Review by Travis Erwin

I moved to Southern California back in 2017, from a somewhat rural area of Texas. My old hometown claimed one small arena with a seating capacity of less than five thousand. After that was a couple of smaller auditoriums, a handful of bars that had live music on the regular, and the occasional outdoor festival in a cow pasture. A far cry from the wealth of concert opportunists in and around LA.

Coming to California I discovered hundreds of venues. From massive arenas and sporting venues down to tiny intimate listening rooms and everything in between. I’ve spent the last seven years travelling all over Southern California and attending hundreds of concerts from the boldly iconic to hidden speakeasies.

In a reoccurring series of posts, I am going to share my experiences good and bad and break down what I learned to help you find the venues worth your time and money, and the tips to make your concert going easier.

 

KIA FORUM, Ingelwood

Let’s start with one of the more venerated venues, the Forum in Inglewood. I recently attended a show there with Tyler Childers as the headliner. Medium Build opened the show and put on an engaging set. Childers was nothing short of spectacular, but the primary focus of these posts is on the venue.

History

The Forum of course is known as the former home of the showtime era Lakers. The Forum has also hosted Olympic Basketball, The Stone, Queen, Elvis, and Muhammad Ali’s rematch against Ken Norton.  

Really there are too many historic bands and concerts to list but as with most things time eventually caught up to the Forum and the Lakers left, the LA Kings left, and the building went through a series of different owners and even purposes before its current revitalization.

That said the venue has clearly been renovated and now defies both its age and size, by feeling new and more intimate than you would think a place of its size could be.

Parking

There is plenty of onsite parking, but you can expect to pay $25 at a minimum and often more to park. There are premium parking options as well. For the Childers show parking started at $35 and went up from that price point. Free parking option in the surrounding area are very limited to nonexistent but there are a few private lots around if you do not mind walking a bit to save five or ten dollars.

Getting There

LAX is not far so there are plenty of hotel in the area in which you can stay and catch a fairly cheap Uber from. That said the line for rideshare after the event was a chaotic mess made worse by the way these drivers flow in and out of the parking lot. I ended up having to walk out to the street ass my driver never could figure out how to get to the official pickup location.  

For Public transportation on the LA Metro Bus Lines, take the 211/215 to the Prairie/Manchester or Prairie/Kelso stops.

Upgrades

Many events do offer a premium experience. From parking and expedited entry, to box seating with a dedicated server for your group. These packages have a minimum of ten attendees.

Seats

I am 6’5, so leg room is often an issue for me. The space was workable but tight for me, though the chairs themselves were comfortable enough. Unless you attend a show that sells obstructed views seats behind or beside the stage you will be fine sitting anywhere as there are no poles or other issues to spoil sightlines.

Food and Beverage

Lines were short and moved quickly, despite it being a sold-out show. There were options inside and out for both food and drink. Prices were what you expect to find at venues. There was a decent beer selection and a full bar but nothing to get excited about in either realm. Same can be said for food choices.

Bathrooms

The only bathroom I visited was down under the seats with a fairly narrow staircase. The flow in and out was not great and if you happened to drink one too many these trips could be a bit tricky to navigate. That said the lines were not too bad except once the show ended.

Neighborhood

The Forum sits on the edge of the So-Fi parking lot and while I ubered to and from the concert, the neighborhood seemed busy and walkable enough. Older area with a mix of clean and nice and not so nice shops, houses, etc. I saw plenty of people walking the area before and after. There are food options in the area but like most of LA the streets are busy and hectic so be careful navigating the streets.

Sound

What is a concert without quality sound?

I can answer that. A waste of time and money. But that was NOT the case at the Forum. The show sounded spectacular. The opening act, Medium Build were clear and distinct despite the constant influx of late arrivers and the place being only half full for the first few songs.

The place was packed by the time Tyler Childers hit the stage and again the sound was spot on. The acoustics of the building and sound system presented no problems whatsoever.

Overall Impression

Go. I will definitely be back. The place is clean and well run. From the entry lines, to the flow concessions, and again the exit after the concert the staff made sure all went smoothly. My one caution is to be careful traversing those bathroom stairs.

 

Upcoming Events

https://thekiaforum.com/events/

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