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    Empire Live

    3.4 (17 reviews)
    Open 11:00 am - 4:00 AM (Next day)

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    a man standing on a stage
    Ava G.

    Highly recommend going to see music here! We went to see Niko Moon and it was a top notch experience. It's a small venue, so it feels more intimate than others. The security staff was very nice. The drinks were reasonably priced. $9 for a drink, $11 to make it a double. The bathroom had staff maintaining it the entire show, which was nice. Had an exceptional time!

    Stage view during performance!
    Steve A.

    how can I not love music! Empire is a small venue but they have done a GREAT job considering. The speakers are state of the art and the sound quality is tremendous. Since it's such a small room, I bet every corner can say that! The alcohol prices are very reasonable compared to most venues. I had some ticket issues up front but got them going eventually and, interestingly, no one scanned me for metal. So that... well, keep an eye on that. That's all. But totally safe night just now. I think one guy came barreling in to mosh and while a few people were in the pit, the pit calmed down after song 1 and I didn't see the guy, so event staff took care of the problem. So yeah - great place to see a concert. Hopefully helps this part of Albany revitalize!

    keith m.

    Great venue other than the sound. High on Fire was playing and the vocals had strong delay added so you couldn't hear the initial vocal only the delay trails which were a few seconds so it was a muddy mess. Matt Pike's face was like WTF?! The sound people seemed bored and disinterested. Also the instruments had no definition through the PA. It was all a big wash. The Band was Great. The sound out front sucked.

    a crowd of people at a concert
    Adrienne B.

    We have been long awaiting this place to open. The move of this venue from being Upstate Concert Hall and Northern Lights before that was very welcome to those of us in the Albany area. Note - we never minded driving up north a bit because this place knows how to run a music venue. Super fast and attentive bar staff, clean and plentiful bathrooms, and terrific acoustics. They began making the move from Clifton Park to Albany right smack dab before the pandemic. Thank goodness that they were able to wait it out and open. Kudos to you! This is a fantastic music venue right in the heart of downtown Albany. Great place to see a show.

    Me at Eric Bellinger tour!!

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    2 years ago

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    1 year ago

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    1 year ago

    Great venue to see new and upcoming bands perform. Went to the underground this week and loved the atmosphere.

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    3 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    3 years ago

    Great acoustics but would it kill the owners to add some seating. Other than that it's a great place to watch live music

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    2 years ago

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    Review Highlights - Empire Live

    The move of this venue from being Upstate Concert Hall and Northern Lights before that was very welcome to those of us in the Albany area.

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    Lark Hall

    Lark Hall

    5.0
    (4 reviews)
    0.8 mi

    My girlfriend and I decided to celebrate my birthday (well the night before) by going to see a show…read morehere. I had never been but had seen some of the pics of the hall and thought it looked OK. But being there was another story. As other reviewers have said, they do an amazing job making this space feel warm and inviting (as an old person I was thankful for the complementary ear-plugs). The staff were all super friendly and I was appreciative seeing they have security even for a low-key jam-band-friendly venue. The show itself was a lot of fun, there was plenty of room for the crowd of about 75-100 to relax, dance, sit and watch etc. The sound was really good, and the lights rivaled much fancier venues I've been to. As others have said, the drinks are a bit on the pricey side, but when you compare it to going to a show at say, SPAC these days it was actually a few bucks cheaper per-drink. We started the night at The Eleven, the bar attached to the venue which was also very nice. My girlfriend had one of their signature cocktails, the coffee based one (can't remember the name) and I tasted it and thought it was great. I was a bit disappointed by their whiskey selection, but they had the basics which worked fine. Overall, we had an amazing time and I will definitely be going back to check out more live music here.

    This is the best place to party in Albany, period. A mature and fun crowd with plenty of drink…read moreoptions and located in a nice area. I had the cucumber cocktail which was delicious, and I had a pleasant experience with the owners and staff. Way to go!

    Photos
    Lark Hall
    Bar
    Bar
    Lark Hall

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    The Upper Room

    The Upper Room

    3.3
    (3 reviews)
    0.1 mi

    I had so much fun seeing Rumours, a Fleetwood Mac cover band, on Saturday. I walked into Pearl St…read more Pub and a sign directed me upstairs to the Upper Room. On this particular night, they had the dance floor covered in chairs and tables, set up like a comedy club or a dinner show. I see on their website that they sometimes clear those tables to provide a generous dance floor space. The table set up is good for comedy or jazz, but many FM songs are made for dancing! Luckily there was plenty of room to dance on the right side of the room, but obviously along the wall there isn't the best sight or sound. I think it would have been better to put the tables in a U shape and provide more room for dancing, which would have really elevated the energy in the room. There are booths along the left, too, so TONS of seating and not much good dance space, but luckily this could be changed in the future. I never had to wait long for a drink and the bartenders didn't mind when I asked for refills of water. I think this space has a lot of potential and I hope to see more music or comedy there soon!

    I've been waiting for a club like this in Albany for a long time. Where else in Albany can you see…read morenational and regional rock and blues acts. The room is great. I would guess it holds around 300 people. Table and table service and a bar in the back. Drink prices and admission prices are very reasonable. We have seen Papa Chubby and Savoy Brown and had a great time both times.

    Photos
    The Upper Room
    A Fine sister with a lot of soul  & a gifted personality

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    A Fine sister with a lot of soul & a gifted personality
    The City Beer Hall

    The City Beer Hall

    4.0
    (662 reviews)
    0.3 mi
    $$

    I was staying at the Renaissance down the street for a conference at the Albany Capital Center. I…read moreneeded a quick dinner before I went to do more work in my room. The City Beer Hall fits the bill. Located on Howard Street, the City Beer Hall has the local hangout vibe for professionals in town like me and locals wanting a beer and a pizza and fun times. The building at one point housed the city's old telephone company, and now is a cool pizza bar joint with a speakeasy that wasn't open when I went. The large room that houses the bar and long communal tables with high ceilings and large windows is like a Biergarten that is works great for happy hours and evening hangouts. Pizza wise, I was pleased with their Hot Honey Pizza that balances sweet, savory, and spicy flavors between its delicious crust, pepperoni, creamy ricotta, tomato sauce, mozzarella, fresh basil, and a lovely drizzle of hot honey. I enjoyed the pizza with a Ommegang Blueberry Falls that was a "Blueberry Kolsch" whose crisp and slightly sweet flavors balanced well against the spicy and savory I was noshing. The only downside was I found the service behind the bar to be a bit slow and distracting from conversations with other customers. I felt I was forgotten until I finally flagged for the check. But overall, the City Beer Hall was a solid experience highlighted by their hot honey pizza.

    Stopped her while visiting for a conference and it was super busy for trivia. Lots of large tables…read moreand a big bar. Trivia was fun. I didn't get any food but it looked like great bar food. Super neat inside!

    Photos
    Back here after long hiatus.  And the women's NCAA BASKETBALL finals is in town.
    Back here after long hiatus. And the women's NCAA BASKETBALL finals is in town.
    Blue pizza
    Blue pizza
    Just loved to look up at this sky while enjoying our drinks and dinner.

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    Just loved to look up at this sky while enjoying our drinks and dinner.
    The Egg Center for the Performing Arts

    The Egg Center for the Performing Arts

    4.0
    (51 reviews)
    0.4 mi

    The Egg re-hatched on January 8th after a nearly $20 M renovation. That was great news! It was…read morestarting to become an eyesore with its aging seating and bathrooms. Now, it's a sight for sore eyes! Better sound system and LED lighting were among the upgrades. A little more seating. New seats and flooring. New wall coverings.The public was invited to check out the improvements at a free evening event. When you consider that the distinctive facility is about a half century old, the upgrades were overdue. The helpful ushers are not paid to be tour guides so I'm not sure how accurate their information was. Some ushers said the bathrooms were not renovated. The bathrooms I visited did have upgrades, but I cannot understand why the some of the original hardware including the old, chipped sanitary napkin receptacles were screwed back into the womens' bathrooms stalls. It seriously detracted from the overall appearance and seemed to be a bad penny pinching decision after so much money was spent. I can't tell you about the men's rooms. The men in our group of friends said they thought some work had been done. The Egg's unique shape was inspired by the half grapefruit that Gov. Rockefeller was eating during a planning meeting. In this day and age of large venues, it remains a more intimate setting. The Kitty Carlisle Hart theatre has a capacity of just under 1,000 seats and there's another smaller theater just below it. I was in the audience a few years ago when Pete Davidson did his stand-up act at the Egg. He complained about the small size of the venue. He added another show for same day just to make it worth his while. I came away offended by some of what he tried to pass off as humor. If performers like Davidson don't want to play the Egg again, I'm okay with that. It has great acoustics for fine artists of a whole different caliber. The Egg re-cracked open with aerial performances by Good Karma Studio and the DJ Hollyw8d. Looking forward to attending many awesome performances in this newly improved venue!

    This Mid-Century Modern architectural masterpiece was stunning when it was built and now it's…read morerestored to perfection (2026). The artistic integrity remains and of course the proportions and design inside and out continue to WOW! A+ in every way! This venue is worth a good look and please certainly enjoy the top notch offerings! Thank you for the thoughtful restoration! The new seating is super comfortable too!

    Photos
    Joe Jackson circa 1912 with his band. GREAT performance. "The Two Rounds of Racket Tour."
    Joe Jackson circa 1912 with his band. GREAT performance. "The Two Rounds of Racket Tour."
    The Egg_Yelp_Sanju-4
    The Egg_Yelp_Sanju-4
    The Egg_Yelp_Sanju-1

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    The Egg_Yelp_Sanju-1

    Empire Live - musicvenues - Updated July 2026

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