Pleasantly surprised that Goodyear is a nice theater for concerts. It's not big and fancy. It's somewhat intimate. Everyone on the floor has a good seat. There is an upper level. Nice restrooms. Refreshment bar. Security people are around. Helpful ushers. Looking forward to going here again. read more

Goodyear Theater - Music Venues Near Me - Akron, Ohio

Would mark 0 stars but that is not allowed. This theatre does not support a safe an enjoyable experience. Below is a post which details an outing to this venue that was horrible. I am writing to tell you about an incident at Goodyear Theatre on Friday, December 12, 2025. We are now boycotting Goodyear Theatre and our voices will be heard. We have loved Goodyear Theatre as the sound and the decor are superb and were in awe of the building. My husband John and I and another couple were supposed to have a wonderful evening out seeing Gerald Albright in concert. We had been looking forward to this concert for almost two months and it was an early Christmas present for me - a Christmas present which I will forever remember..... We had a wonderful dinner at an Akron restaurant and then went to the Goodyear Theater in Akron. Knowing we would be in the minority, the crowd mix was 98% Black and 2% White. I was absolutely fine with that as we were there to hear some great jazz saxophone. That is not what happened. During the warmup act, we had a black woman sitting directly behind my husband who first started talking on her cell phone in her ear-piercing voice, then switched to having a loud conversation with her friend, and then in addition to screaming to the drummer, who we believe she knew. My husband asked politely if she could be more quiet as we were there to enjoy the music. Not her. She refused... During the next hour all 4 of us put up with her shrill voice in our ears. Our friend is hard of hearing and he could hear everything four seats down. He told me he was just about to leave and uber home. My husband left his seat and went and spoke with the House Manager and the Akron Police officers stationed in the lobby. He was informed that there was nothing they could do except move us. "She had a right to talk" is what we kept being told. He was asking them to come and speak with her instead. They refused!!! Imagine that!!! We were quietly sitting in our seats, and only clapping when appropriate. and anxiously awaiting the main performer, Gerald Albright. We had excellent seats and every seat in front of us was taken so if they moved us it would have been a downgrade. Our tickets were very expensive, considering the venue. And we were not the obstruction. My husband decided to go back and endure. About another 30 minutes of her now calling him "MF'r Whitey", a lot of MF'ing him (over 50 times) and other very colorful names, and informing him that slavery had been abolished and she could do what she wanted, my husband had had enough of her absolutely shrill, loud, annoying ranting and he once again turned and asked her to please "shut the f*ck up" since that was the language that she seemed to be accustomed to. She was being so rude and had absolutely no common courtesy for others to enjoy the show. Well that ultimately brought several police, some bouncers and the same House Manager to our seats. All but the house manager were black and attitude was very present. At this point my husband was told he had 30 seconds to get up and leave or they would carry him out and arrest him! I asked the policeman, didn't we have a right to quiet enjoyment of the concert and all they could say was she had the "right to talk"! All 4 of us left the theatre and never saw Gerald Albright. I have a real problem with the Goodyear Theatre's 'no confrontation policy' and how they handled this situation. We are season tickets holders to Playhouse Square for over 15 years and this would have never happened there. A brief conversation from the Police to this woman to tone it down might have prevented what became a very racist event that didn't need to happen. I will NEVER be attending anything at the Goodyear Theatre ever again. Nor will I go to an event were I am in the minority as we were last night. Common courtesy and respect for fellow concert goers is non-existent at the Goodyear Theater. It is funny that their website contains "Guidelines and Etiquette" and states "We are happy to have you visit our venue. We hope that you take a wonderful memory with you from your experience. Please be aware of the other patrons around you and during the performance. Please turn off all noise-making devices. We also ask for you to keep talking to a minimum. " I guess the guidelines and etiquette code of conduct do not mention screaming, heckling nor yelling so it may not apply to this incident. Hmmmmm.... It seems society has now deteriorated to the point that we cannot respect our fellow man and instead need to be as rude as possible and do whatever the hell we want. Off duty officers should have to follow the policies of an organization, not just because of the color of our skin. This was not the experience at the Goodyear Theater. This event actually was reverse discrimination.... We need policies to change as this all could have been prevented with a simple conversation to the woman by staff. read more

A great place to see a show on Akron's East End. Small theater with an intimate setting. Seats are comfortable but narrow. The bar offers beers wine and cocktails, as well as sodas and snacks. The volunteers are very friendly. read more

Goodyear Theater - Music Venues Near Me - Akron, Ohio

See all

We recently saw Billy Ocean here and it was our first time being in this venue. The parking was adequate, the process to get into the venue was seamless and they had plenty of team members to assist you with locating your seat. I was surprised how comfortable and roomy the seats were and the leg room in each aisle. There wasn't a bad seat in the house . The sound system was top notch and the venue itself felt intimate. I'm excited to attend another show soon! read more

What an awesome 1,400 seat venue. Very clean. Historical feel. We saw the comedian Nick Swardson. He was hilarious!! There are two bars one when you initially have your ticket scanned and one just prior to entering the seating area. The line got very long very quick. I'd recommend coming a bit early. Get a couple drinks so you don't have to stand in line again! I also don't think there would be a bad seat in the house. read more

See all

We did not eat. But we had a cocktails while watching a comedian. Place is cute and cozy. Stopped at the brewery on way out. It was a nice spot too. Self serve so can't review the service lol. read more

Looking for a smaller entertainment venue with fantastic acoustics? This is it!!!! OMG! First time attending a show here, and will definitely come back. There are no bad seats here and the staff is super helpful. Very friendly and the staff we interacted with seemed to really enjoy working at Goodyear Theater. Enjoyed both the opening act, Magic Alex, and the main act , Arena Rock Show. It was great to hear two Ohio groups in one night. Great music from both acts! read more

See all

Beautiful theatre! Had a great time watching Ashley McBride here recently. Great acoustics, very comfortable seating as well they're super roomy. Nice concession stand and bathrooms were very clean. read more

Goodyear Theater - Music Venues Near Me - Akron, Ohio

If there was an option for no stars I'd pick it! We have had two dance competitions located at this place and security is wayyyyy to strict! I'm not one to be made at someone for doing their jobs but they make it impossible to do anything! Very strict with food, not allowed to use elevators, wouldn't let my team practice their dance anywhere, will tackle you if you have a coffee in your hand past 10:30, men can't even go into the hallway to get out of the building bc it's close to the stairwell to the hallway with the girls dressing room which is behind doors, and not to mention parking is super far from the front main doors they expect us all to go in and out of! That's just complaints about security! The Stage is super tiny! And carpets are disgusting! Looks like someone died in a few spots! If you are going for a concert maybe it'll be okay, but omg do not go there for any kind of sport's performances and competitions! Worst experiences I've ever had! Will not be coming back next year to any competitions that go to this venue! 5 thumbs down! read more

I've been to the Goodyear Hall on several occasions, both to test for my 1st Dan Blackbelt in Taekwondo (I am with Asian Sun), and to watch several of my friends earn their blackbelts at varying levels. Parking was a bit tight, especially when they started to redo the parking lot (I believe they are expanding it). There are two sets of bathrooms downstairs, however I have found that the ladies bathrooms leave much to be desired. During the last blackbelt testing I attended (to see my friend earn his 5th Degree Masters Blackbelt) back in August of 2018, one set of ladies rooms was locked and inaccessible, and the other set had only 2 of the 3 stalls available for use, as one of them was clogged up and dirty. This was obviously an inconvenience for both the people renting the facility who were running the testing, and the people who were there to watch the testing and cheer for their friends and family. The rest of Goodyear Hall is generally clean. I have one concern when it comes to accessibility for wheelchair bound folks, although I'm not sure if it posed a problem for the particular event I was attending. However, I would be curious to see if they have elevators and wheelchair accessible seating next time I go. read more

I absolutely LOVED my first visit to the *newly renovated and accessible to the public* Goodyear Theater to see the amazing Miike Snow. It was super easy to get there taking 76-W (basically right off the highway) and while their website says $10 parking is available, there was no parking charge for this event at a lot right next to the building. We had only to walk a way down the sidewalk marked by the cool "East End" arches to find the entrance which leads one through a modern 'corporate' type hallway. (No real surprise here knowing the building was formerly for corporate Goodyear use.) [Side note: I had to ponder though whether this location was the one I used to take my Grandpa to for meds... anyone know if the former Goodyear employee/retiree pharmacy was here in the 90s/early oughts?] Regardless, about midway down the hall we saw the entrance to the theater including a small band of security staff and a bar. We were fairly early (and I didn't come packing a handbag) so security was a breeze to get through (they merely scanned my ticket, no ID check at this stage for this show) and provided us with a wristband which I presumed was for re-entry BUT they also stamp you if you step out for some reason. Inside this entry way was a small vestibule type area with a bar/small treat shop and where the restrooms on the main floor are located. (I don't know if there are also restrooms balcony level because I don't think that area was open for this show.) If I remember correctly, you then go through a couple sets of doors to another inner entryway with doors to both the 'main' floor (orchestra seating and pit) and with a stairway up to the balcony level. They had one bar set in the little vestibule under the stair here and then the merch table was directly opposite. It's entering the actual theater that will really take your breath away with the GORGEOUS architecture and dramatic lighting (at least for this event!) The theater itself was lovely with ample walkways, what looked to be plush vintage-look seats, and a small-ish pit in which we could stand/dance during the actual show. Pit was awesome because we were so very close to the stage and it felt a little more intimate to me but, then again, I like to stand and move around. I can understand not wanting or even having a pit if it wasn't a dance performance. That being said, I was never questioned about whether I had a pit ticket or not - we just walked on in because we knew we were supposed to be there and while it filled up pretty well it was never cramped or even at what I might think would be capacity. (So... some shows you might be able to get into the pit without having pit seats, I dunno!) Again - the lighting the architecture, the 'feel' of the space and the closeness of the stage are all amazing so when the show began and the acoustics were killer as well I was super excited. I mean, you'd expect it to be but you never know. Service was great at the available bars (although only a couple served liquor) and I don't think I waited in line more than 2 minutes for anything. Domestic beers (PBR + friends) were $6 and 'Specialty' beers like the New Cleveland Palesner tall were $7 so I stuck with the latter. Maybe a bit more than expected but consistent with other music venues (unfortunately.) This renovated theater is a WONDERFUL addition to the N.E. Ohio concert venue scene and I'll definitely be keeping my eye out for future events. Perhaps my fave new indoor venue! read more

Criss Angel show the MINDFREAK!! Great seats great venue, first time here. Just the right size for this type of show!!! Awesome read more

Goodyear Theater - the stage and the audience - Music Venues Near Me - Akron, Ohio

See all

First time at this venue and it was great, not a bad seat there. Really enjoyed the show. However, while trying to leave the staff was very rude. They were yelling at the staff to get out of the bathroom while there was a line and were yelling at the rest of the party waiting. Just very rude customer service. Could make or break continuing to go there. read more