Venue Review: Franklin Music Hall, Knocked Loose, Loathe, Show Me The Body, and SPEED

ADA Review, Franklin Music Hall, Philadelphia Pennsylvania

A Review from the ADA perspective.

A few weeks back I got to attend a epic show at at Franklin Music Hall along side the amazing folks at American Mosh Pits. The bands, Knocked Loose, Show Me The Body, Loathe, and SPEED HC absolutely crushed it as you have probably seen with their virial clips going around. The crowd was insane, endless movement and countless pits forming, it definitely was one of the greatest shows I've been too. Lets not forget that chaotic wall of death for 'Everything Is Quiet Now" by Knocked Loose

(https://www.instagram.com/p/C7zurpoJn-i/). That will be a memory forever!

Franklin Music Hall, formally known as the Electric Factory (1968-2018) is one of the OG music halls on the east coast. Acts like The Steve Miller Band, The Who, Miles Davis, Ramones, Green Day, Pantera, Motley Crew, Foo Fighters, Metallica, and so many more have all left their mark at this iconic venue. Naturally, I had high expectations for Franklin, and for the most part, those expectations were met and in some cases surpassed with their willingness to work with me. On the outside, Franklin Music Hall is an older venue but they have added all the modern ADA improvements that you'd expect. They had their own parking with handicapped spots (first come first serve) and a well designed ramp outside. When I first arrived I went straight to the front to find a security official to ask about the ADA seating and if they offer any first entry services. The security officials were incredibly helpful and immediately went to find the answers for me. The manager or who I would assume was the manager brought my party inside a few minutes early and allowed us to get situated before letting the sold out crowd of nearly 3000 people stampede in. That was such a nice thing that they did not have to do but it was so appreciative. Inside the venue the shape of the floor space is a bit odd, it features a semi narrow entrance where some merch tables and concessions were. After going through security, which was a breeze I may add, you can walk straight into the dance floor area or go outside to the smoking area. The outside smoking section was down a set of steps so if you needed to get outside you would have to use the front doors. The balcony stairs are on either side of the room, but they are longer so be prepared if you have low stamina, there are no elevators sadly. The bathrooms, although large with tons of space, were positioned in such a fashion that made you travel through the crowd with no clear pathway. When the crowd is that thick it made for a very slow process getting in. Or when a band like Knocked Loose is on, the odds of you moving through the crowd safely is...well...you know.. Besides that, overall, it was large and provided plenty of space for all sizes of chairs or mobility equipment. Once on the main dance floor, you are met with a large wide stage that offered great view points from all directions. The ADA seating was a raised platform located at the back right of the floor. Due to the size of the stage the location of the ADA seating, the view was great and offered full range of the stage and crowd. I personally chose to sit upstairs on the balcony, however. As stated before they do not have a elevator to the balcony floor, sadly. Since I use forearm crutches and a wheelchair the security allowed me to leave my chair with them by their main checkpoint where a guard was on standby the entire time. I felt 100% comfortable leaving my chair and was not worried in the slightness. Upstairs has a wrap around balcony with multiple bars and different seating options, the cushioned stools were nice and the view from above was incredible.

The worst part about the venue, which I assume was a one off thing, was that the AC was down. From my understanding it failed a week before and it was not fixed yet. Being it already 90 degrees outside, the venue quickly became a sauna and the humidity was incredibly high. The floor was slick from sweat and moisture and it was honestly kind of gross. However, the security were passing out waters the entire event and there were multiple fans blowing in all directions, so they did try to help a bit. Exiting the venue was a breeze, the staff met me at the top and bottom of the stairs as I slowly climbed down, and escorted me through the crowd to my chair. Once in my chair they waited for me to get situated and helped get me outside to the fresh air which was certainly needed after that epic but HOT show.

All in all, Franklin Music Hall is a great venue with such kind and helpful staff. The entrance is easy with a nice ramp and wide doors, the floors are flat and smooth with little to no stairs inside (besides the balconies and outside smoking area), the bathrooms were large and had tons of space, and the ADA seating provided was actually pretty good compared to other venues. I do wish they would of thought about where the bathrooms were placed, maybe they could designate a walking path along the wall to avoid having to find a path through a crowd of that size. The AC being out did not help at all but hopefully its not a reoccurring problem. Lastly, not having a elevator to the balcony is annoying, because those who want to view from the above but don't necessarily need the ADA seating have to consider climbing the stairs which were long and steep. The part I valued the most was the staff. The staff deserve all the recognition, at all venues. If the staff is kind and willing to help it makes it easy to overlook the issues that may be there. 10/10 for the staff at Franklin! I'd recommend Franklin Music Hall to any of my friends and hope they enjoy it as much as I did! For my personal ADA rating I give it a 8/10, for the negatives they do have they make up for it with the well trained and thoughtful staff. Next ADA Review, SONIC TEMPLE FESTIVAL! This will be a fun one! Stay Tuned!