Lincoln Theatre

Sound system is AWFUL! Waaaay too much volume on the bass guitar and drums. Been to 2 shows within the last month and the sound was terrible for both shows! The Pour House is so much better!

I bought a ticket for a concert a month in advance. It was sold as GA, and there was nothing on the website that offered any other seating option. I arrived at the venue an hour before the show started and found a seat near the front. Shortly after the show started, I was evicted from my well earned GA seat which apparently was for someone who paid more money than me.
Not only was this unfair to me, but totally disrespectful to the performers who had already started. It is highly unlikely I will return to the Lincoln.

I’ve been coming to Lincoln Theatre for a million years now. Too be honest not much has changed and I’d like to keep it that way.
From events to live music this venue has it all. There is plenty of space upstairs and downstairs for any event you attend.
They have a full bar and I never have had any issues trying to get a drink. I like the diversity of shows here from local bands, to big talent you’ll find something for everyone. Tickets are easy to purchase online or at the door depending on the show.
Being a shorty I appreciate that I can see the stage from almost anywhere in this venue, huge plus! There is a parking lot plus plenty of street parking nearby. The venue is super convenient in the heart of downtown. For a live music venue you won’t find a place much better then Lincoln Theatre for it’s size. Go check out a show here to see what you’ve been missing.

Cool venue, cool bar inside, great service. We would definitely go back. It’s general admission only, so get there early and stake out your spot. Some of the other patrons can be rude, but that’s to be expected. Great place to see a show.

BOTTOM LINE: DRINKS SUCK, MANAGEMENT SUCKS, SECURITY SUCKS. ONLY THING GOING FOR THIS PLACE IS THE GROUPS THEY BOOK. Had an awesome time! Drove from Charlotte and had a great time at a friends show til I got bitched out for looking for my own things backstage (with proper credentials). Afterwards I approached security and was proclaimed a liar at which point I frankly retaliated and went back to the show. Manager and security hunted me down in audience so I left the building waiting outside the venue for my group. Same manager and security were still butthurt and found me outside I guess to yell at me again… OUTSIDE. Long story short I guess I was the «biggest nuisance» of and they aren’t used to ppl calling them out on the bs. beware and have fun!

Came here for a rave last night. Line was pretty short when I got in, which was around 9:15PM. The guys checking our IDs and checking our tickets were pretty friendly.
The décor inside felt really divey. I didn’t really care for that anyways since I came for the live music. First drink that I bought was a $ 6 well rum n coke. That was a big disappointment since it was pretty much all coke with a splash of rum. So I basically paid $ 6 for a small cup of coke. Learned my lesson and just switched to shots for the rest of the night.

Sound system outside is muffled. They didn’t allow chairs and said they would have them. Lame.

Saw Dan + Shay here back in March 2015. It’s a cute little venue that is larger than it appears from the outside. It’s small enough to not be overwhelming but large enough to feel like the true concert experience. Loved it, I’ll definitely be back soon!

This is a terrific little venue just on the edge of downtown, conveniently right next to a parking deck that happened to be free for us on a Wednesday night!
It’s tucked off of Wilmington on Cabarrus St and if you aren’t looking for it you might miss it, but that’s how most gems are. The interior is rather small, but that makes for a great, intimate show. Saw Guster and Kishi Bashi there last night and it was a memorable experience. Room is limited, so you may want to snag a good viewing spot as soon as the doors open if you have to be able to see your favorite band. Nice viewing opportunities on the upstairs sections where you can grab a couple stools and hang out.
They have two bars — a large one downstairs and a smaller one upstairs that have a great variety of wine and beer.

Nice venue for that mid size show allowing you to get close to the musicians and the worst seat in the house is still a good seat. The bar was wide and easy/​quick to get served. A line will form outside most of the time so get there early if you want to see the entire show especially for more popular acts.

I have had a lot of good memories at Lincoln Theatre. It is a solid, small music venue here in Raleigh. This past weekend, I saw the local Michael Jackson cover band — Who’s Bad. They put on a fantastic show — if you ever get the chance to see them — do. It is worth it. It’s been awhile since I’ve been out to a show. Our group figured we would just find standard beer like Bud Light at the bar. We were actually pleasantly surprised to find a nice selection of Microbrews here. My husband had Bell’s Winter White and Big Boss’s Bad Penny. I went for more of a standard — an Angry Orchard Cider. They had some Sierra Nevada, Foothills, etc. We were definitely pleasantly surprised. The only thing we wish they would add — a coat check. In the winter, you may want to leave your coat in the car — it was a bit of a downer to carry our coats around during the whole show. Other than that — high five — we had a great time. We hope to see Guster when they come to town next month too.

I’ve been going to Lincoln Theater for almost ten years now. I’ve seen countless shows and never had a complaint about the place. For the most part things are on schedule, not a terribly long set change in between bands. At some point they will need to replace the barstools upstairs… most are wobbly and by wobbly I mean when you sit down you wonder if it will fall apart on you, lol.
We wary of opening tabs, with one of the most popular last name’s, one time we had drinks put on our tab that were not ours… and the bartenders didn’t believe when we told them we were not ordering liquor drinks.

I like olé’ Lincoln. Been here quite a few times to see some cover bands such as Zoso (Led Zeppelin) and the Breakfast Club (80’s). I’ve also seen some «real bands» who only play in smaller venues.
The one draw back to the Lincoln is you need to stand up the whole time, unless you get a chair in the balcony section. I always stay on the lower level. The ticket prices are reasonable but you probably pay more for beer/​shots here than you would at a bar.

This is a pretty cool venue to see a band, or to play with one. Came on a Sunday for some local talent being showcased. Good setup, professional gear, much better than some other music venues just around the block or in the same neighborhood. The staff is also much more professional than at some of these other local venues (i.e. courteous sound engineer who wasn’t dropping the F-​bomb every other sentence).
Not much more to add considering Ron, Christina and others have the deets pretty well covered.

Great venue. We visited the Lincoln Theatre to see Jimmy Eat World on their 10 year anniversary tour for «Futures». First time here, and was very impressed with the sound and layout of the venue. The sound of the room was what impressed me the most. The bar was decently priced for a venue, with domestic beers for about $ 4. Never waited more than a minute for a drink or to use the restroom, even though the place was packed. It’s standing room only, with an upper level for a better view. We were sort of in the middle of the pack and still had a great vantage point of the stage. Hopefully I’ll have a reason to be back someday, because I really enjoyed my visit.

Came here for The XX and Neon Trees.
Pros:
–free parking in garage across the street
–small venue with good view of stage from barricade
–decent acoustics and lighting
Cons:
–can’t bring in water
–small restroom

Excellent space! I thought Cat’s Cradle was the cat’s meow in the Triangle area, but the Lincoln Theatre gives it a run for it’s money. The LT is a mid-​sized space with lots of standing room (including on stairways on a loft). Get there early if you want a good spot. The space in front of the stage is also layered, so you can actually see the band at various levels. This makes walking around a bit tricky, but when is that not a problem at a busy concert? There are TWO men’s rooms upstairs as well – when does THAT ever happen?

Pretty good venue.
On the smaller side, but I like that… leads to a more intimate concert. Place is pretty clean and well taken care of.
One of the cleanest bathrooms at any venue I’ve been to.
Service is quick and nice — I’ve never had a person with a bad attitude at all
Sound is pretty great here too — never been upstairs so I cant really speak on that — but its cool they have the option
Their lineup leaves something to be desired for my liking… but thats personal preference.

With all the new music venues in Raleigh (Kings, Southland), there’s nothing wrong with appreciating an old-​school venue like the Lincoln Theatre! Walking up to the place you immediately notice the mural on the side of the building and the retro signage in front. Inside you’ll find a full bar before hitting the theatre itself. Lincoln Theatre is primarily standing room only, they’ve got a stepped, spectator area leading to a flat area up front for dancing or moshing. Acoustics are pretty good at the Lincoln and there’s some seating on the 2^nd floor balcony where you can look down on all the action.
The Lincoln has great bar service and its clean, clean clean! The biggest complaints I’ve about the place is the music line-​up. They book a lot of cover bands but do have some good indy rock. I’ve been here for Drive-​by Truckers and Band Together’s Battle of the Bands. But no big deal, while it may not everybody’s cup of tea music-​wise, Lincoln Theatre rocks it out in so many ways. Great space, reasonable ticket prices and good service always works for me!

The Lincoln competes with King’s for medium-​sized tours. Usually you won’t catch emerging artists at these venues, unless they’re opening for another band. So, the calendar always seems to be filled with cover/​party bands and bands I haven’t listened to in 5 – 10 years. Indie rock tours almost exclusively always land in Carrboro (at Cat’s Cradle), so I don’t visit Lincoln that often.
As Matthew mentioned, the sound isn’t great. But, the good news is that it’s mostly a decibels issue. Just get yourself a good pair of earplugs (I got mine at
) and you’ll be good to go. Then you can stand on the sides near the speakers and your ears won’t be ringing for 2 days.
The bar serves liquor, beer, and has drink specials. Parking is great (as long as you manage to find the other side of Cabarrus :-). There’s a balcony and a pool table up there… But due to the quality of tours that are booked, I just can’t give four stars to Lincoln.
Raleigh, in general, needs to do a better job attracting the good tours.
A bit of a side note: Lincoln did a phenomenal job with the BandTogether Third Eye Blind show. They set up an stage outdoors and hosted the after-​party inside. I hope they set up shows like that more often.