Golden State Theatre
417 Alvarado St., Monterey
(831) 649-1070, goldenstatetheatre.com
That Monterey boasts a stage stylish enough to attract the biggest touring performers, like the great Lillie Langtry, says a lot. The Moorish-style Golden State Theatre was designed in the “movie palace” aesthetic popularized in the early 1900s. These grand, elaborate spaces were meant to bring performances to life. So parlor vocalists have fallen out of fashion, Golden State Theatre’s grand auditorium continues to welcome big names of our day, like Kathy Griffin, the L.A. punk rockers X, The Pixies and other notable acts to this historic Monterey venue – once again voted the best in the county for rock concerts and for comedy acts. Langtry, by the way, never sang at Golden State. But she did buy a ranch in California, thus becoming one of the first international stars to stake a claim in the Golden State.
