Red Hat Amphitheater

My favorite outdoor venue in the area. Parking is always easy but the drink prices have skyrocketed since the first time I’ve been here. I recommend pregaming before because the drink prices here are steeeeeeep. The lines here are bad some times… I’ve waited in line anywhere from 5 mins to 1 hour! I usually buy lawn seats but it can get very crowded. Can’t wait for warmer weather again so we can go to Red Hat for some live music again!

I always enjoy seeing shows at the Red Hat but it’s not without it’s few flaws… First off it’s expensive to drink here. $ 13 for a pint of Angry Orchard? Ouch. Food is in the same boat. Do yourself a favor and eat and any of the great restaurants downtown before hand. another drawback is that the lawn is a bit small, which provides for a nice view of the stage but also means if you have a lawn spot you better be there early or you’re going to be in trouble! Finally there is a strict no umbrella rule… Which means you’ll probably get rained on once or twice during the summer. I wish they’d lay up and at least allow small ones…
Now on to the good! Parking is a breeze and can be free if you don’t mind walking a few blocks. Enjoy them while they’re free on nights and weekends, looks like that may be changing next year. The venue is small which mean there really isn’t a bad seat, depending on the show you can get a perfectly fine view from all the way in the back of the lawn! Acoustics are pretty good for the area smack dab downtown, and most artists have a little fun with the trains in the background. Finally you can find some great artists stopping here and if you check out Groupon you can definately find some good deals! Check it out before paying full price!
If you’ve never been to Red Hat i’d definitely check it out. It’s a fun venue with a better value than a lot of our other arenas and amphitheaters in town!

So, I’ve been to RHA a few times over the years, most recently Led Zeppelin 2 and Australian Pink Floyd (tribute bands, not the real thing just in case you were confused).
I think the sound is good from my experiences, the stage isn’t huge but seems ok for the types of acts they get here. It’s cool to look at the downtown buildings and shimmer wall during the concert.
As others mentioned the lawn area is pitifully small and this isn’t really an amphitheater as they need a covered part and sloped seating similar to Walnut Creek. Prices for alcohol and food are ridiculous. I hope they can take some of the money they rake in from $ 11 beers and make improvements to the place in the future.

Great artists always on line up. water facets broken. Great vendors for beer and spirits. The security staff is friendly, direct and safety focused. A great venue in the middle of downtown.

Got to attend a show here a couple weeks ago. Cool place. Located in downtown Raleigh, parking was the only issue. We actually found parking close by but just had to make a couple trips around the block to get there. First timer, jeez. Anyways, the acoustics were good and of course the band was fantastic (Faith No More). I’ll definitely make the road trip back to Raleigh for more shows here.

Last night was my 3^rd time at Red Hat. The quality of sound was terrible. So disappointed we left early. Not a happy customer.

Certainly conveniently located, this place is fine for concerts but not amazing or anything. On the positive side, the sound system is decent and the downtown location is handy and feels nicely urban. On the downside, the seating configuration is just OK (not a lot of rake to the seating area, so the sightlines aren’t amazing) and, as the sun is going down, it’s right in your face if you’re looking at the stage. Also, the crowd noise tends to get lost and it’s not easy to build any energy. Randomly, trains or sirens will go by and interrupt the performers. Also, beer is $ 11 – I guess you expect to be gouged a bit at venues like this, but that’s pretty stiff. The shimmer wall is nice though.
In terms of seating, the seats in sections 5, 6, and 7 are fixed to the ground and I find them more comfortable than the closer ones in sections 1 – 3, which aren’t fixed. Section 6 is central and has fixed seats, so that’s my choice.
Parking note: Most of the garages in downtown Raleigh are free after 7pm; meters aren’t monitored after 5pm, so you can park for free if you luck into an open spot.

Luck and a Sense of Humor… two essentials for seeing a show here! Luck because shows are rain or shine and no umbrellas are allowed. Sense of Humor because a performer can be right at a poignant spot, or just hitting that last incredible note and Amtrak rolls in with a horn in a different key. (same key if luck holds up). Plus maybe a siren or two or three.
Fortunately for me (and tons of other people), the weather held up nicely for Idina Menzel, and she did have a great sense of humor about the city noises.
Seating-​wise, I was happy to discover that there is a lot of room between rows, which made for leg-​comfort and ease of getting in and out. I will be less concerned about getting an aisle seat in the future. It also means that if you’re in one of the back sections (we were in section 6), it is FAR to the stage, and I don’t know if it was the performer’s decision, or the venue’s but there were no screens or video cameras to show her close up. That would have helped a lot.
Refreshment-​wise, there were booths with a small variety. I’m a wine girl and the only wine option was Fetzer red or Fetzer white in a plastic glass with a plastic lid for TEN bucks. Smart way to serve it. Crappy wine. But at least where I bought it from, it was a benefit for a school. I did it for the children. :) Otherwise, there were beer and cocktails. Beer was of the wimpy type, imho (I like the dark stuff, didn’t see any). There were some food options which I didn’t pay much attention to, but Sis had a decent soft pretzel with mustard.
Bathrooms were air conditioned and clean.
Most importantly, sound quality was very good!
Getting in and out of the show was a breeze, even though they were having problems with the ticket scanners. Security was checking bags.
The BEST thing about his venue is that it is in downtown Raleigh, with plenty of parking nearby. The city noises that might interrupt a show are part of its charm. Not sure how charming it would all be during a thunderstorm though. Sure glad we got lucky!

I really like this venue. It’s a small enough amphitheater to be somewhat intimate. It was seamless to enter. Parking is nearby and easy. The bathrooms have a/​c. It’s also downtown so after the show, you can go out.

I have been to Red Hat more than a dozen times. They have some really great bands come to Raleigh! I just saw Slightly Stoopid, Stephen Marley, and G love. I usually always park in the parking garage right next to the venue for $ 7. This way I don’t have to worry about squeezing into a spot and I have left my car there over night and took a taxi home and they didn’t charge me anything extra when I came to pick up my car the next day.
I love the venue is in the heart of the city but that also has it’s down falls. They don’t play past 11pm, and when I seen further play here they usually play a very long set 4 hours atleast, late into the night but that was not happening. There’s no tailgating before the show or anything like that. The seating is kinda odd to me. They place more chairs in front of the seats already there and charge more for the pit. I have seen some bands open up the pit at the end of the show for everyone. They also offer lawn seats which I have never purchased myself just seems to far back from the action. The view at night is amazing. You look back and the see the building with the tree on it all lit up and is great for photos.
They have a pretty big selection for booze. They have beer, wine, liquor but they are pretty pricey! There’s a smoking section for the smokers. I will return for the bands but the venue is just not my favorite.

Here for the Slightly Stoopid concert. It’s a nice venue outside that is great for a smaller venue. Usually there is general pit admission, box seat and a variety of regular seating. Right in the middle of downtown allows for preshow dinner and bar hopping after the show! All in all a great place to hear live music.

So finally after 3 years, I make it to the Red Hat Amphitheatre! I remember when this vacant lot was just a big pile of dirt so it’s great to see this venue picking up a stronger music schedule and cleaning up its services after a rocky start! I had heard horror stories when it first opened up ranging from ticket lines to concessions and of course, mother nature. But I guess good things come to those who wait because I had a great first experience here!
Lines out front for the John Legend concert were manageable and security was pretty quick with a peek inside bags. The seating area takes up the majority of the venue here with limited GA/​lawn space. Concessions on both sides offered a nice assortment of beers along with limited wines (which they did run out of) but prices weren’t out of control at $ 7/​wine and $ 11/​beer. Might actually be a bit less than TWC Amphitheatre. And the acoustics were solid for an outdoors venue, no choo-​choo going by during the concert, thankfully!
What really makes Red Hat Amphitheatre is its downtown location. A great view of our growing skyline, the shimmer wall and the sun setting behind the stage makes for a great backdrop. If the weather is good (which we got lucky with), it’s a fantastic evening with great music and scenery.
If and when it rains it’s gotta suck but you roll the dice my friend! Sorta unavoidable with any outdoor venue with no covered seating. So thanks for a great first visit, Red Hat Amphitheatre. Yeah, the stage could probably use an upgrade but it’s held up decently over the years. Already have tickets for my second event here and I’ve got my fingers crossed on the weather!

As far as parking, seating, and getting drinks well that was pretty easy. I love the layout and that you can still have lawn seats and see a great show. This was my 1^st time here and I had pretty awesome seats (thanks Ron W.) but my seat actually didn’t event exist which happened to quite a few guests. They clearly didn’t know how the seats should be set up. They ended up giving us a chair because there was no seat that existed with my ticket. It was fine and the folks were super friendly about it. But for the amount of money people pay these days for concerts especially for seats it should be together by this point.
A lot of folks with lawn tickets were coming up grabbing close up pics of the show which ended up getting annoying only because the security folks kept yelling at them I totally get it that’s their job but most of the people were pretty respectful snapping pics and leaving. It’s a great venue to get up close and I would do the same thing.
Bathrooms were easy to access and I never had to wait. There was plenty of beer and alcohol booths as well where you didn’t have to wait in long lines.
Overall I’m digging Red Hat but there are a lot of things they can improve upon including seating. I do prefer this amphitheater to Walnut Creek. Check it out if you have the chance.

My first outdoor concert in downtown Raleigh and I had a fun experience. We came around 7 pm and had uneventful experience going through security and the ticket line. Since we were hungry, we went to check out the concessions. Jon O. got a hot dog and nachos and I got a Mango Orange smoothie, which hit the spot for being such a hot day. The lines weren’t too bad. I wasn’t in the mood for any alcohol, but I overheard you had to pay $ 10 for a tall boy. Eek! Mental note drink alcohol and eat dinner before going here for any event.
Our seats were in section 7 row E and I thought it was decent. Although you do get a view of the foot traffic going through the middle. I did notice that Section 6 wasn’t a great place to sit because the sound/​visual effects tents were in the way. I was somewhat surprised how small the lawn section was. If you want a good seat, definitely come early.
Small venue compared to other places I have been to, but lots of great acts performing (e.g. John Legend, Ray LaMontagne).

I guess the experience really depends on the show itself. Mine is pretty awesome —cool summer night, great live peeformers, engaging audience, just-​right sound&lights. Not a grandeur type of stage, but it is nice!

Well no matter where you sit you can see the stage. The place holds slot of people so if you want you choice of seating get there early. You would think the place could hold so many people just walking by it. Great place to hang out.

I have seen so many musical acts here I do not even know where to begin! To start, this venue is centrally located in downtown Raleigh and within walking distance of three parking decks which makes it extremely accessible to anyone looking to check out a show.
The venue is not too large so almost any seat in the house is a good one (I say almost because there are large sound boards and light fixtures located through the venue that can be in your way if you select one of the seats directly behind them… avoid those seats!). The lawn is not too big so be sure to get there early if you want to set up shop in a prime location. I usually reserve a seat just to be a little bit closer during the show; it is not like you actually sit down if a show is good anyway! Recently my girlfriend and I saw Vampire Weekend and sat in Section 2. We were to the immediate center of the stage and I dare say they were the best seats I have had so far. So a little tip, book Section 2 for a great experience.
Besides that the venue is set up very well with two entrances and plenty of food and alcohol vendors. Not to mention that they also serve The Pit Authentic Barbecue sandwiches at every show (far left vendor station to the left of the stage).
In conclusion, next time you are looking for an awesome night out or are dying to check out that band you love do it at the Red Hat Amphitheater in Raleigh and you will not be disappointed.

Red Hat Amphitheater is a great addition to the Piedmont music scene. I’ve seen several shows here and have always found it to be a fun, stress-​free concert experience. Our most recent visit was for the Black Crowes and Tedeschi Trucks Band — great show!). I must have had some cosmic karma because I was actually ushered to the front row in the center section by one of the venue staff for the 2^nd half of the Black Crowes to enjoy the show and take pictures to my heart’s content. Pretty sweet and very surprising! But I digress…
Check-​in was easy and it’s a small venue so there really aren’t bad seats. I’ve never experienced too long of a wait for the restrooms (in narrow trailers). However these trailers are really tight! Would it have really broke the bank to go an extra foot wide on those suckers? Beers are $ 10 and I got a nice double bourbon and ginger for $ 12. As other reviewers indicated, this is not a covered venue, so you may want to bring a raincoat. I saw on their website that for at least one show earlier this summer, it was moved to Walnut Creek for inclement weather. There are also tons of hotels and restaurants nearby. So, you can make a night of it when coming here for a show.
I think the sound is pretty good at Red Hat, not the best, not the worst for live venues. I wish they had mega screens so you could see what is going on stage from further back. Maybe those will get added sometime in the future. One can hope! We also went to see the Black Keys at Walnut Creek recently and I would put the Red Hat experience in a completely upper echelon in comparison (better sound, location and general «vibe» of the venue).
I never mind coming here to see a show and spending some money on pre-​show drinks and dinner. I just wouldn’t mind if my hometown, little ol’ Greensboro, would finally start getting some decent live shows. ..

Pretty venue. Expensive beer ($ 10 miller). Good shows. Nice trailer bathrooms (ill take anything over a porter potty).
Ridiculous amount of security in front of pit…(way to mess up my beautiful Billy Corgan photos!)
Good luck trying to see your favorite band members at this concentration camp.
It’s cool that it’s in the middle of downtown Raleigh. That area has definitely had a facelift.

If somebody told you, «there’s this vacant lot, right downtown Raleigh only they brought in a sound stage and set up some trailers, and big acts come and play», you’d say, hey that’s pretty cool.
If they called it an «Amphitheater», you might say that’s stretching it a bit.