shows in NYC.

Many of the Philly shows are all ages, where many New York shows are 18+. Call me a snob, but putting an 18+ or 16+ limit can be really beneficial. You tend to get a more mature crowd that’s often a lot more fun to be around. Sometimes at R5 shows I feel middle-aged compared to most of the crowd.

However, arms-crossed, non-dancing hipster snoozers tend to flock to NYC shows, and they don’t make for a fun crowd, either.

In the end, I’d have to give this one to Philly, too. Being inclusive always seems to be in the spirit of rock and roll.

When it comes down to it, we’re very lucky that we live in a place where we get to see cheap shows in Philly but can still make it to New York if there’s a really unmissable concert.

Although getting back to the NYC concert scene over the summer (as a New Jersey commuter kid) is always a welcome change, I find that I miss the smaller, intimate venues in Philly, as well as the cheaper tickets.

In the end, New York wins this battle of the bands just on availability. Give Philly a couple of years, though. It’s definitely starting to catch up.

New York

AVERAGE TICKET PRICE: $20
30 SHOWS, 6 are 21+ (20 percent)

- Amy Winehouse- $20, Highline Ballroom
- Andrew Bird- $25, 18+, Webster
- Arctic Monkeys/Be Your Own PET- $30, AA, Hammerstein
- The Books- $20, AA, The Society for Ethical Culture
- Coco Rosie- $18, 16+, Warsaw (Brooklyn)
- Constantines- $25, 16+, Irving Plaza
- Damien Rice- $40, AA, Radio City Music Hall
– Modest Mouse/ Man Man- $38, AA, United Place Theater
- Professor Murder- $35, 21+, Hiro Ballroom (Playing a whole bunch of times, all 21+)
- Sunset Rubdown- $15, 18+, Bowery
- John Vanderslice- $18, 21+, Mercury Lounge

Philadelphia

AVERAGE TICKET PRICE: $18.00
14 SHOWS, 1 is 21+ (7 percent)

- Amy Winehouse- $18, Electric Factory (2 more in NYC)
Andrew Bird $17, TLA (1 more in NYC)
- Arctic Monkeys- $25, Electric Factory (5 more in NYC)
- The Books- $13, AA, Sanctuary (7 more in NYC)
- John Vanderslice- $12, 21+, Johnny Brenda�s (6 more in NYC)
- Coco Rosie- $15, TLA (3 more in NYC)
- Constantines- TLA
- Damien Rice- $42.50, Mann Center (more in Philly)
- Man Man/Modest Mouse- $36, Electric Factory (2 more in NYC)
- Professor Murder- Avant’s Gentlemen’s Lounge
- Sunset Rubdown- $10, AA, Church (5 more in NYC)

---

« RETURN TO LIVING & ARTS

« PREV ARTICLE | NEXT ARTICLE »