St. Louis’ most popular mid-sized venue, the Pageant has hosted performances from a wealth of bands and solo musicians of every style and origin – from Lucinda Williams to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs to Matisyahu to Deathcab for Cutie to the Strokes. For most shows, the largest portion of the spacious main level is standing room only, but there is cabaret-style seating on the ground floor as well as a reserved seating balcony for visitors 21 and over. The adjacent Halo Bar admits the 21 and up crowd as early as 5 p.m. on show nights, and ticketholders who go through the Halo Bar are allowed to enter the Pageant shortly before the general public. The Pageant transforms itself for each act, amply accommodating a variety of stage enhancements. Shows have included everything from walls of television screens to giant confetti-filled balloons descending from the ceiling. Leave your camera in the car—the Pageant has strict rules against recording equipment. Once the show starts, it gets dark, smoky, and very loud… but isn’t that the whole point?