Creative Loafing‘s Best of the Bay hit the streets and the web this week and we at Jannus Live are thrilled to have won not one, but two, Best of the Bays — one given by critics, the other as voted on by readers. Here they are:
READERS POLL:
BEST SMALL CONCERT VENUE
Jannus Live
Runners-up: Skipper’s Smokehouse, State Theatre, The Hideaway Café, Crowbar
CRITICS PICK:
BEST BACK IN THE SADDLE
Jannus Live (formerly Jannus Landing)
The public freaked a little when local businessman Jeff Knight revealed the changes he planned for Jannus Landing and its surrounding properties. But when the venue re-opened as Jannus Live, the end result laid most fears to rest. Even though it wasn’t the same seedy Jannus everyone remembered, the inherent magical, under-the-sky vibe was still intact, the renovations improving upon an already fabulous venue. The most noticeable upgrades (aside from the luxury suites) included the removal of the old “circus tent” with its sight-obstructing poles, which opened up the courtyard and made it feel more spacious; a Plexiglas-covered (now Koi-free) pond situated where the deck used to be that gives the place a Saturday Night Fever dance-floor-after-dark kind of ambiance; and a full set of air-conditioned men’s and women’s bathrooms to replace the crude Port-O-Johns and disgusting piss trough. With a beefed-up schedule that includes dates by Vampire Weekend, Flaming Lips and The Script, Jannus is well on its way to recapturing its former glory as one of the Bay area’s best concert venues. 16 Second St. N., St. Petersburg, 727-565-0551, jannuslive.com
