Fox Theater Pomona

The Fox Theater Pomona stands at Third Street and Garey Avenue, in the middle of the downtown Arts Colony, and the giant neon POMONA sign over its marquee is where half the crowd tells friends to meet. It opened on April 24, 1931 as a Hollywood-style movie palace. The Art Deco interior has been fully restored, but concert nights run as standing room, with a pit up front and general admission behind it.

The calendar leans on touring indie, punk and hip-hop acts that add an Inland Empire date, with a steady run of electronic tours on top. Doors typically open an hour before show time. Age limits change from show to show, and for any restricted night you need the physical ID card itself. A photo of your license on your phone won't get you in.

Bags can be up to 14 inches on any side and don't need to be clear. Backpacks get turned away, and security checks every bag at the door. Glow sticks, gum and outside drinks are all on the banned list. Once your ticket is scanned there's no going back out to the car, so grab what you need first. Guests who need ADA seating can ask at the lobby box office for a wristband, and staff walk you to a section between the pit and GA.

Parking is mostly city lots. The nearest ones sit on Third Street a block either way, and the Chase Bank lot just north charges $5 but has nothing to do with the theater. From LA, the train is worth a look: Metrolink's Riverside Line stops at Downtown Pomona station, two blocks off. The blocks around the Fox have bars and craft beer pubs, which fill up fast before a sold-out night.