Benaroya Hall

I love this hall.
Just gets better more I visit.
It’s an architectural amazement.
Sounds of all types of performers gets improved. Just love this place. It’s a gem.

Besides using the lobby once in college as a shelter from the rain, I had never actually been to Benaroya Hall. That changed the other night when DeVotchKa came to town to perform with the Seattle Symphony. What a beautiful venue! None of us in our party of 6 had ever been and we all marveled at the hall, both inside and out.
This will sound incredibly silly, because places like Benaroya are constructed to have the best acoustics and offer the best ambiance, but I am always still in awe when I get to experience it firsthand. How perfect of a place for a band as amazing as DeVotchKa –and– the Seattle Symphony to play together. It definitely made me want to look into tickets for future endeavors involving the Symphony.

My first experience at Benaroya Hall was in 2014, and it was such a treat. The Seattle Symphony played soundtracks of Pixar movies (with the accompanying videos screened on a projector), and it was a delightful musical experience. One reason was I’d only ever seen traditional symphonic concerts (Mozart and Bach) before, and this was a refreshingly modern take on what a symphony can do. However, the other reason was because I’d never before had such a good concert hall experience – fantastic seats at a fantastic price for a fantastic show! Needless to say, I have been back here time and again.
Yep, you can sit in the front row of the second tier balcony for about $ 30 and get an amazing front-​on view of the stage. If you buy your seats early enough, you can literally be dead center. I have done this twice, and it is just such a great experience without the need to drop a pile of money.
The quality of everything in the hall is also really top notch. Seats are always well-​maintained and comfortable, there are no stains on the carpets anywhere, and the staff is always willing to help you find your seat (they’ll help you be where you need to be even if you end up in the wrong section). The acoustics are also excellent – you definitely aren’t missing out on sound quality if you don’t spring for the priciest seats. There are also multiple bars in the lobby that serve up drinks before the show and during the intermission, if you’re in the mood to imbibe.
If you’re curious and have been meaning check out the Seattle Symphony, perhaps knowing that their home is this gorgeous building will help spur you on!

We went to the Benaroya Hall with a friend to see David Sedaris. The venue is simply magnificent and spacious! We got seated up high but it still seemed like you could see all of the going’s on pretty well from up there. The inside of the hall is gorgeous and the staff that work here are very patient and helpful for any patrons that may need. I see that the Benaroya holds a host of different events and apparently events that need to be several notches above the rest in order to be considered to perform here. I would love to come back for some movie screenings and concerts.
In addition to being beautiful the place is also immaculate and you are reminded that you are in one of the more high brow venues if not the high brow venue in town when you go to an event here.

We are so lucky here in Seattle to have a space like Benaroya Hall. Every seat in Benaroya Hall is great. I’ve been all the way in the back on the 3^rd level and the ground floor, and I can see and hear really well. In fact, the sound acoustics are even better on the 3^rd level! I love that Benaroya Hall makes the symphony accessible for young patrons too, check out their special ticketing programs for those in their 20s/​30s and students. Current Seattle Symphony Conductor Ludovic Morlot is fantastic, and the lineup each season keeps getting better and better. In addition to orchestral music, there are also other special events and concerts held at Benaroya Hall. It is so special to be able to have a night out in this lovely space.

Just went here for the first time to see their Origins presentation. The venue is amazing. We had Founders Seats which offered a perfect view of the symphony. They sounded excellent and the presentation (which mixed original compositions with astro-​biology) was really well done. Excellent acoustics!

I came here for the first time to watch the Move on Live Tour. I figured what a fun way to experience Benaroya Hall. There is ample parking available in the garage underneath the building. You have to enter the garage on Second Avenue just south of Union Street. The parking fee is $ 15. It’s a bit steep but it’s typical for the downtown area. I had purchased seats in the Second Tier Box, Seats C-​7 and C-​8. They were comfortable. However it does block out a bit of the left side of the stage. It wasn’t too big of an issue because I rarely have to see anything on that very corner of the stage. Being in the box seats makes it easier to get in and out should you need the bathroom or when it came time to leave the venue at the end of the show. Wine and beer can be purchased prior to the show. However you can’t bring it inside the auditorium with you, which is understandable. The place is impeccably clean! Even the restrooms are quite clean as well. The ushers are very friendly and quite helpful. One even went as far to give us a bit of history on the place. I found the conversation quite enjoyable. I will definitely be back here for other events. I do highly recommend grabbing a drink or two at other venues close by to wait out the traffic of trying to get out of the parking garage.

Not sure how to review a symphony hall.
Benaroya hall is quite beautiful and comfortable, the symphony is always a delight.

I normally don’t write reviews of venues, especially for out of town shows this year as one stadium or arena looks the same as the other. I only write reviews if something specifically stands out (unless I have seen more than one show in said venue). A few things prompted me to write this review for the Morrissey show I saw earlier this evening (will write and post show review later in the afternoon). For starters it’s a very nice, modern, new clean looking venue. Similar to the Center of Performing Arts in Vancouver, sans the mirrors. This is where the buck stops here.
The place inside is dark, isles are not properly lit, the rows are not properly lit and it is hard to read the seat numbers with and without light. I kept losing my seat during the show and either sat in different rows, waited until the lights came on after each song or simply half way though gave up and just rushed the stage. I wasn’t really sitting in my seat as I was emo dancing to Morrissey so might as well make my way up front.
The bathroom layout is very awkward. A long hall with less than 12 stalls and a sink all the way on the other end.
The security was over kill with police offers doing full pat downs and metal detector checks. Not sure if this was at the request of Morrissey or a regular thing at the venue.
The show tickets look really ugly when printed. They could’ve made an effort to make it somewhat more stylish. Even those ticket fast tickets look better.
The sound was really really good. It is a symphony hall, therefore, no excuse for any fault issues tonight.
Very disorganized in which the line-​up was conducted. No help from the staff inside during what was a cow hurdle of a shit storm trying to get in when the show had 40 minutes before start time.
Outside the beauty for the little service things I have to knock off some points.

Elegant and stylish venue with fantastic acoustics! I saw a concert here last night and had a great experience. Beautiful seating and layout, and very friendly and helpful ushers and security. An usher even let me back into the theatre after the show was over to help me find something that I had dropped during the concert.
Cocktails were good but overpriced, and they didn’t have tequila, which was the only downside for me.

What a lovely facility, so much goodness here. Clean, well managed, and centrally located, this is one place in Seattle I don’t mind visiting. The ushers are so polite and accommodating. Parking is easy. But the sound, oh the amazing sound, there are very few bad seats at this venue.
I went to a free concert with the Seattle Wind Symphony, got to hear some vintage instruments like a sarrusophone. Parking was pricey at $ 6 but very convenient. We didn’t have tickets to this free event so an usher pulled two out of her pocket and stubbed them for us. We could sit anywhere in the concert hall. What an amazing experience.

Such a wonderful and beautiful venue, with truly fantastic acoustics… I feel like the sound has been consistently excellent regardless of where I’ve sat; the only difference for me comes if I’m on the lower level but underneath a balcony, when a little bit of sound bounces off of the floor of the balcony, but even that doesn’t cause any loss of quality. We are so fortunate in Seattle to have a spectacular venue like this to host our excellent symphony. I’ve splurged a few times for balcony seats close to the stage and it was worth it to get the close-​up bird’s eye view of the symphony players performing.
Truly a crown jewel for our city.

considering how gorgeous the place is, i’m surprised people didn’t dress up more to come here. there was a lot of folks that came very casual. i guess it is seattle and there are only a couple places where you really do need to dress up.
this is still a great place to come and listen. our seats were on the main floor and it was quick to get to them. it’s laid out pretty well.
my one warning is that the garage closes early. we went out and got dessert afterwards, only to find the garage and all the elevators shut down. we had to call to be let in and it was only 11 pm when we walked back.

I came here for my fiancé’s white coat ceremony for med school. Parking is a set 14 dollars. They have a few cafés within the building and lots of friendly staff. Definitely a fancy shmancy feel. We sat in the middle of the hall. There was only a small group playing on stage before the ceremony, but even with such a small group the acoustics were amazing. I can’t imagine what a full show here would sound like. Seems like they play lots of interesting symphonies here (like Pokemon and final fantasy). Love it!

I amazed every time I come to an event here! The setting. Is spectacular, the staff knows their job, how to help and even anticipate needs. Problem solving if you should actually have a problem and always friendly! If your attending an event here, you will be impressed!

I came here for the Zelda concert and I have to say, I really liked this concert hall. It was really clean and they have a coat check section for people which is convenient. Also, they have a Chihuly glass sculpture in there which looked really pretty at night. However, I will say that the people working here were okay — it’s hit or miss with some of the people and not everybody was super friendly, but they got the job done.
Because I’m a poor grad student, I bought the cheapest ticket and ended up sitting in the highest tier in the last row. I can’t say that the acoustics were amazing because of where I was sitting, but I did have a really good view. I would love to come back here to see another concert. I’m sure the acoustics would have been way better if I sat farther up in the front or in the middle.

This is just a great venue. I’ve been here several times for concerts (the acoustics are great) and multiple times for the National Geographic Live lecture series. The acoustics are still great, but it usually doesn’t matter so much.
One tip if you get the National Geographic lectures, they always place the podium on stage right, so try to get seats anywhere but box seats at house left. (The left side as you face the stage.) The problem is that the railing in front of you obscures your view of the speaker. There really isn’t a bad seat in the house if you don’t mind not being able to see him or her, and really the main focus is on the big screen behind them anyway.
The ambiance is great. The design looks great to my eye and it’s new enough that there aren’t any worn looking patches. The stairs are wide enough that it’s easy to get in and out. The staff is helpful.
There are a couple of places in the venue to get food or drink before a show, out in the main corridor, but the seating is limited. I’ve always avoided it because I don’t want to have to show up here an hour early just to get seat for dinner. There are plenty of places nearby to grab a bite to eat, so there’s no danger of going hungry or getting thirsty if you don’t want to
Public transportation couldn’t be easier. You’re in the downtown corridor so there are a dozen nearby bus routes, and the venue is literally right on top of the bus/​train tunnel. There are elevators that go down to the tunnel from the main corridor, or you can go outside and take the walkway down.

I came here on a date a handful of years ago to see the symphony. The acoustics are fantastic. The symphony is also amazing.
I came to Benaroya Hall this weekend for Time Out For Women (TOFW) which is a women’s conference put on by Deseret Book. I volunteered for the event. The security team, door greeters and ushers that I interacted with were all kind and helpful. It was really great to work with them.
The venue was fabulous once again. Except for one microphone incident, there weren’t any problems for the 2 day event.
There isn’t a bad seat in the house when it comes to hearing the performances. Bring binoculars if you are in a box seat or in a back row.
There’s a Starbucks and a café just outside the auditorium, inside the building on the east side.
There’s a parking garage in the building. However, there are a few parking garages nearby with a short walking distance too.
Check out the dedicated wall on the west side of Benaroya to the veterans.

I’ve been to Benaroya Hall as a concertgoer (several times) and as a performer (just once), and I love this place.
First of all, it’s not hard to see that Benaroya is a beautiful building. Even while you’re in the lobby waiting to enter the concert hall, you can meander on several levels, look out the window and see the waterfront lights, or enjoy one of the many Chihuly glass sculptures hanging from the ceilings.
The staff working at Benaroya has always been helpful and friendly, which I am especially grateful for because it can be hard to find your way around sometimes.
As for the acoustics (the most important part, of course), they’re just excellent. And I can say this with confidence because I’ve sat in both box seats and probably every region on the floor. There are really no bad seats here.

WOW.
What a beautiful and impressive concert hall. It’s massive, yet comfortable at the same time.
The acoustics are perfect and the staff is friendly and helpful. There’s plenty of well-​maintained bathrooms and dining options available as well.
Can’t wait to come back for another concert.