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    Kings

    3.7 (43 reviews)
    InexpensiveMusic Venues
    Open 7:00 pm - 1:00 am (Next day)

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    the entrance to a restaurant with a sign on the door
    Ron W.

    Oh mighty King Neptune! It's hard to beat the double-decker action at Kings Barcade and Neptune's Parlour. Down below it's all dark and cave-like, perfect to get your drank on. Up top at King's Barcade, things are a BIT brighter but not much so. Pop up the stairs, pay the cover and step into King's cavernous space. Stage to the left, muppets on display in front and drinky-bar to your right. Sidle up for a draft brew or cocktail and get ready to enjoy some music. Or maybe a zombie show. Or maybe some improv comedy. King's books a LOT of different acts and I've seen everything from local bands to actors kidnapping Morgan Freeman to our own Susan Z, attacking and munching on an unsuspecting zombie victim. (I kid you not...) So yeah, King's is pretty decent, a good mix of music and more. The crowd is more along the creative-hipster vein but not overboard. If you really want to see a lot of beards, plaid and chucks, go downstairs for that! All in all I'm pretty good with King's. Maybe not my favorite venue but good enough to keep myself entertained on a Friday or Saturday evening...

    Ashley W.

    This is a great spot to see live music in downtown Raleigh! The bartenders are great, and there's plenty of space to dance to your favorite band or sit in the back and sip on your drink. The stage if quite large and they have a lot of amazing local bands. Can't wait for this pandemic to be over to get back and see some more live music!

    Great intimate venue!
    Mic S.

    I attended a few small indie concerts here. I love it! Such a nice, intimate venue. Acoustics around the stage were solid. There's no such thing as a bad seat here. Very relaxed atmosphere. Bartenders were attentive without being overbearing. I'll definitely have to come back for future concerts! I'm sure this is also a good place for after work drinks or just a good place for a break from the hum drum of the week.

    Kooley High
    Andrew W.

    Whoa, Kings. Kings takes the crown for the best music venue in Raleigh. Their booking has gotten better every year that I've lived in Raleigh. I've seen some of the best shows of my life here - including Hopscotch Music Festival, M83, Hum, the SparkCon burlesque show, The Love Language, Kooley High, King Mez, Active Child, the Dangling Loafer comedy, etc. The bartenders do an amazing job, often handling a large crowd and a full bar. I do think it's good etiquette to avoid the specialty cocktails at packed shows - if you're not too picky, go with a Narragansett tall boy for $3. They have a cooler full of those guys. Make sure to pop down to Neptunes after a show if you still have some energy. The cocktails are great down there, and dance parties start around midnight on the weekends. Pro tip: There's a water dispenser at the bar near the entrance. Somehow, they manage to keep it almost always full.

    Christina G.

    It feels a little like cheating writing a review for Kings when I didn't actually see a show there. Instead I saw the kick-off for this year's SPARKcon -- a presentation organized by our local PechaKucha group. I was there for three hours in a setting that would be unlike any other show there: sitting in uncomfy fold-out chairs looking up at a screen projector and a person or two on stage delivering their ideas. Acoustics for that seemed good though! ;) I really loved the space; you head upstairs and enter a room where the stage is in front and the bar is in back -- and there are two muppets in a balcony box up top (pretty friggin amazing). Large mural to the left that looks cool, though after studying it for quite some time during the intermission I realized I have no idea what it's depicting. Bartenders were friendly and fast, and could serve up Big Boss, Aviator and plenty of other brews. It got a little warm in here, being crowded and elevated. But I'm a fan and would definitely come for a show. If anyone figures out what that painting is of, PM me...

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    Ask the Community - Kings

    Is there a coat check?

    Once it gets cold, we have a coat rack in the hallway by the bathrooms! It's "self-serve"/use-at-yr-own-risk, but we haven't had theft problems in the past.

    What's Kings dress code?

    Not naked

    Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

    Review Highlights - Kings

    Unfortunately, no snacks or champagne toasts were to be found -- I'm guessing this was in Neptunes only?

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    The Ritz - Highly Suspect - pre show

    The Ritz

    2.9(214 reviews)
    2.9 mi
    $$$

    I always say I will never return here but somehow a favorite artist has their show here and I end…read moreup here again. Came for Ari during my birthday month. I enjoy Ari as an artist and this show was everything. I also loved seeing Lekan another great artist. The vibe felt grown! Everyone here was polite. I felt the love. This show was a 4* minus the ridiculous lines in towards the back of the building, Jupiter room is a nice to have with admissions. I did enjoy a no wait bar and nice cool space to relax. This venue is not a fav at all. This venue needs to do better with crowd control and entrance logistics. There was a crazy line. I may have arrived too early. The Ritz should post the VIP seating chart on ticket master and stop trying to overcharge excessive amounts for those seats because it's not worth it. The process to purchase a seat is traumatizing. The long wait in line inside (after waiting outside) and then to get up there and learn that it could be well over $250 per person on top of the fees you've already paid for general admission. The drinks are way too sugary. Do better Ritz!

    I visited The Ritz for a 2nd time yesterday to attend the Elmiene Songs For Someone Tour…read moreperformance. I was ecstatic when I learned he would finally visit the US for a tour and Raleigh was a stop. The staff did an amazing job controlling the crowds, providing hospitality, and safety. I parked in General Admission parking where I prepaid $14.00, it's the very last lot on your right. Entering was easy, getting out was a nightmare. Staff is needed following the event to direct the cars out of the spaces. There are other options for parking that will get you closer to the venue for $20+. We stood in line for about 45 minutes prior to entry. The staff managed the check in process very well. Everyone was friendly and hospitable. We were offered filtered water from the cooler jug where we stood for the show facing the front stage by the speakers & entrance to the back stage. Closest to bar and the exit. Cocktails were served in a cocktail shaker were sold for $22. We had an excellent view of the show. There is upper balcony seating for an additional Upgrade price, if you do not want to stand or be in the midst of the action. The Jupiter Lounge provides an elevated experience prior to show. Allowing you to unwind and have a cocktail. The temperature in the building was set to Alaska. Bring a light jacket and a small clear purse. I really enjoyed this show. The lighting and sound were terrific ! Memories were made. Thank you to the staff.

    Photos
    The Ritz - Found a couple of ducks on the patio. Whoever did this, thank you! It made me giggle.

    Found a couple of ducks on the patio. Whoever did this, thank you! It made me giggle.

    The Ritz
    The Ritz

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    Boxcar Bar + Arcade - Arcade Bar

    Boxcar Bar + Arcade

    4.2(704 reviews)
    0.3 mi
    $
    Budget friendly
    Outdoor seating

    I stopped by Boxcar with a few friends on a Monday and we had a great time! There was hardly…read moreanybody else in there, so we were able to play any of the games we wanted easily. On Mondays their drink special is $5 for any draft, what a steal! We all enjoyed a drink and a few games. I love the decor and vibes in Boxcar, the artwork is really punk and cool looking. My favorite game, The Lucky Duck, was broken (the claw wouldn't extend far enough to reach any ducks). I reported this to a staff member and she let me pick out any 2 ducks I wanted! The Pokemon pinball was fun too, I love the variety of pinball machines.

    We came here for the first time last Sunday afternoon. It was a very cool spot and a great value!…read more The arcade is pretty big, with a wide variety of games. Tokens are reasonably priced and older style arcade games only take 1- the more interactive or multi player games (think air hockey, basketball, dance dance etc) take 4. They have free popcorn, daily drink specials, and drinks were very reasonably priced. Despite being fairly busy, service at the bar was friendly and fast- I was impressed! Not much else for food here from what I can tell, so don't plan on having your meal here. I brought two teenage boys and we hung out for almost 2 hours- I think I spent about 40 bucks including tokens and a couple of drinks for myself. I really liked the street art vibe, especially all of the murals and the Instagram wall. They've done a great job with ambiance! The outdoor patio adds a lot of additional chill space. When we were there they didn't have a band playing, but I think they do often. I almost want to give it 5 stars, but several of the games were not working properly and ate our tokens. That say you can grab someone to fix them, but nobody appeared available, and I wouldn't have wanted to bother them multiple times anyhow... Would be great if they were proactively checking and fixing them. More snacks would be great too! Other than that it was a really great experience, I would definitely go back.

    Photos
    Boxcar Bar + Arcade - Heated, year-round patio

    Heated, year-round patio

    Boxcar Bar + Arcade - Entrance to Boxcar

    Entrance to Boxcar

    Boxcar Bar + Arcade

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    Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek - Chips and salsa

    Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek

    2.6(185 reviews)
    4.0 mi
    $$$

    This venue needs cup holders some bartender where cranky 5 stars to the premier parkingread more

    Attended Empire of the Sun concert, which was amazing…read more Unfortunately the sound system left something to be desired, the speakers sometimes sounded blown out. Lyrics were muffled/garbled and The Emperor's signature vocals and high notes were not showcased as they could/should have been. I don't know if this is on the venue or the sound person or what but was my only complaint as far as the actual concert. I had seen a comment that the seats should have cup holders. I was in Row M and our row (and I'm assuming the ones behind) did have cup holders but I noticed the rows ahead of us did not). As someone on the shorter side, it would have been nice if the seating area had a sharper rise to it. We were on the left end of the row, technically we had very good seats but between taller people in front of me, speakers and equipment that blocked the left 1/4 of the screen behind the performers, the fact that one of the side screens was behind us and the one on the other side of the amphitheater, when standing, was blocked by the tall gentlemen in front of me, an unobstructed view was impossible. The only food I purchased was a Liquid Death (not sure the price as my husband bought it) and a pretzel. I had read that the pretzels tend to be stale so I was nervous to plunk down $9. It wasn't one of the really big pretzels either, it was the ones that are about the size of your hand (smaller than an Auntie Anne's). Thankfully it did not taste stale. Staff were all friendly and helpful. We paid for the Premier Parking and felt it was worth it.

    Photos
    Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek - DMB from the top of the lawn deck

    DMB from the top of the lawn deck

    Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek - Death Cab for Cutie

    Death Cab for Cutie

    Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek

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    Red Hat Amphitheater - Backstage for OAR

    Red Hat Amphitheater

    3.2(165 reviews)
    0.3 mi
    $$

    I've been to Red Hat before but my first time attending for a concert. Parking (in the deck across…read morethe street) and getting in was near flawless! Fast and easy. Even with lines, they are efficient in screening people and scanning tickets. They keep people moving. And the staff is just pleasant!! From the entrance of the venue, to the food station, to exiting after the show everyone was just nice! Makes a big difference. Stopped by the drink and food station. Got fries, wine and water for two of us. That was $70+ dollars!!! I'm still very confused by that. It is expected that venue concessions will be a bit expensive but 2 waters and 2 cans of wine should not have totaled $58. The fries were nicely cooked though. The seating. We were pretty close and had really good seats as far as proximity to the stage. The issue is the seats are SUPER close together and small so it gets uncomfortable because you are all up on people, particularly those you don't know. Also, the rows aren't spacious either so it is a hassle if someone in the middle of the row is constantly getting up and leaving and coming back. The venue itself is nice. Amazing view of the city in the background and honestly there isn't really a bad seat in the house unless you end up behind the sound booths. The weather was perfect and not too hot but I would've hated it had it been hotter. There isn't an awning or any cover for shade. If you go in the heat of the summer (especially in NC) be prepared for it (hydrate, reduce alcohol, bring a fan, light dress) and be mindful of your seating selection although you won't be able to avoid the sun. I'd return to that venue, with some preparation adjustments on my end.

    Came here for a show recently and had a good time…read more I had a lawn ticket and was too cheap to rent a chair or blanket or anything like that, so I stood up most of the time :) I was in maybe the worst possible location (far right near the back of the lawn) but I could see the stage reasonably well and the audio was solid. On the negative side, the drinks were insanely expensive at $19 for a big can of "craft beer" (or $18 for the standard domestic options). Hot dogs were priced relatively reasonably at $5 each, but they were pretty gross. I should probably take off another star for these offenses but I guess I kind of expected it :) Parking is pretty easy since there are a bunch of parking decks nearby, and I think you can also find street parking. I did end up paying $10 to park in the Cabarrus Deck, but whatever. Overall, I would come back here to see a show, but I would definitely try to eat (and drink) beforehand.

    Photos
    Red Hat Amphitheater - Nighttime vibes & light show

    Nighttime vibes & light show

    Red Hat Amphitheater - Backstage for OAR

    Backstage for OAR

    Red Hat Amphitheater - The view at sunset.

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    The view at sunset.

    Kings - musicvenues - Updated September 2026

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