The Riverside is the largest in the holy trinity of Milwaukee venues owned/operated by the "Pabst consortium." I just made that name up. It's not an official title or anything. But it's true. The Riverside, the Pabst, & Turner Hall = all owned/operated by the same group. And they bring in great talent, and it really adds to the cultural fabric of MKE. #truth The sound is awesome at the Riverside, the talent ranges (Lyle Lovatt, Louis CK, the National, Pink Floyd laser light show, etc.) I generally prefer the acts that roll through the Pabst and Turner, but sometimes someone really special comes to the Riverside, and I'll throw down. I love that the venues are all historic in nature. I also love that they're really unique to the city. The really up Milwaukee's cultural game, and bring a vitality to our downtown area. It's a little scary to sit all the way up at the top, but you know. Nosebleeds. read more

The Riverside Theater is one of Milwaukee's gems for concert going. I like it for many reasons but the foremost being it's classic grandeur of architecture. I could explore in there for quite some time! I also like that although the ticket prices are very similar to the Rave, there are seats there, first come first serve for the concert we attended. It provides a relaxing concert going experience as most people up in the balcony did not stand during the concert. I do think they could update the stairs and add railings. I saw several people tripping on them and railings would be much safer. The acoustics in the theater are amazing as well and still felt I could understand the vocals no matter where you are in the theater. I think they did a great job of checking people in with security and tickets, very seamless. Overall I would return! read more

I came here the other night for the Walking Dead cast show. The theater is just beautiful and looks like your everyday olden days theater but is well kept and clean. There really isn't a bad seat in the house and how can you go wrong with a full service bar right when you walk in?? Parking is extremely close and there are plenty of restaurants on Wisconsin Avenue if you get there early for a show. I'm looking forward to seeing a few of the upcoming events here. read more

This place is simply gorgeous. GORGEOUS, I TELLS YA! We went to see Andrew Bird and sat in the balcony. I just need to get the complaints out of the way so that I can focus on all of the great things about this venue. I like that they serve alcohol, but wow. There were some drunky-poos near us. They got up mid-show to refill the drinks, came back to sit in the wrong chairs a few rows from us (hi-sterical), but realized their mistake somehow and came back (boo). There was a lot of getting up to go pee and refill drinks throughout the show. Also, the lighting was terrible. I'm sure it's not the venue's fault, but sheesh. I've worked in the industry for a long time and I've never seen lights quite that distracting from the music. Blinding Mac 300s pointed at the audience during a slower folk-music set? Sure. Why not. Ok, the good things. The place is stunning. I felt like a tourist (which I was, I guess) taking pictures of all the detail work, the lighting fixtures, and even the bathrooms. The staff was friendly and willing to assist with anything I needed. The lady at the front waved me back in after needing to run outside because she remembered me. No mean feat with a sold out show. I wish the sound was a little louder. It was clear and well balanced, but the overall volume was low. The best part was the elevator operator. He was such a great guy. Talked to me before and after the show about who he was, were he came from, and the venue. I learned all about the remodel and quite a bit about the past headliners. I wouldn't hesitate to go back here for another show. Now that I know I'm going to need to deal with a lot of booze around me, I'm sure I'll be a lot more patient with the audience. read more

Riverside Theater - Huge chandelier hanging above the house. - Performing Arts Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

I've seen several shows at the Riverside from energetic rock bands, to more tame acoustic singers, to Dancing With the Stars and I've never left disappointed. The ornate, classical detailing of the theatre is incredible and pair that with the amazing acoustics all around the Riverside will provide the best live experience. For general admission concerts you have the option to sit in one of the comfy velvet seats or stand in the pit (my go-to). If people are standing in the pit, the best seats to get a good view of the stage are in the balcony, but the theatre does have stadium-style seating, so you should be able to see anywhere (aside from maybe the first few rows on the first floor right behind the pit). I have yet to see a show at the Pabst, which is a smaller more intimate version of the Riverside, so from my experience this is the best place to see a show. read more

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My favorite theater ever. So beautiful, with perfect seating and great acoustics. I saw Rusted Root here. I can't wait to go back.

recommend having g large screens for concerts. Just saw the Jim Gaffigan show last night. only Seats available were the level upper level. These seats were awful, could not see a thing. Did not enjoy at all, if had large screens it would have been great. I will not return to venue unless large screens or better seats. Sonja read more

As far as beauty this place has it all, but for comfort and space, not at all. The seats are so tight and so close to the chairs in front of you that you cannot even cross your legs. And forget about sneaking out for a bathroom break or drink during a show because the entire row would have to stand up and get out of the isle to let you through. if you are ok with that thou, it truly is a beautiful theater! read more

Riverside Theater - Performing Arts Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Great classic theater. Ambience is really nice. I'd give it 4 stars for that. Many floors so be prepared for stairs and seating is not ideal. Space between rows is way too small. This is 2 stars. Great location and acoustics. Overall a good venue for a more intimate concert/event. read more

Riverside Theater - Side walls - Performing Arts Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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Our last visit to Milwaukee took us to the Pabst Theater, and this time around we got to visit its sister theater. The two are really very similar -- large, beautiful, ornate, suitable for a proper play or a music show, which is why we were there. I have no idea what the capacity is, but it certainly seemed like this theater could seat a crowd of a few thousand. The acoustics were good. The bars (both upstairs and down) served an ample beer selection and the bar tending staff were helpful and on point. As always a $4 PBR tallboy is always appreciated. Security staff was present and visible but not overbearing. As the show went on, the vibe became even more relaxed. The bathrooms are downstairs, which is slightly inconvenient, but you get over it. The $6 coat check was my biggest point of contention ... $6 to watch my coat?? But it was New Year's Eve, so perhaps that was just the special Happy New Year price. I will give the coat check dude credit, though. He handed me my ticket and then said, "If you think you might lose that, just take a picture of it with your phone." I tipped him for being a genius. read more

Love the old charm of this location. I sat way in the very last row and I can say there is not a bad seat in this theater. (tall person disclaimer) pick an isle seat or a seat with no chairs in front as the seating is lacking in leg department. It was easy to find our seats and even easier to get a drink at one of the many bars they have. The sound quality was good in the venue and the temperature was warm and toasty. I could imagine you could get rather hot in the summer. I had to put a lack of a star because the bathrooms are not up to par. I almost died leaving one due to a large step that was not clearly labeled. I would love to come back to this place to see additional shows. read more

Riverside Theater - Performing Arts Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

This theater is beautiful and has great sound. The seats were a little close together but I got over it. Our seats in the balcony were great and I could see everything. I would imagine almost any seat in the venue would be good! I guess it's kind of cool that they serve beer but it sure does make people more annoying! (That was just my mini-rant though and didn't reflect my star rating!) read more

The Riverside is a pretty cool place to see a show. Good sound and they are set up the props/lights like you'd see at larger venues. However, the seats are small and not very comfortable; but most people stand during a concert anyway, and I'm on the short side, so I too find myself standing more than seated. Popular acts will sell out, and often very quickly as capacity is around 2500 (I read that somewhere). The crowds are never too wild - at least the concerts/performances I've been to here- like the get at other venues. Parking can be a challenge because of the location. I suggest coming down early to find street parking and getting some food/drink from a nearby restaurant. Or park in the Grand Avenue structure, but that can be pricey :( read more

Would of been a 5 star review but read on. 1 star taken for the fact its like sitting in an ashtray. We were there last night for the Harry Potter concert. Im not sure where they allow smoking but the whole place smells like smoke. It got worse as the night went on. You could almost see it in the air. I was coughing and could hardly breathe all night. So much so i had to wash my hair 3 times this morning to get the smell out. Gross. 1 star taken for the fact that it was a sell out show and they had the heat cranked up. Myself and all the people around me were just sitting there pouring sweat. Not even moving but pouring sweat. That combined with the heavy cigarette smoke made the environment miserable and just dangerous. We were in the balcony and im guessing it was 80+ degrees up there. I was so dizzy i couldnt even enjoy the show. There is zero ventilation. 1 star taken for the bathroom situation. I know its an old building but there are 3 womens stalls on each floor. I got in line as soon as intermission started and didnt get in the bathroom until 15 minutes after the show started back up. When i got in the bathroom i noticed 3 stalls and a huge area not being used on the other side. Maybe its time to invest in a bathroom renovation. The intermission was 20 minutes. I was in line for 35 minutes for the bathroom. Thats unacceptable. Im leaving 2 stars cause the place is cool. Its really old and its a rare find. It has such potential. But will I be back? Absolutely not. I was so sick and dizzy at the end of the night from the heat and the smoke. Nothing is worth that. read more

Yes, this is a beautiful theater, that cannot be disputed. Unfortunately we happen to have a less than stellar experience here. This review is purely about the theater and its services because the performance we saw was great! There is fairly strong security going into the the theater unfortunately it doesn't keep out the drunks and disorderlies. Be prepared to both have your bag searched and be wanded. Our performance was scheduled to begin at 7:30. By 7:50 the animals were getting restless. The performance eventually began at 8. The theater made no announcement regarding the delay which seemed odd. We were seated in the back of the orchestra. The view was still very good however we had noise issues. Our performance was pretty sophisticated (Bill Murray and Jan Vogler) but people still insisted in getting up and down and making bar runs. The performance was more symphonic than rock concert. The people getting up and down was quite distracting. Then the doors from the theater to the lobby bar didn't really block out the noise so we could hear people whooping it up at the bar, making it difficult to hear the performance. Finally, we had one super drunk who came through the doors right behind us and started shouting at the top of his lungs to Bill on stage. He left on his own, security never arrived. Shouldn't they have grabbed him and taken him out. This venue may be fine for a rock concert but I wouldn't try to see anything serious here again. A word on parking. If you go one block down and around the corner you can park for $5. A great deal! read more

I prefer smaller venues hands down. This place isn't huge but I don't like seeing a band while seated high up in a theatre. You don't get that live music experience as you do when you are right down in it. I've been to 2 shows here now. One with a spot on the ground level and one up high in the balcony. I didn't think the sound was good in either spot. This is the only place I've been to that gives out wrist bands for the standing room floor & then the main level seating area when the standing room wrist bands are gone. If you don't get there in time for a wrist band you are banished upstairs. If you are like me and prefer to be within the first three rows at a show you undoubtedly have to arrive at the theatre when the doors open if not earlier. I don't know if people line up early because I drive in from out of town & haven't been able to get there when the doors open. I actually do not think that I will return here on purpose for a show. The second show I saw was actually supposed to play Turner Ballroom but sold out that venue as well as the Pabst. I bought my tickets for Turner Ballroom because I knew it would be a nice intimate show however it didn't end up that way. I wouldn't have purchased the tickets had I known it would be at the Riverside. . read more

Riverside Theater - View from up top balcony - Performing Arts Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

went to Riverside to see Bob Dylan for the first time with my hanicapped daugher (hit by a car) from Chicago. Most of the staff were wonderful caring and considerate. While standing outside after the concert talking to my son in law, a "gentleman" pushed between my son in law and my wheelchair bound daughter, startling and frightening her. He never acknowledged her, never excused himself and began shouting at my son in law. My HC daughter later told me she was afraid the man would start hitting Jeff. The assailant was literally was 6-8 inches away from my daughter. I asked an African American staff member standing beside the assailant, if he would call security. He told me the "gentleman" was the general manager. He called my other daughter trash because she went to the bathroom when he told her not to after asking another employee. Riverside sells food and beverage aren't they required to provide restrooms? He claimed she told him to F%$ # off. She said no such thing. If she had I am sure he would have had her dragged out in cuffs rather than confronting her outside if she had. He was angered by the "disrespect" he felt he was shown and reacted in anger with a false accusation. My daughter said when she left the restroom he was waiting for her outside, This "gentleman" may be taking steroids or suffering from PTSD but he should NOT BE A MANAGER AT A VENUE INVOLVING PEOPLE WHO MAY HAVE TO GO TO THE BATHROOM. Spoiled a lovely day of shopping and dining in Milwaukee. read more

Beautiful theatre. I'd imagine this place would be an absolute delight for a play/musical/opera but my experience attending a music artist here didn't seem to fit with how the theatre is designed. I was hoping there would be a ground floor for music venues but this theatre is legit! Absolutely beautiful decor and the old time-y feel of a classic theatre. A lot of deep red velvet upholstery and dim lit areas to fit the true ambiance of a theatre. There's quit a lot of flights of stairs but going up isn't so grueling cuz it's so dang pretty! I looooooove how there is a barkeep on every floor easily accessible drinks no matter where your seats are. Is it weird I appreciate venues who have pride in their bathrooms? Cuz they definitely do and it's freakin great thanks lol read more

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Decent place, but door staff sucked. Asked if there was re entry before I walked in and they said "yes" then when I tried to get a stamp, i just got attitude from the door people. read more

My daughter had her high school graduation her last night. I haven't been here in ages. Doors opened at 4PM. From what we saw on the ticket we thought we had assigned seating. That wasn't the case. It was a free for all for seats. We managed to sit two rows behind the seniors though because we were at he front of the line. There were people that showed up at 5 expecting to get seats in the front but that wasn't happening. The ceremony seemed to go ok but there was an immediate problem when trying to exit the theater. The Riverside hosts concerts but provided no traffic flow. The staff wasn't directing people at all. It was a bottleneck for all the seniors to get out. And then a bottleneck for all the people watching the graduation to get out. Once the massive amounts of people spread out onto the street, again craziness trying to find your kid. Both sides of Wisconsin Ave. were packed with people. So my rating is a good venue with poor management. I am not sure what their policy is on private events but they need to better coordinate with the school. My daughter said she was standing in a room with no water that was very hot for over a hour. She has a heart condition. Luckily no one was hurt. Maybe you could pass this on to the school. read more

I absolutely adore the Pabst/Turner Hall/Riverside group and appreciate the Riverside for being the beautiful, historic venue that it is. Over the years, I've been here for concerts and comedians, and the Riverside seems to suit them all so well. Whether sitting on the floor or in the balcony, I've found pretty much any section to offer good views of the stage. Tips: -If you purchase tickets right at the box office, you can avoid some of the online fees. The staff is friendly, and sometimes fees can run nearly the cost of an extra ticket. Yikes. So it's worth it to me to take the trip. -Sign up on the Pabst/Turner/Riverside mailing list for news on upcoming shows. If you buy tickets in the pre-sale, you can get early entry, which is especially helpful for general admission shows. read more

Wonderful staff here and a beautiful theater. The sound on the lower level is fantastic and there are probably very few poor seats in the house. The staff was so accommodating for a three night Widespread Panic run and the drinks here are remarkably reasonably priced for a concert venue...$5.00 PBR TallBoys, what more can you ask? Love Milwaukee and love this venue. Can't wait to return. This venue is definitely in my list of memorable/favorite concert venues. Thank you Riverside Theater! read more

Riverside Theater - Performing Arts Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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Love this older theater! A nice short and sweet review after being here the other day for Amy Schumer. We were sitting in the balcony and had a great view of the stage and a less crowded bar. The seats are a bit small and does get crowded with the feet for an average size man so make sure you don't have too many bulky things since it is already a tight fit. They have a great bar section upstairs for a reasonable price. Really nice staff and overall it is a good venue to view a comedian or musical act. read more

I've never put much thought into my favorite 5 places in Milwaukee, but I guarantee if I did, Pabst Theatre and The Riverside would top that list. While some concert venues in the city stick you with high drink prices, ticket scams, and an overall sketchy environment...The Riverside provides a much more pleasurable experience overall. You don't have to deal with viewing obstructions, clouds of pot smoke, or an excessive amount of dickheads either (I suppose when you don't book metal shows, the classiness of the crowd immediately improves though, does it not?). Whether you want to enjoy the show on your feet near the stage or kick back and relax up in the balcony seating, you're bound to treat your eyes and ears to an experience you're not going to forget any time soon. I saw The National last night and found myself completely in awe at times...the acoustics, the overall beauty of the venue, I think you get the picture. read more

Beautiful and large theater. Old school chandeliers, lighting, drapes. Much larger inside than you would suspect from the outside. The location, on Wisconsin and Plankington, is a very busy part of downtown and parking can be tough, especially in winter when two blocks feels like ten. Please do note that the seats are pretty small and the leg room is minimal. I was fine and comfortable with room to spare, but a larger or a taller person might feel discomfort. There are bar stands on all three floors. $2 for bottled water, no fountains. read more

The Riverside Theatre is a very nice theater in the booming equivalent of what you could call Milwaukee's "west loop". Walk across the river from downtown Milwaukee, and you're in a revitalizeing and very clean Milwaukee. Restaurants and condos going up, it's going to be yuppie hell in this lifetime. The acoustics of the Riverside Theatre are amazing, aka, Chicago's Auditorium Theatre, but a smaller, friendier venue. And, $3 beers as opposed to Chicago's...uh...prices. So, what's so great about Milwaukee you ask? The people are nicer, the beer's cheaper, the streets are cleaner, you can take the Amtrak from Chicago to Mil. and walk from the station anywhere downtown, the food's great (if you know where to look), there's a fish fry within arms reach, but, it's still Milwaukee. I love it dearly, especially summertime in Milwaukee, but I'd miss Chicago if I moved to WI. If your favorite band plays the Riverside, it's worth the trip to avoid the Aragon or the Riv... Happy Monday! read more

So I love the look of the Riverside, and it's one of my favorite concert venues, but its not without its flaws. The setup of the Riverside can be a little confusing. I went to a sold out Aziz Ansari show and more than once people had to move because they were sitting in the wrong seat. The reason for this is the rows have muliple seats that have the same number. It's divided into 4 sections I believe, but each section is numbered 1 through 6 if I am not mistaken. This led to people sitting in the right numbered seats, but in the wrong section. Also, when ordering tickets, I am now cautious when choosing best available online. I was given tickets on the floor in row EE, when closer seats in the balcony were available. Maybe it's just me, but I would prefer a closer, more elevated seat than one way back in the boonies but on the floor. I made sure to double check this when ordering my Louis CK tickets. Sure enough, "best available" was row Z, but I went to the 2nd floor and I was able to get row C. MUCH better ticket. Overall though, Riverside is a beautiful concert venue and I will continue to see shows there! read more

This theater is absolutely beautiful. I love old, pretty theaters, with big curtains and chandeliers and amazing plaster reliefs and beautiful paint. There doesn't seem to be a bad seat in the house, but I did not venture into the balcony to check out the view. However, as far as seat comfort goes, they seemed a bit squished together, not much room to breathe. You will not want to sit next to a larger person, kinda like on an airplane. The ins and outs were all very organized and ticket collectors / ushers were polite and happy to help you find your seat. They had a nice selection of drinks at the bar and even a zombie themed drink for this particular event (The Walking Dead). Big shout-out to the super awesome Security gal that allowed my friend and I to use the handicap restroom in lieu of waiting in the long-ass line for the ladies room. You rock lady, you have no idea. I would come back here again for a show. Good job Milwaukee, keep up the culture. read more

Traveled up here to see Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes... First and most importantly, the sound quality was atrocious. This was really surprising to me after reading all of the other reviews. Maybe it was because I sat on the upper balcony? Maybe the sound quality is much better below, I don't know, but there was so much echo that you could barely make out which sound was being played. It completely ruined the entire concert experience for me because you couldn't hear anything but noise... The second worst thing about this theater was the parking situation. We sat in the parking garage for an entire hour because the parking attendant took off early. So myself and tons of drunken tweens were sitting in this parking garage, cars running, thinking we would get out. However, there was a security guard standing in front of the cars below telling everyone that they could not leave. This is a HUGE safety hazard from so many perspectives, and we were trying to get out early to head back to Chicago. We ended up not even being able to leave until crazy late. We finally ended up getting out because myself and another driver decided to argue long enough (about 15 minutes) to make the security guard open the gate. It was truly ridiculous. Would not recommend this venue to anyone. I will admit that it was a very pretty theater next to nice river scenery but that was really the only plus here. read more

Nice looking theater with Reserved Seating. Great view from every angle and it sounds good in here too. Parking is not the best around here. read more

Riverside Theater - Ryan Adams (or soon to be anyways) - Performing Arts Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

I recently saw the Decemberists at Riverside and it was amazing. I haven't listened to a lot of their music, but it was still an amazing show. But this is a review of the theater, not the band. The theater is absolutely beautiful. I would say its like the Pabst Theater on steroids. Bigger and better! We got there 30 minutes before the show started and got a great spot standing in the pit. I was worried it would take forever to leave the pit in order to get drinks, but it wasnt bad at all. All around it was a great experience. The only complaint would be the location of the restrooms, as they are not super easily accessible. read more

Riverside Theater - The Decemberists! - Performing Arts Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

I consider myself to be a bit of a music snob here in Milwaukee - me and all of my hipster counterparts. So - I spend a lot of time in our venues. The Riverside is not my favorite (Pabst is) - but it is a very close second. They're kinda like big brother/little brother anyway. The architecture and ambiance of the Riverside is unbeatable. I have been to many venues around the country and I truly believe that we win when it comes to matching beautiful, historic venues with good acoustics and location. The Riverside is a large venue - nothing like the disgusting Bradley Center - but it does seat a few thousand people. Because of that, the shows are not necessarily intimate - but they will still be high quality. There really aren't bad seats in the house - even the nosebleeds - because its not THAT big. I sometimes prefer to sit up top because its a cool vantage point and that's where the party people tend to hang out. Show etiquette is a whole different discussion and that's not Yelp's concern. I suggest drinking PBR Tall Boys at all of the Pabst/Riverside/Turner venues - because its big and its cheap. Plus, context. Don't be the guy ordering a mixed drink at a Pabst venue. They have plenty of good beers available if you can't get down with a PBR. Another hot tip: if you're legs work and you are capable of walking a few blocks, try parking on the street on the east side of the river. I haven't paid for parking to see a Riverside show ever. Not once. Don't be lazy. If you don't mind paying for parking, there are several garages nearby. Otherwise - go and enjoy. Take a second to look up at the chandelier and the busts along the ceiling. The details of the Riverside never stop amazing me. read more

Without the Riverside (and Pabst), would Milwaukee even get some of the awesome acts we are privileged to behold? We'd be getting state-fair-grade, at best! Last time I was there, I noticed some missing plaster from the ceiling. If this place is allowed to fall apart, it would be a horrible loss. Let's do all we can to make sure the Riverside continues to be an amazing experience! read more

Pretty theater, lots of drunk middle-aged people that I wasn't expecting for a symphony show. Then again, they were playing Led Zeppelin. read more

I saw the Big Snow Show here on December 16. It was Starting Line, Shiny Toy Guns, Coheed & Cambria, and Jimmy Eat World. Now, in general these big shows are usually not as good because the sets are so short. But, maybe it's because all the bands were amazing, or the beers were amazingly cheap... either way, I enjoyed Riverside Theatre. The setup was general admission, and they have stadium seating going down a ramp towards the stage. In the front there is a standing room only which is a makeshift moshpit. But more on that later. We got there about 1 hour before the show and bought a bunch of PBRs and squatted down in first row seats. I don't know if it was just this show, but to go to the front area, you needed to get an Orange X on your hand. Now some of these security guys took their job waaaaaaay too seriously. I was sitting next to the one guard the whole time and he kept turning people away. Basically, you had to have your hand X'd or you couldn't come back in. Then he started turning people away that had an X on their hand. All the other guards let people in during the whole concert. This guy was a schmo. The sound in the venue was just amazing. Well a little loud, but that's fine. As the show progressed the crowd got bigger and bigger. When Coheed went up they jammed for about 30 minutes. It was pretty crazy to see a modern band do that. During Jimmy Eat World, all the kids started moshing around. It was pretty annoying having them jump into me, but it gave me an excuse to push them back into the crowd ;) All in all, I had a good time, even though the average age for the show was probably 14. If I see another band playing here I'll definitely go. read more

I have never been to the Riverside theater unti this week - and I went twice. I saw Louis C.K. on Thursday and Jerry Seinfeld on Saturday. Noteably very different crowds for these two. Jerry had a huge sold out show - but the lines went on two sides and we only waited about 8 minutes to get in. Tall Boys of PBR and Schlitz are $4, so we grab a few of those and head to our seats. It's a beautiful theater. The staff is very friendly and it's very well kept. Easy to get in and out, I would definitely recommend checking out a show here. It seems to be a different class of entertainment. read more

One of my favorite venues. I love seeing shows here, the building is beautiful, the sound is great and it's so laid back seeing shows here as opposed to larger venues. Unless u are stuck far back on the 2nd level, there really is not a bad seat in the house. The staff is always friendly and take u right to your seat. They also offer a huge variety of top shelf cocktails, beer and wine at very reasonable prices. read more

The Pabst's bigger brother (or sister). I remember back when the Riverside was irrelevant. B rated acts would come and the place just wasn't really that great. I appreciate the work they've put in to bring great talent and shows recently. This still isn't my favorite venue. I feel the acoustics aren't quite as good as the Pabst. Also I think that if you get seats farther back on the floor or up in the back balcony you really aren't getting a good view of the show. But all in all - I appreciate the landmark that the Riverside is. read more

Very great venue that reminds me of what the Riviera or Congress would be probably like, IF both those venues were actually ever cleaned up and maintained! It appeared to me to be about the same size as both of those Chicago venues, and as definitely as nice as the Chicago Theater(but of course smaller) for seeing concerts. Anyway, I happened to have luck last weekend, and saw ZZ Top here. Great acoustics, decent drink prices(including yesiree, $3 beer specials! take that Chicago venues), no ripped out rows of seats towards the front to create a standing area(unlike the Congress Theater, where that's unfortunately the case and resort to usually seating in the balcony when there), they allow people to step outside to smoke(a la the Chicago Theater), don't need to say too much else. The only minor thing I'd change here is the security, which I agree with Dan about. Though I didn't have problems with them, I felt they should've been a little less strict and hard-core about things I observed them doing, such as occasionally not allowing people to take pictures towards the front. And though this may appear tempting, I'd highly and personally suggest NOT exiting through the front exits after shows end(which I stupidly did), since you have to tightly squeeze around parked vehicles behind the theater if you go that way. Wouldn't hesitate at all towards returning here, especially if a band I wanted to see was playing both a date here, and also at a crappy Chicago music venue(i.e. Aragon, Congress). read more

The Riverside just makes me *feel* cool (I am decidedly not cool). It's a shame my inner NPR geek only lets me come here for public radio related events. Surprisingly decent acoustics, an incredible capacity for different special effects in the venue, and a friendly staff. The bar has some of the pricier booze out there, but what can you do? The seats are worse than being on the world's smallest airplane, though. I'm not a super tall guy--I'm right around six feet and I spend the entire show with my knees pressed into the back of the seat in front of me. Next time I'll bring kneepads. (No, I'm not kidding. Again, decidedly uncool.) read more