James Brown Arena

Not too much I can say about the James Brown Arena that hasn’t already been said. I was recently there for the Katt Williams comedy show. The show was great but the venue needs help.
I had floor seats but the problem with having floor seats is, one way in and one way out. Everyone with floor seat had to enter and exit out the rear right entrance. At the end of the show the entire upper level was gone but at least half of the floor patrons were still trying to exit.
Don’t even try to buy a snack or drink. The lobby area is not big enough to accommodate the lines. The area you have to walk in the get around is also shared with the vendors. So you have a very shallow hallway/​vendor area. It is difficult find the end of the line and even harder to move around and pass through the area, firetrap comes to mind.

For the last six months or so I don’t want to hear anyone say there is nothing to do in Augusta!!! There’s tons of stuff to do, you just have to have the coins to do it (neck roll and mouth pop)!!!
So two my favorite artists announced that little olé Augusta, Georgia would be their first stop on a major tour!!! Mary J. Blige, Queen of Hip Hop/​Soul, teamed up with the youngest Braxton sister, Tamar!!! I set EVERYTHING aside to witness this concert in person.
Concert tickets were super easy to obtain and even received a gift from Mary J., herself, a copy of her latest album, The London Sessions. I had already copped Tamar’s new one and learned every song by heart to be ready for the concert!!!
So the night of the concert came and it was very easy to get in and find our seats, even though they didn’t open the doors to the arena until about 15 minutes after we arrived and waited in line. The arena filled up pretty quickly. I guess everybody and their mama wanted to be there to witness this night, and it was an amazing night!!!
A comedian named Damn Fool (I think that was his name) opened the show. He was funny too. Then my girl Tamar came on and blessed the stage. I knew EVERY song she sang!!! I was so stoked to see her live FINALLY!!! I’m also glad that I saw her before she fell ill and had to drop out of the tour!!! Get well Tay-​Tay so you can come back to Augusta like you promised!!!
Then it was Mary J’s turn to take over the stage and that she did!!! She sung soooooo many songs had to be like 20, even doing a wardrobe change. She changed so quick like within 2 minutes. Mary rocked so hard she had me come out my new fur coat and stand on my feet the whole time!!! She even came back for an encore performance singing ‘Family Affair’. The mayor Hardie Davis even gave Mary the key to the city. I don’t know why they didn’t do this on stage instead of backstage after the concert!!!
Mary or Tamar owes me nothing from this night!!! It was the perfect night of R&B music!!! The MC’s for the concert also announce some MAJOR heavy-​hitters in the music industry who are also coming to Augusta and blessing the stage!!! I have to set my coins aside for them!!! I’ll be ready when they come!!!

I have a love hate relationship with this place. All of my fondest memories from any concert of my youth is here. I remember show after show… then nothing. Then trips to Atlanta to see premier artists or Columbia for God’s sake for a decent show. It became very frustrating. I’m frustrated by my city and the choices made and this place is one of them. I believe this place could be better. It certainly needs to be bigger if we’re going to draw the caliber of artist we’re prone to drive hours away to see. Hearing that we’re a C market disappoints me.
I made a decision though. I’ve decided to support EVERYTHING I monetarily can at both JBA and the Bell. I only hope that if artists see that we turn out for these shows to maximum capacity they will see that they won’t sell 20,000 seats but they will sell out. My last event (Mary J and Tamar), was awesome. I only wish the floor seat chairs were not right up on one another. There’s more space in the balconies. I will be returning for future shows. I think it’s important. In spite of my frustration, as long as the artists will come, I’ll be there!

Excellent concert venue. It’s hard to find a bad seat. The acoustics are very good. And there are a lot of food and drink choices. Getting out of a packed arena can be a bit tough.

Went to the box office for tickets Saturday afternoon and was pleasantly surprised. The ticket office staff was very helpful and courteous. They helped me find two tickets close together for a nearly sold out concert. Great customer service.