Trees

Address:	2709 Elm St, Dallas, TX 75226, USA
Phone:	+1 214-741-1122
Site:	treesdallas.com
Rating:	4.4

Location

Photos 100

Reviews 4

Rusty Shackleford

After a series of “meh” to “bad” experiences with this place, culminating into a really bad experience, I feel compelled to finally leave a review of Trees. Posting with a throwaway to avoid identifying myself or anyone associated with me, but in any case let me say that this is my opinion only and not of any people/bands I associate with. So on this particular night I show up with the band to help load/unload, sell merch, that sort of stuff. I was pre-listed as a guest. Showed up with the band, helped unload and setup, no problems. I leave to grab a slice of pizza, come back, and magically they have no idea who I am and despite being on the guest list (which by the way, I can physically SEE my name on it and it’s not crossed out) I am informed the band has reached the maximum number of guests. Yeah, no, that’s BS. Door guy puffs his chest, and we’re extorted of $40 (which, online, tickets were $12 might I add). The excuse? They’re afraid they’re not going to make much money tonight. Meanwhile they’re charging $20 a head and the place is packed. Sound guy…non-existent. Tells singer he will “get to you when he can,” doesn’t, opens curtain anyway, then disappears in the middle of song #2 of a 40-minute set. I know for a fact their sound system doesn’t suck, but if no one is there to run things then it’s kind of moot. And it did suck on this particular night. As other reviews have pointed out, apparently they took the wrong lesson from Woodstock ’99. A free cup of tap water is non-existent here. “All they have” according to the bartenders are $3 bottles of water with all of 8 ounces in them. Even for band members. What the hell. What if someone is dehydrated, or needs to sober up to drive? Guess you are screwed, buddy, if you don’t have 3 bucks to shell out. There’s no fountains either so I’m pretty sure this is illegal. Could I get tap water? Nope. Cup of ice? No can do. Just a cup so I can go into the bathroom and drink from the sink? Bartender rolls her eyes and tells me “this isn’t American Airlines” – I guess because you get a free water on a plane? Ridiculous. Best you can do is order a beer and re-use the cup in the bathroom sink and I suspect they’d kick you out if they caught you doing that. They recently started putting bathroom attendants in so I suspect that’s probably why. Place is clearly aimed at squeezing every penny from you even if you just showed up for the act. Meanwhile all the other venues around have self-serve water jugs. Yet those places are still in business somehow, go figure. Guess it pays to not treat your patrons like cattle with wallets so that people actually want to come back. Drink prices – not the worst, definitely higher than comparable nearby venues and you get less. Bartenders are rude and will ignore you if you piss them off, I suspect they are family/girlfriends of managers or something rather than a professional who does it for a living. Floor bouncers are nuts. I mean the physical venue itself is great, it’s a big place with great views, and the sound system works great (when someone that cares works it). But they think they are Gexa or something. Kind of like what I noticed at the Bomb Factory, they’re a big venue in Deep Ellum clearly taking advantage of the location and the great acts they are able to pull in to treat patrons like walking bags of money. When you complain they tell you it’s because “they’re a venue, not bar” – like I give a crap? What a lame excuse. I recommend avoiding if you have a choice, but if you go because you want to see the particular act, buy your tickets ahead of time so you don’t get extorted at the door. If you’re on the guest list, don’t count on it meaning anything to the box office. Keep an eye on the over-aggressive bouncers. Get hydrated beforehand. Between acts, save some money by going across the street to Three Links or literally any other nearby bar to get your alcohol or water. People are way friendlier and prices are better anywhere else nearby.

Steven Fleming

This is one of the worst live music venues in Dallas. Im a music lover. Ive seen many shows at Trees for years. The Trees experience is varied. Decent to bad. And now Ill never go back. Patrons get treated horribly. The staff and bartenders are rude and downright hostile. You are denied re-entry once you buy tickets and enter. Which is NOT stated on the ticket nor visible anywhere at the door. Once they have your money, they treat you like garbage. High priced, low alcohol drinks are typical for any bar. Trees is no different. So they add a $10min tab, cant buy one drink and close. If you ask for tap water they demand $3 for a bottle, and they keep the cap! You have to walk around with an open bottle of water!! Ridiculous. The layout is tiny and clumsy packed with 100s of people climbing over each other. You have to push through 100s of crammed humans to get to a bathroom or outside. Theres just no polite way of doing that. With the giant obstructing poles that Ive grown to love. And the sound? Loud, bad and just amateur at some shows. Every music hall in Dallas can top these guys on Sound Engineering. Any music venue in Dallas is far better than here. In the interest of supporting artists you love, then your time and money is better spent seeing them anywhere else. Dallas and abroad.

Harley Barnes

Mid-size, 600ish capacity venue with an excellent sound system, veteran staff, and midrange drink prices. The venue has its roots in hard rock and metal shows, but now plays host to touring and local bands of all genres (mostly rock, indie, hip hop, and electronic). I have been to 40+ shows here and all have been excellent. Here are my tips and notes: • $5 secure parking is available in the gated lot directly behind the venue. Come up Elm St. and take a right after you pass the venue, in the alley beside Zinis Pizza. • Drink prices are very reasonable and pours are on the strong side. • This is one of the only venues in town that does not offer free water to patrons. Expect to pay $3-4 for a bottle of water from the bar. • Most shows are all ages, but some are 17+ according to the website. Be sure to check when buying tickets. • If the upstairs is open, the restrooms located up there generally have a shorter wait. • Staff is experienced and will not put up with bullshit. Behave yourself and you wont have any problems. • Junior, one of the door guys, can seem intimidating, but is a sweetheart once you get to know him.

John Day

I was standing on the sidewalk in front of Trees, hadnt had any alcohol at all, and was simply drinking some Gatorade out of a cup. At that point, a meat-headed bouncer (I believe the same "Latino guy" mentioned twice below) proceeded to start loudly and angrily commanding me to take the Gatorade inside, even though I had already clearly informed him that it was Gatorade, NOT alcohol. He then aggressively approached me, drew back his large, heavily tattooed arm, and swiftly slapped my cup of Gatorade right out of my hand, flinging Gatorade all over me. Then, he, a manager, and another employee of Trees proceeded to surround me and yell at me for about 15 minutes. Throughout the entire ordeal, I never once lost my temper or used profanity. I was being very civil and compliant. I was not a belligerent drunk, or a trouble maker. I was simply trying to drink my NON-ALCOHOLIC beverage. Terrible experience. Very distasteful. Completely unprofessional. The sad thing is, this was my first time going to Trees, and Im definitely not planning on going back.