Spent three nights in a row and this venue was great. All of the staff I interacted with from security to the bar were great. Shoutout to Nick on the security team for being awesome. There is really no bad spot in the venue. Entry and exit was easy even for three sold out nights. It was easy to move around inside and you could quickly get a drink and use the restroom at set break. The bathrooms are clean and ample. The reserved balcony was amazing. The only small downfall is the VERY low rail around the front row reserved seats. Standing up is a little anxiety inducing in that spot. read more

Updating my review now that I've been to 6 shows or so at the Sylvee.... Raising from 3 to 4 stars. I still like Orpheum better and every show I've seen at Sylvee I would have enjoyed more at Orpheum. 95% of my original review holds, with these changes/updates: -I've never again heard the persistent hiss I noticed at the first show I attended; I've found the sound to be pretty good or excellent at every show. -They made an interesting change to the beer prices: for craft beers on tap they switched from $8 for 16oz to $9 for 24oz. I can deal with that. I like it. -The bar lines move very slowly. They have friendly, capable staff but the bartenders just work at a comfortable, sometimes maddeningly-slow pace - no one is rushing. Twice now I've missed 20 or more minutes of the show I was so excited to see just because I wanted to buy a drink at the upstairs bar. I often marvel at how quickly and precisely the servers at a busy bar fly around each other cranking out the drinks; this has not been my experience at the Sylvee. -Have they considered a cans/bottles express line? All bigger bars should have this. Mixed drinks take 10 times as long to prepare. It would be a win/win. Anyway... -The crowd has always been manageable. I've attended 3 sold-out shows now; the main floor packs in like a festival but once you hop out of the pit you can move quite reasonably around the venue, even when it's a full house. -If they want to keep the neighborhood happy they'll need to talk the city into dropping the special event parking rate in the ramp. $8 is the special event rate downtown, but this isn't downtown. It's harder to find another place to park downtown, and in the downtown ramps it's pre-pay so everyone gets out more quickly after the show. I don't plan to use the ramp much. read more

Went there for their New Years Eve party. Good venue to see live music with a sharp look. Balcony/ dance floor layout reminds me a bit of the Metro in Chicago but more modern. Cocktails were overpriced as expected but at least could have been made better. Coat check was woefully inefficient- I spent half the night in line dropping off/ retrieving my coat. read more

I don't know why people are hating so hard on this place. I came here for a metal show (GWAR/Hatebreed, not my usual genre) and had a blast. When you walk in you quickly notice there's not a bad seat/standing area in the house. It's not big, but has a huge bar area on the first and second levels. Lines weren't long, people were happy. We had seats in the balcony, saw the whole stage just fine. The acoustics were great, felt the music and rocked out hard. Don't pay attention to people hating on the venue, it's fine and you'll have a good time. read more

I'm sad to say but I was a bit disappointed by The Sylvee! I was at first excited to try out a new venue in madison, but I realized quickly I prefer a lot of the other music halls. The entrance and security process were inefficient and more cramped than necessary, and then when you walk in there's no hallway, just in about 5 feet from the door people are standing watching the show. It was hard to get around to the bar or other areas of the venue. It's a large and open space which is really cool once you get past the barrier of people in the doorway, but for those who aren't seated, the ground is all level and if you're not standing in the front row, there's not a good chance of seeing anything on the stage. The bar also made it tricky to get a cup of water. We waited in line and then were told we needed to get into a different line behind a different register for water. I did think the sound in the space was awesome and I'll give The Sylvee points for that! read more

I'm so excited to have this venue in Madison! I went to The Sylvee last night for the first time to see Death Cab For Cutie. The parking situation is currently atrocious. It was a sold out show, and even with arriving an hour before show time, we had to park a mile away. I don't mind walking in general, but the area around the building is closed off for construction of the parking ramp, and there's a lot of uneven pavement, rocks, debris, etc in a very poorly lit area. I'll be very happy when that ramp is open! As for the venue itself, even with a sold out show, we got into the building and through the metal detectors in no time flat. We went to the bar upstairs, which has a breathtaking view of the Capitol. There was a nice variety of beverages represented, and the prices, while high, were not as bad as I was anticipating. The coolest thing for me was they have wine in a can!!! I got the house white (Uppercut,) it was $8 but it was a large can and the wine was actually super good! I love the layout of the building. We stood upstairs, just opposite the bar. We got a nice spot by the railing and on the end. There was plenty of room and we could all see the band very well. I went to the bathroom twice during the show, and even with a sold out crowd, the facilities were super clean and there was never a line. The show started PROMPTLY at 8, which is probably the only time I've ever seen that happen. It also took no time for the opening band to clear out and for Death Cab to come on. They started EXACTLY at 9. Not sure if this is props to venue or to the band's crew, but I was impressed. The sound was great!! You can tell this place was intended for concerts as opposed to some of the other music venues in town. The acoustics were fantastic, the band sounded AMAZING! Security was very attentive at making sure people weren't standing in the aisles, they did a great job with crowd control. Also, there is free WiFi, which is cool because I had no service otherwise. I can't wait for my next show at The Sylvee. Welcome to Madison! read more

I'm shocked by some of the reviews on here. I'm wondering if maybe a competitor might be trying to bring down the score or something... Anyway, I've been going to shows in the Iowa,Wisconsin,Illinois, and Minnesota for 15 years and this may be the best venue I've been to yet. New, modern, clean. Compared to the Rave, 1st ave, etc... this place is HUGE. The stage is so large there's not a bad spot in the house. Plenty of bar tenders and almost no lines to get drinks. Bathrooms were large and clean with no lines. I thought the sound was fantastic as well. Security was fast and friendly as well. Madison has something real special with this venue. Can't wait to come back. read more

Loved the venue! Small but very fun! Hated the parking structure. They had attendants empty out the lower levels before even letting the upper levels leave. Not cool! read more

Ghost concert was amazing. Beer can sizes were atomic! Prices a little high but worth it.

Well I was so impressed with the venue when I sat down, so happy to have paid the large amount of extra money to sit in the center balcony first row to see Lake Street Dive last month. I was immediately thinking, wow I am going to come to more concerts here, it seemed intimate and clean and well, what I thought was going to be a great concert experience with a group that has great musicianship and writing.... All I can wonder is whether Rachel Price has any idea how much our ears were abused as audience members, so loud that even with ear plugs you could not make out the music. I heard Hendrix twice in the sixties and was in the tenth row and could hear everything....this was like being inside a huge garbage can.....I actually had to leave early. So if Rachel and Lake Street Dive wanted it that loud I take issue with them, if this was the on site sound persons decision I take issue with that person, shame to have spent over $300 on tickets and a nice hotel, dinner out....nearly a grand to enjoy the concert and then killed by the ridiculously loud audio......No matter who made the volume decision I will never go back to the Sylvee.....or to another Lake Street Dive concert.... D- read more

Was a great venue had a cool lay out and a bar upsstairs and ground level. Security was suitable and sound and stage were super dope

Attended the New Year's Eve celebration which cost $40. Drink prices averaged $11 each, and coat check was $5. The sound system was very mediocre, and the audio randomly cut out at least 4 times (the crowd booed each time). Then, we got in line for coat check and waited half an hour, only to discover that my friend's coat was given to someone else. After another half hour, that person luckily returned her coat but she was denied a refund. Whatever! read more

i don't know where to begin. the staff is friendly which is a nice deviation from most new venues. the space *looks* lovely. however, the sound is just awful. the acoustics are abysmal. it's obvious upon entering, before even hearing a note, since the structure is basically a large tin can with exposed pipes. exposed metal everything is really not the way to go when hosting musical performances. there's a reason opera houses & old theatres look the way they do. it's incredibly disappointing because i bought tickets to 4 shows before setting foot in the venue & after attending the first show (Sleep), i have no idea how the other shows could possible sound acceptable. sorry to knitpick but i went to school for this & i can't believe they keep building venues like this in 2019. Also, beer is like $7 & water is $4. eh read more

I've been traveling all over and seeing my favorite band, The Avett Brothers, for a very long time. I can't tell you how much The Sylvee exceeded my expectations! Especially with being a newer venue! The venue itself was great! It's much smaller than I thought it would be, but that's a positive thing. My favorite part of The Sylvee was the staff. Every single staff member I interacted with was nothing but nice, kind and professional. I could tell that they were not expecting the fan club line to be as large as it was, but it was handled perfectly and smoothly by a guy named Mike (both nights). He was one of the nicest workers at a venue that I've ever come across! And I have seen this band almost 80 times! He was extremely good at his job and I couldn't believe how efficient he made everything. Not only that, but he was just the sweetest guy! We lined up in the freezing cold at 8 AM and he dropped off donuts and cupcakes for us. It was such a nice gesture, something that he totally did not have to do, and it just really warmed my heart that he was so extremely nice to us. What a great way to be welcomed to Wisconsin, for a first time traveler! I also want to mention a guy named Tom. He's a newer employee and he was very funny and super nice to us as well. What I also loved about Tom was that he really enjoyed what he was doing. He was doing his job (and was doing it well), but I could also see that he appreciated the music that was going on behind him (he was working in front of the pit). It was really nice to see! But yes! I would definitely recommend The Sylvee. I have nothing but positive things to say about it and I'd definitely come back! We had a really great time! read more

This venue is amazing. The stuff is so kind and helpful. The security guy at the stage, Tom, gave out waters during the show to make sure everyone up front stayed hydrated. Mike, the security guy up front, brought donuts and cupcakes for the crazy fans who sat in line all day. Never had such accommodating staff at a venue - great experience! read more

Absolute farce of a Shinedown show tonight at the Sylvee. Cannot believe venues and bands can get away with this kind of stuff. Only two members of Shinedown performed--the singer and acoustic guitar. No drums, no bass, no electric guitar. And those two spent over half the time chatting about nothingness (they were not the most witty, I guess that is why they play music), but I guess they were trying to fill up a show where it was only the two of them on their own. And next time a band member is too injured to perform, maybe don't parade him around chuckling and giggling and drinking beer in a sequined suit. Kinda like saying "ha ha suckers, we got your $." Extremely disappointing... read more

pretty nice. cool bathrooms; something i always looks for when going to a new place. will be nice when the parking structure thing is finished, had to park like a mile away. it's chill tho it wasn't even cold out read more

We went to the NYE event and we're very disappointed to have to wait 45 minutes to check a coat and then pay$5 each. Then wait again to get your coat. They should know how to run an event like this. Nice venue when not in lines. read more

Such a great venue!! This place has brought so much value to the city of Madison. Thank you!!

The Sylvee was wonderful for two nights of Avett Brothers concerts. We were late to the Friday night show but still found a good spot in a sold out crowd. The Sylvee staff (Jake, I think) was quick and thorough when cleaning up after vomiting fans. Thank you for doing this part of the job, Jake! We were early and in the fan club line on Saturday. Mike, from the Sylvee, bought the fan club line enormous cupcakes to enjoy while we waited. Once inside we made it to the rail with our 10 and 13 year old. When I told Tom, security, that it was the kids' first show he quickly produced a band sticker for the kids. Half way through the night, Paul, security, provided bottles of water for our kids The staff could not have been more friendly and professional. They also did not push us out immediately after the show allowing time to get merch and socialize with other fans. I can't wait to attend a concert here in the future! Thank you! read more