The Egg re-hatched on January 8th after a nearly $20 M renovation. That was great news! It was starting to become an eyesore with its aging seating and bathrooms. Now, it's a sight for sore eyes! Better sound system and LED lighting were among the upgrades. A little more seating. New seats and flooring. New wall coverings.The public was invited to check out the improvements at a free evening event. When you consider that the distinctive facility is about a half century old, the upgrades were overdue. The helpful ushers are not paid to be tour guides so I'm not sure how accurate their information was. Some ushers said the bathrooms were not renovated. The bathrooms I visited did have upgrades, but I cannot understand why the some of the original hardware including the old, chipped sanitary napkin receptacles were screwed back into the womens' bathrooms stalls. It seriously detracted from the overall appearance and seemed to be a bad penny pinching decision after so much money was spent. I can't tell you about the men's rooms. The men in our group of friends said they thought some work had been done. The Egg's unique shape was inspired by the half grapefruit that Gov. Rockefeller was eating during a planning meeting. In this day and age of large venues, it remains a more intimate setting. The Kitty Carlisle Hart theatre has a capacity of just under 1,000 seats and there's another smaller theater just below it. I was in the audience a few years ago when Pete Davidson did his stand-up act at the Egg. He complained about the small size of the venue. He added another show for same day just to make it worth his while. I came away offended by some of what he tried to pass off as humor. If performers like Davidson don't want to play the Egg again, I'm okay with that. It has great acoustics for fine artists of a whole different caliber. The Egg re-cracked open with aerial performances by Good Karma Studio and the DJ Hollyw8d. Looking forward to attending many awesome performances in this newly improved venue! read more

The Egg Center for the Performing Arts - Newly upgraded Kitty Carlisle Hart theater at the Egg! - Performing Arts Near Me - Albany, New York

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This Mid-Century Modern architectural masterpiece was stunning when it was built and now it's restored to perfection (2026). The artistic integrity remains and of course the proportions and design inside and out continue to WOW! A+ in every way! This venue is worth a good look and please certainly enjoy the top notch offerings! Thank you for the thoughtful restoration! The new seating is super comfortable too! read more

The Egg Center for the Performing Arts - Interior of The Egg / Albany, NY - Performing Arts Near Me - Albany, New York

Concert space is great, not a bad seat in either theater. Parking and guest management is abysmal. A 20 minute on the main road to have to enter single file into a visitor parking deck. No helpers to identify where to park, no signage to point to entrance. If you're coming here plan to arrive an hour early and don't be later than that. read more

If you ever find yourself in New York State, in the city of Albany, take a walk to the Rockefeller Empire State Plaza. There you will find The Egg Theatre - a center for the performing arts. The Egg's design is the very definition of brutalist architecture. The Egg is a performing arts center dedicated to providing Capital Region audiences with the best arts offerings and providing a showcase for NYS artists. The Egg's two curved theaters offer excellent acoustics and a naturally intimate atmosphere, making it a favorite for audiences and performers alike. Even if you don't have time to catch a show while in town, take a moment to appreciate the building's unique architecture (that's what I did). It is not just a crucial part of the Albany skyline, it's a vital part of the city's thriving arts and entertainment scene. read more

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I have been in the small theater several times for work related award ceremonies but this was my first time to experience a concert (Beatles' cover band "Fab Four") in the larger theater. We had great seats and were up close and we found the venue great. The seats and acoustics in the theater were fine, and they allow food inside (my guess is that fact leads to more alcohol sales outside in the lobby). The concert was filled mostly with old (!) people, so there was very little standing during the concert by people. This is good, as I hate it when people in front stand and block the view. Getting to the theater required an elevator ride up which was okay, but after the concert there were hundreds of people trying to ride them down which was problematic. We took the stairs instead, which involved A LOT of turning and tight quarters going down and down until we finally ended up outside... though another door let us back in. It may serve as a fire escape but it wasn't a logical means of egress. I wish there were better stairways down. read more

Extremely disappointed last night. Went to the Albany Leadership graduation and was required to pay $10 to park! For a graduation? That is the dumbest thing I have ever seen. NYS must be desperate for cash to charge families to watch their children graduate. read more

I've been to the Egg for multiple concerts either in the big theater (Hart) and the small theater ( Swyer). I love the venue, the acoustics are incredible in both and there's not a bad seat in either. All of the ushers are volunteers but some are nicer than others. My last concert there there was an usher that spent her time trying to find people disobeying the rules. She blocked our view while reprimanding someone for blocking the view. read more

Really neat architectural building. It was closed, but I was able to enjoy the building on a beautiful fall day. read more

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We stopped in Albany for the day and walked by the Egg. It wasn't open so we were only able to appreciate the architecture of it. The plaza it sits in is beautiful and the shape of the Egg is alien. And a gorgeous day like this, seeing only the outside was a beautiful experience. read more

The Egg Center for the Performing Arts - Performing Arts Near Me - Albany, New York

This past weekend my DH and I spent about 2 1/2 hours reminiscing old tunes from the great Graham Nash at a boutique venue The Egg at the Empire State Plaza's Center for the Performing Arts in Albany, NY. The Hart Theatre at the Egg seats 982 people and are graduated so that seats in front of us were unobstructed... Not a bad seat in the house. We sat center left and we could see very well. Singer songwriter Graham Nash took a 20 minute break then came back and finished up playing many of his old and new songs.. We are quite familiar with this music venue as my granddaughter has her dance recitals here every year. Looking forward to coming here again real soon. Just a great night! read more

The Egg Center for the Performing Arts - Stage excellent sound... - Performing Arts Near Me - Albany, New York

Very nice unique architectural building Walk around the park outside Took lots of pictures of the buildings Go inside the Egg for list of events or go online read more

The Egg Center for the Performing Arts - The - Performing Arts Near Me - Albany, New York

Want to get trapped in a flying saucer? The only venue I have been to where the outside is completely dead, and the inside is almost dead. Like going to an airport to catch a flight ... missing the concourse, , and ending up nowhere. Lol. All in good fun, but why did I buy tickets for a second show before the first one? read more

Came to Albany from Philly to see Sweetheart of the Rodeo concert which was sold out. (The concert gets 10 stars!!) a very intriguing building architecturally, located in the area of Albany where the state buildings are. Parking was $5. As others have mentioned, the layout is a little confusing so pay attention when you exit the garage as it's not really logical. You have to take elevators and escalators. Exiting the concert hall you have to go down 4 levels of a winding concrete staircase. The seats are amazingly comfortable, wide with great leg room. There isn't a bad seat in the house. Excellent acoustics. They sell beer, wine, coffee, tea, candy and sodas in the lobby at low cost but you cannot take anything but water into concert hall. Friendly staff. I would absolutely return. They have a lot of great shows on tap. Wish I lived closer! read more

The Egg Center for the Performing Arts - Performing Arts Near Me - Albany, New York

What an absolute gem of a facility! Albany, you have no clue just how great of a live venue you have on your hands here. Pros: + The aesthetic of the outside of the facility is funky and cool. The plaza is a gorgeous open space. + The show we attended was in the Kitty Carlisle Hart Theatre (it is the larger one, with a maximum seating capacity of almost 1,000). There likely wasn't a bad seat in the house. What a nice layout for live music. + The ushers were friendly. + You could street park, on a Friday night, within walking distance. Notes: - There is no way to easily get into the building if you go up Lancaster St, which is where these dumb tourists went. Go through the main plaza off State St. read more

Gorgeous venue, with great acoustics, and easy parking. The walk ways between seats in the front rows is perilous. The biggest highlight is oddly that the ladies restroom didn't have a line but the gentlemen's did. Within a couple miles there are good breweries to check out. read more

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Great place to see a show, but the security staff leaves a lot to be desired. I was throughly frisked and my small purse was throughly searched with a stick, and was accused (loudly) of having "secret compartments" that didn't exist. I never got this kind of demeaning treatment at international airports! Shouting at middle aged adults like we were children while paroling the audience, hopping over seats like we were prisoners during the performance to put away cellphones. "No video taping". There were no signs Or previous warnings about phone/camera policy. Maybe announce before the act, or put it in writing on the venue advertisement. The condescending, police-like attitude really puts a damper on the show experience. read more

I watched this performance center being built from my office back in the '70s. It was amazing then and is amazing now. There are two performance rooms in the above ground part of the structure, the larger Kitty Carlisle Hart venue and the smaller Lewis A. Swyer venue. Every seat in both theaters offers a full, unobstructed view of the stage. The acoustics in both theaters are excellent. Below the Egg structure is a large convention hall. read more

The Egg Center for the Performing Arts - Excellent view even from the last row in the smaller Swyer Theater. - Performing Arts Near Me - Albany, New York

How many times have I been in this shell? At least a dozen! Every seat has an acceptable view, and the sound is always very good, which can't be said for every venue. The staff is courteous but firm, the whole building always clean and comfortable, temperature-wise. I have little or no experience in the Convention Center here. read more

First time attending a show at The Egg. Conveniently located just off the interstate In the government complex with lots of parking choices within walking distance. Parking at the Renaissance Hotel parking garage cost me $22, but close to the venue. Interesting design, 4 levels up in an elevator brings to to a beautiful seating lobby, with merch booth and drink stand. Very comfortable w hile waiting to the doors to open. The Egg was well staffed with very friendly, helpful staff. Inside the concert venue the seats were very comfortable and plenty of leg room, enough for someone to cross by without the leg tangle, get up sit down game as patrons were seating. The show was spectacular. "Sweetheart of the Rodeo" 50th anniversary tour with Chis Hillman, Roger McGuinn and Marty Stuart performi g two sets with a 20 minute intermission. Exiting was quick and easy, stairwells and walk down or wait for the elevator. Had a great time and would definitely return. read more

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My second time there, both for the NYS Fallen Firefighters memorial service. Very nice accommodations and clean. Next to it is the Fallen Firefighters memorial, which is very humbling and moving. read more

When I first saw it, I was like WTF?!? Very strange looking and now what I was expecting. First time to Albany so I was in for a surprise. I went on the tour and the guide did a great job of explaining the whole history of the place. I guess Rockefeller at the time literally put a grapefruit on top of a coffee mug and asked the architect to build something like that. Well he got what he wished for. Interesting architecture on the inside, a product of it's time. Seeing the big theater reminded me of a politburo meeting in the old Soviet Union. The lights in the lobby were meant to look like a starry night. Pretty cool! I especially liked the rounded elevators. read more

The staff at The Egg is tremendously helpful and friendly. We've been there 3 times. I have special needs and they assisted us greatly.

This venue is so cool! It feels like you're in a spaceship. You can't tell if you're above ground or below when you're inside, which might be weird for some people, but the experience is definitely one-of-a-kind. We saw Dawes here over the summer and it was an amazing show. No matter where you're seated, you have a great view. It's more of a theatre than music venue so the shows tend to be seated and no one really stood up to dance. Again since it's a theatre, you can't bring drinks inside the theatre so plan to grab drinks before the show or down a beer in the lobby. The concert tickets are pretty affordable and they've been getting cool acts lately. Glad to see the venue used for different purposes! read more

The Egg Center for the Performing Arts - Stage before the show - Performing Arts Near Me - Albany, New York

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SPACESHIPPPPP!!!! When you're driving thru Albany, it's kinda tough to not notice this beauty. This place has the best sound I've heard for an indoor area. And of course it's design is crazy. Def a throwback/retro vibe to the venue too. I recommend it highly. read more

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I mean, really, how can you dislike the Egg. The show I saw last night was so incredibly intimate and fun, I think you just have to by a generally naysaying person to not love shows at the Egg. Pro-Tip. Relax, stay in your seat, allow the crowd to herd itself out then leaving is much more pleasant. read more

The Egg Center for the Performing Arts - Performing Arts Near Me - Albany, New York

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Beautiful inside and outside. There for a meeting. Nice place to reflect and take pictures.

I love this venue. I've seen dozens of shows since I moved to the Cap Region area and the acoustics are outstanding. Parking is easy. If you don't mind paying $5 to park in the underground lot, it's totally worth it. Simply take a couple of elevator rides up to your destination via the Empire State Plaza Concourse. There's parking on the street available as well....but I recommend using the lot/garage. Front row seats are great. Back row seats are great. I've been off to the side....those seats are great, too. I've mainly been in the larger venue space (Hart Theatre) and always have fabulous listening/viewing experiences. The smaller theater is really nice as well. There's a small refreshment stand in the lobby/waiting area with some seating. Can't wait to get back there for another show. Went last night...going again next week. Lucky me! read more

"You really cant miss it, its the only building that looks like an egg for miles!" haha great directions. Architecturally speaking it's really cool, i have never seen anything quite like it before. From outside one wonders where the hell is the stage and seating? I believe you can park in a private lot or a fee, i just parked a block away on the road and walked. If you park on the road in Albany make 100% sure their are no signs. I swear Albany PD gets 99% of their funding for parking violations. Surprisingly the place looked bigger from inside. Very cool, very 'artsy' as it should be. I saw Dave Attell, who was funny as hell. The place is only as good as the performer inside :) read more

The Egg Center for the Performing Arts - Performing Arts Near Me - Albany, New York

Super cool performing arts center. Great views and even greater history to learn about that's based at this magnificent piece of art. It wasn't too crowded at all today so for that I'm very thankful. Empire State Plaza sits right aside it all there is plenty of leg room to walk around or have a quiet picnic spot. read more

The Egg Center for the Performing Arts - Inside the center - Performing Arts Near Me - Albany, New York

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Cool intimate venue. We saw black violin who were awesome! We were three rows back in the center and it seemed like they didn't sell any of the obstructed view seats which is cool. Everyone had a great view and seemed to enjoy the show. The only thing was no drinks except water was allowed in the theater. read more

This is kinda interesting how this building came to be. I took the tour there about Albany.. I have to admit that I kinda enjoyed it! The tour - when I went there & took it many years back - it was free. But it has been a few years since I have taken the tour there so I have no idea if they charge now. But I did have a nice time when I went there. read more

The Egg Center for the Performing Arts - The Egg - Performing Arts Near Me - Albany, New York

Last night at The Egg in Albany, NY was horrible. Harassed by ushers about taking pictures.... I was then told I had to move from my purchased seats to another seat to accommodate a person on cruthches. They said that the band doesn't want video. But, I was able to take pictures. I was then told about 20 minutes later that there was no pictures. Really, this is the age of cell phone, pictures and I can't believe that the band prohibited it...I always follow the rules, but there was nothing posted or put on the internet. I met Dave Mason before and heard his radio interviews. He is not always the nicest person....I have thousands of dollars of Dave Mason merchandise...no more.... read more

It's a fine if a bit sterile place to see some music. The stage is small, seats nice enough, and acoustics surprisingly good. It lacks an actual bar like most venues in NYC and is part of the regrettable "brutalist" Rockefeller Plaza state government building complex with a vaguely 30s euro fascist vibe. Also, when you leave the building, you are in Albany. https://www.theonion.com/jeff-bezos-heart-breaks-a-little-reading-albany-s-amaz-1819819152 . read more

Went to Dwezil Zappa show was great. I was in upper back center sound was 50% lows not in sync like empty drum. Mids and highs dull as were vocals. Also had two dude's behind us thought they knew all the words to all the songs so either they talked or sang the show away. So i give it a 7 and would be a 8.5 without the dude's and a 10 if sound was spot on. Thank you Dwezil and Band sorry your cutting tour short due to coronaV-19. read more

My first rule of Yelp is to never write a review immediately after a negative experience and to try to remain dispassionate, but I'm going to break my own rule for The Egg. This review is for the "business", not the "space". The performance space is meritorious and speaks for itself. But if experiencing art is about losing yourself in the performance, it's fairly impossible to do when the ugly lingering whiff of sullen and rude employees spoils the day. Thus it has been to both our trips to the Egg, and yet even so I wasn't going to bother reviewing them, until one of their seemingly endless series of sour and discourteous staff saw fit to bark at one of my younger kids today when we were there trying to navigate a children's event, all for the great sin of having take two steps in the wrong direction off an elevator. Yes, two steps, for which he was yelled at to go the other way as if he'd tried to cut into the line at the ladies room. One might accuse me of having a thin skin, but this was in the middle of a series of snarling instructions from staff that make the ushering staff at Yankee Stadium look like they're from Mother Teresa's orphanage. At one point, trying to get from the convention center space up to a performing space at the Egg, we were directed to go up an escalator that was out of order. This not possible, we asked two staff, both of whom directed us to the same out of order escalator. Then we were shunted around to an elevator, where the operator (yes, an operator) refused to let us off on the level we wanted to get off at; then told by two different staff at the level we did get off on to go in opposite directions, the second pointing us back to the first usher. Asking accusingly "Where are YOU going?" the second time around, instead of "May I help you?" we were put on another elevator. At this point we decided to simply bag it and leave, but then we entered the second phase of Egg-hell, wherein my kid was yelled at for simply taking two steps the wrong way towards a door to another performance, and then we got sent on _another circle_ up and down the building as we were simply trying to exit. Yes, we finally got out of this moebius strip of jackanapes. The first time we went to the venue we were treated to surly and curt treatment by the staff at both the box office and while being ushered in, for a higher end performance, as if we were idiots for not knowing our way around a place we had never visited before. I dismissed it at the time as one of those things, but clearly we only had seen the tip of the iceberg. So, our formal complaint to management pending, you're getting as few stars as I can dish out, Egg. There's no excuse for such rudeness to patrons, most especially for a non-profit arts space, and I don't care if it's a big noisy kids' event, and it is utterly, utterly inexcusable to be so rude to a child most especially when that child is neither misbehaving nor doing anything other than trying to follow instructions given to him by a series of obviously befuddled adults. Shame on you. The yolk's on you. Follow-up: having submitted two written complaints, politely phrased, to management, in the traditional postal-letter format, and left a phone message, and not having been given the courtesy of a call-back much less a formal response, my obvious conclusion is they don't give a damn. They have a near-monopoly on performing space for a certain category of act, and that combined with the aloof organization clearly has conspired to create an arrogant management tier. We will resist the temptation even for our favorite performers. read more

The egg is a performing area for children and adults... There are five floors inside the egg ... Elevator is big security inside guarding the elevator... Weird thing I got soo lost in there I was on the fourth floor sneak a peak at the children performing there were people selling items and foods... Then when I went to the lobby it was all the way on the other side of the egg room around and saw a few artifacts which is pretty cool...went out and lead me to the museum it's was a fun roller coster ...there air conditioner was defiantly on point... Too bad I was in a hurry to go back to NYC would defiantly want to see my cousian perform that day ! read more

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Great place, small venue, very comfortable seats, not a bad seat. Roy Orbison & Buddy Holly hologram show Nov 15th 2019 was absolutely amazing. Hope to see other timeless musicians come back to us in this form. Live band & back up & singers were excellent. Parking is easy & under The Egg for $5. read more

Stopped to see The Led Zeppelin Experience at The Egg this weekend. I had been to The Egg a few times before, but the experience is a lot different these days. From ordering tickets to our arrival there are so many rules that are made clear that you kind of feel like you're going to be put out. But, the truth is, almost all of the rules are ignored. For example, must show photo ID and be prepared to allow for a search of your vehicle when parking. Neither happened. There were two shows that evening starting roughly the same time, we were told we needed to go to the correct elevator. Two minutes later, they let you use whichever elevator you could get a space to enter. We were directed to the proper side of the theater we had to enter. While it certainly is more convenient to listen, there was nothing mandatory about which entrance you used to get to the theater at all. The theater is really comfortable. The seats are spacious and there is a lot of room for your feet. Even the pains in the butt we were seated near who entered and left at least three times through the show were able to do so without too much bumping into people. I think the show would have been perfectly visible from anywhere in the space, it is really remarkable how the layout feels so close. I do not know if it is a function of the venue or the show, but the audience was really a collection of all types. From older people (some in ties and others reliving their hippy days with tie dye) to those who obviously have not been alive to know Led Zeppelin as a band. I loved sitting outside the theater entrance and just watching people. In all, The Egg is a very comfortable and convenient place to see a show. I've decided to keep an eye on what new shows are coming. We will definitely come back when something catches our eye. read more

It was not lost on me that the Superstars of Belly dance choose the Egg, the embodiment of the feminine to hold their performance. I actually went to a different performance and just wanted to see what this was all about. I was greeted with the clutch of the most gorgeous women I'd ever beheld. My eyes saw movements that suggested these sisters of Eve were capable of things that I will dream about for years to come and not about to talk about in this review. Each woman undulated with the soul of Aphrodite. I surfed the wave of testosterone that flooded my body in answer to their lunar pull until my heart needed a break. During intermission I discovered the majority of attendees to this performance were in in a belly dance class or teaching one. Needless to say, this was the most lovely audience I'd ever been apart of. I ran into Brook and the cd and clothing table. She was there charging the Brookness Venus battery for her twice weekly class and to see her stars. It was also near the full moon. It was almost too much for one man to bear. read more

If you're not going to see a performance, you can't usually explore the Egg on your own - you have to be with a tour. Unless you're me, and you go poking around until you find an elevator button that works, and happen to get in it with a legitimate tour group that will let you tag along. Anyhow, I'm not sure how you get a tour or how much it costs. The Hart theater inside, the upper level theater, is pretty impressive-looking. Outside the theater proper there is a sprawling lobby area with a bunch of chairs to sit in. The wall is made of wood, and sound bounces off of the wood so that when you're standing in the right place, a person can hear you really on the other side of the room as if they're next to you. It also has a pretty neat history - Kitty Carlisle had something to do with its creation. My only complaint is that I wish there were some kind of observation deck in it. It's not the kind of thing that could really use one, but I like funny shaped objects that you can look out of. read more