I guess for a $5 ticket (+ fees), one shouldn't complain too much, when one gets to see an act in a 1500 capacity club, who sell out arenas and concert halls in Britain. I've loved The Mighty Boosh since an English friend sent me seasons 1 & 2 and said, "watch them, you'll love them". Well I did, and I've been a fan ever since, also seeing season 3 and the live performance on DVD. When I had a chance to see them in San Diego, I didn't hesitate. Even though I heard bad things about the club, I had seen the live DVD and knew they couldn't pull that type of show off there anyway, and I was right. We were treated to an abridged show with minimal effects. I was fine with that. The Mighty Boosh put on a fine performance with the props they had and played it as fresh as if they had just made it up. I was not disappointed in them at all.
The venue, 4th and B, lived up to it's poor reputation. The doors were supposed to open at 10 pm, and they didn't let us in until 11:30. I don't care if a show starts late, but making people stand in a line an hour and a half past the time your ticket says you are to be admitted is uncalled for. The worst, however was the sound. It was loud enough, but the sound was so distorted and the acoustics so bad, you couldn't understand what the actors were saying most of the time. If I hadn't seen the skits and variations on the skits already, I would have had no idea what was going on on stage. Tellingly, at the end of the show, Noel Fielding thanked the crowd and promised a "much better show next time".
This would actually be a great place for live shows if the management would just do something about the acoustics and sound system. It seems like they are shooting themselves in the foot for not doing this and attracting better acts on a more regular basis. I read reviews about 4th & B to prepare myself for what the experience would be like, and time and time again, people complained about how lousy it sounded in there, whether it was music, a performance or about anything else.