Veterans Memorial Auditorium

The VETs was such a letdown this weekend. The venue is beautiful inside and out, the acoustics are good and their location near the mall is convenient. However, I doubt I would ever give them the money to see a show there again. A venue unwilling to provide basic safety for guests is one I don’t want to bother with in the future. If you read reviews further down on the page you can see my experience is not the only one where the security team at the VETs failed to keep patrons safe.
We sprung for really good seats to see Puscifer Saturday night and we would have problably had a better time in cheap seats with the other «regular folk.» Drunk man behind us (we were second row, he was third) shoved us down after standing (the band asked the audience to stand) and security (bald man, tattoos) did nothing to help us after we called them over. Don’t know if this was a season ticket holder but when I go to shows at much cheaper venues security handles situations like that quickly and efficiently. They certainly don’t let physically abusive nut jobs continue to sit behind you and swear at you once they have left. Security also doesn’t pat the grinning lunatic on the shoulder after telling you «they didn’t see anything» before they walk away. Absolutely disgusted with the way the VETs handled what should have been an «easy fix» situation and no amount of pretty architecture or good sound can make up for that.

We try and see Brit Floyd every time they come around. They never disappoint us. If you’re big Pink Floyd fan as we are this is the band to see.
This year they played more of the instrumental Pink Floyd songs. The band is incredible. Every song sounded as if you were at a Pink Floyd concert. The light show only enhanced the entire experience.
Looking forward to next year’s show!

The recent renovations have turned this place around. I’ve gone to a quite a few shows here, and it’s very upscale.

It was a brisk Sunday afternoon. Hundreds of people waited to enter the auditorium of the Vets in hopes of hearing their loved ones in the Choral Music Festival. I am normally a very punctual person and this event proved to be no different. I was there with enough time to sit exactly where I wanted. Everywhere I go I always sit towards the back of the room. I guess I just like sitting near the exit. As I go to sit in one of the last rows, a lady tells me that all of the seats in that row are taken. I, then, go to choose a seat in the row right in front of her, and coincidently all of those seats are taken too. She then tells me the seats are on a first come, first served basis. Now, doesn’t that statement defeat her argument? I was there before the 10 people she was saving the seats for. As I try to tell my side of her skewed theory, she proceeds to push me out of the row. The lady put her hands on me, pulling and pushing me for this coveted seat. Fast forward a few minutes, a gentleman comes and tries to dissolve the situation. He asks me did I really want to make a big deal out of the situation when there are plenty of seats left. That statement surprised me, because as a black woman living in America in 2015, I know for a fact that if I had put my black hands on this white woman I would’ve been asked to leave or been escorted out in handcuffs. But because this white woman put her hands on my black body while saving seats for other white people, nothing happened and I was asked to find another seat. After I realized that nothing was going to happen, I bid the lady and her party (who ignored me the whole time the exchange was taking place) adieu and wished them a great time at the concert. If I had not been there in support of my students, I would’ve asked for a refund and gone home. I’m disappointed in the way the staff at the Vets handled the situation. Sure they were nice and a woman even escorted to another seat, but I can’t help but think if the roles were reversed the outcome would have been a little different. I guess I’ll never know.

Reminds me of Symphony Hall in Boston! Beautiful interior rare very reminiscent of a small PPAC. The place was very clean and I was surprised by the amount of leg room between the aisles in the seats. I went to see a Linda at her winter concert here. While I’m not a huge fan the acoustics were very very clear.

I’ve been here on a number of occasions from watching dance performance, to the RI Phil and although it’s a beautiful space I cannot get around what an awful place to watch a performance, unless you’re in the loge. Otherwise if you sit in the orchestra God forbid someone taller than average sits in front of you, and never, ever go if you have to see a film or hear recorded sound because the audio is horrible and the screen is worse. I was there for the Downton Abbey preview on Saturday and the video and audio were really, truly bad. Luckily it was one of the nights they had valet, which is catch as catch can. Sometimes they do sometimes they don’t. Which sums up the Vets in a word… sometimes.

Thanks to Unilocal I scored a set of free tickets to see Ghost Brothers of Darkland County. I enjoyed the show and would definitely come back to this space if they were showing a specific play or theater group I really wanted to see… That being said I can’t help but point out that this space can’t hold a candle to PPAC
1. You’re not downtown so you can’t walk to have dinner/​drinks before of after the show
2. The bathrooms are tiny and can’t comfortable accommodate the intermission rush
3. I am a petite lady and I felt cramped in the mezzanine seats and I almost kicked someone in the head when I tried to uncross my legs.
4. Sound was a bit wonky at the beginning, it kept sounding like it was building up to make that awful shriek that happens at concert sometimes.
5. I didn’t find this space that ornate or beautiful
Based on my experience I would not come here to see a concert. If you go to a music venue in Providence chance are it’s gonna be a little tight, but you can stand up and move about. Here it would be tight and you don’t have the luxury of moving your body.

The VMA is PPAC’s little sister of a theater and much like its larger sister, it has been meticulously maintained since efforts were made to save the building in the 80s and 90s.
If you can’t find on street parking, try and park in the stateside garage, one would assume you wouldn’t be at the Vets for longer than 2 – 4 hours, and that will run you about $ 4. Plus, if you already have your tickets there is a door you can enter along the backside of the building going up the hill towards the front of the theater.
The box office layout I think is a little bothersome, one side is if you need to buy and another is if you have will call… a lot of people were just looking at if there was a line or not and then had to get shuffled around by the ticketing staff to the appropriate place.
I will say the lobby seemed awfully shallow for them to be selling merch there, perhaps they should set that up on the hospitality level. I found the volume in the auditorium to be a bit loud for my liking. For the first few songs of the play I was at, it was overwhelming in my row N seats. Eventually it seems as though the person doing the mixing evened everything out.

This is a top notch Rhode Island venue. The auditorium is really beautiful and has been kept up well. The ceiling has every town in Rhode Island and its crest. The acoustics are in fact outstanding. There is more room between the rows than any theatre on Broadway.
They also have multiple stairwells on each side meaning it clears out quite quickly. I cannot comment on the snack bar; but I can tell you they sell cheap American beer as people didn’t take their trash out with them. The bathrooms were also pristine, often something that is not up-​kept at a large venue.
A few things you should know:
1. Parking is not great, and if you aren’t going to pay for valet, you should show up early.
2. This is a very causal venue. You will see a lot of jeans so don’t worry about being under dressed.
3. There really is not a bad seat in the house.

Went to see ‘the Ghost Brothers’ the play was fantastic and the venue was beautiful, casual dress.

Went to see a couple stand up comedy shows here over the last few weeks and fell in love with this place. It’s absolutely beautiful and the staff was really friendly and helpful. The seats were also comfortable which is nice. The only reason it’s not getting five stars is because the drinks are really expensive and parking can be tough. I recommend parking at the mall and walking across the street.

I recently went to the Vets to hear the RI Phil perform works by Dvorak, Paganini, and Bartok. The performances were not sparkling, but then again this is not the LA, NY or Boston Phil so I didn’t expect that level. Competent but not uplifting.
However, the sound of the hall seemed to be on the dead side. Looking at the stage it looked like the acoustic treatment was plain old acoustic tilling! And not a very attractive design at that. My guess would be that the reverberation time is well under a second. This is way too short. Symphony orchestras need more reverberant energy in the hall to augment their playing energy.
This point was driven home to me when before the concert the assistant music director, giving a talk about the music to be heard, played some excerpts from a recording of the music through the hall’s sound system. It sounded terrific. But that was because the recording had the requisite amount of reverb either added or recorded naturally.
If the hall cannot be adjusted to increase reverb time, then perhaps some small amount of artificial reverb can be added electronically. The former is expensive, the latter, not at all.

Beautiful Building but it is missing something crucial.
I’m a fan of the beauty of the building and Valet parking makes the last minute dash to beat the two minute warning less of a nail biting experience.
So then why Toby did you only give it 3 stars.
NO FULL BAR & SNACKS THAT BELONG AT THE CINEMA!
I just paid $ 60 to see a performance that was amazing «We Dance Together» and now it is intermission.
«Honey will you get me a drink and something to snack on?»
«Of Course»
I arrive back with wine that should have only been served during communion and boxed candy.
I felt like the night right there had taken a HUGE step back.
If they could please address this I will give this place a solid five stars … just as I did the performance.

Awesome space for a performance! Beautifully restored old concert hall. Friendly, helpful staff.

I adore going to the ballet or a play but i’m just not jazzed about it being it at the VMA.
The walls and high ceilings are very pretty with ornate moldings & paintings. The lobby is simple. Restrooms are small and clean. The seats are tiny and my knees (i’m 5’6) bump up against the seat backs in the row in front of me. When I was shown my seat I was eager to take off my coat but it was too drafty and I had to put it back on. The speaker/​sound system was plenty loud. I sat in the mezzanine/​balcony section. The parking is very limited. Most people park in the Providence Place Mall and walk over.
By the way none of this will stop me from attending another event. I rather deal with these minor issues than drive to another city, I am glad we have the VMA, PPAC, & Trinity here in Providence.

I love Vets! This spot is very nostalgic, as it is where I performed my first orchestra concert when I was 11 and continued to perform all throughout high school. I remember staring out from the stage at the seemingly endless rows of seats trying to spot my family, and my awe at how amazing our pieces sounded in a concert hall versus the cramped high school band rooms we practiced in. I also remember feeling so fancy being there because the seats were upholstered in (albeit a bit drab) velvet, and the ceilings and walls were elaborately decorated in fancy plaster and paint. Also, the glass dome at the top shows the flag and name of each RI town and I remember thinking, «there are THAT many towns in RI?!? Where is Greenville?!? Wyoming???»
I went back recently for a RI Phil concert, and it was lookin’ good! The new driveway out front was fancy! I hadn’t been since the Renaissance Hotel was renovated (it used to be falling down, boarded up, and covered with vines and graffiti). Everything inside was very clean, the seats were new, and the decorations had been touched up. I still got the same excited feeling, though: that this was somewhere special and that the performance I was about to experience was going to be amazing. And it was. And that makes me happy :)

This place is just absolutely gorgeous. Sitting above Providence like the jewel it is, you can’t get more elegant, decorative or regal than the VMA.
I had the pleasure of coming here to see the Philharmonic, and the acoustics were outstanding. We sat in total captivation as we took in the concert; listening to the symphony surrounded by such beautiful architecture and opulent décor made me feel all growds up.
While parking can get tricky, there’s valet offered occasionally and the staff are always so nice and accommodating. This is one place in the PVD that’s not to be missed!

Recently attended another fantastic show at the VMA. I had yet another great experience. The box office staff were so good, I cant stop talking about them.
Try this place. you will not be disappointed.