We came here to see the American Filipino comedian JoKoy. He has a couple of Netflix specials. He's extremely funny and very popular. I immediately bought tickets for my family when I found out he would be performing here. In fact, this show was sold out 6 months ago!! This was my first time to come to The Venue. I thought it looked spacious. The lighting and the awesome music got me pumped! The atmosphere was very club like. I was glad to see that there were washrooms close by. There was no need to go out into the casino and to re-enter. I was also grateful that there were quite a number of stalls available. When there is booze at a venue, it is very convenient to have nearby washrooms. We had assigned seating. Large free standing signs indicated the sections (eg. Section B). Our rows and sections were also indicated by signs on the floors (under the chairs along the aisles) and seat numbers on the chairs. During the show, JoKoy was joking about how the The Venue looked more like a tent, instead of a theatre. I have to admit the white interior looked plastic and tent like. But overall, I feel that the venue adequately served its purpose. I appreciated the giant screens that advertised upcoming events. I was also glad for the opportunity to have a close up view of JoKoy, because of these large screens. The main floor seats were all on the same level. It would've been nice if the seats were on an incline or if there were risers, to allow for a better view of the stage. There was an upper level viewing lounge at the back. Those seats had tables. I would definitely consider coming back here again. The quality of the talent that comes to perform here are impressive. A definite draw. For me, I had a good time for my first experience here! read more

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We were at Billy Idol last night. And the sound was so terrible we had to leave early. The bass was so loud that when I sat down, I could feel the vibration in my chest. Even my phone was vibrating in my hands. At one point, the speakers blew and started that high pitch ringing noise. This hurt my ear so much I started feeling nausea. Now, let me start off by saying that I am a musician. I have 40 years of experience and started performing at 6 years old in my first recital. I've been to the majority of venues in town and even performed at the Festival Place. This was SO disappointing. I don't know if the venue was at fault, or the band. Billy Idol was disappointing as well. He was terribly out of shape and out of breath by the third song. I thought he was going to collapse on stage. Anyone who gave him a high rating for that performance - has no clue. It was awful. I'm pretty sure he missed some lyrics and he let the band do most of the work. The band however, was top notch. Steve Stevens was the selling point for me and made the trip worth it. For $133.25 per ticket, I expected better. Ticket prices are ridiculous. And not worth it for this venue. The highlight of the night was Steve Stevens. And literally, running into the band as they were rushing into the venue. They were late and obviously missed soundcheck. The resort itself is fine for all kinds of functions. But the venue needs work. I've been to a lot of rock concerts. U2. Bon Jovi. Alanis. Even Twisted Sister - and none were as terrible as the show was last night. I wanted to love it. But as a previous performer, I just couldn't. I've never walked out early out of a concert. But the combination of being surrounded by drunk people and the busted speakers, we just couldn't deal. My ears are still ringing today. read more

So, yes this venue has some pretty awesome concerts/performances/shows. Much like a Vegas casino, this place tries to book some big name performances for this place out on the Enoch Cree Nation. And the venue itself is clean and large. It feels a bit like a barn (and the performer we came to see remarked on this fact). We came exceedingly early on for our show because the doors were at 7pm and the show was at 9pm and prior to this show I had never visited this place. And frankly, I wouldn't seek this place out in the future, unless the show was as good as this one was -- it was a really good show! They provided free earplugs (which was very helpful, especially as we had EXCELLENT seats), and we made it through security without any lines. The Casino in the early evening only smelled mildly of cigarette smoke (yes the Casino has smoking as it is on the reserve land -- more on this later). We noticed that the washrooms were VERY poorly labeled. It felt like there was a constant stream of men mistakenly walking halfway into the women's restroom because of this labeling issue. The signage could be very much improved. The seats themselves in the venue are comfortable and the show itself was great. The fact that the entrance to the venue is through the casino is likely a good business decision for the casino but for someone like myself who literally cannot breathe properly when exposed to the amount of secondhand smoke that was present as we left the show this is definitely a downside. I HATED walking through the crowds to get to clean air. If I had been attending the show on my own, I'm entirely unsure how capable I would have been of getting out of there safely. I know that the venue has good security and lots of first aid staff on site (I saw them), but this was horrible. Getting out of the parking lot after the show was also a nightmare. It took us around 25 minutes to leave the parking lot to get out. After that the drive home was okay. I understand that there is shuttle service from West Edmonton Mall, that this venue is well served by taxi cabs, and that transit sort of gets here as well, but it's not terribly accessible by most estimations. At least there is a hotel here. read more

The Venue has changed but is still only accessible through the River Cree casino. The line to get in is more efficient and less crowded. Washrooms have been added and the seats have improved, more room and more comfortable. Popular performers continue to come here at good ticket prices. The two screens beside the stage are good for people who don't sit that close. They should make room for a dancing area for people to groove with the music which would make the experience more fun. Some concerts say no pictures or video but no one reinforces this. This place is still good for a night out as you are not paying high prices, can park for free and try your luck in the casino before or after your show! Maybe your ticket and drinks can be free? read more

Cutting to the chase, I've been here three times for concerts. Rick Springfield a couple of years ago, Huey Lewis and the News last August and most recently Steve Earle and the Dukes. I really like this place as a music venue. The sound is always good and getting in and out of the River Cree is a whole lot easier than Rogers Place or the Coliseum. The only thing I dislike is the fact that you have to purchase beverage tickets to get a drink. It just seems like another line that one has to endure just to grab a beer. I have loathed this every time I experience it. This made me not purchase a drink on this night. Other than that, "The Venue" is a very nice room to see a band in. Big enough to attract some decent names, yet small enough to make it intimate. read more

Over the years I have attended a number of (pre) 80s flashback shows (Rick Springfield, Air Supply, Beach Boys, Cheech and Chong, and The Spazmatics 80s cover band) at The Venue. It is a large white tent just outside of River Cree resort. If it's cold out, you will feel it as you have to walk from inside the casino to the tent. For concerts, they will set up the venue with rows of chairs in 3 sections. For concerts, I like to sit in the middle section. However, the chairs are stuck together with cable ties and they are so close together you could be rubbing legs with strangers on both sides. The chairs aren't so comfortable if you have to sit there longer than a few hours so good idea to get up for a drink or use the washroom in the casino. Other events, they will sometimes set it up with tables and 8 chairs around while leaving the dance floor empty. This is great as there's lots of room for dancing and it's not too crowded. The sound quality is not bad for an outside tent venue. Not the most comfortable setting for a concert or show but ok for a casino venue. If you are going to catch a show and want to do dinner before, I recommend you are there at least 2 hours before the show to ensure you get a table and have time to eat. You can also get your hand stamped early to avoid the line ups close to show time. read more

I feel sort of bad giving The Venue 2 stars, but there's a few things counting against that lead me to drop from 3. The room really is an aircraft hangar, there's no other way to describe it. I was thinking, what if they were to put some sort of cool lighting installation in spanning the length of the hall? Sort of like what Glasgow has in Royal Exchange Square :) Seating is basically bench style, not a great move considering that if you have a giant sitting in from of you (I did) this limits your view to essentially nill. On the plus side, sound was good - which is obviously important for a live music venue. Incidentally I was at the Tea Party show. I will be going back - Bryan Ferry in August, however it's definitely not my favourite room for live music. read more

It is newly "renovated" and it is better than it was. You no longer need to go outside to get into The Venue which is a bonus in the winter. I don't enjoy that there is only one level seating. If you are in the back rows just hope you're tall enough to see. It still seems a bit temporary in the sense that you have to leave The Venue to use the restrooms. However there is one just outside the doors so the trek is not the worst. I like the progress. I can't wait to go back when it is fully completed. read more

The Venue - I am liking the new facilities. - Comedy Clubs Near Me - Enoch, Alberta

I wrote a long, rambly review over at the River Cree's Yelp page (http://www.yelp.ca/biz/river-cree-resort-and-casino-enoch?hrid=HgeD464reIG8a51xYtWyKg) before I realised The Venue had it's own page. I won't bother reiterating everything again here, so here is a quick list of pros & cons: Pros: 1. It attracts great artists. 2. Free parking. 3. Decent sound system. 4. Very friendly staff Cons: 1. Have to enter through the casino, then walk down a long hallway and OUTSIDE to get to the venue (ps. Coat check is inside the casino, not the venue. So if you use the coat check, just pray there isn't a line up outside the venue in the winter! 2. Drink prices are attrocious ($9.00 each for a standard sized highball) 3. Folding chairs that are strapped together and pushed flush up against each other (you are guaranteed to be touching the person next to you) 4. Restrooms are located back in the hockey rink area, so you have to go back outside to get there. 5. ONLY ONE EXIT FOR 2100 PEOPLE! 6. All seating is on the same level, so if you're too far towards the back, you probably don't see much. I'll be back because that's where the great comedy shows are. But I hope Jeff is right about the new venue going up on the west end in 2017! read more

In my original review of The Venue I called them out on their lack of accessibility getting in and out of the place. There were only two narrow doors located at the rear of the tent (yes, it's a tent) to herd people in and out. These doors led to a tiny hallway which took you back into the casino. Oddly enough, a few weeks after I wrote that review River Cree "voluntarily" closed this facility due to its not meeting safety codes. They have now put up a new temporary entertainment venue set up which is just another white tent that looks a lot like the old one. The difference is that this one has several emergency exits on either side and there is substantially more room to move at the main entrance/exit at the back (those two narrow doors I spoke of). Why it took them seven months to decide to just put up another tent is beyond me but that's what they did. They still have metal folding chairs tied together for their seating arrangements. So if you weigh more than 120 pounds you're going to be uncomfortable sitting in there. Everything about River Cree's concert venue just screams out "cheap, cheap, cheap." And by cheap, I don't mean affordable. River Cree's concert productions are a gaudy, transparent attempt to pack you in and get your money. Both of their concert halls have been lame-ass tents filled with the cheapest chairs money can buy and crammed literally as close together as they can get them. I would be embarrassed to stage concerts at this place with such quality venues as the Northern Jubilee Auditorium and The Winspear Centre in the city. For most of River Cree's concerts you can also purchase what they call a Fanatics Package for $100 which consists of a front row seat and a rushed photo op. No autographs are allowed. They always claim that it is the band that refuses to sign them but that's BS because I've caught up with a few performers after their show here and they're always happy to sign their merch for you. Lou Gramm, Queensrÿche, and members Grand Funk Railroad to name a few. I suspect that River Cree don't allow autographs during these Fanatic events because there's no money in it for them. I tweeted Queensrÿche about this issue and they said it was the venue/promoter who made that rule and that they would take care of me if I saw them after the concert. At the back entrance to the casino there are several posters on display autographed by performers who have played at The Venue over the years so obviously River Cree have no issues with being autograph hounds themselves. In order to get your photo you have to return to the casino at a later date and pick it up at the Players Club desk. Here's what they DON'T tell you in their literature--the photo is a mere 5x7 with NO digital version available. This is just further case-in-point to the fact that River Cree are living in a different century. Everything is about bringing you back into the casino to spend money. If they had any marketing sense they would include a digital version of the photo with the "Fanatics Package" and encourage people to share it on social media with a promotional hash tag to maximize their exposure as a happening music venue. They also oversell on how "professional" the photo is. During the Queensrÿche photo op the band weren't even centred on the backdrop. The drummer spoke up and pointed out that we all had to move down to the left because the guitarist was being pushed up against the wall. The photographer just ignored him and kept snapping away. The drummer just gave up and griped that he wasn't even listening to him. So in addition to being blind, the photographer is also deaf. (It's the same photographer every time, btw.) The casino is currently constructing a new entertainment facility out back behind their hockey rink. This one is an actual hard structure and not a tent. River Cree are promising two levels of seating and comfy chairs for this one. Rumour has it that there's going to be a new 4,100-person venue for live music, comedy, trade shows, and sporting events opening in west Edmonton in 2017 which could be serious competition for River Cree so the casino is probably upping their game for this reason. They should also update their Fanatics Packages to be more competitive with similar products being offered in this century. I'll be back with my third review of The Venue when it opens in a few months. read more

The Venue - New balcony with seating. - Comedy Clubs Near Me - Enoch, Alberta

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I recently saw Joe Rogan at The Venue (located at the River Cree Casino). Joe Rogan was hilarious! I honestly wasn't expecting much but he definitely put on a great show. The Venue is like a "military tent" according to Joe. It was very warm inside considering it was a huge tent and it was surprisingly comfortable. The chairs were great and the rows had enough leg room that you weren't squirming and fidgeting the whole show. There were two bars located at the entrance of The Venue (the back of the tent) which got extremely busy at times. There were numerous bartenders at each bar though so the lines moved at a pretty good pace. I had a great experience at The Venue and I had a great time with Joe Rogan - I will be buying tickets for his next show in Edmonton! read more

The set up here is atrocious. I felt like a sardine. Folding chairs crammed together like this place is preparing to house the population of Edmonton. We are in a Quonset for goodness sake. BO abounds. *puke* 2 thumbs down. read more

They get good acts to perform here so it can be a good time still but the venue is absolute garbage. Every performer I've seen here makes the joke that they are in an aircraft hanger. The casino figures people will pay anyways so why bother with giving them a good experience. I find a lot of time I watch the performers on the video screen not because I want to but because the setup draws me to them. Oh and they charge 9 bucks for a beer. Ridiculous. read more