Lied Center

True story: Lawrence, KS is my hometown, but until recently, I had never been in the Lied Center. It was built in 1993, a few years after I moved down K-​10 to the big city, and I just never felt compelled to go until we saw that Quixotic would be performing there on my hubby’s 40^th birthday. Since my hubby isn’t one for big parties, it seemed like a perfect opportunity to do something he would really enjoy on his special day.
At the hubby’s request, I booked tickets in the balcony as he thought it might be a really cool angle from which to see the aerial portion of the act, but balcony seating here just isn’t great. We were on the first tier, stage right, and it was not possible to take in the entire stage, which is really pretty important for a Quixotic show. Also, the seats in the balcony were angled, which was helpful, but they weren’t angled quite enough, so that in order to see the stage, you were still having to crane your neck a bit. Not the end of the world, but a minor annoyance.
When we arrived, the ushers sent us on a brief wild goose chase for our seats. We were told we were in the first row which isn’t what we booked. They finally got it sorted out and showed us where we belonged. They were very friendly and tried to be helpful, so that’s a plus.
The Lied Center is very well maintained. I was impressed with the quality of the facility overall. The stage here is very small, which isn’t great for a show like those that Quixotic puts on as it’s clearly somewhat limiting in terms of their ability to do multiple aerial acts at once and the amount of floor space they have for dance. We have been long-​time fans of Quixotic, yet this was the least favorite show we’ve seen of theirs, but still quite spectacular.
I wouldn’t hesitate to return to the Lied Center for another kind of show. It seems like it would be better suited for musical acts and I would love to visit again, but will avoid the balcony moving forward.

One of the best things about the University of Kansas is this marvelous multi-​purpose event venue. Whether it’s a Broadway style play, concert or lecture series, Lawrence has a world-​class space with all of the amenities you should expect at the highest level. Nice side box seating on 3 different levels, truly not a bad seat in the house and the acoustics are first-​rate.
One note: most people are probably totally unaware there’s a separate part of the building, the Northwest end, that houses a world class pipe organ with it’s own mini concert seating area. Also used for small string and horn ensembles or choral groups. The organ recitals are not to be missed. One of the organs and concert spaces for organ recitals in North America. A shame more don’t know about it.
So when you drive by, check out the big neon sign or visit the web site. There’s something for just about anyone that loves the arts. So lucky we have this facility and series in a town this size.

The Lied Center is another Lawrence staple. Simple as that.
Throughout all of my experience as a student in the Lawrence Public School System, and now as a season ticket holder, I have always been impressed by the level of service and quality of content that the Lied Center has continually provided.
The King and I, the Kronos Quartet, and Arlo Guthrie are just a handful of the shows I have taken in at this venue. My family has never had a lot of money, but a long time ago we all agreed that season tickets to the Lied was a worthwhile use of our discretionary dollars (i.e. we ate a lot of rice and beans and PBJ’s to make sure we could afford the tix every season). And every season my family gets the season guide in the mail and we find ourselves at my Dad’s house debating over who gets tickets to what as we divide up our season package.
The atmosphere of the place is great, the acoustics are great, the staff is wonderful, and the crowd is always great. If you really want to cap off your «Lawrence Experience», please catch a show at the Lied. No trip to Kansas is truly complete without one.