its a small venue which means where ever you sit you will still be able to see the stage. I went there once to watch a new found glory concert and let me tell you if you're 21 it would be a good idea to sit up in the booths. the mosh pits were horrific, i had to be lifted out of the concert by security guards because i couldnt handle all the pushing. it does get very crowded and hot. other than that it was a fun place to go

I remember walking into the place for the first time. I was siked! I walked into the main area, the size of it was okay. It wasn't too big and it wasn't too small. The stage rose up so that it was probably at shoulder's length (for me, anyway). The balcony/bar was located upstairs. It was the place I found that I longed to be in, once the place started to fill up.
I watched the first band start to set up and do their soundcheck (which sounded fine after a few tweaks, of course). The smell of sweat from the kids who surrounded me started to take effect. Or maybe it was the excess smoke from the good ole ganja, it was Santa Cruz anyway, who cares? We love hippies.
One of the things that this venue lacks though, was a good AC system... which I started to see once the band started to play, or maybe that's cause the lead singer was just trying to put on a good show. Even though the stage was high up, the lead singer seemed to sweat enough to shoot sweat projectile onto the crowd, I should know, I felt some of it hit my face. I was a little grossed out, but then again, I wondered if there was any other way I could get closer to someone than being sweated on by them. They should turn up the AC in there (and the fan to ease up the smoke).
Once the crowd starts to sway in there, the place can get a little tight, at least in the middle it can, which lead to the longing of sitting comfortably in the balcony above with their tables and cocktails. The sound was fine, as I said before, but it was obvious that they weren't using the best sound system in the world, which is kind of terrible since they rake in so many big names such as many popular rock bands, Damian Marley, Matisyahu, Lauryn Hill, etc.
The security wasn't too bad. The looks on most of their faces were stone cold, but what do you expect from security? They're there to do their job and to keep people in check, whi

Ick, The Catalyst.

If you are going to the Catalyst for a show, you are in luck, because as a concert venue, the Catalyst provides a great show having some of biggest acts in town.

The bar scene gives a new definition to the phrase 'meat market'. With overt-testosterone attitudes, the oggling men that crawl into the Catalyst are best left untouched--unless you enjoy watching some belly scratching. For men with actual verbal communication skills beyond "Women get me another beer", try the Poet and the Patriot around the corner.

The Catalyst remains the premier venue for live music in Santa Cruz after 30 plus years. National touring acts hit the mainstage, while smaller scale acts and local musicians often play in the atrium. In this respect, it's a great venue. So far as the actual upstairs bar area goes, well, that's another story. It ain't what it used to be. The vibe is a lot more pretentious, a lot more of a meat market. One night I was there and some guy was blatantly trying to recruit girls to bring back to a some NFL team's hotel room.