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    KEMBA Live!

    3.0 (255 reviews)
    Closed 11:00 am - 6:00 pm

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    Pit
    Dana M.

    Yungblud- 8/2/26- $30 drinks, an oversold venue, refusal to allow people out of the pit to use the restroom or hydrate to the point there were people passing out or peeing in the pit, disorganized staff (obviously a lack of leadership/planning. as the employees were this place's saving grace), fast pass turned out to simply be a money grab, as they let everyone in at the same time. Not worth the trouble.

    Grace Fellowship Choir
    Teddy E.

    This was the 1st for our Church . Our SING annual worship out grew our Church and we chose Kemba and what a night it was. Skies were beautiful, temperatures were great and the STAFF was amazing . Everything went off without a hitch. It was FREE to get in and still set us back $40 to Park and have 2 slices of pizza. $48 for a whole pie. Ouch. $22 to park Ouch. Memories -Priceless

    One of the many bars.
    Doug S.

    Good place to see a show. Parking can get pricey for big events. You also may get stick in bad traffic if there are multiple events going on in Arena District at the same time. Also, don't forget to leave your pocket knives in the car. One of the employees helped me hide mine in a bush in the parking lot and it was gone after the show. Otherwise, a good venue with many bars generally friendly employees. Really tough to beat an outdoor concert on a nice night.

    The venue itself is pretty nice with good acoustics. However, they falsely show their seating chart. I purchased tickets for an indoor concert. Having never been there, I checked out the 360 degree view of the venue on their website. Upstairs, you can see nice, theater style seats and bleachers behind them. I bought what was called Platinum seats, assuming I was in those theater style seats. When I got there, the seats I was given were behind the nice seats, at a long, bar height, long narrow table on stools (at least they had backs). I was told the nice seats were sold to local businesses for the whole year. This is a deceitful process. The unavailable seats should still show on the seating chart and be marked as already sold. We spoke to 6 other couples at our show that had made the same assumption.

    Renee L.

    So I generally like this venue but last couple shows the alcohol selection has sucked!! I like crown royal , and absolutely NOTHING SIMILIAR to this!! How about Seagrams, Captain Morgan's , but instead Jim beam or Jack:( yuckkkkkkk!! Had one drink I could barely get down.

    themed drinks for The Rose!
    Adri C.

    Just another bar music venue with nothing special. The structure of the building makes it obvious that it wasn't built with the intention of being a good music venue and that the owners have no intention to make it better. The pit is in the middle of the audience area, and the camera people made it impossible for me to see. There are also pillars in the middle of the standing area and no designated line areas for merch. I have never seen such a disorganized line for merch at a concert. They allow way too many people for the capacity of the venue. Thankfully, I was able to get somewhat closer, but the crowd was as far back as the entrance, right outside the security check. The security is also over the top and rude, taking away people's fan made glow sticks, even when they said they wouldn't light them if it meant keeping them as a keepsake. It's cute that they made drinks The Rose themed, but one of them was very bad. Better off just serving regular well drinks that the bartenders know how to make. (No hate to the bartenders though, they were understaffed for the turnout of the concert.) Lastly, the bathrooms! The women's restroom is actually huge with at least a dozen stalls in a line. However, both times I've been here, the MAJORITY of them are out of order or otherwise nasty. I would come back here for an artist I really love, but otherwise I would steer clear.

    LNS always good
    Jayme H.

    It's been a minute since I visited Express Live... for obvious reasons. However, I was finally able to go for a show post-ish COVID. All Promowest venues require vaccination and I love that this one is a beautiful, not too big and not too small, outdoor venue. I saw Porter Robinson and for that show, the attendance wasn't too crazy (I imagine due vaccination requirements). I actually liked having a little space to dance. Staff were all wearing masks, for guests it was optional and encouraged. Bathrooms were clean and there wasn't a line out the door. Major Score! Overall, I think they're doing a great job handling the live music scene in Columbus right now. I love the variety of artists that come through here and the health and safety measures are very much appreciated. I'll be back soon!

    Becca O.

    I've been to a few different concert venues and I was a little worried it would be dirty, messy, etc. However, I really liked the set up of the venue with a pit and lawn hill for everyone. There are a few different vendor stations to grab a beer, I didn't see any food so eat before! Had a great time!

    Alexa N.

    I've been here a few times for their outdoor concerts and overall a great little place to feel almost like a mini festival. There's plenty of parking lots around the area. The lines for security is always long, but it tends to move faster. It takes longer now that they have to check for covid vaccine cards and negative tests. They have a few bar areas to order drinks and those lines take a loooong time to move. There's also the bar kind of attached to Express Live and honestly there's barely ever a line! Go grab a drink there. Mikey's Late Night Slice tends to be there as a food option. They have porta potties outside or there is an indoor bathroom. I have been inside of Express Live for an indoor concert. It's just a normal concert hall with an upstairs which is nice for small people like me. Try an outdoor concert here if you can!

    Dayglow
    Jane G.

    KEMBA is a solid music venue with plenty of space. I saw Dayglow here, and appreciated that he chose a venue that would accommodate his popularity while also honoring his indie fan base (choosing to not host his show at the Nationwide Arena, for example) and choosing a more intimate setting. However, the venue itself is nothing special and the sound design is somewhat lacking. Still a great spot, though.

    View from accessible seating (benches, not wheelchair)

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    1 year ago

    Nice venue in the heart of Columbus. Sure, it's a corporate place but sight lines are good. Really enjoyed seeing Devo rock the joint!

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    Page 1 of 7

    Ask the Community - KEMBA Live!

    Does anyone know if they have coat check in these winter months?

    Nope. I emailed to ask and they said if you wear a coat inside you'll need to hang onto it all night.

    Is there a coat check?

    No, there aren't.

    My child needs a wheelchair for long periods of time, are the handicap sections have good viewing of the stage for someone sitting down? Thank you!

    Yes, there is sitting/space available for wheelchairs.

    Question, help: Does Express Live! In Columbus, Ohio allow Cell Phones at ALL Concerts?

    Yes, you can take your cell phone.

    It says they allow clear totes on their website anyone know what kind?

    Same ones for stadiums. 12×6×12

    Does this venue allow visitors to camp out on or near the area?

    Not until 6am

    View All 11 Questions

    Review Highlights - KEMBA Live!

    Biggest tip I can give is to go next door to A&R Music Bar to get your drinks and use the restroom.

    Mentioned in 5 reviews

    Read more highlights

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    The Walrus - Candied Bacon Melt

    The Walrus

    3.8(632 reviews)
    1.2 miDowntown
    $$

    Had a weeknight dinner with some new friends. The place was busy both in the dining room and at…read morethe bar. Pleasant, lively but a little noisy, though not enough to disturb conversation. Menu is a slightly elevated bar food selection coupled with a nice selection of beers and cocktails. Prices seemed to be competitive with other similar venues. We all passed on apps and went straight to the mains. Most ordered a sandwich or burger while I ordered the lobster Mac & cheese. My dinner was delicious. A rich and cheesy baked concoction with a few lumps of lobster meat mixed in and flavoring the entire dish. All the guests cleaned their plates with relish. Simple platings with no special attention given to plate presentation. The dinners came out staggered rather than all at once. We weren't rushed but were attentively served. They accommodated us with 5 separate checks. All in all, I'd gladly return to enjoy another dinner.

    We ate post graduation meal at the Waleus tonight we had a reservation for 12 and 11 of us showed…read moreup on this cool rainy night. We we famished since it was 8:30 p.m. The did accommodation us with a lower table since on member of the party was elderly and in a wheelchair, with the statement that "this is a bar more than a restaurant". I would thereby say they are not truly ADA accessible oe friendly as one would hope. But as I said we had made the reservation and figured we'd make the best of it. Some of our appetizers got lost and were so late they took them off the bill. Some of our appetizers arrived cool or cold upon arrival, but we were so hungry we ate them. Plus it wasn't like anyone came back to check on us, or ask how was everything or refills. It wasn't until I went back to the bar and asked for refills that we were even visited again. I know our server was also seeming to be the bartender too. I don't think we'll be back and never with any handicapped friends who can't sit at a high top table. I would say the hopes were high but the experience was almost a total dud. Those who got the chicken Alfredo liked it and it was hot. After spending over $220 for the 7 people I paid for with only 1 alcoholic beverage and mostly burgers and appetizers. I would recommend spending your money elsewhere.

    Photos
    The Walrus
    The Walrus - Goat Cheese and Marinara

    Goat Cheese and Marinara

    The Walrus - The Walrus

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    The Walrus

    A and R Music Bar - One of the pillars blocking my view

    A and R Music Bar

    2.6(55 reviews)
    0.0 miArena District
    $$

    This venue layout is not ideal for a show. The columns are in the way of multiple viewpoints for…read moreviability of the stage. Worst of all, the Staff is vile. Bag policies increased since my last visit. You can no longer bring in "noise machines" which I guess includes those keychain alarms. The front bag check, took my alarm, and said I'd have to get it back after the show. My safety is in danger. The food option is a pizza window. It was okay. It was no taste of Chicago. Acoustics were fine, but not the best. Sucks because they get good artists here. The band we saw was so so good. They deserved a better venue. The venue just is not up to par with others. I also am not convinced the fire suppression is sufficient and think the city inspector should review, before someone poisons the waterhole. Also not very ADA accessible, at least not in the front entrance with those concrete steps. The bathrooms were moderate - but it was not as nice as the bathrooms at the Statehouse down the street.

    This is a tough one. I love live music so much that it's tough for me to not sing the praises of a…read morevenue that's offering it, especially these days, ya know? It's not a cheap endeavor, running a music venue. So, I do give them props for that. But I have to be honest, I didn't love seeing a show here. The biggest issue, as others have said, is that there are giant pillars in the middle of the floor that get in the way of the view. Luckily we ended up right in the front against the barriers so it was ok for the most part but I was afraid to move at any point lest we lose our spot and I'd get stuck with an obstructed view. As a bar it's also pretty bare bones. Only a few small cocktail tables and chairs, making it a mostly standing room venue. The drink menu is limited and expensive. There's a pizza counter which was a nice option since we hadn't had dinner before the show but at $7 for a slice of NY style pepperoni pizza we couldn't justify having more than one slice each. We also came a bit early during sound check since we were friends with the band playing the venue and the staff was really nice and welcoming to us as guests, so that's definitely worth a shout out. Great people there! Especially security. High fives for that. For the artists there isn't really a "backstage" area perse, nor is there a dedicated artist restroom. The venue made accommodations for bands to take over one of the three bathrooms but unfortunately that meant there was one less bathroom for the near sold out crowd to use. Not sure if this something do for all acts but if so, I can understand how folks would get frustrated by waits for the toilet. WITH ALL THAT SAID, a dive bar with crappy sightlines, bad beer, and a sus bathroom situation is pretty punk rock. I cut my teeth in venues like that. There's something wonderful about sticky floors and sweaty nights. But the problem is I'm not sure if A & R Music Bar sees itself that way. And it's that disconnect that leaves me wanting more.

    Photos
    A and R Music Bar - Front view of the stage

    Front view of the stage

    A and R Music Bar - Outside

    Outside

    A and R Music Bar - Venue

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    Venue

    KEMBA Live! - musicvenues - Updated August 2026

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