There is a certain sense of self-satisfaction you get from telling your parents you went to church, even if it’s to see a rock show. For the last 11 years, the basement of the First Unitarian Church on 21st and Chestnut Street has been home to some of the most reputable bands in the world. Sean Agnew, President and Founder of R5 Productions, has hosted almost 1,000 concerts in their facilities. His business was named after the R5 Regional Rail line, which connected Ardmore native Agnew to his Center City stage. R5 is a self-described ‘do-it-yourself’ agency with one main goal: “to provide the Philadelphia area with cheap, friendly, all ages shows, in an honest intimate setting.”
Many bands find the church basement a refreshing alternative to traditional music venues: smoke-filled, cave-like rooms with minors sneaking in water bottles full of vodka. The crowd is casual and mostly comprised of students and looking towards the floor you will see more Pumas than left on the Endangered Species List. R5 has developed a very good reputation, both locally and on the global scale. In his experience, Agnew has found that “a lot of the bands from Europe and Asia generally freak out about it (in a good way) - they can’t believe they are playing a fully functioning church. They appreciate the unique environment and are really enthusiastic that younger fans can come to the shows. Sometimes the more snobby bands from the UK go into the room with a bad attitude but almost every time they leave really surprised.”
By playing in such an intimate setting, concert-goers get to experience a lot more than they would in some of the area’s larger venues. Last April, the band Low performed in the Unitarian Church basement. Halfway through the show, lead singer, Alan Sparhawk asked the audience: “We are pretty smart people, does anyone out there have a problem we can try to solve?” Without delay, a man from the crowd screamed: “The city is full of crime and the mayor’s pension is out of control!” Low could not solve our city’s crime epidemic but they did put on one very agreeable set.
In the back, amongst the cubby holes and colorful Sunday School bulletin boards is a CD and record exchange. Sean is optimistic about R5’s future: “right now we are hoping to open up our own fully dedicated venue…we have the business plan and contacts down, we are just waiting to meet the right people to make it happen. Until then we will continue to operate as normal.”
When asked if he has ever had any noise complaints from the Church, Agnew replied that “they have been amazingly understanding, supportive, and patient.” R5 is even on good terms with neighbors as a good deal of the businesses on Chestnut Street accommodates employee’s schedules based on the R5 schedule. God, apparently, does not like Ticketmaster, so tickets can be purchased on the website or at AKA music on 27 N. 2nd Street.
Check out R5 at: www.R5Productions.com