Event Center

The one star is for the beer they are selling. We got 2 types of beer and they taste the same: Sour and no beer flavor at all. There is definitely something wrong with their beer!

Checked out the event center for the first time when I saw Moz in July. While it would have been far easier to have him seen him play in SF, it was relatively painless getting to the event center. Parking nearby is plentiful and probably a better idea if you don’t want to compete with all the cars in the on-​site garage.
As far as the venue setup, to me, it gives off a very hockey area type feel. That’s not a terrible thing, but it’s just not visually interesting in any way. The sound on the other hand was quite good, which is appreciated for any show.

IF YOU ARE A DISABLED ADULT, YOU WILL NOT FIND ADA SEATING HERE NO MATTER WHAT THE BOX OFFICE TELLS YOU.
Avoid this place if you need ADA seating. If they have any, no one knows where it is.
After having to empty my pockets, having my evening bag searched, AND enduring *a full body pat-​down*, no one knew where the American Disabilities Act mandated seating was located. Well, that’s not precisely correct– no one knew what ADA or disabled seating even was, and after I explained it (and mentioned that we called ahead & were told to «ask anyone, they will take you to disabled seating»), we were told to ask «anyone in a blue shirt.» The place is huge, & we could find no one to help for 15 minutes. As an older, disabled adult I could walk no further looking for assistance. My companions took off separate directions after another 10 minutes got three different instructions, none if which proved to be in any way accurate. Another concert goer helped me find an elevator to the seating level. It was a miserable experience. I go to concerts every weekend (The Fillmore, Fix Theatre, Zellerbach, Greek Theatre) and have always been treated with the respect and assistance that the law and basic decency requires, so was both surprised and offended at the Event Center at San Jose State University.

Trying not to be biased here as SJSU is my «stomping grounds» but this is actually a really decent place for music/​edm events… I never really had any problems here with anything. I especially like that you’re free to roam anywhere within the premise and no one constantly telling you where you can’t go.
I’ve been here for multiple events and my favorite would definitely have to be for Tiesto and Dada Life. Super fantastic events! The sound system isn’t state of the art or anything but it definitely does it’s job. Plenty of space in the bleachers to take a break. Bathrooms at every corner.
One little downer is that the concession stands close really early, I think at like 10pm… so get your drank on before then!

I’m not sure how I went to this school for 4.5 years and only came here after I graduated.
Standard sports venue, accessible restrooms and overpriced snacks.

I actually prefer this venue a lot more than other venues I’ve been to because it’s spacious. Of course during rave events it would be nice to have as much space as possible since people like to shuffle & jump around. It looks really small from the outside by lot once you walk into the main floor you’ll be amazed with how much space there is and yet it still gets packed!
First time I went here was for Fingerlicken & I had a blast. Was a great crowd & honestly security was a lot nicer than I expected this time around. Bumped into a lot of familiar faces as well because Evernote at this venue are pretty popular.
Last time I went here was for a two day event called Jack yo lantern. Security this time around was strict because security felt underneath women’s breasts… Wasn’t happy about that. But I give props to the people who had to clean the place up after the first night because of all the confetti that was thrown & trash accumulated but the next day it was as if there was no event the night before.
Definitely going to any next event here because it’s pretty close to home & it’s always a good time here!

The venue is actually pretty nice. Went here for jack Yo lantern for Halloween and everything seemed pretty spacious even with a ton of people.
There was street parking a few blocks down too so we didn’t have to pay parking fee in the garage!

The venue is nice cause it’s super roomy. Went here for fingerlickin last weekend and it was pretty fun. Make sure you come early because gets ridiculously long! Free small cups of water saved my life at the event.
LOVED that there were so many bathrooms! Sad that they stopped serving alcohol at 10 PM :(

I definitely think the SJSU Event Center is underrated.
I went here with a bunch of friends to attend Fingerlickin. On the outside, the place is just w/​e since it is still a campus building, but once inside wow it actually is very nice. There’s tons of room for the dance floor since the pull back the bottom bleachers. It is very easy to access everything since the openings are so wide. On the top floor there are food/​drink stands that sell everything that you would normally find at any big venue like Oracle etc. They have real food, beer, soda, etc.
One reason I prefer this place over the Oracle Center besides the staff is the fact that the people in the drink stand let me and my friends fill up my camelbak with their cold water and even added ice. Way better than all of the people crowing around a warm water dispenser.
The place is relatively cool on the inside (A/​C) as long as you are not stuck in the middle of the crowd. All in all the staff is what made the difference for me. Oracle Center is huge, but the staff sucks there and pretty much stop everyone from entering and having fun.
Definitely like this venue and can’t wait for Jack Yo Lantern!

The SJSU Event Center plays host to some pretty good concerts every once in awhile, so read this review with the concert theme in mind.
Plenty of floor standing room if you’ve got knees that can stand for 6 hours, and plenty of seating if you’re old and don’t wanna jump around. For the seats, the only bad ones are the ones that are literally tangent to the stage, because who want’s to see a concert sideways?
On the floor level, it gets hot. Ventilation isn’t really the best at this venue. If you’re at some punk rock show where everyone’s moving around and jumping on one another, then be prepared to share sweat and smell BO all night long. If you’re watching some ballad singer, then you’re probably okay unless you really don’t know how to act at concerts.
Sound quality is pretty alright here. It’ll actually depend more on the sound engineer for the band and how well they do their job, but for the most part, I’ve yet to have a bad experience with the sound here.
Security has the line moving along at a pretty steady pace, so don’t fret too much if you’re one of those people that doesn’t like camping out for shows. You’ll get in there eventually. Parking isn’t a problem at all either, because there’s lots all around and I’m sure if you’re willing to shell out the moolah for the tickets, you’ll be willing to cash out on parking.
Also, just a tidbit for the 90% of other Unilocalers here saying «Omg so and so band was so amazing here». That does not matter. That’s your opinion of the band, not the venue. Review the venue, not the band.
In all, it’s a pretty solid venue. Haven’t had a bad experience yet so you’ll continue to see me here until I realize that I’ve turned into that old guy at concerts, which will be a sad day in my life.

The event center at SJSU is extremely underrated.
They host some great events and the staff are friendly and organized and they do their job right. I’ve gone to robotic organizations, basketball games, work events, job fairs, and concerts so I would say I know my Event Center stuff.
They venue itself has great ventilation so you won’t be dying of heat exhaustion and the seating is pretty comfy. You have a great view of the floor from anywhere you sit and if you’re standing on floor level for a concert, it stays nice and cool down there.
If you ever get the opportunity to see some kind of attraction at the Event Center, give it a chance… it may just surprise you.

Came here for a concert on a Friday evening. Like any event you’re planning to attend, make sure you come here super early and leave for at least 30min time once you hit the vicinity (7^th street), since traffic is extremely bad from the point of the 280 exit all the way to the parking garage. Otherwise, once you get to the garage, all you gotta do is to get a spot and walk down — viola, you’re right at the event centre.
The event centre itself is okay, not that big, but good enough for a concert or rave. Security isnt very strict too: P
PS. Event parking is $ 10!

Lots of space. Plenty of parking spaces around. Little traffic. Concession stand prices are pretty cheap (3.50 large soda).
Venue is large.
Chairs don’t have cup holders though. Sound is a little bad.

Came here for Tiesto’s Club Life College Invasion Tour.
The whole ordeal was fantastic from entering, security, bathroom cleanliness, the show, the set up, the sound all the way to the end! The hosting staff was very professional as well as sincere. We thought backpacks were allowed but they KINDLY denied us entrance.
Light show set up was placed in the middle and it was amazing. The heavy bass lines were so deep they rattled your seats, in a good way. The only real obvious downfall was the concessions. Long lines that were slow, and everything was overpriced, but at what concerts are they affordable? That’s where they lost a star, oh yeah, they also didn’t allow water bottles as they poured our $ 3 waters into paper cups, haha.
Still I had a great time at this nice, safe, spacious and clean event center. I would definitely come back for more events here.

Liked it! I won tickets from KMEL to see Wiz Khalifa and I was impressed with this venue. It was better than I thought it would be.
There’s plenty of room, so if getting up close and personal near the stage isn’t for you, don’t worry — there’s plenty of free-​standing room on the floor further back. Still, we chose to stand on the floor when Wiz hit the stage and we could see just find from further back, and people weren’t bumping into us. It felt pretty spacious everywhere we were, yet this venue can hold a ton of folks. Awesome!
There’s stadium-​style seating all around the stage, and in my opinion there’s not a bad seat in the house. If there is, you can get up and move around to a better seat or view, no problem.
Well orchestrated staff and lines. We had a great time.

3.5 stars rounded down.
Not bad, not great.
You can get pretty close to the band if you try, and you should be on the floor but you’ll spend a lot of time standing, of course.
Sound was all right, but the space, stage and venue itself is pretty good. The box office is only open like 9 – 5 on week days, so if you have a job you might find getting a ticket to be a hassle.
Getting in and out is pretty consistent, and there are lots of bathrooms. There are better venues, but this is a good bigger mid-​sized venue for showgoers.

This place always delivers. I’ve been here for conferences, commencement ceremonies, concerts… what else starts with ‘C’?!? Hmm, that’s about it.
There is ample room in this venue. Absolutely enough space to roam around and enough seats if you just want to park it and enjoy the event you’re at.

SJSU Event Center Arena isn’t bad. It just isn’t the best thing I have ever been to.
However, considering the amount of bathrooms available, and stalls available per restroom, for a larger event than a Rise Against concert, I suspect it comes in quite handy in not having to wait for a long time to go.
The concessions are pricey, as usual, but not as pricey as a place like Oracle and the selection is OK. The only complaint as far as concerts here goes is that it gets very very warm since there is very poor ventilation, more so than other concert venues. The sound /​audio isn’t good. There isn’t very good projection in all ranges especially when it comes to a battle between vocals and bass so it’s more just like a rock your head to the beat and mosh it up kind of place for a concert.

This weekend I was at one of the biggest Tahitian dance competitions in the world. AKA Tahiti Fête. There were many Halau’s from all over the bay and across the states. This year was my year to retire my skirt and let my daughter do her thing! She’s competed before in group, but this year was her time to do solos.
The San Jose Even Center is the Gymnasium. (it’s huge!!) perfect for basket ball games, career fairs, dances, concerts, celebrations, volley ball etc. you name it! The capacity fits 5,000 for seating and 5,600 for concerts.
There were plenty of vendors selling food, clothing, jewelry and items from Tahiti and Hawaii that were hand crafted. A good event to spend time with the family and friends.

Given my extreme dislike of the Shoreline Amphitheatre, this event arena is a much better venue. It’s a school stadium, so there’s nothing fancy about it. It is a lot smaller than the HP Pavilion and the Oracle Arena, but large capacity for good size concerts.
Because of its location near Downtown San Jose, there is tons of meter parking available. If you don’t want to walk few blocks for free parking, then there’s a parking lot right across the arena. $ 10 last time we parked there.
What I like about this venue is that you have a clear view of the stage from any seat in the house. The first time, our seats were at the second to the last section on the side. I was worried that we won’t see anything. But nope, perfectly clear!
One Republic/​Rob Thomas Concert: One Republic was amazing! Love their first album! And love how they incorporate so many instruments into their music: guitar, piano, keyboard, drums, percussion, viola and cello. Never got into the Rob Thomas craze, but he proved to be a great entertainer as well. Especially cool when Santana came out to perform with him!
Kelly Clarkson Concert: Her concert was good. But very mellow since most of her songs are slow. I wouldn’t say she’s a good performer though.
What I don’t like about this venue is the lack of a stage floor. At Kelly’s concert, we bumrushed our way to the stage as many others did. But because they set up seats on the arena floor, we all got kicked out of the stage area so those sitting down can see. Boo!