There are definitely places I don't like to play. So, if given the offer to play said venue, I might pass. Our band has a TON of gear. Guitarist has three heads and four cabs of various dimension, and our bassist has two heads driving two cabs. I have my four piece JB sized kit. So loud out is something to consider.
One venue has basement parking that the homeless are fond of. The underground parking also serves as a urinal. Yay! There is a sketchy elevator that my bassist and I piled into with two fridge cabs. As soon as we got in, we smelled the dried urine and didn't let anything besides the casters touch the ground. Well we are standing there and the door took like a minute and a half to close. Then, it just sat there not moving for another minute. All the while we are inhaling a pleasant scent of bio-hazard. Finally, it begins to climb, but stops on the street level. We repeat the process to make it one more floor up to the gig. We would have just sucked it up and parked street level if there was anywhere left, and just suck it up and take the three flights of stairs. But we bought the ticket as Hunter S. Thompson would say, so we took the ride, like, ten more times...
We are a loud rock and roll band, so we roll with the punches, but it would have to be an AWESOME gig to want to go back to that dirty hole. Other places might suck because there is one way in and out for people and bands alike. When you play the middle set, you are competing with people loitering around in the walk ways. Sigh...
So for us, it can be more of a matter of practical convenience.