Since its opening in 1940, the Palladium has often swung from hip to hated and back again.

Right now it seems to be at the end of that cycle, since militant security and sub-average sound towards put the cavernous room towards the bottom of many regular concert-goer's venue lists. With recent bookings including Interpol and the Flaming Lips, though, it seems like the Palladium is making a stab to get back to the top. It better watch out, though: The similarly-sized Wiltern is not only a much nicer venue, but is also owned by Clear Channel, giving it about eight legs up in booking potential.