WaMu Theater

I was disappointed with my experience at the WaMu. I went to see Cage the Elephant, who were great, but the Venue itself has nothing in particular that makes it stand out. It just felt like a big empty warehouse with a bunch of curtains everywhere. Reminds me more of a place where a business convention should be rather than a concert. I don’t know if it was the venue or the crowd, but I felt the energy level was low, and far from matched the bands stage presence. On top of that I was denied entry into the 21 and up area because I have a CA Id that goes vertical instead of horizontal (I’m 23). The staff was very rude when I questioned this rule, because to be quite frank it is one stupidest I have ever heard. Have never been told/​experienced a scenario where this has been a problem, but apparently the WaMu has a «special rule» where ID’s can’t go vertical. That rule simply doesn’t make any sense and left a sour taste in my mouth from the get go. Cage the Elephant was great and nothing against them, but the overall experience was lackluster for the price, and I don’t see myself returning to the WaMu for another concert ever again.

I saw Cage the Elephant there last night and while the band was great, the theater and staff were less than ideal. Staff were rude, unaccommodating and overall dragged the experience down. I was by people who were smoking and security came over and kicked me out of the concert for not doing anything. Thankfully a nice police officer let me in when I explained but the concert staff themselves are AWFUL. Music is about people and a good environment and the staff did not facilitate this at all. Would not recommend.
This was the 4^th event I’ve seen at WaMu and every time I’ve been I’ve had trouble with the staff either being rude, unhelpful or just a buzzkill. I understand that safety is the #1 concern — that being said, plowing through fans and hitting people to get to some poor kid smoking a cig is not the way to run an event. On top of that, when asked where the bathroom is, alcohol enforcement responded that it was not their responsibility to know and I should find someone else. What?

Piss pour sound. Almost as bad as the Tacoma Dome. This is an oversized exhibition hall, not a music venue. It does the music a disservice and makes it tough to listen to. I really hope bands catch on and stop playing there. I would much rather go to a smaller show and hear better acoustics or drive the long way down to Whiteriver or even the Gorge than listen to another show at Wamu Theater.
Also, there was no place to smoke and no re-​entry, so anyone Jones’n for nicotine was SOL.
Most of the reviews on this place talk about beer prices and seating, in my opinion that doesn’t matter when the venue has character and good sound. Wamu Theater has none of that. Don’t go here if you can avoid it.

This is not a theater. It becomes a «theater» when they set up seats and stands and a stage in a huge exhibition hall. Very efficient use of space for sure though pretty much lacking in atmosphere as a result. Security seemed to be very good. Went to see Bill Burr here and even he thought the place was a joke. His warm up certainly was, a bad one at that. Restrooms were clean though so that was a plus. Food seemed pretty standard, mediocre stadium type fare. Parking was quite a walk because the inside passages were all shut for the evening event. There doesn’t appear to be a box office.

I’ve only been here once, but what really got me down about this place is I arrived about 45 minutes and didn’t get to my seat until about 40 minutes after the show started. The seats were small, cheap and uncomfortable. I picked my seat considering a lot of different variables, what I wasn’t made aware of was that right in front of my seat was the stairs for the whole section, which I guess it more ticketmaster’s fault. For some reason people kept coming and going and when they did the whole section would bounce like the whole thing would collapse at any moment, I wasn’t actually worried about that happening but I still found it very annoying.
If there was a music event I’d like to see and there was another venue option in driving distance I would choose the other option.

This was… Not the greatest of theaters. The area felt sketch and made me feel unsafe and uncomfortable. I appreciated the bag checks but when they said ‘no selfie sticks’ I expected them to crack down on that. Security did not. Once inside, drinks were $ 10 (normal at an event but no thanks) and we couldn’t bring them inside the theater. I quickly found out why. The theater seats were just a bunch of folding chairs. I was fine with the set up until the concert started. I went to a hologram concert that is audience engaging so once the music began, everyone stood up and began raving with the glow sticks we were provided. This is fine, however, I saw two guys towards the front of my view with selfie sticks recording the entire show (when asked not to), and viewing the stage became very difficult for me.
I would not have an issue with this if WaMu had the option of providing big screens on either side of the stage so those in the back could see if their view was being blocked – like at Microsoft theater in LA.
Otherwise security was nice when answering my questions, and the staff inside were courteous!

I am usually very open to trying new venues, especially if one of my favorite artists is going to show up. The first thing I noticed was the upkeep outside the stadium was piss poor. Blankets, trash, broken glass everywhere. That isn’t enough to scare me off.
I head to the drinking area to find out «premium drinks» are $ 10.50. Apparently a jack and coke is a premium drink nowadays. Cool. I walk to the concert standing room, and to no surprise to anyone in Seattle, everybody is smoking weed. This doesn’t bother me either, until it effects my concert experience.
I am a 6’3″ male, and there happens to be large smoke clouds in the vicinity. I get pulled out not once, but twice having only had that one drink all night. After being accused of smoking from an incompetent security staff they kick me out.
With literally no proof of me doing anything, the take down my information and force me to leave. Had the security staff moved in and watched my area, they would have noticed that with my hands in the air the whole time. I couldn’t have been the culprit.
This was my first and last Wamu experience.

For bigger concerts, I can’t imagine another place that they could be held besides Key Arena, and Tacoma Dome absolutely sucks. For these raving events, this is my preferred spot especially those major ones because nowhere else can cater to that mass amount of people efficiently. There’s an on campus parking lot that charges $ 20 for event parking, but be warned that if you stay until the very end, you might as well be sitting in the car on park with the heat on for a minute while waiting for the chaos to clam down. $ 20 isn’t bad, with a car full, that’s only $ 4 each, beats wasting time circling around and walking in the cold to get to the Venue.
I was upset that in 2014 that my event was cancelled by the Wamu Theater due to somebody overdosing on drugs. Now, that is a controversial topic and we all feel sympathy, but when is it professional to punish the other thousands of people who planned their schedule around this event for one person’s irresponsible act or unfortunate occurrence. If the president died today, I highly doubt a Justin Bieber concert would be cancelled. Nice work, now you really have more people talking about you, maybe that was the goal.
With events that consist of this large amount of people, there are enough bathrooms around so the wait won’t be a million years. There’s places opened during any events for food and drinks, be prepared for the higher prices for mediocre food/​drinks, but that’s at any music venue so no surprises there. I’m happy with the many places to sit on the benches.
Tell me about your experience if you’ve been here or is going to after reading this review:)

Great venue for a large show. I went here to see ASAP Rocky and was able to see the whole thing from the back which was really nice because it was a Wednesday night and I was very tired from the week.
Don’t get confused about the bar in the front there is a bar inside the stage area.

At the Neil Young concert last night in section E front row right behind general admission. I was close to the show but at times could not see over people standing. So I would have to stand to enjoy the show… The old grumpy lazy people behind me seem to have forgot what a concert is all about. They just wanted to sit even during Neil’s biggest hits. Total disrespect for a great artist. One loud mouth old guy even threw ice at myself and others. The couple next to me left their seats. Then to top things off the security guy came over and asked us to please sit down. Really what the hell??? Why can’t they stand up??? I refused to sit then the security guy gets in my face and I noticed that his breath smelled of alcohol… I said to him that I wanted to speak to his manager about his drinking… Then he told me I could of course stand and enjoy the concert if I liked. I will never go to a concert at WaMu Theater again what an unpleasant event… Oh yeah but Neil Young was fantastic as always. Thank you Neil I apologize for the lazy non respectful fans that you had in Section E

Not sure why all the negative reviews, but I just caught a show on ⁹⁄₂₆ — the Counting Crows and thought the venue was fine. The folding seats are padded and very comfortable, the view of the band and sound was very good. There were no issues with getting in and terribly long lines. True they only serve alcohol until a certain time, but that’s probably a good thing. All in all, my friend and I really enjoyed being there.

Omg!!! They need to adjust their lights in that place. BRIGHT flashing lights in my face throughout the concert. Not good !!!

Before you consider going please read this! I’m not even sure how to begin writing a review for this place. I guess to begin with I should say that my age and station in life might have a large impact on my enjoyment of the venue and concert.
First I should say that it was a Snoop Dogg concert and I’m not sure that any other venue could have accommodated him or this crowd when the concert was called a wellness retreat promoting the use of recreational marijuana. Signs outside stated no smoking but the place was one giant marijuana cloud.
So, what I liked about the place…
Well tickets were $ 48 which makes seeing a big name pretty affordable and accessible.
The venue itself is not that big. It’s actually okay not to trample people in a mad dash to be standing in the front row packed in with 100s of other sweaty fans. You can actually opt for the back area where there are chairs and still quite possibly get a better view than those packed in on the floor close to the stage.
What I did not like…
This was a very young crowd. I mean 14,15,16. I had a hard time believing they were all for snoop. So maybe it was because they also wanted to see Ty$ or J’eazy, or maybe tickets were cheap, or they like marijuana, or they saw it as the only option to enjoy a party like atmosphere?
Standing room only! I thought there would be chairs line up in the front but there weren’t. You have to stand and be prepared to stand for hours. There is some tired seating towards the back which is actually totally fine. You can totally see the stage and if you are short it’s probably even better to sit in the chairs since you won’t be able to see over the heads of taller attendees.
The awful concrete floors. We stood on that miserable floor for about 5 hours straight. The amount of pain in my heels and legs and my partners back were indescribable. Even the next day the pain was still there.
This was a tough night for us mainly because we had no idea what to expect. I would probably consider attending another concert here but it would I would do things very different. First if all, if the concert is scheduled at 8, I would not arrive earlier than 8. I will not wait in line for hours just to be trampled in a run for standing room only in the front row. Neither will I allow myself to be subjected to the armpits of strangers next to me or have my faces pushed into some sweaty guys who is wearing a wifebeater. Yuck! I will opt to go straight to the tiered seating and enjoy the concert from there and get up and get water or use the restroom when I want. Once you are in the the crowd and at the front, don’t leave with the expectation that you will make it back that place. Drink a lot of water before attending. It’s hot and stuffy and bottled water costs $ 4. There is a long line for the water fountain and you could pass out (which several people did) before you get your turn.
Just be ready!

Worked some events here. Left a pack of smokes inside. The head of security was a huge dick about it and got me fired from my job. He is a racist btw.

Came for a corporate event. Staff was friendly and professional and went out of their way to be helpful and informative.
Everything was set up very well.
The only complaint is that the parking security wouldn’t let people in when there were spaces available and we saw multiple cars leaving the lot and the parking garage right in front of us.

just recently went to the Lana Del Rey concert at the WAMU theater. They had five rows of people waiting to get into the show. They let all of us in at once. It was very dangerous. The venue it’s self was over sold. There was no room to even move. They had to stop the show to pull people out who had passed out multiple time. Security was basically nonexistent. The venue was way too hot and the acoustics were terrible. I will never attend another concert at WAMU. Lana Del Rey has a very mellow style of music, I could imagine going to a pop or rock concert there.

Came here to see Lorde.
Lay out was good. I liked that it was indoor and shielded from the rain. Sat on the grandstands in the back half of the room. There was enough stadium stating to not have a blocked view and I was sitting. Acoustics were pretty good. It is a small venue but larger than a theater house. Four stars because the room itself was bland. I would come back here.

Came here for Resolution and soon to be Lucky. I thought the venue was big enough to cater to the mass amount of people that attend these electronic events. I also been here way back in the day when HIN and Tuner Bash were held here. It’s a pretty good venue for events like these. My only thing is that it always seems cold in there but that might just be me.

I just saw Miguel and Alicia Keys here.
The concert was a lot of fun! We had no trouble getting our tickets at will call and going through the bag check and getting in. Everyone we encountered working the event was nice.
The sound seemed good for some of the songs except I think the bass was too loud during most of the show. They didn’t fix this so I assume they wanted it that way. Seemed overpowering to me though.
The setup of the seating was great! We were in the bleachers towards the back but the view was still pretty good.
It was fairly easy getting in and out of the event center.
The prices for food and drink are exorbitant as one would expect. $ 4 for a bottle of water. We went to the Top Pot window and they were selling a tall drip coffee for $ 4.75. Yeah… and no donuts!
The lines for the restrooms were long but they went fast because there are so many stalls.
I wouldn’t hesitate to see a show at WaMu again! The theater setup was nice and I had a great time. I would suggest eating beforehand.

The 3 stars is an average for 1) the venue and 2) the event.
First the venue…1 star, eh! I woudn’t really call it a theater… more like a barren vast convention center. Parking is as I expected super expensive in the garage and once in the garage, the entrance to the VIP area is waaay off in the corner it took us 10 – 15 minutes to get out bearings straight and find it. And as expected, VIP is really not so VIP when it’s a second floor balcony on the side. Love that there was an exclusive bar and they provided food, but otherwise, the VIP «experience» was pretty lame. in the end we ended up on the main floor with everyone else and absorbed the whole energy around us which made for a great end to the night.
Second the event… Jingle Ball in December. 5 stars! 2012 Jingle Ball here in Seattle was fantastic and getting Afrojack and Calvin Harris were SUPERB choices… sometimes getting a DJ to perform can be a hit or miss but based on the quality and current popularity of those two, the radio station totally were on the pulse of what’s hot and seemed like everyone there was totally into it and bopping with the dubstep and beats. Ed Sheeran, Owl City, and 3Oh3! (we were fashionably late and missed Cheryl Cole) were also fantastic and was definitely one of the best collaborative concerts I’ve been to in 2012.
So 1 + 5 = 6 divided by 2 = 3.

This is a pretty decent venue! I’ve been here three times now: once for a football exhibition show, the Seattle Auto Show, and for Freaknight (Music festival). Each set up was very different and unique, and each used the space very well. I love the open area that allows the space to transform into whatever it needs to be. My only complaint was the process of getting into the freaknight concert. I’m not sure that was the fault of the venue, it’s very possible it was the problem of USC events (the concert organizers). Taking almost two hours to get in the doors while being squished to death by crowds (i’m not kidding… i couldn’t have moved anywhere, even if i tried!), is just not acceptable to me. But, once inside, things were really well-​run and well managed. Concessions are at stadium pricing, but that’s no surprise.
All in all, i would go to more events here, but while being cautious about events that are sold-​out and plan accordingly.

I was surprised at how big this venue is. I was here for an EDM event and USC made great use of the space WAMU theater has to offer. They had three different stages and it was very easy to navigate your way through to each one of them!
I would give this place five stars because it has potential of hosting large events and concerts, but it was really obvious that USC and Wamu’s staff were not prepared to handle a crowd over 20K the night I was here! The line outside the venue was ridiculous and none of the staff were there to direct people to the right entrance/​line. Total chaos…