Austin Music Hall

This place is pretty cool, parking is not terrible and is pretty close. The drink lines went by pretty fast too! I had a really good time here!

What a great venue and what a shame that the growing city of austin is now cannibalizing itself with places like this disappearing from the city to make way for bigger dollars. My company threw a charity gala here earlier this month and it was fantastic. It really is a shame though that this time next year means no more Austin Music Hall. So much for that old, «Live Music Capitol of the World», slogan. Although, I don’t think that’s been true for awhile now, this is definitely a large nail in that coffin.

Came here recently for an Engadget event, and I thought the venue was really cool and space efficient given the fact that it’s right in downtown. That being said, parking didn’t seem like it would be easy to find, so I’m not sure how people that couldn’t walk over like us would make it. Hope to come to another event here soon!

Only good seats in the house are the expensive VIP tower club. Which does grant you access to giant AC vents, special bar and CLEAN bathrooms. The acoustics are terrible. And to make up for that they just turn the volume up until your ears bleed. I would much prefer going to Emo’s and actually able to hear the bands.

Such a small intimate venue. No matter where you are you have a good view. It’s a shame they plan on tearing it down.

Not a big fan of Gen Admin, but this was a good venue and we had a great view of Alt-​J from the balcony.

This was my first time at Austin Music Hall. Hadn’t read reviews, but I’ve heard mostly positive things about the place from friends. I’m not that impressed, to say the least.
The show I was seeing was selling three types of tickets (Floor, Balcony, and 3^rd Floor VIP) all the same price and all labeled «General Admission.» Floor was shown sold out, so I bought Balcony, but figured it was all the same. Not the case, which is fine by me. You’re only allowed into the «Floor GA» area if you have a Floor ticket and turned away if your ticket says Balcony. No problem, I bought the Balcony ticket with that in mind. However, the Balcony area has no staff checking tickets, so anybody can enter the area. Look, you either have General Admission tickets, or you don’t. You can’t keep one area exclusive to one type of ticket and not the other if you’re selling them at the same price.
Once in the Balcony area, there is absolutely no lighting so it’s super confusing to figure out where you’re allowed to stand. They have it divided in sections, with the front and center only available to certain people, I never figured out who though. They also have a taped off walkway around the entire balcony that you cannot block in any way without security hounding you. That’s understandable, but they put the walkway in front of where you’re actually allowed to stand, so the better view is constantly obstructed by other guests walking by. They could just as easily swap the standing zone and the walkway, problem solved.
The sound was just okay, not terrible, but the room definitely needs to be re-​analyzed and treated by a professional. Bottom line, I would come to another show here, but not for anything more than $ 20 – 25 tickets (I paid ~$ 40), it’s not worth it. They do have a great AC system though.
UPDATE: now that the headliner played, I changed my mind — the sound is HORRIBLE. Man, what a shame.

Just when I thought this place was the worst of the worst they have made some changes and it’s much better. Security there is still extremely tight but I guess that’s the owners choice. Anywho the drinks are cheaper than most places and the bartenders are great. The security can still go screw themselves. You get paid the same whether or not you kick someone out or not. That is all

By far one of the worst venues I have ever been to. I’m glad I did not show up to the purity ring concert at the appointed time of 7:00pm because when I got there at 7:40 the line was stretched a mile long and nobody was moving. Extremely disorganized. Being on the floor General admissions, it’s understandable that luxury service isn’t expected but while there are over a thousand people crammed together the venue should take into consideration the temperature of the venue as people were sweating and dehydrayed with no crowd control whatsoever, people cutting into closer spaces of the stage without regard to the people who waited patiently to get those close spots. And to top it all off there were others smoking WEED at the center of the floor with people around them. Awful venue and I never want to return. Good day.

We came here for a Purity Ring concert — and judging from the 3 block line, we knew it had been oversold. We braced ourselves and got in pretty quickly, and the venue looks pretty cool at first glance. However, I read the many, many reviews that mentioned the bad acoustics beforehand and tried to be positive, hoping it’d be better.
I can’t explain put into words how bad this venue is. It has no business selling tickets for bands.
The acoustics were so bad that I couldn’t hear a single lyric of the first song. The bass for the songs inbetween set changes reveberated so harshly off of the walls that all you felt was a thumping in your chest and a pain in your ears. Lyrics are not clear whatsoever from ANY song, and it took so much away from the band’s performance. I’ve seen Purity Ring at another venue and the lyrics were crystal clear. That is how I know that previous reviews are absolutely correct and that it wasn’t just this band in particular. The opening act was absolutely stunning and it was completely ruined by the horrible acoustics. The music you hear will be only faintly reminiscent of the band you came to see.
Oversold is an understatement.
I’ve never sweat so much in my life. A girl fainted during the opening act. We were packed like sardines. People were irritable from the cramped space, because the entire room was so filled that even the bathroom doors were blocked. The guy in front of me sweat so profusely that it dripped from his pony tail as he swung his head and it splashed in people’s faces. I felt disgusted, and I’ve been to many shows. The balcony was so loud during the band’s performance. It echoed off the walls and made it sound like no one on the 2^nd floor was even listening to the performance. Moving venues to a more expensive, newly built area you would think they’d slope the floors, or build a balcony area where people could ACTUALLY see.
Please listen to the bad reviews and try to catch the band you love at another venue. I promise you that you’ll regret your ticket purchase when you show up and see that you paid $ 50-​$ 150 only to hear the music and not see a thing. Even wors, the sound will be the worst quality possible because it sounds like you’re hearing every note under water.

Wow! What a bunch of Unilocal whiners. It’s a general admission concert venue. You are going to stand. There is a bunch of people, it’s going to be hot. But the sound is great and the drinks cold. Saw Faith No More and while I couldn’t always see the stage, the sound was great. Props to the staff, they picked up trash the entire time that uncouth people threw on the floor. Glad I came and saw!

I read the reviews… I went into Austin Music Hall for Faith No More’s first album tour in, like, 20 years FULLY expecting to leave pissed off with and disappointed by the venue for ruining such an epic show. But, happy happy joy joy, that was not the case. .woooo! !
We left the show pumped and happy. SUPER sweaty, but pumped and happy nonetheless.
Even before music started it was hot. .as…balls all up in that place. Seriously sweltering!
But everything else was A-​OK…
Most importantly, the sound quality was *great* (TOTALLY wasn’t expecting that. .yaaaay! !). Lighting was rad, and my line of sight would have been absolutely fine, had it not been for a bunch of neanderthals standing directly in front of me. .and that isn’t exactly the fault of the venue.
Beer selection was better-​than-​expected and reasonably priced ($ 5 – 6 for a full 16 Oz tallboy of Real Ale Fireman’s #4). Bottles of water **with lids ** — as opposed to stupid cups that you can’t stash in a pocket for later — especially given the schwettyness, an absolute necessity — were available.
I get that the place is pending the wrecking ball and owners probably give zero fux about its management at this point. .but really, $ 65 per ticket should get folks, at the very least, some misting fans. I still vote for actual A/​C.
Beyond that minor bout of pissiness though. .great show!

Came to see foster the people
Event staff were awesome, my date had a broken angle and big boot on her foot. They set us up with chairs and a great view
The staff here on ⁵⁄₁₆ were amazingly accommodating to us and totally made a memorable experience for us. Thank you!

I just don’t understand why this place has such bad reviews…
I went to this venue 5÷14÷2015 for the foster the people concert.
It wasn’t too little of a place to hold everyone
It wasn’t hot, it was actually cold
Didn’t have any weird smells
The sound system wasn’t funky
The employees are super nice
My only bad comment is that people were smoking, giving me a horrible headache (which isn’t this venues fault)
But i will totally come back to this place for another concert. It was great!

Let’s be honest with each other, this is nearly the worst venue in Austin. The Back Room was better than this, including the potential Death By Biker.
The seating is atrocious. Good luck finding a place to stand in the bleachers. Good luck seeing the stage once you do find a place to stand in the bleachers. Once you do, and if you do, you’re right at armpit and fart-​wafting levels. I imagine that if you dig through the ground this place was built on, there’s a giant dinosaur turd, still releasing its stench.
The music. Any venue’s sight lines, being sold over occupancy, and/​or garlic odor that would kill a horse, can be made up for with great sound. This is the Austin Music Hall, it has to have FANTASTIC sound, just given the name, right? No. I don’t know how they even keep ‘music’ in the name. By the time the sweet, sweet sounds of your favorite band’s tunes bounce around this square box of tonal failure, you’re not sure if you’re listening to the band’s music alone, or if someone’s also running 50 juicers and piping them through the ‘speakers’.
This place is an insult to the bands that play it. New Order? Weezer? Pick your favorite band and type of music, it all runs off the stage like the sewage goo in Ghostbusters 2.
I’m a little depressed having to write this review, but people (especially those coming to visit Austin as a music destination) need to know. There are probably dozens of people who dedicate their hours to making The Austin Music Hall the best venue possible. I’m sorry for them, I’m sure they’re doing their best. Without a tear down and rebuild, I’m afraid that this tower of elephant dung is as good as it’s going to get.

Quite disappointed in this venue. Standing room only, sound is bad (the band noticed), hard to see the stage from the balcony, and they allow weed to be smoked in public.
I left before the show ended because I was dizzy and deaf. Who knew the security staff would care more about people standing behind the line than smoking in what is supposed to be a non smoking facility.

If I were a Norse god, I’d level this place with my trusty hammer.
But alas, I am human, which means I have to suffer through the shitty layout and awful acoustics of the Austin Music Hall to partially see and barely hear a band I love.
I hate this place times a million.

Not a great venue. Packed, hot, and smells like farts.
The balcony is not made for sitting down — everyone stands on these big steps and no one can see the stage.
Very bad sound quality. The crowd is constantly chatting, so there is constant background noise on top of the show. It’s really just a big party venue that happens to have a stage.
Would be fun if you don’t care about the show and really want to just get drunk and talk to your friends. Which, sometimes, is just what you want. But it wasn’t what I was expecting here for the price we paid.

— my bag was searched by basically making me take every item out. It was super unnecessary.
— it was SO cold. It was about 50 degrees outside and I dressed for that. I was in a crowd of hundreds and was shaking all night. I was never able to take my jacket off.
— it’s so dark. The balcony is like a danger zone especially for clumsy people. It would be great if they could put some lights on the floor like at the movies.
— the bar was weak sauce.
— you couldn’t see the band from really any point on the balcony.
I would only come back for someone super super amazing.

Is it possible that there is a worse venue in Austin? I doubt it.
Walk around, and the sound doesn’t improve. As far as I’m convinced you’d be better off in a gym than here.
Try to get a better view of the show? Even at 5’11″ I can’t see what’s going on.