Smaller than the Boplex but a nice size for a concert. There was plenty of people wearing yellow jackets to direct you from one area toward another. ( crowd control) They definitely don't want you to carry a large handbag so leave that in the car or home. They have people walking around asking what type of bag do you have. They will offer you a small plastic bag to substitute ( what they deem acceptable) Other than that the experience was pleasurable!!! read more

Ovens Auditorium - Bojangles Chicken Strips - Performing Arts Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

The venue isn't overly large so all the seats are good. The staff is nice. We have been to a lot of shows there. However, part of William Shatner's show is screening a movie, Star Trek 2, The Wrath of Khan, and the sound was terrible! Parts of the dialog were unintelligible. Mr. Shatner himself was fantastic! read more

Ovens Auditorium - Waiting for the show to begin - Performing Arts Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

Ladies make sure you carry a clear bag. If you want to carry a bigger bag, carry a non-clear bag because there is a size limit (4X3)...super tiny. The sound system was ok. There aren't any drink holders behind the chairs. If you sit closer to the walls, your entire row pretty much has to stand up to let you out. Overall,I had a good time at the Bald Brothers Comedy show. Parking wasn't too bad. I will say the lighting in the parking lots could be better. It was very dark. read more

We were here to attend the Kevin Hart show. It's about 15 minutes from downtown Charlotte. Guests were forced to lock their phone and leave behind all electronic items like AirPod, headphones, digital watch, anything that remotely appeared as electronic device. Any ladies bag bigger than 4x3 inches were not allowed either. There was no locker or storage provided for guests. People who didn't drive had to hide their stuff in bushes. In a freezing cold night, they were doing all this locks and checks that slowed down the entrance, causing long lines, and guests were standing in freezing cold waiting to get in. No heating source was provided at all. Once we were inside, the lobby wasn't bad. Bar was big, had variety of drinks. We were in first row, but that was behind 3 more private rows in front that were not shown in auditorium map. So despite paying high ticket prices, we were still sitting far away from the stage. The chairs were slim and old. There were lots of security. Throughout the show they controlled the crowd who were yelling and hackling. After the show, they forced the guests to outside of the auditorium to retrieve their phones from locked pouches. Within half an hour, all guests were pushed out, they locked down the place and all employees left. Many guests were left standing outside waiting for their ride since they couldn't request Uber earlier. Again no heat or any consideration for guests' well being. Though we had a good laugh at the show, the whole experience was largely underwhelming and disappointing. read more

Tonight I saw Sarah Brightman. And she was absolutely amazing!!! I sat in the balcony which isn't bad at all. I just need a good pair of binoculars next time. I love that there are plenty of refreshments sold and that they DO allow them inside. It would be nice though if they have an elevator. read more

Every time I have been to an event, I enjoy my experience. The most recent time, I noticed that you could hear the performance from the rest room, which was a very nice touch for the comedy show I was seeing; I still got to giggle to the punch lines while washing my hands and even heard the show while rushing through the foyer to get back into the auditorium. There were a lot of bar/drink lines that moved quickly and that was also a plus. I really enjoy seeing performances at this location and tell people to check it out all the time. read more

This is the first event that I've been to here. We took our toddler to see Paw Patrol LIVE! I ended up going to the box office to purchase the tickets to avoid online fees and get seats without Ticketmaster's random seat restrictions. The people working in the office were NOT friendly. They also didn't seem to care that you have to press your ear to the glass and still barely hear them. I feel like no matter where you sit there is a great view. It was also annoying that this particular show made you purchase a seat for anyone over 1yo; though my toddler never sat in her seat. We didn't have an issue with parking but the food options weren't what I thought they'd be. read more

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We drove from out of town to see a concert here. Location is off a divided highway, so be aware of that. We got there super early and was glad that parking was free. We actually walked to a nearby pizza joint to grab dinner before the show. Lobby was large and had lots of concessions downstairs and upstairs. This venue is connected to a larger coliseum space. Our seats were in the mezzanine and we still had a great view. The venue is showing its age in a few spots. Departure was a breeze, as they had a police cruiser blocking a lane for us to pull into. I'd be back, but it would really have to be for a special show that was not coming anywhere near us. read more

Ovens Auditorium - View from the mezzanine before a concert - Performing Arts Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

What a great venue. From the security staff upon entry to the ushers taking you to your seats, everyone was pleasant, clean, and professional. The acoustics in the building were perfect for listening. The bathrooms were spotless, and there was plenty of them and they were for fully stocked and staffed bars. Excellent place to experience an evening of music. read more

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Spent the evening at the Ovens Auditorium as I waited to see Gladys Night perform. Seats were great and the stage was easy to see. Entering the auditorium was fairly easy but the bag restriction needed to be clearly communicated on the tickets and also from the parking lot. It was sad seeing all the older women or the elderly gentleman taking pocketbooks that were a few centimeters too big back to the cars (don't they know old ladies need big purses) lol. Oh back to the concert and venue... TheOvens Auditorium was in great condition, it was clean and well maintained. The seats are decent with a nice amount of room for legs. The evening and the over all concert was great. Gladys still had it at almost 80 years old and she killed it. read more

Ovens Auditorium - Gladys Knight on stage. - Performing Arts Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

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I've disliked going to events at Ovens for years ~ and now their policies have gotten even worse! Purses must be see-through (who has one of those?) or ultra-small. All the drinking fountains are "out of service" so patrons are forced to buy water. Sanitary products are not available for sale in the ladies room ~ they have to be bought at guest services. And although we arrived an hour early, we were forced to park in an unpaved field rather than a much-closer paved parking lot. The team working the front door were rude ~ almost hostile. The only bright spot was the friendly and helpful team of ushers. read more

We saw the Christmas Circus Ole show and it was fantastic. Twas the Night before Christmas, our 6 year old granddaughter was in aww! Highly recommend. read more

Went to see the Black Crowes on Wednesday May1, 2024 Pros: - They didn't charge the $10 for parking for this event. - Easy to get into parking lot. - Nice clean venue and restrooms. - Staff was friendly and helpful. - Seats are spaced out that you sit higher than seats in front of you. So, no issue with seeing. Comfortable seats. - The band sounded great all the way to back rows. Good acoustics for the instruments. Cons: - If you sit in the double letters area. Don't sit in front of the spotlights section - basically upper area in the middle. Your view and everyone around you is basically lit. Not in the good way lit . If you are near the entrance to the top area you'll have a flow of people coming in / going out for restrooms/drinks/food all concert long. - The vocals are very poor at least in the upper back area. If I didn't know most of the lyrics I would not have known what was being sang. - there are no handrails coming down the steps near the top (WW)to the entrance area. I was sober and fell because I couldn't see the final step to the base entrance. Fell on both knees. Don't know ow how getting out is after the concert because I left right before the finale. I'll try this venue again but will seek out lower levels. Cons read more

Ovens Auditorium - Black Crowes 5/1/24 - Performing Arts Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

Easy to park, easy entrance, beautiful venue, we saw Josh Gates Live, and was a very good time, limited food options, and the setup to look at souvenirs was not a very good setup, had to wait in long lines just to see what was offered. read more

Ovens Auditorium - Josh Gates live! - Performing Arts Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

Positive- Free parking is always a plus! It was really easy to find the venue, and the first round of drinks had really short lines. I liked the look and feel of the auditorium. Critical- There weren't enough bartenders on staff. For the second round, lines were long and were moving so slow that I missed the opening act. Also, the chairs are WAY too small. I was not comfortable at all in my seat and me and the person next to me just had to make do. We were both tall and there just wasn't enough space to be comfortable. If you're tall or on the bigger side beware. read more

This was my first time attending a concert here and while the check in process was smooth, it's not the best venue I've been to. They had drinks like beer, wine, and mixed drinks. They also had snacks like chips, popcorn, pizza etc which was decent. The biggest takeaway for me was the temperature of the building. It was very HOT! I couldn't enjoy myself fully because I was afraid of overheating. Staff were friendly and organized though which I really appreciated. read more

Attempting to sell Sutter Hime wine to adults should get you shut down. Good venue, but the wine selection is more criminal than the dude in the White House (2025). Do better. read more

Saw Kevin Hart here - it was nice and intimate to see a comedian and Kevin always brings down the house! But it's an older theatre and there was not great audio and zero visual (screens etc). Staff was AMAZING! I can't say that enough. Very kind, helpful and really wanted you to have a great time. Extremely organized! read more

The experience here was great! Easy to navigate parking, easy to navigate the auditorium, seating was good, service was great, food prices were fair. Just a great experience! read more

Lastly one I was here was for the Osmonds concert in the early 1970's. I loved the venue then and it was great seeing Jim Gaffagan comedian live in concert. The upgrades to the place are great. Extra bathrooms food beer wine and mixed drinks. Parking is so easy and the staff on hand are so freaking nice. Cant wait to come back. read more

Ovens Auditorium - Ovens - Performing Arts Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

It has been a while since I have visited Ovens Auditorium. We paid for parking with the tickets so that was a null issue and we were able to quickly park and walk to the front entrance. It was unfortunate that we had to stand outside in the drizzle after 7:15 PM for an 8:00 PM show. Then, it was a wait to get tickets scanned and enter the building. Once we got in, there was chaos as there were three different lines intersecting. One was for beverages in the front. The second was for entry into the auditorium. The third was for food and beverages in the back. Patrons worked it out and there was no shoving. Although our seats were near the front, the auditorium was in great shape and the acoustics were quite good. I didn't have anything to eat or drink as the food options were limited and a lot of folks opted for pizza on this chilly Friday evening. read more

So glad to be here on opening night for Wicked! Ovens always does such a good job hosting events. We need to get this world back to normal. Thank you for theater! read more

Ovens Auditorium - Wicked Opening Night! - Performing Arts Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

We saw "'Twas the Night Before Christmas", the show was great!! The staff at the auditorium however was not. They were rude and not friendly at all. read more

Nice and clean, everyone working the venue was nice! We got lucky and found parking very easily, but we did try to get there early. The only thing that lessened the experience were the other audience members but that's not the auditorium's fault read more

We saw Legally Blonde at Ovens Auditorium. It was a full house but very enjoyable. Parking is free and you can buy refreshments (both snacks and beverages) to enjoy in the theater. One thing I thought was odd was they allowed people to enter the theater any time during the performance so the first 15 minutes of the show were frequently disrupted by latecomers. read more

First time here and I truly enjoy the overall experience. The Charlotte Symphony is doing a Harry Potter Concert! You watch the movie and the whole Symphony play the music. How awesome is that! Venue: 3/5 overall very clean and easy to navigate around. The reason why it's 3 stars is the bathroom situation. There's only 3 ppl can use it at a time. Making ultra inconvenient for a lot of ppl. The line is long and slow moving. I had to go during intermission but couldn't get in til the show started. I missed the first 10mins. Staffs: 5/5 Very friendly and helpful. Everybody was there every step of the way.. They make sure we know where we're going and which seats is our! Parking: 5/5 it's costed me $8 to park but the traffic flows. Easy to get in, ppl slow you where to park and definitely easy to get out!! Overall, I'm very impressed with this place. Our seats were 3 rows from the very back. Yet I think it's good seats. Good view and can hear clearly!! Will be back!! read more

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Love this little theater and it has a great staff working inside. Full Bar so you can grab something before or during your show. Bathrooms were clean and spacious, theater is in the old side but it is clean and charming, not sure you can really have a bad seat in the place. read more

This was the second bad experience I have had at this dated venue. The first was to see a production of Wicked and the sound was so bad that we had to leave- we couldn't hear a thing! Last night we went to see Chelsea Handler with our mom, who is recovering from a pretty major surgery. We were shocked to learn that their only elevator was out of order, which meant at least two large flights of stairs. There was no way she would have made it up top, so after begging a very disgruntled guest services representative (and getting no help or empathy), we were able to connect with an employee who found seats on the ground level for us. How can a venue of this size have only one elevator, and not have it working for an event?? Isn't that a violation of the ADA regulations?? We are done with Ovens- it will be worth the drive to go to DPAC- they are much more accessible and accommodating. read more

Overall Ovens Auditorium is a nice place to catch an inexpensive show. I was invited to see Deon Cole preform as I have always been a fan of his since Black-ish and now many other shows, movies, and commercials he is now in, so was excited to be a part of this venture. My first concern was parking, no one ever wants to pay for parking, but parking was included which was nice. I was guided by police and event staff to a parking spot and had to walk to the building from there. Once in the building the event staff did a nice job of making sure you knew where you are going and where to sit. There are two bars once you enter (one once you enter and another upstairs directly above it). I didn't partake in the bar, but they waved and made sure to ask if I needed anything before I made my way to my seat. So I was granted with a balcony seat, right in the center, so good view of the stage. Only thing I didn't care for were the close seats; it's like sitting in a high school auditorium, very tight. The temperature was a little cold, but this was before the theater filled filled. It got a little warm once all the bodies were in. Would I come again, sure because I would interested to see other areas of the space and shows they have at Ovens. read more

I think the overall design of the venue is nice. It looks like it has gone through some renovations. But the seats are narrow and uncomfortable. It's like riding in coach for a long plane ride. read more

Ovens Auditorium - Performing Arts Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

We came here on Saturday night to watch comedian Dane Cook. My husband, who was born and raised here... has never been to this auditorium. This was a first for me as well. This is a very very very small auditorium. Kind of reminds me of a high school auditorium. There are lower level seating and seating up top on the balcony. I don't think there is a single spot you could sit that would be considered a "bad" seat. We were on the bottom floor towards the left. We had end seats which was a must. The bathrooms were weird. It was a crazy maze to get to, but they were super clean and well stocked. The staff here... is SUPER friendly. Everyone says hello. If you ask for help, they are eager to help. We were escorted to our seats. We got there about an hour early, because I thought it was going to be hard to park! Jokes on us lol. It was super easy to park. Lots of open spaces. $8 per car. What a deal! The show was amazing! We have never seen a professorial comedian live so it was a great. We usually stick to the comedy club but figured... let's try it! The food here is just snacks. The basics... candy and chips as well as water and soda. They do have alcohol for those who are into that sort of thing. Getting out of the venue was just as easy as getting in. We were out on the road in two minutes flat. (And no... we weren't running to our car) lol. Wish parking was just as simple when attending Panther games or any other kind of concert/performance. We would definitely attend another event here. read more

Ovens Auditorium - Dane Cook - Performing Arts Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

Here for an almost sold out show, "John Cleese and Eric Idle, Together Again At Last For The Very First Time." Apparently, they needed the money. Parking was $8 and there were plenty of attendants on duty to direct cars, though after we parked, we spotted quite a few empty spaces further down. Not very efficient. Short wait for ticket taking and bag check, but no magnetometer. Long line for drinks (two per person) or some light snacks including candy and chips. We had seats in the front row of the mezzanine. Great view, terrific acoustics, though a little bit uncomfortable. Way too many stairs to get up and down and up and down from the parking lot into the auditorium and then to the seats. Some hand railings. We managed to get lost getting out by following the exit sign. Down some creepy back stairs, fortunately we spotted the "not an exit" before the last flight of stairs and made tghe turn back to the lobby. Aside from the great talent on display, the Ovens Auditorium wasn't terrible comfortable. I'd go there again, but only because that's where the shows are. read more

Ovens Auditorium - Front of the Ovens Auditorium - Performing Arts Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

Great venue for comedy & speakers! I have been to many events here and recently enjoyed Ali Wong's comedy performance here. It was wonderful! We had great seats and they have good service. It was my first experience with the phone bags, and we ended up leaving ours in the car because we didn't want to deal. (Our friends did the phone check and it was pretty easy.) Ovens had good seats wherever you go orchestra or balcony. The prices are fair and I like the variety of speakers--I saw Brene Brown here too & it was wonderful!! The parking lots can be crazy depending on the night so be prepared to race to your car when leaving. Only $8 to park so seems fair for CLT. read more

Really nice intimate venue especially for an India Arie concert. Cheap drinks and snacks... nothing was more than $9. Reasonable prices for concerts venues. Parking is $8 which sucks. read more

Ovens Auditorium - Performing Arts Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

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First time attending a show - to see the great Buddy Guy! - at Ovens Auditorium and was very pleased. The staff was friendly, great seats and view lines. read more

Ovens Auditorium - Performing Arts Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

I've seen some pretty awesome concerts and plays here. It is a Charlotte staple. That said, they need to work on being able to handle beer and wine sales in a timely fashion and they seriously need to upgrade the ventilation system for concerts in the summer. It is a beautiful place and I will be back, but could be a little better. read more

They let all of their guests buy drinks before a show (up until literally the doors closed for the show) then made them throw out the drinks before entering. Scheme to get money without telling patrons that drinks aren't allowed inside. People should know about this. read more

This venue is so dated & I'd be afraid to wear anything nice while sitting in these seats! .....since this was my first visit here I want to help others; this is NOT the large coliseum (right nextdoor /BoPlex) - it's the smaller building next to it. It's a good size inside but parking is weird, especially if you come from the south on 74 & exit (looping around to go left). You'll pass what looks like the entrance & go left past that, going way around all the parking for the regular coliseum. At least it's close to the auditorium entrance but if it's raining you'll likely walk through some mud! They almost pounce on you as you get thru security for your tickets, partly because there's no space at the front to effectively allow for entry so they immediately want to scan your ticket. They will check this at lest 2-3 more times (?!) so keep your phone/stub out! Immediately inside is the bar! Gee, I wonder where the profit is here?! Lots of alcohol choices (surprisingly also hard liquor too & not just cheap beer/wine). And AGAIN on the back side 2 more bar stations (I've always thought of the Nutcracker as a family affair???!!). I wonder if the cops lie in wait to issue DUI's at the close of the event? Good profit for Ovens + profit for the City? Yeesh. THE SEATS : so old, pilling, dated, stained & I'm glad I went 'dressy-CASUAL' as I'd worry a nicer outfit would get nasty from these seats. The backs of all the rows have splatter from spilled drinks & floors have stains & sticky spots from dropped food/drink. Since when do theaters like this allow drinks inside? Even the Blumenthal does now - ridiculous & takes all the pizazz out of these great venues (used to be a dress up affair & now folks wear jeans and T-shirts!). Lastly, I must mention how incredibly disappointing the Moscow Ballet production of The Nutcracker was (um, totally NOT a Russian dance cast, I think it was all local & very sub-standard talent)....we left at intermission (Dec 29, 2019 performance). It was so juvenile & far from the traditional ballet. It felt like being in a High School auditorium where the kids/teens danced on stage while the audience was all parent-based. It was terrible. There were a few talented dancers, but for the $75 per seat ticket price we paid it was deplorable (if I'd paid $25 I think I'd have expected what I got). Even worse was the romantic portrayal of Clara & The Nutcracker (overdone with the pas de deux x 3 or 4!), Clara had no innocence, the uncle was way too young & Clara's brother was prolly 6'5" and NOT a little boy (and I don't think Drosselmeyer's nephew (who later becomes the Nutcracker) even existed in this version!). Clara & the nutcracker prince were about it for talent, so that is prolly why they do most of the dancing but Clara should never 'really' be on point or as a principal 'ballerina'! "Boys" were all men (nobody fit the role they played) & all the kids were girls dressed up to be boys (poorly). Mice costumes were awful. Then a Snowflake Queen comes out near the end of Act I with this weird ensemble of kids in a sleigh & a Santa looking gent! Just preposterous hacking of a classic ballet. If your little girl is 5-8 she'll probably love it as you suffer the 2 hours of torture for her behest. read more

Such a great place to see a show. We saw David Sadaris there. my only complain of this place is the line for the ladies room. Better get there early of you will be 75 ladies deep. Who wants to buy a drink because if you do and have to pee, you will not get back to see the show read more

I just went to my first event here at Ovens and it was not a bad venue for this event. I do wish that they had a bit more in the way of concessions other than just snacks and more bathroom stalls, but it was clean, my seats were great, parking was easy and plentiful, the sound system was just OK. I would go see more events here and would recommend it if asked. The event I saw was pretty terrible and very disappointing it was the Moscow Ballet of the Nutcracker and they were armatures, the corp was all out of balance and not in sync, the sets were cheap looking and one dimensional, the music must have been a CD or something and was just bad. All in all clearly not the best of the ballet and the group had not really danced much together. It was just terrible and sad. I spent over $200 for tickets and for my friends Bday and was bad all around and I Love and know ballet. read more