Lincoln Theater in Raleigh

Until recently, if there was a concert playing in the city of Raleigh, the venue was the "Brewery". Unfortunately, it had a hard time keeping its doors open, and was always under new management. The bands were small, and local. They're open now, but a new venue on the other side of Raleigh "Lincoln Theater" is stealing some of their thunder.

Lincoln Theater was recently renovated and converted to be used more as a concert hall. Prior to this it had been a large one room theater, with a lower level, and upstairs was a balcony. They now host smaller bands from both out of town, and locally. Prices aren't bad, but if you're under 21, have three dollars ready at the door because you'll get an extra charge. There is a smoking section, but it's upstairs on the balcony and surprisingly, not much smoke drifts to the main floor. Alcohol is served, but they have hand stamps to keep it out of the hands of those younger than 21.

The concert I went to was one of the more popular bands that played there, and it still wasn't very crowded. There's very little sitting room though, aside from a handicap ramp you can use, so expect to stand most of the time. There are very few seats at all, aside from the small bar near the entrance and a few upstairs, but very few venues of this size do.

The sound system was excellent, and so the music sounded great! A few of the concerts at other venues played the music so loud my ears literally rang for two days afterwards, which wasn't the case at Lincoln Theater. They had the volume at the perfect level, so unless your hearing is really sensitive you won't need ear plugs, at least if you're towards the back.

The merchandise was sold off to the side, but still too close to the main entrance. When your trying to get out there's a pretty severe back up, which wouldn't be too good in an emergency. The staff wasn't the friendliest, but the security was good, and I felt pretty secure though. Do be cautious of the near by area however, as its not located in the best part of Raleigh. There is paid parking literally next door to the venue, but across the street is a parking deck with good security, and if you're seeing an after 7 concert the parking on the deck is free.

Overall I was pleased with my first trip to Lincoln Theater, and plan to see another concert there next month. You can buy tickets for all their upcoming concerts at etix.com.