Austin Music Hall

I have heard many mixed reviews in the past year about the Austin Music Hall and although the venue did have sound problems at the beginning all the issues have been fixed. I have seen many shows at the venue including Incubus, Death Cab for Cutie, Matisyahu & Chevelle and the venue sounded great. yes it was crowded and the bar lines were long but that is how it is at every sold out show no matter the venue. All in all great place to see shows and looking forward to seeing many more shows in the future.

So disappointing. Went to see Etta James on April 24th. My first time since AMH reopened. The acoustics were horrible. Equally disturbing was the fact that there is no barrier between the bar area in the back on the main floor area and the seating. In addition to the noise from the bar which is expected is the brightness of the neon lights and overheads in truly distracting. The seats are the cheapest, most uncomfortable ever! Pathetic...you expect a music venue to consider the patron's experience which should include sound, visual, comfort and security. I think they missed the mark on all four and I do not plan to go back until it is improved for real.

Absolutely disappointing!!! The security has no authority what so ever. We showed up two hours early to grab seats upstairs in hopes to see the band since the new seating was suppose to be so amazing…. Ummm seeing the bands didn’t happen. Everyone piled up in the walk ways and FIRE lane blocking everyone in the upper levels view of the stage. Oh and VIP seating ha what a freaking joke…don’t bother buying tickets for that…you can’t see the stage because of the inconsiderate people who block those isles. During the second act two of the security guys… a bald guy and a guy with a Mohawk were able to clear the way (thanks for that first time we saw the stage) but when Death Cab came on they lost total control. To top it off the VIP isn’t clearly marked and this woman security guard chewing the hell out of a straw due to nervousness I’m sure, kept having to chase people off yelling “VIP ONLY!!!!” Seriously I was told they remodeled in order to improve the venue. Instead it was a total d... Read more

I hate hate hate the "new" music hall. I saw my favorite band there last night and was so utterley dissapointed at the venue. The door security could not get their act together, and I eneded up having my purse searched four times. When I finally got through the door the guy was so rude, telling me to back up and wait so he could finish talking to a fellow employee. then was like "did your bag get searched?". It was insanely over crowded and hot as hell. While I did enjoy the smoking patio, the upstairs is a joke. The bars are in the small hallway that leads to the "seating/standing area, so trying to get through is a nightmare. The security was so rude and kicked us out of the spot that we had and then let other people stand there. They made people sit on the floor during the first 2 bands. down stairs was a joke also. It was sooooo hot and horrible in there. I have never been in a venue that gets that hot and stuffy. The sound in that place is less than stellar. I had a really hard t... Read more

This was the worse venue I have ever been to. I saw Cheech and Chong there over the weekend and I can't even review the actual show because I couldn't hear anything. Although we sat in the balcony, we didn't exactly have nosebleed seats so we were excited about the show. My relatives came in from out of town to watch the show with me and I felt bad that they even made the trip over here for not being able to hear anything. It was so frustrating straining to hear the show and people behind us and around us started to leave in the middle of the show. I'm sure that music concerts may be a bit better here but this place is definitely not the place for anything else.

We were very excited to see Cheech and Chong in concert again. Our children bought us tickets for our birthdays. Tommy's wife started the show but we couldn't hear a word she was saying. We were lucky if we heard one third of the entire performance. Not only was the sound terrible, but we couldn't see. People were walking in front of us and those seated kept having to move their heads so they could see, therefore, blocking our view. There was a big screen behind them but they were not on it. That would have made all the difference. Plus, we were all packed in there like sardines. Very uncomfortable. Several people around us moved or left. I won't ever go there again. I wish I could get my kids' money back.

The acoustics are utterly horrible. There is a huge amount of echo, even if you are close to the stage. This is just a cement bunker. I've been to hundreds of concerts in my lifetime and this is one of the worst venues ever. I never went to the AMH before it was renovated, but I just can't imagine how bad it was then. Unless your most favorite band is playing, I highly suggest staying away from this venue.

Hmmm where to begin? Just saw Kings of Leon at the Austin Music Hall - worst concert venue I've ever been to. Most importantly, the sound quality was horrible. Terrible acoustics, a sound that was muddy and scrambled. The venue itself was over-crowded, hot, and humid. There was nowhere to go to get a halfway decent view of the band, unless you got there 6 hours early to crush forward to the front of the huge mob on the ground floor. These people are packed in like cows going to the slaughter. I don't know what they did when they had to go to the bathroom or get a drink or sit down, there was no way of going in or out. The main bars at the back of the ground floor were overcrowded, the lines were spilling out into the section where you stood to listen to the concert-which created a huge bottleneck for people who wanted to go to the bathroom or move from one side of the room to the other. The staff were worse than the Hell's Angles-constantly bossing people around with ridiculou... Read more

i checked this site before going to the Kings of Leon concert and was a bit scared after reading it. Obviously the only people who write these reviews are the ones who didnt have a good time. so ill be the first to TOTALLY disagree. the sound was great, the show was great the staff was great, Im sorry robert earl keen didnt sound good for the people who posted a few posts back but thats his fault. Ive never been to AMH so i didnt know what to expect. Luckily my expectations were shattered by an awesome concert hall and an awesome band! You can get so close to the band and not at any extra costs. they have seats upstairs but who sits down and concerts?? (robert earl keen fans thats who)

Background in performance and event coordination. I understand things happen, but... Section D, Row 4, Seats 8-11, and Row 5, Seats 8-11, $65/ea. Got to the venue early for the first time since the remodel to look around. Asked if there were in/out privileges before my ticket was scanned, was told no just before the woman took and scanned my ticket! I explained to her that I had 7 tickets for friends, and was told I could wait in front of the door. While waiting, saw a detective turned away from the door because he was wearing his firearm on his hip (next to his badge). They also turned away a woman with a CHL who had a handgun in her purse. If you are going to do that, post a no-gun sign! Same woman who scanned ticket the first time said there was no re-entry. After 3 or 4 minutes of explaining to her what she had earlier told me, she finally let us in about 20 minutes before the show. Section D isn?t even close to in front of the stage ? HORRIBLE set up that isn?t apparent in on... Read more

I won't bother repeating what all of the other reviewers here have said because they are all 100% correct. You should really think hard about spending money to see any musician at this venue. It's unfortunate if your favorite band in the whole world decides to play here because this venue is so unbelievably terrible. If that musician is playing in a nearby city, like S.A or Dallas your'e better off making the drive.

Just saw The Cure there 6/8/08. Unbarably hot and over crowded! I had to complain to high hell to even get to a spot where we could (almost) see the show. The acoustics in the building are some of the worst i have ever heard and i have been in the business for many years...their sound engineer needs to be drawn and quartered! we were fortunate enought to find one helpful staff member who was kind enough to move us to one of the VIP areas so that my girlfriend could enjoy her b-day present. Needless to say we will never return to AMH. The poor people on the ground floor were packed in like sardines! I can only imagine what they had to do when they needed to go to the bathroom. Unless you are a glutton for punishment, not to mention throwing away your hard earned money, don't go to Austin Music Hall!!!!!!

As a veteran of 100's of concerts this has to be the worst conceived and managed venues ever, not sure if its a despicable combination of laziness and greed or just plain incompetence. I had the unfortunate experience of seeing the Cure at the Austin City Music Hall and it was absolutely terrible: overcrowded, no seating, people were literally falling all over each other fighting for a space, visibilty was terrible. Benches are way too low you actually have to squat, but no matter ,you'll find yourself standing through the whole concert and most likely staring at the back of someones head unless your 6+ feet tall. Bottom line do not go unless your a teenager or you're absolutely desperate to see your fave band

I went to go see BB King and it was an amazing show had a blast..took my boyfriend for his birthday...but the venue is a joke. I'm sorry...the seating arrangement was super tight!...Small seats, and weird angles for those in the balcony and in the sides... Amen to having almost front row tickets..balcony seats are made of concrete...good thing is there is a bar in every corner and the restroom line for the girls was super short..i was amazed...nice outside view (balcony for the smokers)...to make sure you get the a good seat for your buck make sure you sit in middle section..don't go to far to the back because you will not hear music..just random drunks walking by..and yelling...I am not impressed with this venue.

I see that others have complained about the bar service. I had no problem with that part. This was the B.B. King concert on April 6th, 2008. It's a real drag that whoever designed this venue can't be flogged in public for the unbelievably horrible acoustics. The sound was butchered so badly that you could hardly understand any vocals. The sound of the band was so muddy that there was almost no distinction or clarity in notes. When I say muddy, I'm talking muddy at a level that was pitch black. No highs were getting through at all, it was just rumbling bass noise, literally noise and indistinguishable. No definition of instruments. I really can't find words to describe the level of disappointment. B.B was as always funny, entertaining and enjoyable. It's really sad that he was playing in an acoustic hole. Pretty much ruined it for me. The last time I saw him was at the Paramount and the sound was really pretty good. No comparison in the two venues. Austin Music Hall NEEDS LOTS OF HEL... Read more

My first visit to the Austin Music Hall was last night (April 6th) for the BB King concert. The acoustics of the building were awful. I've had pretty bad allergies so my hearing was already jacked up a bit, but I couldn't understand anything. The mix sounded really muddy. It was really sad. No, I take that back. It was disgraceful. I've been to alot of shows in alot of places and there is no excuse for a place calling itself a music hall with such horrible acoustics. It wasn't sad. It was insulting and disgraceful. Then we get to the seating. I was amazed. This place has been renovated? And we have $2 K-Mart folding chairs zip-tied together? I admit, I am a fat man. This is my responsibility. I buy 2 plane tickets because I know these things are closer together than any humans not intimately acquainted with each other should sit. I am thinking the Austin Music Hall renovators must also work for the airline industry. In case you aren't paying attention, that's not a c... Read more

The seats are extremely small, and I would bet they didn't cost more than $5 a piece. On top of that, my seat in the balcony faced the center of the floor, not the stage. All of us up in the balcony had to crane our necks to a 60 degree angle, just to face the stage. On top of that, the angle of the balcony was too flat, and we could barely see the heads of band members, and yourself. $150 is an insult for such a seat. The bare and ugly feel inside is similar to a warehouse. I can't believe this is how things came out after the renovations. What a joke!!! The sound is very weak, lighting is so so, with no decent effects or a screen. Don't give these crooks your business!

I've attended a variety of concerts at the Austin Music Hall over the years. I've never been a huge fan of the acoustics, but it wasnt' the worst place to see a show. When I heard that they were going to remodel the place, I was excited and optimistic about the results. However, after our recent experience at the "new and improved" AMH (Duran Duran in December 2007), I have to report that things have gotten worse. The remodel was obviously focused at increasing capacity and nothing else. They have created large metal framed decks on the second/third floor to increase standing room. Unfortunately, these have made the acoustics worse. I pretty much heard only bass during the Duran Duran show. I couldn't even tell which song the band was performing until the chorus started. In addition, the remodel is obviously not even close to complete - no wired power (they had extension cords running everything in the front of house), the upstairs bars are in the hallways (right w... Read more

Lots of potential. The main floor needs to be slanted. All the laides around me could not see and people almost broke out in fights trying to get a view. If you move out to the side, you still can't see. If you go to the balcony, you can't see either unless you are right against the rail. They need projection TVs up there so you can watch the action. If you stand in the back to get some room, you can't hear, there are no speakers. The temperature was great as were the bartenders. Please consider these suggestions, this place has so much potential. :)

I have seen hundreds of shows in all types of venues, and this by far was the worse venue I have ever been in. The stage is to low. I am 6'1, I can see over the crowd, but I could not see a piano on stage. The stage was so low that it is not possible to get a good view, the stage needs to be raised at least 2 feet if not 3 feet and raked (slanted). To compound the matter of a short stage the floor is flat. Who builds a "music" venue and puts in a flat floor? This is a "MUSIC HALL" not a cafeteria, slat the floor or terace the floor. There are people in this world that design stages, they design them so that all seats are good, probably people at UT that can do this, they could not do any worse. It would appear that they did not use somebody to design that understands crowds, traffic flow was horrible. The sound was pretty bad also, but hopefully that will be fixed as the building is completed and baffles and dampening material can be added. There are also safety issues. Som... Read more

Just reiterating what everyone else has already said. Austin Music Hall tried their best to ruin our New Year's Eve celebration. The staff working the bar tried hard but poor management put them in an impossible situation. Whoever was running the show that night needs to seek another occupation. Running out of almost every kind of beer is ridiculous for a REK show on New Year's Eve. And a few beer troughs on either side of the stage would have remedied a huge portion of the bar lines. Living in Austin we have too many choices to put-up with this. I will not be attending anymore events at AMH. I feel very sorry for the guests that drove from out of town for this show and were excited about what could have and should have been a great night. Just so ya'll know - we're ashamed the Austin Music Hall is in Austin...

I have been to over 100 concerts at small venues to large venues. Austin Music Hall shouldnt even be called a music hall. This lame excuse of a concert hall was just pityful. The place had terriable acoustics to hear any sort of music and the place was way over crowded. Granted it was New Years but there was way to many people and not near enough staff to help. They had about 8 to 10 bartenders to handle 3000 people. Rediculous!!! It took anywhere from 1hr to 1 1/2hr to get a drink. There was even an extra bar that was not even open!! There was no beer tubs and no other way to get a drink. All this was before Reckless Kelly, the 2nd band of the night came on!! You could only imagine what it would have been like when REK came on. The place was not prepared for that size of venue or amount of people on New Years. The management obviously have never had any premium bands play here or they just dont know how to put on a good show and make everything "customer friendly." My friends and ... Read more

I wish I knew 5 more languages so I could describe how bad this place is six different ways. We drove up from San Antonio on New Years Eve to see two of my favorites and were extremely disappointed. First attempt at getting a beer took over 45 minutes. Second attempt at getting a beer took over and hour and a half!!!! We literally sat in line from the time the Gourds went off stage to the time Robert Earl Keen came on! We missed the entire Reckless Kelly set! By the time we made it to the front the second time, they had run out of cans of beer, and wouldn't let us get a bottle. Instead, they poured what ended up to be half foam into a tiny cup. By the time people got to the front of the line, it seemed as though brawls were going to ensue. People were so annoyed that they walked out before REK came on. If that doesn't paint the picture for you I don't know what does. If people are willing to walk out before seeing REK, you know the conditions were dreadful. The management s... Read more

A group of 15 of us made plans a month in advance to spend New Year's at the AMH. Robert Earl Keen was the headliner. I've seen him ten times at the very least. Drink lines were OVER an hour long!! I stood in line for twenty minutes and didn't move a single inch. Seriously, my feet didn't move. Eight bartenders serving 3,000 people is ridiculous. I was told this was normal procedure for sold out shows. Evidently the procedure needs to change! I left before REK even came on stage because I knew I wouldn't have a drink by the time midnight rolled around. I will NEVER, EVER go to another concert at AMH. It was by far the most miserable concert experience I've had. I also called to get a refund and haven't received a call back. I did speak to the "bar manager" and he defended this debacle by saying "everyone happened to all drink on the same night! We've had sold out shows before and there has never been a problem like the one you describe." Yeah bud, it's called New Year's ... Read more

I echo what everyone else is saying regarding the debacle that was New Years Eve at Austin Music Hall. Words cannot adequately describe how ridiculous it was to try to get a drink in that place... on New Years Eve! I waited at least an hour and a half for 2 crappy beers in plastic cups that were mostly head.... every single person in line w/ me was miserable and disappointed. As we got closer to the bar, the "lines" turned into huge mobs of people pushing towards the bar... they are lucky things did not turn violent b/c people were at their limits of frustration. Being a dedicated Texas country music lover, I stayed through the whole thing, and REK did pull off a good show, but it was w/out doubt the WORST concert experience I have ever had. The worst part, too, is that it was completely avoidable if someone with half a brain was running that place. Double (or triple) the bar staff, line the sides of the building with beer troughs, and limit the admission to a reasonable number ... Read more

6 of us drove Austin to see Robert Earl Keen for New Years at AMH...afterall Austin is known for its music scene and they know how to put on a good show. HUGE DISAPPOINTMENT. Upon our arrival at AMH we couldn't figure out why people were jumping into out cab before we had the chance to even get out of it. They apologized and just said they couldn't wait to get the hell outta there due to 1hr 15 min beer lines. I tried to convince myself they were overexaggerating and surely it could not be that bad, affterall its New years and AMH has to be prepared for a sold out show. After our entry, within less than 2 songs time we were exiting as well and wishing we had never even gotten out of our cab to begin with. The beer lines which were meandering lines of chaos were indeed a minimum of 1hr and 15min long consisting of no less that 75-100 people per line. I asked someone at the front of the line how long they had waited to be sure.What a waste of $260. Completely unorganized and ill prepare... Read more

I love music and I love live music even more. I have seen hundreds of shows in small venues like the Austin Music Hall (AMH), and I can say without qualification that the AMH is the worse venue I have ever been to. Besides having garage type acoustics at best, the staff is unfriendly (unless you are bribing them - which they are open to) and the wait to get a drink or any type was 1 1/2 to 2 hours long. Save your money and see whatever band is playing ANYWHERE else in the world!

Worst venue I've ever been to. That's counting the time I've stood outside in the mud and rain, would much rather do that than go back to Austin Music Hall. If you're thinking about seeing a show here, save your money buy the cd invite some friends over and just stay at home. You and your friends will have a much better time. Beer lines were ridiculous, about 2 hours in line. Rude staff. No where to sit, saw a lot of people sitting on the ground. Just an over all bad, frustrating experience.

$40's to see 2 of my favorite bands seems way worth it right? Well whoever organized this New Years party spoiled it for thousands of people. I am sure if the Fire Marshall saw this he would have shut it down. They crammed in as many people as they could and just left it at that. Trying to get a drink was nearly impossible, I know people who tried and got in line for 1 1/2 hours and still never got to the bar. Many of my friends just walked out in disgust. I left after Reckless Kelly played and I really wanted to see Robert Earl Keen though if I had of done that it would have been my first New Years without a drink in my hand at Midnight. Thanks Austin Music Hall for wrecking thousands of peoples New Year.

I would not recomend this venue to anyone. If their business is trying to see how many angry people they can fit into a warehouse then they are doing fine, but if they are in the business to entertain and accomidate their guest they are way off the mark. My experience was once they sold the tickets they didn't care at all. They said nothing about not allowing cameras we had to walk all the way downtown to return our camera to the car then they searched us at the door like were a bunch of convicts. Once we were I waited in line for two hours to get a drink in a line that extended all the way to the stage finally I gave up before I even reached the front. I asked to speak to the manager and his solution was if you don't like it you can just leave this of course is after he has my forty dollars and the forty dollars of sixteen of my friends. The company that owns this disaster is called Direct Events, They also own The Backyard, The Glenn, and Lazona Rosa. After my experience at The Au... Read more

While the music was great, it was so hot in the venue that people were fainting. It was much hotter in the venue than it was outside. It was so hot that it was hard to enjoy the music. I will think twice before going there again.

Sadly this is the only mid-sized venue in the city and is more suited as a large night club (which austin lacks) than a performing space.

I'm always surprised by the acts that go through this venue because it's not the best I've seen. I mainly say that because of the condition of the building's interior (warehouse feel) and exterior (warehouse feel, with parking). With all that said, I've seen some of the best shows of my life here, including the Austin Music Awards.

AMH attracts the larger shows, not because it's the best venue, but because of it's size. It can be a tight fit and the lack of air circulation makes for some uncomfortable concerts. The acoustics are terrible to boot.