I'd only seen Ball State University's Emens Auditorium on one occasion, though a recent opportunity to attend a concert here in which a friend was performing finally gave me the chance to really check it out. The basics: Emens Auditorium is part of Ball State University and is named after Ball State's sixth president - John R. Emens. It was officially dedicated in 1964 after years of planning and no tax dollars were used for what was originally a $3 million facility and Ball State's first capital campaign. Emens originally had 3,581 seats. However, due to upgrades and various seat replacements (along with accessibility upgrades) this is currently reduced to 3,309. Over 1,000 seats are in the balcony alone. There's no question that Emens is considered a regional facility of choice. Performances have included President Ford, David Letterman, Stevie Wonder, Louis Armstrong, Victor Borge, Magician David Copperfield, comedian Adam Sandler, musical Cats, and Les Miserables, Red Skelton, B. B. King, The Temptations, Third Eye Blind, and the Dixie Chicks among many others. Accessible parking is typically located in the lot to the east of the Health Professionals Building off Riverside Avenue. There's also a shuttle available for those unable to walk the distance. There's also an option for patrons to be dropped off in the circle drive located at the main entrance of Emens. Emens does have an accessible elevator and offers accessible seating throughout the auditorium (I personally verified this as sometimes facilities will say this but it's not quite true). Ball State, for the record, has a well-earned reputation as one of Indiana's most accessible college campuses. They also offer swing-arm seating (wheelchair users will understand this) to help with transfers. Emens offers Infrared listening systems for those with hearing impairments and will arrange interpreters with at least two weeks notice (this is a fairly standard time frame, though I'll admit it doesn't thrill me). Emens has restroom facilities on each level and two single-user, generally considered accessible, on the main level. The sound in Emens is pretty close to phenomenal. The event I attended was a more classic era music event and I found sound quality to be pristine. While I didn't move around a whole lot, anywhere I went the sound quality didn't change. Ticket prices obviously vary per event. Generally, I find public tickets to be a notch below your market rate since this is a college campus. Prices for Ball State students are usually quite phenomenal and considering the quality of shows here that's a huge perk of being a student. The same is true for refreshments - I wouldn't expect this to be like your usual concert venue, but there are typically some options available (anything alcohol related is a bit rare but does happen; Ball State is a smoke-free campus). While Muncie isn't that far from Indie, the never-ending work on I-69 can make it a bit of a chore. Getting to Emens is a bit weird if you've never been here and I'd definitely plan some "Do I turn here?" time for the first visit. However, it's easily worth it. Muncie also has a decent hotel scene if you want to stay overnight (I recommend the Courtyard by Marriott which is owned by Arc of Indiana and actively trains and employs people with disabilities). The one thing I can't answer (and would like to as a creative myself) is how accessible the stage/backstage area is for performers with disabilities. I'm going to try to explore this in future visits. Now that I've finally had the chance to experience the fullness of Emens, there's simply no doubt I'll be back. In fact, I'm sitting here looking at the calendar now! read more

See all

I've never had a bad seat in this venue. The acoustics are amazing. Sometimes the refreshments are lacking a bit but at $3.00 for domestic beer $4.00 for a glass of wine, it sure is a lot better than an $11.00 amphitheater domestic beer. Tonight's show is a Led Zeppelin cover band but I've seen BB King here and Styx along with numerous theatrical performances. read more

Located in the middle of nowhere around dark and curvy roads, we made our first trip to Emens Auditorium at Ball State to surprise my tween w/ tix to see Macklemore and Ryan Lewis. It was a snowy night and parking was somewhat confusing, but we found our way and made it just in time. This venue is somewhat intimate, and limited in their vending and merchandise, but made for a very 'clean' show with my daughter. I'd purchased my tickets the same day on Ticketmaster and got pretty good seats. There was plenty of security and ushers ready to assist in finding our seats. Once inside, it was extremely hot and we had to leave our seats for a breath a few times. Because it's located on a college campus, there is no alcohol served and I didn't see any food/snacks, but they did have bottled water for sale (without a cap). Restrooms are clean and the sound and light show was great! We had a lot of fun and my daughter was thrilled to wear her new hoodie to school the next day. read more

See all

Was a nice venue. Only complaint is waiting in concession stand line for 50 minutes then they told us they've sold out of wine and beer.

It's been years, no--decades since I've been inside Emens Auditorium. While enrolled at BSU, I had the privilege of seeing quite a few national acts come through and perform. Cut to 20 years after graduation when I come back with my teenage children to attend a lecture by none other than Angela Davis. Yes, THAT Angela Davis. We were pretty far up, but the seats were comfortable and our view was unobstructed. It would still be nice if they had a screen for those of us with aging eyes. Finding a place to park that wasn't on a meter was difficult. Later, I learned that there was a parking garage nearby. Now I know for next time. read more

Emens Auditorium - The one and only Angela Davis! - Music Venues Near Me - Muncie, Indiana

Travelling to Muncie can be a frustrating trip coming from Indianapolis, but I have now made the trip twice to Emens for 2 shows I couldn't pass up. Both times, definitely worth it! The first was for a musical and we had awesome seats near the front and center, it was great and the price was right. No problems seeing the stage. In fact, the same goes for my second show, a concert in which we were more to the side and back but still on the main floor. I was able to see everything which is important to me even in the "not as good" seats. I have not sat in the balcony yet so I don't know if the same can be said for them. I appreciated the fact too that the seats in the back are on a slight incline so that the heads in front of you don't block the view! Awesome, however, the inclined floor also gave me some major foot pain since everyone stood for the entire concert. I will definitely be open to coming here again if they bring something I am interested in seeing! read more

I liked the venue! There's not a bad seat in the place and a parking garage is relatively close.

Great venue, reasonable ticket prices and amazing show selection like Blue Man Group, Luke Bryan, Tim McGraw, FUN., and more! read more

Emens Auditorium - the front of the building - Music Venues Near Me - Muncie, Indiana