The Observatory

3503 S Harbor Blvd, Santa Ana, CA 92704, USA

Related:	diamond bar center
Address:	3503 S Harbor Blvd, Santa Ana, CA 92704, USA
Phone:	+1 714-957-0600
Site:	observatoryoc.com
Rating:	4.2

Location

Photos 100

Reviews 5

Doug McClements

In my opinion, this local music venue is almost perfect. Its certainly not fancy, but its definitely a great place to see bands. I think it only holds 800-900 people, & that includes the space for the smaller "Constellation Room" thats separate from the main stage. Because of this smaller size, its much easier to navigate. Even in a sold out crowd, you can get to & from the bars & restrooms, & you can usually find a decent vantage point. They even have rooms upstairs that are sometimes vip, depending on the event. The parking isnt great, as there is now limited parking in their lot, but you can park in neighboring parking lots for a fee. Still, its nowhere near as bad as parking at any of the larger venues in Orange County or Los Angeles. The new owners have changed things over the past couple years, adding some outdoor areas with small but convenient bars. They even hold festivals from time to time, where theyll set up a stage outside, plus the 2 inside. Ive been to one of these & it was great... lots of vendors & not too crowded so that you cant walk around easily. I dont recommend the food, although I havent eaten there in a long time. Theyve always had a reputation for a below average menue, but I dont go there to eat anyway. Lastly, their ticket prices are usually very reasonable, & the box office is easy to get to if you want to avoid the online "Convenience" fees. So after posting this, I noticed several bad reviews by other people. I dont doubt they had issues, but Ive learned you do need to behave a certain way at these types of venues. Ive been to countless concerts, many of them here, & never had a problem. The secret is to be polite & considerate of others, realizing its difficult to stand in a huge, constantly moving crowd for hours. Im grateful when security removes someone who is interfering with our enjoyment... Usually its someone who cant control their drinking or testosterone.

Walter Macalma

The main room, pretty big otrat least it feels that way when your not at the bar under the upstairs. Not overly loud, but some of the larger more vocal rock/rap groups around will make it impossible to talk. Stage level on the sides have a great view. Left of the entrance and straight ahead up the stairs. Come early for better locations. Bar requires ID for open tab (dont forget to close it, Im notorious for forgetting till the next day or half way home). Its easy to enter and leave the concert room and never really overbooked. No re-entry and smoking lounge is not attached to the Constellation Room Staff is generally cool. Ive been able to bend a few rules here and there. Bathrooms are kind of a bummer, mostly because the kids trash it. Prices are inexpensive compared to other venues, but drinks for when you have a wrist band for an all ages show are expensive. $9 for a modello tall box, $9 for a PBR tall boy (not that I would ever drink that). $7 for some pseudo craft IPAs and breweries are a decent deal. The drinks are ok, not strong like people say, but I feel like they arent good quality. I go with a few fingers neat since I found their Vodka Tonics to be bland and their rum & coke are bitter. They need to clean their lines. Parking sucks unless you come early and the popularity of the bands playing. Lighting is pretty good for some pano shots or from far away, but get washed out if your close to the stage. Things are great stage level on the sides, but by the bar and even upstairs are muddled. Protip: go to the box office in person to avoid any additional will call and printing fees. Super duper protip, uber/lyft it. Im close enough to work where its about the same price as paying teh $10 overflow parking.

Dana Haviland

Might be hard to see the sign from the street-I hope they get a better sign for the venue. It is a great place but the sign could make it hard to find. I loved the venue. We just saw Blue October there on March 29,2014. This venue was new to us so I researched and I came across a couple of negative reviews. I was cautious about parking and expected it to be not one of the best places that we have been to. Well it was a great place and I hope Blue October plays there again and I would love to see other artists there as well. We parked in their lot - there was no charge. We did get there early, so there was a bit of parking left. If we had to park away from the venue we would have been careful - due to the posts that I read. We didnt eat there - we were not expecting a place with a full on restaraunt - but they do have food. We only drank water - and that was reasonable. The important points for us were the concert/show. The show was incredible. The sound, stage, and time allowed for the set were super. There were also many areas to chose for good to great views of the band. The place also has seats or booths inside but I think I read that you have to reserve them. Their employees we very nice and helpful, from the guys in the parking lot to the guys inside answering my dumb questions after the show. When they wear "Massive Security" - they mean it - :) The sign says "no re entry" They do have a patio that you can get to to smoke during the show if you wish. I loved this place.

Mason Sepeda

The decibel tour 2016 w/ Abbath, High on Fire, Skeletonwitch, and Tribulation March 27. Have you ever paid for dinner and reservations do you and your friends could enjoy a night out? Sure you have. Well suppose towards the end of your desert the restaurant begins sitting down the next reservation at your parties take, even though youre not finished, and they begin to enjoy your food, drink, and take your seats which you paid for. You would be outraged, and rightfully so! This is exactly what happened on Sunday night. As Abbath was playing their set, the venue decided to key in the next shows concert goers. They came in packs and pushed their way to the front of the pit as to get a better view for their show, which had not even started as ours was still in full throttle. I felt this was blatantly disrespectful to not only the artists who work their ass off for their fans, and disrespectful to the fans as well who paid good hard earned money to enjoy their show and not be rushed out from the venue. I paid full price for my ticket to see Abbath, yet these other concert goers get to see him for free? Thats not fair by any standard. Beware of this practice. It could ruin your night.

Kevin Hansen

I went here for a concert last night. This place gets 4 stars because its a decent place and its small so anything you see here you will be able to see and hear well but that does not mean that this place doesnt have any downsides. They have good air conditioning which is both a good thing and a bad thing. Its summer right now so that A/C feels good when you come in but I must say its the most powerful air conditioning unit Ive ever felt and after a while I was starting to freeze up. Also most of it was standing room only and the only sitting place was reserved for VIPs. Another big negative: even though the show was kind of late in the day when much of the businesses nearby were closed they did not allow us to park in their parking lot right in front of the venue. The parking was upside down the street and they are very anal about how they crowd control this. Almost to the point of being rude. I know I dont appreciate that kind of super tight control and then having to walk a mile to and from the venue. Aside from those negatives this is pretty good venue for seeing a band because youre always going to have a good view.