Tacoma Dome

They try, they really do but the city really needs to come up with the money to update this place. It’s just really looking its age and it’s not fun to go to anymore.

I’ve been to the Tacoma Dome several times for different events. Monster Trucks, Motocross, Black Sabbath, XMAS bazaars and a guitar show. It’s a good venue. Plenty of bathrooms and snack bars. Beer, wine and liquor served. The sound quality is surprisingly good for rock bands. The sound for the Monster Truck Jam was awful. The truck noise is deafening. Take ear plugs for that shit.
Access from the freeway is easy. Follow the street signs, not your GPS. Parking at the Tacoma Dome lot for major events is around $ 25. Smaller functions have free parking. Many surrounding businesses sell their parking spaces for events as well.
Security is very tight at all events. Way too tight. It’s like a civil liberties lawsuit waiting to happen. Metal detectors, hand wands and pat downs in use. The private security guards are over zealous dickheads. The Tacoma Police are pretty cool. Almost like they are there to observe the event as well. No hassle from them.

I was pretty concerned upon reading others reviews for this venue. I was expecting a nasty, dingy, cramped venue. To my surprise, it wasn’t *that* bad. The venue looks pretty cool from the outside, and there seems to be lot of parking as well.
It is pretty dated, but nothing creaked or was dirty from what I could see. The bathrooms were okay as well (plus they have a sweet group hand-​washing fountain). The seating was a bit cramped, but it was comprised of plastic seats and not the bleachers I was expecting. We had the, you know, the kind where the seat goes up if no one’s sitting in it chairs.
The rows are quite long, so if you’re lucky enough have a seat far from the aisle (me!), literally everyone must get up and pretty much exit the row to give proper allowances. So my advice, GO BEFORE YOU SIT. Basic concessions are available here, including snacks and beer. 3 stars for the CLUSTERMUCK of a parking plan that Tacoma Dome has – one lane to go in – and only 2 very slow attendants admitting vehicles. It literally took 25 minutes to advance a block and a half.

Yeah we’re never going back to T dome. My bro went out for reception and lost his seat, the security didn’t care even though he had his ticket stub, he didn’t see the no entry sign over head that wasn’t literated to him as he walked out. It was alot of disappointment after expensive tickets and a drive half way across washington state. Of course they were there to tell him he couldn’t go back in though. FUCK T dome. Your security acts like they were gonna shut me up when I set my claim and told me they were calling PD when I started taking pictures. Hiding their faces. Yeah #fuckoff

I went here for lucky 2016, what a great night and venue. The parking was easy and there was no big line as such. Was able to get in and out quickly.

I’ve heard bad things events held at the Tacoma Dome, especially the EDM events: Long lines because of security groping on you, not big enough to hold big music festivals, weird stage layouts, and port-​a-​potties. I have yet to experience the port-​a-​potties but the line at the second day of Freaknight 2015 was horrendous. It was raining, the line pretty much wrapped around the whole dome, and I really needed to use the bathroom. I thought the whole layout of the stages were weird because you can still hear the bass stage from the main stage, this place isn’t really too big for that. I recently came here again for Lucky 2016, and saw improvement with the lines. The stage layout was weird again because there was a grass lawn separating the bass and trance stage. But overall I still had fun. There are multiple bathrooms but they’re pretty spread out, I heard the downstairs bathroom gets the longest lines.
I really don’t think the Tacoma Dome is a bad place to hold EDM events, it’s just a bit of a drive for some people. I’d still prefer WaMu but if I really want to see an artist, maybe I’ll make the trip down for them. But I like the Tacoma Dome better than Showbox SoDo since it’s bigger and the ventilation is better… Just too far for me. Next time I’m planning to come here is for Bass Academy and Life in Color… I can imagine there will be port-​a-​potties for LIC, and I would understand why, but I’ll be upset if that was the case. We’ll see if my review changes or not.

Update: my husband tells me that I can’t blame the Tacoma Dome for the long tee shirt line, so I rescind that portion of my previous review

$ 20 parking, cramped seats, takes 45 minutes to get out of the lot. Avoid!

My boyfriend and I went here to see AC/​DC. First really big concert I’ve been to. It was quite the line to get into the place… and we kept being told «the next door is wide open», only to find out it wasn’t. Kind of funny. First event I’ve been to where the beer is more than the wine. We had floor sits, which actually were pretty good. Sound was good and I really enjoyed the concert there. The bathrooms weren’t far away either… so where we sat was perfect. We parked about a mile away along the water front and walked there. thus saving anywhere from $ 10 to $ 25 for parking, which was ridiculous to us. Plus we got exercise and save traffic hassles. It was also convenient to get back on the freeway after to drive back to PDX. So, for our first experience here it was good.

Attended monster jam on Sunday. The place is okay for a public venue the size of this. Lots of parking, but then we came in an hour early.
There are multiple entries and exits and a folks all around to guide you to your seat.
The show was really loud, and that explained why a lot of folks had earphones for their kids.
One whine is that the food and drinks are quite overpriced and as we went in with small children, we ended up spending a small fortune.

Great venue for many concerts, shows, games and etc, the seating is okay but they need to seriously upgrade the dome. It is deteriorating monthly and the food isn’t expensive but the employees could be a bit more respectful

Dear Tacoma Dome, you suck. I’ve never been a fan of commuting to Tacoma to see any show at the Dome, but that’s not anybody’s fault. I just thought maybe regardless of how bad the venue is or how big the band playing is, the people I surround myself with will make up for everything and be the reason why I enjoyed myself. Nope, the venue itself is just that bad that it always ruin my night. Every single event that I’ve been to here has always been extremely disorganized whether it comes to consistency of checking tickets or getting out of parking lots. I just avoid this parking lot all together and rather park at the transit center close by even if it means I have to walk a lot farther, I’ll still beat people parking in this parking lot.
The interior needs upgrade considering this venue do pull in bigger events and bands occasionally. The bathrooms especially needs remodeling now that I see what the bathrooms really look like because for the past couple events, it’s always been honey buckets which I would then try to hold it in all night. I think no matter how big a band is that is coming, it won’t be good enough to let me give this venue another chance.

Totally agree with Stephania. Jeez… thank God there’s a place to see great concerts. I live in Portland. Once in awhile a band I dig is playing there and not here. It’s the case with Iron Maiden coming up.
Sometimes I dig a band so much that I’ll see them in Portland, then I can roll less than 2 hrs up the road and see em again. I’ll be doing that with Black Sabbath.
In 2012 I saw Van Halen 4 times. Twice in LA, once in Vegas, once in Tacoma. The Tacoma show killed them all. I don’t know what the venue had to do with it, but the show kicked ass to no end.
When I need to go North to rock out, give me the option that’s an hour shorter drive both ways, and right off the fwy.
Tacoma Dome is an institution. It’s a bit gritty. I like my rock and roll gritty! People, go early, be patient when you leave and rock the hell out!

It’s three days before the concert I plan to attend and the reviews for the dome pretty much suck. Wow Unilocalers, what a bunch of whiny little fucks you are. Guess what, any time you have 30k people leaving any one location, traffic is going to suck. Option A. leave early, or B. suck it up. As for crappy nuked overpriced food, what did you really expect, a five star restaurant experience? Doubt it! If bottled water is less than $ 5 you’re getting a deal because I’ve not been to a stadium or arena yet that sells it for less. Bathrooms are dirty and toilet paper is missing? Don’t blame the Dome employees, look to your fellow attendees because they are dirty disgusting filthy little assholes that scare the shit out of me. Something about public toilets brings out the worst in all of you little peckerheads. I’m sure the janitors would rather clean it all up once at the end of the event than have to constantly police the area after the scum that trash the place. The weed smell? Any chance you think that’s augmented for effect? Check it out sometime, you can buy pot-​scented incense to create a ‘vibe’, so no, the staff is not going to do anything about the smell or alleged pot use in the building, it’s quite likely being added on purpose for the show.
So you had to drive 3 hours to see a show, who’s fault is that? You think you’re entitled to a great experience just because you put out 3 hours of your time? How you choose to spend your time is your choice and in no way means you should get a reward. Your reward is that you saw a band or participated in an event that you wanted to see. What the fuck is wrong with you people? Can’t you go somewhere and just have fun anymore or does everything have to be rated? And if it’s not the most excellent experience in your life you feel like you have to trash every little detail? If you want your life experiences to suck, congratulations, you are wasting a shit ton of time worrying about how you are being screwed by surly parking attendants, small seats, nuked food, and dirty bathrooms. Nobody here mentions how excited they were to see the performance they paid for. As for me, I plan to have a superior time dancing and singing along to Alice Cooper and Motley Crue, why? Because I can and I want to and it’s going to be fun even if the parking sucks, and the bathrooms are dirty, and the concessions are expensive. I feel sorry for the rest of you that can’t get past all of that.

If there were other concerts on particular tours closer than Spokane, I’d be headed to that location instead of Tacoma Dome.
Tacoma Dome is dated, crowded, and uncomfortable. I’ve been to several events here and it’s always a disorganized mess. Even though seats aren’t sold out the lines for the restrooms are outrageous. As in a 20 minute wait. Beer lines are similar to the restroom lines. The restrooms are dirty with overflowing trash cans and no toilet paper in some of the stalls.
If you get mid-​grade seats you still have to sit on metal bleachers. The dome isn’t huge, so you can still get a decent view of the stage which is nice, but 3 hours sitting on hard metal is pretty uncomfortable. The venue is old and it shows. The acoustics aren’t the best, and the floors are sticky.
Parking prices are raised depending on what act is in town. Luke Bryan was $ 50, which is almost as much as one of the tickets! Chris Brown/​Dama Dope was $ 20 and they take cash only. We were lucky enough to find FREE street parking nearby.
Honestly I probably wouldn’t come here if it weren’t the only option. It needs some serious updating.

It’s my first time in Tacoma dome last night watching «Life in Color» I looked up Unilocal before I went. I saw a lot people s complaining abt it. I got nervous. But it went pretty great. It was really worth it. A lot better than «The Backyard» in Texas where life in color went.

Tacoma’s failures can be ascribed to taking half-​measures, and never going all the way on anything. This is a town which looks at a nice designer wool suit on sale, and a cheap polyester piece of crap for 50 dollars less, and buys the polyester. It has a self-​reinforcing inferiority complex, driven by the success of nearby Seattle and its fear of taking risks.
Andy Warhol offered to design the Tacoma Dome when it was being built, free of charge. The City thought about it, then decided that it couldn’t take the chance that Warhol would design something too modernist. So instead, they settled for something that looks like a giant tit with a flag sticking out of the nipple, reminiscent of Madonna’s bazooka bustier from the Blond Ambition Tour.
The acoustics are terrible. Most of the acts that play here are mediocre, as Tacoma again fears welcoming art that pushes any boundaries at all.
The venue serves as host to a regularly occurring gun show, where until a recent statewide referendum passed, you could purchase automatic weapons with no background checks. Because you know, more guns on the street is what Tacoma really needs. This is partly why the surrounding neighborhood (Salishan) is the most violent part of Tacoma, and why Tacoma itself used to be the most violent city in the state.
The Tacoma Dome is emblematic of Tacoma’s major problem. The tendency to reject innovation in favor of the familiar, even the familiar awful, has restrained what could otherwise be a majestic city. This whole «we’re not good enough to take risks» mentality is the real issue. Tacoma has begun to break away from that a little, with revitalization sweeping across downtown. But tearing down this ugly monument to mediocrity would be a bigger and better step in the right direction.

Despite all the bad reviews on here I thought The Tacoma Dome was pretty decent. We sat in section 7A Row 20 for our show.
A group of 5 of us came here for The Dama Dope Music Festival featuring Chris Brown last weekend. The prices for concession here are pretty decent relative to our Rogers Arena in Vancouver. AND they sold glasses of wine! I’m pretty sure Rogers Arena only sells beer. The red and white glasses were $ 6.50 each, at one window I saw their wines were priced at $ 8.50 (pretty stupid in my opinion) so if you walk around and just look at prices you can get an idea of what the going price should be. We also bought a slice of Pizza can’t remember how much but it was pretty good for concession. We also got nachos half way through the show because there were so many intermissions and we got hungry they were like $ 6 and a really good portion. I wish I took some photos but we were too busy eating and watching the concert haha.
The dome is pretty small, not sure how many people it seats, but the seats don’t go that high up it’s a pretty shallow angle so no matter where you sit your view can’t be that bad. When we were purchasing tickets we almost purchase the lower bowl seats that face the stage head on but the map showed an obstructed view, when we got there we saw that it’s a pretty open area so nothing would really block your view.
Luckily we stayed at the new Holiday Inn Express like 7 minutes away from the dome so we didn’t need to drive or pay for parking, I believe event parking was advertised as $ 20 for this event, the cab ride to and from the dome was only like $ 6/​$ 7 so after tip it was the same as parking anyways and no hassle of having to find parking.
We managed to grab a cab back from the dome but they don’t really line up around the dome like we thought it would so we had to walk up D st for a while before we could find one.
Washrooms here are really close together so from wherever you’re sitting you don’t have to walk far to find out. There were never line ups at the washrooms and I would say that they were sufficiently maintained for the age of the facility. You can tell the building itself is old but it didn’t ruin anything for us
Overall I was pretty happy with the experience at the dome, I think if you have a good attitude and you’re there for the show/​concert itself then there isn’t really much to complain about!

The dome does the trick but it has surprisingly few seats for how large it looks from the outside. Sometimes acoustics on the sides can be spotty, but this isn’t exactly the Paramount. Getting to Tacoma for a show is a HUGE pain, but the area around the venue is nice and full of dining options plus a FREE TRAM that zips you straight to the entrance.
If you’re seeing a show here, go EARLY (no like really early), park near a tram stop and find a place to get a bite before. If you’re lucky, you might find a free spot. Downtown «New» Tacoma offers some solid grub now, much more than even ten years ago. Booze/​food at the venue is pricy, but that almost goes without saying.

This used to be my 2^nd home! LOL, back in the old days when we had the Tacoma Stars and Tacoma Rockets playing I was here all the time (Plus all the Country Music concerts I went to there), then after that went to Tacoma Sabercat games until they folded, I only have been inside the Tacoma Dome ounce or twice since the Sabercats folded, but it does bring back good memories being inside that wood dome! I wish we could get a new sports team so I could start going back to the Dome for games! (I dont see that happening anytime soon though :()
Still looks good from the outside every time I drive by it!