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    Carnegie Library Music Hall

    3.2 (59 reviews)
    ModerateMusic Venues

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    In the theater
    Rachel T.

    I have attended probably 25+ concerts/comedy shows at Carnegie Music Hall in Homestead. The building itself is so huge and beautiful. Street parking is always pretty easy (if you are good at parallel parking ;)), and you don't hit crazy traffic on the way there/back from the city. I think most of the staff are volunteers, and they are always so friendly. They sell candy, chips, and snacks in the lobby for only a few dollars. If you walk through the actual library, there is a bar where you can purchase drinks to take in the theater in sippy cups. It doesn't feel right drinking red wine out of a sippy cup, but it's a cute idea. People definitely take advantage of the bar at the shows! The sound in the theater is always solid! The negatives of this place are 1. Walking up the big flight of steps/steep ramp to get there. I feel like I always wear heels and then instantly regret it when I get there. I am assuming that handicap people can get dropped off on the side of the building where the tour buses load in. 2. The chairs in this theater are awful. They are old and it's a historic venue, so what do you expect? The couple in front of us brought their own seat cushions. Genius! I am absolutely doing this next time! (Does this mean I'm officially getting older?! lol!) I am 5' 8" and my legs literally did not fit in the chair at all. I had on a dress so I couldn't sit with my legs wide open like the man next to me did. He had to sit with his arms crossed the whole show because he literally had nowhere to put his arms. 3. Where is the air conditioning?! They closed for renovations and said they would be putting in air conditioning. We were so excited, because my boyfriend and I have sat through so many unbearably hot concerts there. It is always a fun time, and we can't complain since this is a beautiful venue that brings incredible live music and comedy shows to Pittsburgh. Just a heads up if you are attending a show here to dress light, bring a seat cushion, and bring small bills for snacks/water!

    Stage view. Circled area is where my friend was to be performing.
    Kaeli A.

    Purchased tickets with my mom to see a friend performing with PMJ. We got a couple balcony seats with 0 notice of any obstruction to the view. (I did go back on their site recently to look again and try to check out for the same seats to a dif show and again, 0 notice that the view would be obstructed) To our surprise we were greeted with this large obstruction to the exact section my friend would be performing on the stage. We were calm and immediately went to ask for assistance from the staff if we could switch to any other available seats where we could see her perform without this obstruction. We were told to wait and look for any open seats as it got closer to showtime so we did. We were then told we could stand up behind all the seats to watch the performance near security. 5 minutes in, we were rudely told by another staff member to sit down in our assigned seats. We explained our situation again but he was persistent and we took the nearest empty seats hoping nobody was coming late. The majority of the performance we were paranoid that someone would arrive and remove us from these seats when we could have just stayed in the back standing and not blocking anyone. The security even said we were fine where we were. Overall a disappointing experience at the venue even though the performance was amazing.

    on the walk to the bar

    Really not a bad seat in the house .. the bar experience is different but on the positive you get to experience the awesomeness of this library ! Parking is really convenient & plentiful . It's located near all the restaurants too !

    Sherry M.

    I look forward to concerts at this old historic concert hall. The history of this hall alone is worth the visit. I also like the library attached to the music hall. Old and classic in many ways. This small venue gives a unique feel and great view from any balcony seat, there is truly not a bad seat in the house. Tickets to an event should be purchased as soon as possible to most concerts, they do sell out fast and they have many on the hall list that purchase as soon as the list appears. We have seen, Kenny Wayne Sheppard and many other performers here, and the staff has always been so helpful and friendly. * side note, they are always looking for volunteers to staff the events. It's a great way to help community and see free concerts. I have read the reviews, as others have, of those complained about parking. There is only off street parking. Plan ahead and arrive early enough to walk a short distance, rather than having to park far. Parking is free. They offer bottled water that you can take into the hall with you. They offer a bar on the other side of the library, past the music hall. Only plastic purchased cups can be taken into the hall and for all the right reasons. They offer small snacks as well. The halls lobby is very small, not much room to move around and linger. I suggest sitting outside for as long as possible or venture to the bar area for more room.

    American Idol, our own Gabby!
    Brenda W.

    I like the setup of this venue and its size, giving a more intimate performance than a much larger venue like the Benedum. This is the second performance I've seen here. The first time I sat on the Orchestra floor; this time in the Balcony. I had no problem seeing the performance from our seats. Comfort level? Meh; wood chairs in the balcony; can't recall my Orchestra seat experience. Restrooms? Ok. I found I could get to the restroom easy enough down the stairs and didn't experience too long of a wait and could get back in time for the performance so it met my needs. Cleanliness? a-ok, as expected, not bad. The downsides? The sound for this particular performance -- American Idol -- was dreadful. The lighting on stage? Whose fault is it? Somebody thought it was a great idea (NOT) to have lights behind the performers shine out into the audience repeatedly, nauseatingly repeatedly. We were constantly being blinded. Not fun. The person in charge of lighting should have their head on a platter (maybe not the venue's fault, but I'll let them share the blame as it affected me, the audience member.) And, the temperature? Sweltering for me, the audience member, so I"m sure the performers on stage had it much worse. Would I pick this venue again? Yes because I like the size and location.

    Angela H.

    I love the touch of class that this mid-sized venue has. The classic red "showtime" curtains and round light bulbs frame the stage's face. The chandelier at the ceiling and the etched statues around the stage make you feel like you are in a one of a kind theatre. I even enjoyed the wooden chairs that have absolutely no cushion and are guaranteed to hurt your cheeks after an hour :) The middle front row balcony seats were like sitting in VIP. Only a few minor cons: Parking outside is a struggle but arrive a little early and you won't face any hassles. If you need to eat, I recommend going to the nearby spots since they didn't have much to offer.

    Carrie N.

    I wish I could review the show we went to over the venue. The show was Louie Anderson, and I loved him! The venue, meh I would place it in the category of I've been to better. And by been to, I mean every other place we have seen a show or standup in and around the city of Pittsburgh better. I don't want to hate on the Carnegie Library Music Hall. After all the place is a time capsule. Per their website "Completed in November 1898, it is the third oldest Carnegie library in continuous operation in its original structure in the U.S. after the Main Branch and Lawrenceville Branch of Pittsburgh.2 The library is an independent entity; it is not a "branch" of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, which operates one main facility and 19 branches within the city of Pittsburgh." So pretty cool having this piece of history as an active operating establishment to see comics and concerts alike right? Well it would be except the auditorium lacks layout functionality. Let me start with the seats. Ouch. Picture elementary school wood desk and seats. Remove desk leave hard seat. Top that with very little grading as you approach the stage. So not only was my bottom crying I am stretching my head and neck around like a giraffe trying to see over and around the women in front of me. No, she was not a giant. Just your average sized women yet I struggled to get a clear shot. Not only were the seats hard and incredibly uncomfortable they were very close together and you really couldn't use the "armrest" (hardly qualifies) without infringing on your neighbors personal space. The parking situation is also not wonderful but that's a drop in the bucket to this seating situation. Also the restroom are in need of an overhaul. The pink tile circa 1950's and the toilets with paper signs hanging above telling you to hold the handle down for 30 seconds to flush really were the icing on the cake. Historic? Yes. A good venue for a show? Not in my opinion. I think with a revamp this place could be a very enjoyable venue, unfortunately that probably will not happen, but we still had a great time seeing Christine, I mean Louie.

    Christine H.

    Great for events great people the mayor was here! A great day for Veterans Day and community event and awareness for all who have served ! I love bringing my family to free events and just getting to know other veterans and servicemen and women in the community!! I hope there are more great art and music for more of us to enjoy!!! Keep art and music in schools and the love for each other strong !!! Thanks for this great community hall and it is also going to be renovated so going to be closed for the next few months so yay!!! Keep our local community great!

    Before the show...
    Darren W.

    After having seen two VERY different acts at the Library Music Hall within the year, I have concluded that the venue works better when it's not featuring hard rock or metal concerts. Months ago, I caught Swedish guitar god and prog/power metal innovator Yngwie Malmsteen and found the sound to be somewhat muffled. Also hindering my experience a bit was a broken chair and annoying ushers who let everyone stand but me even though I wasn't blocking anyone's view. The other night, however, Kay, a huge fan of the defunct television series "House," dragged me to catch Hugh Laurie (the star of the aforementioned show) in concert with his blues/gospel/jazz act The Copper Bottom Band. The seats are still a might uncomfortable, some air may have been beneficial. and from our balcony vantage point, I had to turn at an angle and lean forward at times to watch Laurie (a multi-instrumentalist) play piano, but those minor caveats aside, I couldn't believe how amazing the sound was. Every note, be it from a guitar or from one of Laurie's fabulous back-up singers, came through with astonishing clarity. So yes, like the Benedum, CLMH is better suited for music sans power chords to my heavy metal ears. P.S. You're surprised that I expanded my horizons, aren't you? It was a good time, and Hugh was hilarious and entertaining throughout. Kay squealed left and right for the duration of the 2 1/2 hour set. Psst. She has a thing for older, lanky, tall British men. P.P.S. Grab some dinner prior to coming here if you want to avoid getting gouged for bagged chips, canned soda, and candy.

    From balcony right, row g
    Danielle D.

    I love the idea of this place- the history, getting a drink in the library before the show. But man the guest experience is uncomfortable. There is no air in the hall and it gets stale and ripe smelling quickly. The chairs are horribly uncomfortable and cramped. They are very old and wooden and horrible on your back. The acoustics were distorted at times. Saw a comedy show here (Kevin James) and there were some parts where I missed the punchline of the joke because the audio was distorted. Parking was fine, but it is all street parking.

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    7 years ago

    The curators of this venue are not friendly adding to the cramped entryway and lack of seating for handicapped individuals.

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    Ask the Community - Carnegie Library Music Hall

    Review Highlights - Carnegie Library Music Hall

    This small venue gives a unique feel and great view from any balcony seat, there is truly not a bad seat in the house.

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    Carnegie Library Music Hall - musicvenues - Updated May 2026

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