We had the opportunity to attend the Toto/Journey concert at Greensboro Coliseum (22,000 seat arena) in Greensboro, NC on Saturday February 11th. Even though we live about 50 miles from Greensboro it is worth the drive to Greensboro to see shows at this venue. We often spend the night in Greensboro to save driving back late at night. We have seen other shows (Eagles) at Greensboro Coliseum as it is a comparable venue to PNC Arena located in Raleigh, NC.
(My first Tip: We stayed at the Doubletree just down the street from the Coliseum. Some local vendors offer concert pickup and drop off for $5. They assure you they will bring you back after the show. Don’t believe them, we have used the service two times and they didn’t have enough space for the ride back (so we walked the mile and a half back) the first time and they charged us double the second time. Use Uber or Lyft if possible.) I now have Uber on my cell phone because of these two experiences.
I started this blog to mention some of the other great venues within 60 miles of Raleigh. Having many small, medium and large (indoor and outdoor) venues means you get a variety of great touring concerts and shows that travel through this area. Over the past few years, we have seen entertainment at most of these venues.
In Raleigh proper you have PNC Arena (19,000 seat arena) which is a comparable large indoor venue (to Greensboro Coliseum) that also hosts NC State basketball games and the Carolina Hurricanes.
We have seen concerts (Def Leppard) in both venues and the seating and acoustics are very good. Just before I started writing this blog I see where the PNC Arena is due to be upgraded in the next 4 to 5 years. Can’t wait to see what improvements they may make.
For outdoor venues in Raleigh and downtown you have Red Hat Amphitheater (5,900 seat venue).
This venue is across the street from the Raleigh Convention Center and right in the middle of downtown Raleigh. Last summer we saw Rick Springfield at Red Hat. The venue is relatively easy to get to, although parking downtown can be a challenge. Go early since there are restaurants downtown you can catch dinner and a concert around the Red Hat area.
Located in Cary, NC you have another great outdoor venue in Koka Booth Amphitheater (7,000 capacity).
This past year we saw the Little River Band and attended the Chinese Lantern Festival at Koka Booth. This is an outdoor venue so pay close attention to the weather as their shows happen rain or shine. Getting in and out of the venue and parking is easy. When you get in the venue, it is beautiful as it sets on a lake in the woods. Acoustics were very good.
Just on the southeast side of downtown Raleigh is Coastal Credit Music Park (20,000 seat amphitheater).
A lot of big touring concerts play this venue. We had the pleasure of attending the Keith Urban concert last summer. This venue is partially covered but the lawn seats are open air. I was impressed with the acoustics and the set-up of the venue. Traffic in and out of the venue was easy. Can’t wait to see another concert.
Another indoor venue I have to mention is the Durham Performing Arts Center (DPAC) as it is referred to. A {2,700 seat theater) in downtown Durham, NC.
I have heard this theater is one of the best theaters in the US and North Carolina. Over 200 touring shows and concerts play here yearly. Acoustics and seating are very good. We saw Steely Dan and Frozen there this past year and highly recommend this venue. Parking in downtown Durham can be a challenge during the work week so go early.
(Tip # 2: Some of these venues offer prepaid concert upgrades for VIP or Premier parking. This is worth the cost if you are not a fan of walking long distances from parking lots into the venue especially at the outdoor venues.)
I plan on doing additional blogs on specific shows we will see this year. Look for one on Toto and Journey soon.
Dewayne Vaughan
These are really helpful tips you are writing on. The devil can be in the details, and you are kind enough to share all of the experience and how to avoid certain not thought of pitfalls. Thank you so much!