Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena

Love all the Gigs at this place! I have been going here for years! Excellent Venue for all types of events!

Definitely not the newest or hottest venue in town, but it gets the job done. Parking right outside the entrance was surprisingly only $ 25, which isn’t bad for LA. But I suggest parking near where you drive into the lot, so that you’ll be one of the first to exit. They don’t open other exits.
There are separate entrances for the floor tickets vs seat tickets, so don’t think that you’ll be able to purchase seats and somehow get yourself down to the floor. The line for alcohol was ridiculously slow. I don’t understand how it takes so long to pour a beer and a cocktail? We waited for about 45 minutes. The lines for beer only went a lot quicker, but my friend wanted a cocktail. Coors is the draft beer unless you get in a separate line for a «premium» draft such as Dos Equis. They said that their credit card machines are slow, so they really should update that and hire bartenders who do a faster pour.
Acoustics inside are fine, but not the best. And it is HOT inside, even in the seats. I was wearing jeans and a tank top and was sweating. I’m not sure if it was just the show that I went to (Disclosure) but the security was pretty lax. It was not a 21+ show and they only checked the ID of the person buying the drinks. There were no security checking tickets to make sure that you were seated in the correct section, so we just went to a lower section where we found open seats.

This sports arena is one of those places that have been around for as long as I’ve known the area, but have never been in. Event parking was a steep $ 25, but you can easily avoid that by parking in a nearby residential area less than a mile away at your own risk. Added plus is that you don’t have to wait to drive out of the parking lot!
if your event has assigned seating, you can kiss your chances of sneaking down onto the floor goodbye. The seats have their own access point, and they cleverly blocked off the only area that goes down to the floor and only people with wristbands could get inside. This is good for the people who actually paid more to get up close, I guess. You don’t have to spend your time worrying that some mezzanine plebeians could be brushing shoulders with you. However, if you are in the upper levels, they didn’t police the assigned seats, so you can move up if some areas are open.
Bathrooms are relatively clean, and there are plenty of stalls so the line moves quickly. That cannot be said for the drink line, though. During the intermission, the wait was horrible! But we went back to get some nachos during the show and it was a lot speedier. I believe the price was $ 9 for a Coors, which I was pretty disappointed about because I had just bought an IPA for $ 9 at Bill Graham Civic Center. But I guessss it’s «normal» price for a show.
I enjoyed the sound inside, it wasn’t loud enough to warrant ear plugs but it still sounded great. The view from the 2^nd tier of seats was very good too, I didn’t feel like I was missing out by not being in the crowd. Overall, decent venue that had all the basics, but no frills. Oh, and I don’t know if this is common for all events, but as we left we were greeted by about 20 dirty dog carts. A welcome sight!

Eh, is fine.
The venue is old, but it does the job.
My biggest problem was that the A/​C wasn’t working or something when I went (a couple of days ago for a concert)… it was ridiculously hot inside.
OH and that the concession stand people and the people selling refreshments along the aisle are SUPER MEAN and hate their jobs and everyone else in the building. They throw serious dagger eyes while selling lemonade.

I came here for the Bernie Sanders rally and it was truly a great experience. The venue may not be the newest, but it wasn’t too bad. They were even selling tacos and other snacks. The seats were outdated and not that comfortable but there was plenty of room around the whole arena.
Parking is pricey, but if you’re in a larger group, you can easily split the cost.
#BERNIESANDERS2016

The women at the box office were really rude and moody.
Venue itself was fine. Saw a concert here. The floor staff were relatively nice.
Best part about this place is the beautiful middle-​age-​ish black woman that was working at the bar… wish I remembered her name… she had really cool hair… short hair with a tight curl at the top. She had so much spirit and charisma. Just cheery and kind. Feel like she could be a bartender or waitress for a fine dining spot. Or really do anything in the world, with her fantastic personality.

The venue is old. It looks and feels old. And the seats are old and uncomfortable.
And the worst part is taking 40 minutes to get out of the parking lot after a concert when the parking lot was only half full. They only had one gate open in which everyone in the lot had to exit through there and all needed to make a left from there onto Figueroa from a single lane. It was a looooooong night.

I am surprised to see such low ratings for this sports arena (at the time of this review, overall rating is 2 stars). I came by here this past Sunday morning and was here until the afternoon volunteering for the special Care Harbor LA event. I agree with previous Unilocal reviews that the arena is a bit outdated and the seats really could be plushier (but don’t see that ever happening though). Also I have been to nicer arenas but this sports arena is still good for what it is. It can hold a great number of people and showcase a show here for their audience. There are a number of restrooms throughout the arena (both upstairs and downstairs). But because I was not here for a show or concert, my review is going to be a bit different.
As mentioned, I came here to volunteer my services as a health care provider for Care Harbor LA’s annual event. This is the 3^rd year Care Harbor LA put together this wonderful event providing health care services (that include vision and dental) to people of low income status (check them out at
) and this is my 2^nd time volunteering. There is definitely plenty of space to accommodate 1000 people looking to use the free health care services (1000 people are accepted per day to receive these free services), along with plenty of volunteers and security staff quite comfortably.
Fortunately, for volunteers (by the way, even if you are not a health care provider, students and those that can special Spanish are also more than welcome to volunteer), I was able to park in the VIP parking that is right near the main entrance of the arena (for free) without any hassle.
The Sports Arena still is a nice place that could use some updating and remolding. But it still does it’s job of providing a massive space for concerts/​shows for the general masses.

When was the last time they refurbished the Sports Arena? The 1984 Olympics? It seems OLD, from the lighting to the seats — and some of the seats were patched with tape. They were mismatched, and the numbers are on the arms of the seats, not the seats themselves, which took me a while to figure out.
I mention this for a reason. My crew of five arrived, were pointed up to our seats, and found some people sitting there. Since we couldn’t see the numbers, we thought perhaps we’d gone up the wrong stairs and went back down, at which point the usher asked what happened. We told her we thought maybe people were in our seats. You’d think an usher could/​should deal with it, but apparently no, it’s a security issue. At this point, we were herded down the stairs out to the lobby, where the usher located a security guard, and the guard said she had to get her supervisor. We were taken over to a willcall window indoors, and then the supervisor said well, they needed to check with willcall because perhaps two sets of tickets for the same seats were issued and then tickets would need reissuing, etc. And no one was in that office, so we were told we’d have to wait there. We were missing Tom Jones and this was taking forever, vs. someone just asking those people to see their tickets. Which really, we could have done ourselves ten minutes earlier. At this point, I just felt like a little kid tattletale who was making a giant deal out of nothing and it kept getting more and more ridiculous and kind of embarrassing, but we’d gotten into this unnecessary thing and couldn’t really extract ourselves. Eventually someone took us to our seats, discovered that yes, those people didn’t belong there, and it was all solved in twenty seconds. Who created this protocol? It was ridiculous.
Sound was ok. We had obstructed view (thanks, Goldenvoice presale. Really worth it) and there were no screens, so being in the very very very last row, we saw Morrissey as a charismatic dot.
Leaving the parking structure took a long time and the traffic light governing cars getting out only allowed for 3 – 4 cars per green, which only made the situation worse. Taking the train is a better idea. Not a venue I’m interested in visiting again.

Never been there before.
Since it’s pretty old, I thought it would be run down, but it’s not.
The floors and nice and shiny and the restrooms are clean!
The sound was horrible. I mean so bad we couldn’t hear a thing. It was super «echoey.» Worst sound ever. Not sure if it was the Sport’s Arena’s sound system or LAUSD’s sound system. No sound was coming from the horns. I have a feeling the Sports Arena is just bad for sound though.
Seats are plenty comfy, and there’s way more legroom than you’ll find at Staples Center.
Parking is super close to the arena, but it’s a major hassle getting in and out of it.
I’d suggest parking at the Science Center instead and making the short walk to the arena.

First thing about this venue is that it’s really old. Everything looks like it was from the mid 1900s. The bathrooms are run down, the concessions areas are very small and extremely minimalistic (but not in a modern way). Lastly, the seating inside the venue is so odd. Many sections even have different types of chairs. My seat was powder blue with leather cushions, and very old. But other sections had these bright red chairs that looked just like those cheap plastic chairs.
Their food is disgusting, which is expected. Hot dogs, a pretzel, or nachos are $ 5, with soda another $ 5. A beer is $ 10 and it is just a plastic cup not filled all the way. Parking right in the park is $ 25, but all of the parking nearby and a few blocks way were charging at least $ 35! What?
Anyway, I saw Morrissey here which was a fun show, but this venue is one of the worst.

This review is for my only visit to the famed Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, which is located right in the heart of USC territory in the great City of Angels. I came here to see Tom Jones (yes I said it, Tom Jones!!) and Morrissey! Love Morrissey! This review is not for the performance of either artist, but for the venue itself.
Firstly, this venue looks very outdated with an archaic feeling to it. My guess is that it has been here since the 1930’s or maybe earlier! From the moment you walk in, you can already tell by what I mean. The seats look old and most of them were damaged. I cannot comment on the restrooms because I did not use them during my visit. The food here wasn’t all that to begin with and very pricey too. Beer was being sold by the thousandths! Being the DD, I decided to not imbibe that night! The parking area was like a war zone. Not to mention that for this event, parking was $ 25. Other places nearby outside the venue, parking was going for $ 30-​$ 40! Whoa. If I am to pay that much for parking, my car better be washed with a full on wax detail when I am back! The parking staff should at least do a better job in policing the parking area when the show is finished. Not cool. Oh, and to top it off, bootleggers everywhere with the shirts (yes, I bought one because I prefer a $ 10 bootleg shirt over a $ 40 original shirt!) The staff inside however were in my eyes, helpful, well at least with myself.
Oh, I did forget to mention that if you are looking to getting your foodie fix, there are hot dog vendors outside the venue waiting for your money! All in all, Morrissey was amazing, but I think he deserved to be playing in a better venue… one with big screens, better sound quality and an up to date seating area, all of which the Sports Arena lacked. I was disappointed with the venue, but the fact that I got to see one of my all time favorite artists in person made up for it. However, if there is another performer playing here that I’d like to see, I will come back… not for the venue though! Sorry! Not a fan of it.

Went here to see Morrissey. What a horrible venue for such an amazing performer. So this review in no way is casted towards Morrissey. Instead, it’s just a complaint regarding the dump heap he performed in.
I’ve been to quite a few concerts in my day and this was by far the worst venue I’ve been to. The acoustics were atrocious. I could barely even stand to listen to the opening act because it just sounded like screeching noises bouncing off the walls.
The seats are torn, small, and uncomfortable. Nothing like hard plastic poking you in the leg during a four hour concert.
No monitors built in the arena itself, so good luck if you’re in the nose bleed section. Good. fracking. luck.
The bathrooms looked like they hadn’t been updated since the early 80s. I felt like I needed to take a shower after washing my hands. Yeah.
Outside staff seems disorganized. They’re all over the place. They also let scalpers and people selling rip-​off merch litter the grounds. My friend & I couldn’t even walk five feet without being approached by some guy trying to sell us stuff. Go away. I am not giving you my money so you can continue selling your junk and not get a real job. I will give my money to Morrissey instead. Hell, I’ll give my first born to Morrissey if he wants it.
Parking in the designated lot is $ 25. TWENTY FIVE DOLLARS HAHA NAAHHHOOPEEEE. If you come on a weekend, find street parking! We got there 30 mins before the show, found street parking literally a block away from the arena, and it was free.
You know what, wait. Actually, you should pay the $ 25 to park. I think this poor place needs the money for renovations.
Sorry Sports Arena but you suck on ice.

MORRISEY! Everything is great so far. The coliseum is in dire need of remodeling. If you get here early enough park across the street. Parking at the coliseum is $ 25. Other vendors are $ 15. However, the later you get here they will increase the price to $ 20. Staff didn’t seem to know what they are doing.

It’s an older complex with lotsa stairs.
the food vendors had some decent options (pretzels were hot n soft, the bottled water was ok but pricey).
their peanuts taste kinda rotten or moldey and old.
other than that it was a great time, cozy venue for a Taiwanese Pop Concert.

Pearl Jam had great sound, a good mix and in general a great ‘arena show’ vibe. We opted to pay to park outside the arena for a higher rate as the traffic was godawful. No security or organization at all. After the end of the first set some party crashers set up shop on the steps in the aisle. Effectively blocking the view for those of us with tickets for our seats. When someone a few rows ahead of us approached the ‘Staff’ (read: pubescent boy) to complain about these interlopers the dude did nothing. Fire Hazard? Yes. Annoying? Yes.
Plus, the old man tells me about the ‘trough’ in the can. yuck.

PEARL JAM is ROCKIN the La Sports
Arena!!! This is a really good place to have a concert, even though it is a very old Venue. The Sound is fantastic. And looks like all the seats have cushions. Niiice!
Parking is $ 25. We lucked out. Got her early enough to get good parking. Some parking areas much higher!

Came here to see the Killers (they were FABULOUS as always) and oh my, the parking situation and just getting in and out of the venue was a total clusterf*ck.
DO NOT exit off MLK, Jr. You will be stuck in traffic FOREVER… and jerks trying to cut in. Exit off Exposition. When trying to get OUT of the venue, drive to Vernon, make a couple of U-​Turns so you can make a right onto the freeway on ramp. Don’t attempt to make any Lefts. you will get NOWHERE.
Parking = 25 smackaroos.
The venue itself? There is just this feeling of grimey-​ness all around. The last time I was here was when EDC was still in L.A. I wouldn’t recommend super duper nose-​bleedy seats in the middle section because your view will be partially obstructed. Oh yeah, the place is massively stuffy — wear less clothes!
The good? Close proximity to me in DTLA, sound quality is pretty decent and the seats are padded. That’s all I’ve got.

This place was open back in 1959 and is now way over due for a remodeling. Although this Arena is old, it can still pull off some great shows, like the ones being promoted for 2013. Food stands inside are super outdated, however it is cleaner than other arenas I’ve been to.
Parking can be a nightmare, but we were lucky enough to find park in the street and did not experience any of the parking issues listed in other reviews. If you are familiar with the area, you probably already know that you can park at California Science Center and you only pay $ 10, although it does fill up rather quickly.
I had an overall great experience in the General Admission Pit. I was a bit surprised that no mosh-​pits evolved… haha!!!
I cannot wait to see what it will be like once they do some renovations. After all it is a historic landmark.
GREEN DAY was awesome as always.

Wow, I’m surprised there aren’t any reviews for this place… well lucky me, FTR! Yay! =P
Came here on 4÷18÷13 for a Green Day concert. One word… AWESOME! Best Coast was the opening act and they were okay. I didn’t really pay much attention to them. Hello, I’m here for Green Day! =D
Seats: Concourse 29, Row 11. The seats were okay. We had a good view of the stage. Fyi, the seats are padded! woot woot!
Parking: $ 25 at the venue or $ 20 across the street. There were also other parking lots available across the venue. I saw one for $ 40, WTF! Highway Robbery!
Restrooms: they need to fix the faucets, water was squirting all over the place. Also, the soap dispensers were broken so they placed the soap bags near the sink and we had to squeeze it out of the bag like we were milking a cow LOL.
Fun times… GREEN DAY ROCKS! =)