Went for the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament. 8,000+ people there on Friday night, 9000+ today and only 1 !!!! Handicap Women's bathroom!!! Seats are extremely narrow and no leg room at all! Definitely not a venue I will frequent. Extremely disappointed. read more

Small outdated looking venue. Friendly staff. Concessions were of the country fair variety. Bathrooms were poorly organized. Need bathroom attendant to direct traffic. Lines were unnecessarily long since girls didn't know there were 2 lanes of stalls. Had to go to back of venue to climb up the stairs to get to the restroom. Got a lot of steps in since I have a tiny bladder. Sound system seemed meh. Hallway between bar line and seating area is ridiculously narrow once the booze folk get in line. read more

I think that this deserves 5 stars because I honestly don't know what else you could add. I mean I'd love a concert venue that didn't have over priced beers, and yes their smalls actually resemble a small drink which I almost knocked a star off for before I realized that america is so mislead with drink sizes that a legit small is horrifying! I should add a star for helping save my waistline! thanks Times Union (thank god its not the pepsi anymore, but I do miss it as the knickbocker). First of all the staff is EXTREMELY helpful! I'm dumb and forgot to print out my tickets and the Will Call Lady was so nice and friendly, and didn't even call me stupid and printed out my tickets! I also keep getting sent awesome deals for a free hotdog/popcorn/pretzel and small soda with tickets to concerts and games. Hey thanks!! (BTW the hotdogs are probably the best venue hot dogs I've ever had, legit delicious as far as hot dogs go). The venue is sized perfectly so there really isn't a bad seat. Even the highest seats have a good view. I've seen all sorts of things concerts, monster truck shows, hockey games, car shows and this venue is always great. I'm tempted to take down a star because I think the price for parking is absolutely unreasonable. Although the only other places I've seen shows I've never had to pay for parking because I take a train in, so maybe its reasonable so I wont take down a star. TIP: just park on a side street a little past the arena, its a little bit of a walk, but do you really wanna pay 10 dollars to sit in traffic after the show while you try to get out of the venue? no thanks! read more

Pray you never have to go to this stadium, went for Mumford and sons on March 2nd and besides the concert being good, the venue was a negative 76 . This place was a mess . Credit card machines crashed, toilets floods, women were in men's bathroom and versa. Transportation? Forget it. Cops blocked everything. I'm from NYC and probably could have walked back to the city faster then ubering to a hotel .6 miles away. The times union center should be ashamed. This place was such a disaster, I would skip a family members wedding if it was held here. Please, whatever you do, don't go to this god forsaken venue read more

Came here for the Ariana Grande concert this past winter! Sat around ~100 and the seats were fine, could see the artist and still for a modest price. My main issues were the extra things around the concerts. If you're hoping to buy merchandise, it's very unorganized and be prepared to wait an unusually long amount of time. Prudential Center, which is relatively the same size, was able to handle the crowd better with multiple stands. This, however, was almost a complete nightmare. Undoubtedly, when you're leaving the concert you expect traffic, but this is much worse. You merge onto a two-lane highway from a car park placed directly next to the building. Just be prepared to spend a lot of extra time. read more

Transiberian Orchestra was Incredible! This is my 8th time seeing them..... Always a spectacular show. 1st time seeing it at the Times Union Center.: The venue would have been great if the traffic and parking situation was better! Took us 45 minutes to get from exit 3B to the parking garage ..: we missed the beginning of the 3pm show... I have gone to several venues in the NY area, and this was the most difficult to access..: Police are definitely Needed to help with traffic around the arena. read more

I wish I could say I was a bigger fan of the TU Center. I will say that the people who work there are very friendly and helpful. I was greeted several times at Saturday night's hockey game versus the Phantoms. I lived up in the Glens Falls area for a year or two and became a frequent visitor to the Glens Falls Civic Center for concerts and hockey games. While it's a smaller arena, it's a far better venue than the TU Center. Sure TU has a lot of fancy frills - like a second tier - but GFCC has them beat on sheer comfort. The seats at the TU Center may be the most cramped seating at any arena I've attended (and I've been to a number in NY, NJ and Mass). I'm not even 5'8 and my knees are jammed up against the seat in front of me and if there are other patrons on either side of me, there truly is no room for my legs. I don't understand this at all. I leave concerts and games with so much pain in my knees and legs (and I don't at all like to be made to feel so crotchety and achy at 31!!). I ordered a Heineken that wasn't even drinkable, I have no idea why, but it was sickly sweet and disgusting, didn't taste like a Heiney at all. Like most arenas, food and drinks are all pricey, but I will say that these were still average pricey if that makes any sense. As far as getting there: parking in Albany is terrible period and the #10 bus only runs hourly after 10PM which is inconvenient. read more

(Review for non-sport events at the Times Union Center.) I've been to two non-sport events at the Times Union Center and was very disappointed. The seats are small and uncomfortable, with steep aisle, and there's a haze to the air quality inside the arena that lowers the visuals of the performance. The sound quality in the arena has an echo-ish feel and overall poor acoustics that detracts from the listening experience. I would very much like to see Andrea Bocelli (TUC on June 13) at a smaller venue that's a little more personable and intimate. Why would I pay the posted ticket prices of $105 to $1,110 to sit in the Times Union Center! Are you kidding me? I would maybe pay $20 dollars to sit far away from Andrea with the crappy experience the Times Union Center offers and $150 up close. Their price points are insane for what they're offering. Considering tickets are nearly sold out at the time of this review they must have it right and I have it wrong :/ No thank you Times Union Center. I'll stick to SPAC, Palace, Proctors, Tanglewood, NYC Broadway, etc. All of which themselves have various drawbacks but make up for it in other ways. The Times Union Center is basically a cash register for traveling acts to pack em in, loot up, and move to the next city. I can't imagine many performers enjoy their experience at the Times Union Center. (Once you starting sitting up close to the performers and can see the sweat roll down their faces and their micro expressions and the nitty gritty of their effort to perform, you never want to go back to viewing tiny characters 50 to 100 yards away. It's a world of difference. There's almost no point going to a live performance and sitting so far away, unless it's a rock concert or you're young and the concert experience IS the experience.) read more

This venue has a $20 parking fee (at least for the Paul McCartney show I attended on 7/5) which is outrageous. We parked at The Egg for $5 and walked down three flights of stairs and a couple walkways instead. The only downside was going back up. Haha. The vendors and merchandise stands are so unorganized. I may be spoiled coming from Vegas, but I could not believe the lack of any actual lines! It was just whomever pushed to the front the most aggressively won. Also, the lack of ushers was surprising. Each section could be accessed by two different portals and you did not know if you were on the side closest to your seats until you got inside. They need portal numbers on the tickets if there are not going to be portal ushers giving directions. The seats themselves were fine and the show was great. read more

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Good venue for a concert. The 36o degree stage doesn't cut it in this bldg. sound is amazing.

As long as you get your seats via Stubhub.com, your sure for an amazing night! Hands Down!!!

I've been to the Pepsi many, many times for many, many different events: rock concerts, hockey, arena football (ugh), basketball, when it's empty. Its a solid arena, fairly clean and accessible, and simply layed out. Parking can be difficult if you aren't familiar with the area and you get to a crowded event late, but not to worry, you'll find a spot. Its a great place for big entertainment in Albany. If you want more astute arts and entertainment, go to the Egg. Oh the River Rats. How the small have fallen so hard. read more

The venue itself is nice but the food options are terrible. If you can buy outside do that. It's all sugar, sugar, fried, sugar.

Great work on the crossfit regional very easy to watch and everyone was so friendly!!! Bathrooms were clean lines were short!!!

The only complaint I had was the floor seating being WAY TO TIGHT. We were squished between the people next to us and barely any room between rows. I bought my mom floor tickets to see the Impractical Jokers through Ticketmaster and had I known the seating was so packed I would've spent my money on seats the my mom could enjoy her birthday present. I know it's not entirely Times Unions fault but they should pair up with Ticketmaster and other ticket distributors should put warnings or notes about seating situations like this. read more

I went to an Albany Devils Hockey Game last night with BF... and although not a big hockey fan, I have to say that I enjoyed the silly techno displays on the scoreboard, and the fact that there were so many families there to enjoy the game... it was clear the kids were having a ball. For me, my mind has changed about several activities. Take snowmobiling. Never really saw the point. Then I happened to land in Old Forge, NY for several years after living in Manhattan (don't ask!) Lo and behold, my mind changed about that sport too. There were moms and dads outside together in frigid weather, doing something besides "Wee"- whatever that is, and skype-ing. Hey, maybe 2012 will have my mind changed about those activities, too. Don't hold your breathe, but hey, y'never know! Oh, one more thing. The hot dogs were lousy at the Times Union Center. read more

Didn't lift a finger to let hundreds of fans know that the show was postponed to a new date. Left us out in the cold, literally. No call, no email, not even any signs posted at the venue. Drove hours for the show for nothing. Stunningly terrible business practice. read more

Arrived here, 11/24 @ 7pm after a 3.5 hour drive, among dozens of other unsuspecting folks to learn the event that I had purchased tickets for 3 weeks ago (as a surprise bday gift for my husband) was postponed until 3/16. No phone call, no email, no mention of postponed show anywhere online. Doors plastered with calendars that still claimed the event was going on tonight. Tickets purchased from @Ticketmaster. Never returning to this venue and spreading the word. read more

Came here to watch WWE end of December 2017. Super easy to get in before the event and out once it was over with not too much traffic. Finding our seats wasn't a chore and the staff on site was friendly. Decent beer selection too. read more

Love this place they have concerts sports everything you can think of in one place and two huge parking garages, downstairs there's a store wolfs three little eateries read more

Alright so in terms of views, there really isn't a bad view in the house. However, the entire upper section sucks so hard. The seats are legitimately smaller than the lower section, the actual physical seat, it's tighter, you're touching your neighbors, it's uncomfortable and the sound isn't very good AT ALL. Another downfall is the bathroom situation, wtf were you thinking when building this venue guys?? There's been so many times where I've just been so uncomfortable and held my pee (gross sorry) just because I didn't want to travel not just to the lower section of seats but to the lowest level of the whole building & miss part of the show..they're just located absurdly, you have to walk around the giant circle that is the TU just to fine an entrance or two for a staircase to the restrooms. Really sucky. But really fun when you're in the 100s. Sounds great, and great sight lines, even if you're far away. But I really really wish they would place some bathrooms on the main level. read more

Very nice AHL-size arena. Lots of food choices (including Dinosaurs Barbecue - one of our favorites!!). We didn't get to sample the beer choices because we were in town for the NCAA Frozen Four regionals - but from the signs it looks like there's a lot of regional craft beer variety during AHL games. We had front row second level seats and it was a GREAT view of the games, plus we could hear a lot of what the players and officials were saying. We were staying downtown for the weekend so parking wasn't an issue. Very much enjoyed the arena and location. read more

This arena hosted Life in Color, a rave/concert/paint party during the Spring of 2013. I had a blast at the event. This venue did it's job for the most part. One thing that made me question this place is the lack of actual toilets? There were port a pottys everywhere which made me go "wtf where are the actual bathrooms?!" but overall Times Union Center was a decent arena to host a big rave. I had a good time. read more

Your typical older arena. I grew up in NJ, and it reminded me a lot of the now called Izod Center.

The Times Union Center is a clean, spacious arena, but probably a bit too barren and sleepy when it comes to watching an Albany Devils game at the arena. Seating is good, not too cramped, and usually has its upper bowl of seats draped behind black curtains during a hockey game (not so much during the Siena basketball game I went to). Easy to find entrances, which is good both for sporting events and the Albany Auto Show. Concessions are typical, finger foods, beer, drinks, but nothing too unique. There is the Keeler Club (formerly the Citizens Bank Club), but you have to be a season ticket holder to stop in during an Albany Devils game. I'd probably be an infrequent visitor to this arena, but since I live within the metropolitan area, I keep on being drawn back to the Times Union Center. read more

The show itself was fantastic, however I don't know if I'll actually buy tickets for another show at this venue again. Mostly because Parking was a nightmare. First off the pre-arrival email I got said it was $20 to park in the garage. So that is what I was prepared for, however, when I arrive I was told it was $30. I informed the agent at the desk and he didn't know anything about it. I was pretty upset at this misinformation and would have definitely found alternate parking had I known as I think that is an outrageous amount for 3-4 hours. Unfortunately, there was no way to back out as there were cars every where, and it took us so long to get to the parking garage in the first place that had we tried to find another place to park we would have missed the first act. Secondly, getting into the parking garage was a HUGE hassle. It took us about an hour to go 1 mile (from the highway to the garage). There was no organization or order in the city. Cars were running red lights and stop signs left and right and even with cops controlling the really busy intersections I was stuck in the same spot for 3 lights before I was allowed to go. It appeared that the cops where taking care of all the pedestrians, but all the cars coming down the street, going up the street, and coming off all the side streets were in a free for all once the pedestrians were cleared. It was the worst "city" experience I've ever had and I've driven through NYC, Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, Montreal, etc. There was also only one way in the garage and one way out, so it was about an hour wait just to leave at the end of the night as well. Overall the experience with parking was just absolutely horrible that I probably will not return. I live about 3 hours away and while the facility and show were great, I just don't think it is worth the headache to deal with the parking. read more

I spent $125 several months in advance in order to bring my children to Disney on Ice. Of course, that was $25 per ticket and another $25 in "fees". Knowing how much my kids wanted to see it, I gritted my teeth and paid for them. Now, here we are, the day of the show and we get pounded with a winter storm. The Times Union Center did not cancel or postpone the event. We are an hour away and tried to make the drive but the roads were atrocious. So we just spent the last couple hours trying to get ahold of someone in the box office. We were hoping that this business would be understanding and let us either refund or exchange our tickets. When someone finally answered the phone, they told us that it was not an option to refund or exchange. They also said there were plenty of tickets available FOR PURCHASE for the next three showings of Disney on Ice. Full price. So basically, they have the option to exchange our tickets for a different time. They just refuse to. This is nothing but unabashed greed plain and simple. My kids are so disappointed that they don't get to see the show and I'm pretty upset that I shelled out $125 for NOTHING. I would hope that they would feel some sense of shame, but I am certain now that paying customers mean absolutely nothing to them. read more

if you plan on going to any of their popular concerts...be prepared to spend a lot A LOT of time wating in the wrong line because the few workers you can find don't know sheet...and when you call them on it they just shrug...won't even bother complaining about all the additional fees since now everyone does that...but jacking parking up to 30 BUCKS...for that price they should at least have someone to direct traffic so you can get out in under 45 minutes...unless the Beatles reunite...never again read more

Will never attend an event there again! Went to Monster Jam tonight with four year old Grandson who had been sick last week, still on cold meds. Figured we could go to The Pit Party (50 dollars), which ran 4-6 ( we arrived at 4:30. Then we could leave and go sit down relax for dinner and return for the 7:30 show. They issue two separate tickets for pit party and show. NO RE-ENTRY! We were stuck there. The Pit Party was a joke. Wait in ridiculous long lines to take a pic of your kid with the driver. It was completely all about buying expensive souvenirs. So we were stuck eating Disney priced hotdogs, chicken fingers or papa johns pizza. It was a 500 dollar night that we five hours trying to keep a toddler calm. We parked in attached garage, took 45 minutes to even get out to the alley. Horrible and expensive night! read more

This place seemed so big when I was younger, but now I can't even believe I thought that. We were in section 118 which was a pretty good view but still couldn't see their faces really. Bathrooms were okay, I didn't get food or anything but I'm sure the prices are up there. There is a bar and it's open to the public. read more

We loved the TSO afternoon performance. They are outstanding. The block 105 seats are wonderful but there need a lot of work on the refreshment stand opposite the steps. The 2 or 3 working there need to have someone look at their efficiency. Took at least 20 min to buy a large diet Pepsi. read more

Parking is terrible! We sat through 10 red lights 2 blocks from venue an hour & half before show was to begin, once we got through light they directed us away from parking garage because it was full! The seating is cramped & when we bought tickets for a concert we did not realize they were completely at the top last row yet there were plenty of empty seats below us! The screens were poor quality & were blocked by some large black objects. The acoustics could have been of better quality also. The venue was just too large in general & we were unable to truly enjoy the show. Oh, and their ATMs were out of cash!! read more

I don't get all the negative reviews. We are so very lucky to have the Times-Union Center right here in downtown Albany. How else would we ever have Paul McCartney, The Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, U2, AC/DC, Page and Plant, Andrea Bocelli, Simon and Garfunkel, Genesis, Bob Dylan, The Who and the late, great Frank Sinatra and Pavarotti perform in our hometown (just a few of the many concerts I've seen there). Plus, it's a relatively small and intimate venue compared to the giant stadiums these artists generally perform in. Sight lines are pretty good even in the nose bleed seats and the sound is usually quite good. I'll grant that the seats are tight, but a lot better than many Broadway houses and even our own Proctors. To everyone complaining about the parking, the Grand Street surface lot a block from the box office is super easy in and out (and cheap). read more

i saw ariana here in march and it wasn't too good because the seats i had the trusses were blocking the screen thanks to the trusses at the pit lights she had and the acoustics were okay but the treble was a problem. had a huge headache in the middle and after the show there wasnt even a shuttle bus or something to take us to the hotels, so we had to walk a few miles to get a city bus which was hectic because they wanted like change or something and it was freezing cold outside so i'd only come here if necessary nice waterfall read more

Enjoyed the hockey game. Great facility to watch it. However, most of the food prices are ridiculous. $5.00 for a hot dog?? Instead of wasting $10.00 for two of them, we split a Dinasaur BBQ brisket sandwich for the same price. It was very good. read more

Let me start by saying my husband and I saw the most AMAZING concert July 5th PAUL McCARTNEY. Nothing could top that! However, I had no way of keeping a photographic keepsake, due to inept staff of this place. I heard from many websites, that Paul accepts cameras at his concerts and I went and purchased $500 camera to get awesome shots of a living legend. I called a week before and a Times Union representative said "call the day of the show it s up to the artist it can change last minute". So I called 4 TIMES and they adamantly said "NO CAMERAS" and at the ticket window they said "NO CAMERAS AT ALL". I was heartbroken, no way to take pictures to remember my once in a lifetime concert. I didn't want to have my camera confiscated, so I reluctantly went to the show without it. Much to my surprise, there were people with cameras EVERYWHERE. Not just cheaply cams I'm talking SLR cameras AND VIDEO cams. Due to the incompetence of the staff I blew my chance of having some great pics of Sir Paul! read more