City National Civic

I came here to see the 2Cellos Concert.
The place seems well maintained. Very clean. I have to admit that the structure/​architecture was a bit confusing to me. Trying to find the bathroom took a small amount of effort. (Great place for an escape room! *hint hint*)
The attendants/​staff were all very warm, friendly, and professional.
As for the concert, I thought it was a great place! The sound system was crisp and clear. Every seat was an awesome spot. I really like how the decline of the seat system was big enough so for a short person like me, it didn’t matter if a super duper tall individual sat in front. I was still able to see!

Unglamorous & worse for wear, but not in the dive, this-​place-​has-​got-​character way; more of a school auditorium or gymnasium sense, thanks to the antiquated wrap-​around balcony & fold-​up chairs on the ground floor (where we were seated.) Those were comfortable enough, but not staggered, so cross your fingers for no big heads blocking your view of the stage.
We saw 2 Cellos here, which started out mellow and quickly turned into a high-​energy rock out with concert-​goers crowding the stage. Totally wasn’t expected that, but glad I got to witness.
Parking garage next door charged either $ 25 or $ 35 (I can’t recall the exact rip-​off price we paid.) 3.5 stars rounded up because the convenient parking situation, the numerous bathrooms & concession stands, & the relatively small-​scale venue provided a stress-​free evening for these first timers here.

Great time tonight at the National Civic Center in San Jose. The civic center is conveniently located downtown San Jose near the VTA stop. There are several parking garages nearby and an abundance of hotels. In the general area there are «4» convention locations that host events. Once you get the inside the venue, it seats around 700 and has a large stage

Yes, this is an older venue. All the things are true that people said about flat wood main floor and high balcony seats. Expect to pay $ 20 to $ 35 for a closest by parking, which I think is too expensive, but pretty inevitable.
We took my older aunt to watch the «In The Mood» show. Show was okay, some quite good, and other parts way too slow, but my aunt was happy, so that’s what mattered to me.
Mostly, I wanted to point out that I could not find in any reviews about what type of seats were on the main floor, except one review that said the seats were wooden. They are NOT, so this must be post-​remodel update. They are actually portable padded chairs with arm rests and cupcholders.
Here is a big suggestion to make existing seating improved, at least on the ground floor. Clearly the seats are not permanently connected. STAGGER the seating. This is not a new idea!
PLUS space in between the rows. You’ve even been in an international flight and you think the space for your legs was measured for someone who is REALLY short? (And I AM short)
And you cannot move your legs? Yeah, like that.
This is not a high end venue in SJ, but acceptable. They could make it WAY more acceptable if they eliminated 1 seat each, from every other row on the side rows to stagger the seats. AND eliminate 2 seats each from every other row in the middle section to stagger those seats. When seating is done like this, people can see better. AND eliminate the last three rows, Q, R, & S, to give a little more leg room to all the other seats on the floor. A loss of maybe 172 seats out of around 3,000 total to make the main floor a LOT more comfortable and maybe closer to being worth the $ 60 per person that I paid, for a show that was less than ½ full.
I cannot comment on the the bar; didn’t use it. Nor the employees, didn’t really talk to any of them. One came by and gave us a flyer on the show. That’s it.
So yes, an okay place that could be made a little better by slightly reducing the number of chairs on the main floor.

VENUE: has been here forever for as long as I can remember as a kid. Older building with a vintage antique historic feel to it. High ceilings inside. Old feeling. Balcony type seating on the upper level and flat seating on the lower level floor. I’ve had dance competitions here and the dressing area for the ladies is way in the back and it was freezing cold.
EVENTS: I’ve been here a couple times for dance competitions. Another time for a theater play. Another time for a Price is Right show. They have music concerts here too.
PARKING: can be tough because you are downtown San Jose. Either drive in circles or pay the convenience fee of parking at the hotel parking garage structure, it’s next behind the venue to have a short walk to the venue and short walk back to your car after the event. Sometimes I park at an outside parking lot a few blocks away. By Woz Way down a block from the Center of Performing Arts.
OVERALL: 3 stars for A ok venue in my book.

Came here for a 2-​day electronic music event and it’s actually a really nice venue. The staff and security were surprisingly really friendly as well. Only downside is that you can only drink in the bar area + the bartenders seem to not know many drinks? I was also given nasty attitude from one of the bartenders there for asking a simple question but I’m not gonna let that bother me haha

We came here to attend a concert and not sure if the security staff were part of the venue or if they were City National Civic employee, but they can use an attitude lift. the facilities here are not bad, but it’s not the cleanest and has a musty smell throughout the place
Sound system works great

Parking: we got lucky and found a spot near San Fernando and walked over a few minutes from there to the CNC! And our luck, free parking at the meter after 6PM.
Seating: Di spite what I’ve been complained to about for room, it was more spacious than I assumed. Minue the geek next to me who kept putting his legs over on my side (Nothing a large heavy purse dropping on him didn’t solve)
Restrooms: If you’re on the top floor… and in section 312, the restroom is a horrible spot to walk to. You’d have to walk back down, and see the men’s room, walk past the men’s room and cross a hallway where the bar is located and push through that crowd to get to the restroom… to go back to your seat, you just retrac your steps, and pray no one spills their alcohol on you.
WiFi: YES! Free, but forgot the WIFI name :(
Side-​note: If you’re in Section 312, don’t expect a good view of the screen… that little bridge prop they have hanging up on the side was a hindrance. Why one should always choose a center seat for the stage!

This venue is a piece of crap, the organizers are morons. took 2 hours to get into a concert we had tickets to. Went to Give Thanks and couldn’t get in till 11:00 and it ended at 2:00. The organizers should issue everyone refunds. I hate this place. Don’t expect to have a good time at any event at this venue unless you want to get there several
Hours before the event starts.

I actually really enjoyed the Give Thanks event that was held here 11÷25÷15 + 11÷28÷15
that is ONCE I was able to get inside…
The line the first night was about an hour to get through and the second night was about 1.5 hours.
Also, it would have been nice to know there was a coat check, I’m not sure if they have this at every event but it was free which was nice, I just wasn’t able to take advantage of it till the second day.
I like how there is lower seating area, and upper as well, I don’t usually like sitting at a rave so I will be right in the middle, there was A TON of people everywhere.
I enjoyed how many bars they actually have there, I stuck to upstairs because it had the shortest line. They also have a bar downstairs.
The only thing that kind of sucked was the fact that you cannot bring your drinks downstairs, I’m sure if this was only a 21 and over event you would be allowed to but the event was only 16+ so I understand why.
The stage was huge and I really enjoyed this event here.
The staff was very helpful, and respectful.
ALSO we were lucky to find a street parking on the second night not too far away, but be prepared, parking is HARD to find. and first night we paid $ 25 for the parking garage close by, but not worth it for such a small event.
I swore I would never come back because I had to wait in that horrible line, but I probably would go to another event just get there very early so when doors open I don’t have to wait, it was horrible.

Seen two djs here in a span of four years… Dash Berlin and recently, Tommy Trash & adb. It is a good venue. I am glad that they opened up more windows to accomodate ventilation… its gets hot and muggy. The bar service is unacceptable… with the sheer number of people that are attending an event and there are only ever are 4 bartenders! It wastes everyone’s time. Maybe you should just pregame or buy a freedom flask next time!

I came here for a rave a couple weeks ago. The venue is large with a hard wood dance floor with theatre like seating surrounding it, including a wrap around balcony. The layout reminds me of B. Graham, but not as spacious. Downfall was that you were only allowed to drink in designated areas that didn’t face the dance floor, and were tucked away down a hallway or upstairs in a crammed room. Plus, the bars were very limited on their selection of drinks they could create — no greyhounds or red bull vodkas here. It was pretty hot in there too. If there’s tons of dancing and sweating going on, the AC should’ve been set to more frequent intervals. On the upside, the music was loud and the sound quality was great!

Great venue! Went here for the first time on 06÷03÷15 to see Theresa Caputo. Security to get in was easy & simple. Loved the it want too large, and it was intimate. As we walked out we were looking at all the pictures of past people who had performed at this venue & there have been quite a few.
Parking was easy, parked in the paid hotel parking next door. Though it is an almost 2 hour drive for me I will definitely look for more performers to come here.

Came here for Seven Lions concert.
This EDM event started at 10pm. The line spanned for days and by 10:45, the line was still insanely long. I then checked my email and said they opened early and started at 9:30pm.
After getting in, the line for a 21+ wrist band was long, but moved quickly. We needed to find bathrooms, and we headed upstairs. Luckily, we had the 21+ wristbands as we cut through the middle section to get from one side to the other. People under 21 had to go back downstairs, walk all the way across, and then back up.
As for alcohol, the pricing is what you would expect from any venue, $ 10 drinks. The issue was that they had 2 bartenders total for a really long line of people. Some people ended up waiting an hour or so for drinks. I had a few friends who ended up waiting 40ish minutes. The plus is that bottled water was only 2 dollars — where as many edm events sell water for $ 4 – 5.
I headed to the balcony, as I prefer to chill and get floored… in a chair. The music itself was good. The seats don’t have good leg room.
Overall, there was a lot of time waiting around to get in, for people to get alcohol, and for people to use the restroom. By the time everybody was ready, it was midnight, and seven lions was coming on.
They need to be more organized and should have planned better. You’d imagine a place like this would have some sort of experience with these kinds of things.

Definitely the classiest venue for this season of my daughter’s dance competitions (her first year!). Immaculate bathrooms with plentiful stalls. Hardwood floors, cushioned seats, a classic feel to the auditorium. The likes of Morrissey (would love to see him), The Who, Frank Sinatra, and The Rolling Stones, among other legendary acts, have performed here. So our studio didn’t get a real dressing room with lighted mirrors but we were given a room to prep our kids before their time in the spotlight. Lovely venue with helpful staff.

My boyfriend and I came to San Jose for a Cake concert on NYE. I got comped tickets through work, but we wanted to be in the front, so, naturally, we waited for about 4 hours before doors opened. We were first in line without tickets. Somehow, my name did not end up on any will-​call list. To my surprise, the employees at the box office here hadn’t even heard of The Agency Group. I showed them my email confirmation and explained everything, but remained empty-​handed as they opened the doors for the crowd to flood to the front of the stage. Now, I don’t know who to blame for this gross miscommunication, but I was devastated as my boyfriend and I sat on the steps, watching fellow Cake fans flood the auditorium that we had been waiting hours on New Year’s Eve to enter. Luckily, one of the managers, Brandon, empathized with me and gave me two GA tickets he had on hand. His kindness really saved our night and did not let our efforts go to waste.
Another act of kindness (and a holiday miracle) needs to be appreciated — while we were waiting in line, a guy rolled up on his skateboard, asking what we were waiting in line for. When we told him it was for a Cake concert, he was in such disbelief and asked if the show was sold out. When I told him the steep price tag of a ticket, he knew he couldn’t afford it. An employee passing by at the right time overheard our conversation and offered him four balcony tickets, free of charge. The fan broke down in tears, expressing how grateful he was because he has had a financially difficult holiday. I do not think the employee knew how much of an impact this simple gesture had to him, but I just wanted to share the miracles that happened the night we came here.
The venue is easy to find and reminded us of the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium; it is pretty spacious, with ample assigned seating and a general admission floor. There were no in-​and-​out privileges nor could we take photos during the performance. The concessions were expectedly pricey (e.g. $ 10 for a plastic cup of domestic beer), and the bathrooms were surprisingly clean. There is metered parking available nearby, as well as various parking lots in the area that provide a flat rate. If you are waiting in line for an event, restrooms are available at the hotels across the street.

Who loves kids? KFOG does! And they throw a concert every year to benefit the UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital just to prove how much they support kids :)
This year, their annual KFOG Concert For Kids took place at the City National Civic — a really cool theatre in downtown San Jose just off the main drag.
I had never been to this venue, although I had frequently been to downtown San Jose. The façade was quite pretty and appeared to be historic.
The acoustics in the main space were impressive, as was the space inside with both floor seating and balcony seating.
I appreciated the chair set up – cushy theatre-​style seating that appeared to be mobile — since the entire auditorium could be used for standing only events as well.
Performers were easily visible from anywhere in the room.
Kudos to the ultimate professional old skool ushers in their spiffy uniforms! They made us feel like VIPs even if we weren’t sitting in VIP seats :)
What finesse! What helpfulness! These old pros could show the kids these days a thing or two about the epitome of what it take to be an usher.
The lobby was charming and the ladies room was nice — not quite reminiscent of the Paramount Theatre in Oakland — but noteworthy for its old fashioned layout.
Concessions prices and selection were reasonable as well, which was quite a surprise.
This venue is definitely worth another visit to San Jose.

I’ve been here almost 20 yrs ago when it was the San jose Civic auditorium and since then I don’t remember it being so modernized and clean as today.
When you walk in there is ample room to go toward the right or the left sides. We went left and at that corner there is a drink and mini food bar. Then when you turn the corner you have the women’s restroom, followed by the concessions. I didn’t get a chance to buy from the concessions but my friends brought back crisscut fries with Bleu cheese and nachos. Walking by I also saw what I thought said Kobe meatballs.
The bathrooms were large and it could be the event I went for that wasn’t a full house, but there were no lines and the ease of coming and going between concessions or the front and restrooms is what makes me feel it is a great venue.
Sound from the concert was great and the quality and clarity on the screens on the right and left surely made seeing the artists a lot clearer than just trying to video the artists from the phone.
Paid parking lots close by, but that I can see would be an issue for some people that are not familiar with the area.
I have to add that my review is based on my experience at the Very Merry Mixer in 2014 hosted by Mix 106.5 and that the review is an subjective point of view so I apologize to anyone who feels the review is ‘not even close to accurate.’ I do hope you get a good experience at this venue if you get the opportunity.

I’ve been to this building over a dozen times over a couple of dozen years. It’s had many names in the past. The latest is City National Civic and with the new name comes a revamp with some modern amenities. Colorful LED lighting just about everywhere makes the place look a bit more modern. Two giant projection screens above the stage make sure you don’t miss any of the action.
With these new upgrades comes a new price tag as well. Here is where they lost some points for me. My first beer cost me $ 10 at the beginning of the show which is pretty steep, actually it’s ridiculously steep. But my second beer costs only $ 8, WTF? (I only say «only $ 8» because of the delta, that is still pretty steep for a beer) I’m not sure what happened there but if they are going to gouge you for beer, there should be some consistency right? Just to be clear, 2 of the same exact beers priced 2 different prices, I don’t get it.
I would definitely come back to this place but maybe I’ll drink water instead, sounds less fun though.

Came to City National Civic for the very first time to see MORRISSEY & wow! What a venue!
This pace reminds me of a Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium or a little bit like Regency w/​a nicely laid out main floor, surrounded w/​seats along the sides (which Regency does not have) & a lovely balcony to boot
Lots of garages nearby — street parking was impossible to score. We also passed a bunch of restaurants & the area looked to be the sort of place that we could come down early & make an evening out of it. Good to note for next time!
Our seats were comfy & provided nice sightlines — even when everyone was standing (we were as well!). They’re close together but not too bad for the intimate show you’re about to enjoy
Sound was crisp & loud just as it should have been… would not hesitate to come back for more musical greatness!