Beacon Theater

12/30/06

Old School, But Still Decent

by b00pi3flak3s

This place never seems to die down with age as it is one of the most old school joints in the city. Great acts come here, whether it be comedians or concerts, and we all get to relish in the moment.

• Pros: Seats, Good View
• Cons: Old

12/30/06

Nice theatre but beware of seating chart on-line

by bergs43

It's a nice, small theatre and all to see a concert but our seats were miserable, and there aren't many bad seats to speak of! I was seated in the upper balcony, FF, 4 and feel I must warn people...beware! These 3 seats are really for the ushers and other employees. They are against the wall with an aisle IN FRONT of them. Needless to say, there was a constant stream of traffic blocking our view. I'm very disappointed I was not warned about this. Of course, one can not tell by looking at the seating chart on-line I would have bought tickets for the next night if I had known.

11/03/06

An old vaudeville hall with timeless grace.

by Contributor

Overview
Opened in 1928, the Beacon Theater was originally a vaudeville hall. Then it became a "movie palace" with the advent of talkies. Now a nationally registered Art Deco landmark, the theater presents both stage and music performances for almost three decades. It's an ideal place to catch national rock acts before they play arenas, as well as dramatists and rap, gospel and world music acts.

The Experience
The Beacon's graduating rows of cushioned chairs make it easy to forget its 2,800-capacity size, even in the balconies. The open stage allows performers little place to hide and plenty of room to shine. The Beacon also has the fine acoustics of a classical theater and flawless sight lines from almost anywhere.

10/31/06

excellent place to see music

by binman69

there are great seats just about anywhere in this place.....problem is that tickets are expensive here...i have seen over 20 shows here...lou reed, moe, phish, allmans....it is always fun here and it sounds good

07/17/03

One of NYC's best Music Venues

by lafille

Having seen many shows at the Beacon, I can say with some authority that it is one of the best in NYC. Whereas places Hammerstein and Irving Plaza are great places in their own right, you can actually sit in the Beacon. You can buy drink (albeit a little pricey). It is difficult to find a terrible seat- even up in the balcony. Great acoustics. Centrally located. Buy tickets at theater to avoid outrageous Ticketmaster mark ups. downsides: long ladies room lines and many stragglers outside pushing tickets and fliers. But that comes with the show going territory!

12/03/02

Shoulda Woulda Coulda

by djhonkey12

A beautiful theatre, but rude employees and incompetent management. Need proof? Just check the non-existent website link... Be prepared for squatters in the aisles and inflated drink prices. Use the bathroom before you show up, trust me...

• Pros: Location, Atmosphere
• Cons: Management, Public Relations, Service

10/31/02

Very comfortable

by vinylboy20

You walk into this place and you think, now this is a real theater. There's some huge statues coming out of the walls, and just a really good theater look and atmosphere. The seats are comfortable and there's lots of legroom. I saw Beck and the Flaming Lips there and they had two giant stacks of speakers that made a great sound. Another reviewer said that it gets warm, and that is true. It felt about 80 in there. And I felt bad for the standing room people.

• Pros: Good legroom, Good view
• Cons: Too warm

10/24/02

A Beacon of Light!!!

by cyberbmcd

The Beacon is easily one of the best places to hear a concert. I've seen Heart and Trans-Siberian Orchestra here and heard every note as if I was on stage. Not the greatest place for us fatties to sit though.

• Pros: Great acoustics, No bad seats, it's in NYC!!
• Cons: seats are too small f

08/30/02

fat folks need room

by crystalsb

Now if you weigh over 140 lbs this may not be the place for you. For a venue that holds more gospel plays than any other in NYC they should know there will be a whole lot of big fat southern gals tryingt o swueeze into those little seats but that is my only complaint. I love the beacon always have. Not only is the staff relatively friendly but quite a few of them are easy on the eyes. The line to the ladies room moves relatively quickly. Ticket prices are rarely outrageous. Souun d has always been fantastic and they sure know how to sucker u in with the smell of refreshments.

• Pros: phenomenal sounds, best shows, clean
• Cons: seats too little, bathroom too little, looks kind of dreary

08/15/02

Crowded, great concert setting

by ndasgupt

Went to the Oasis concert last night at Beacon. I purchased the tickets from ticketmaster, these were last minute standing only tickets. Usually standing-only means General Admission tickets in front of the stage. It turned out that you actually have to stand on the mezzanine floor - behind the last row !!! Beacon is a small theater. It's VERY HOT inside, wear something light. If you're taking your girlfriend, DON'T get the 'Standing' tickets. If you're in a group though, it helps. Basically, you have to walk across to the aisle side and then walk down the steps to the mezzanine railings lots of space there. Security is light and not so over-strict like at MSG. Smoke, drink, you can party like anything here, it's a nice homely atmosphere with a touch of antiquity. Avoid will-call, lines are looong. Otherwise, all-in-all, it's a place worth going for a concert.

• Pros: Party place !, Security is friendly, Good value
• Cons: HOTTTTT, Long will-call line, Smoke galore