The Riviera is certainly older but it gives it a very charming feel. The smaller theater size lets you get up close and personal with whoever you came to see-saw Jay Park here and Ive never been to a concert that was so much of a party.Drinks are expensive but theyre always expensive at concerts, what else is new. I had a wonderful time!
Getting here early is a must. Older theater but very charming. Go to the second floor and grab those seats in the first row. Staff is very helpful and always helping. There is a VIP section on the second floor. Best seats for sure in the place. First floor is very crowded so if you like parties and dance that is the place to be. We were here for the Tove Lo concert and we love it. Drinks were a a little over price so make sure you start the party before getting here.
We came here for a concert and were not sure what to expect, as we are not familiar with the area. We were impressed with the classic look of the theatre and the elegant wooden decor. The space was ample for the show, and the staff were very friendly when we interacted with them. Overall, this was a great place for a concert and would probably be a good location for a play or any other such event as well.
Very cool concert venue. The line to get in was the longest I’ve ever experienced but it was because they were using a metal detecting wand, searching bags, etc and it took a little longer. Beautiful decor and great sound.
My daughters and I came in from Michigan to see Melanie Martinez. I was more than happy at the whole experience. We did miss the opening act because the line was so long but I wasn’t mad. I was super happy with the security and everyone was so nice and our seats were awesome. I love concerts in old buildings like that. Great job to everyone who worked Melanie Martinez. You all were awesome!
We saw an Andrew McMahon concert here on a Saturday night, and it was LONG concert so we were exhausted by the time it was done (there arent any seats besides in the balcony), but its a super cool venue!Its a bit hard to get to from most places in the city, and we took an Uber back home afterwards, but that didnt take away from the night.Make sure that you scope out all of the bars before committing to a drink - we found that some of the ones closer to the stage had different drinks than the one right by the door.Oh, and coat check is downstairs and a bit crammed, but after the concert, things were orderly and we were able to get our jackets pretty quickly!
Looks a little nicer inside. Getting in the venue is still a major problem. The security line is still very slow. Unfair to miss part or all of an act because of waiting outside. They should open the doors 2 hours before shows that are at or close to sell outs. Be prepared to wait. Get there early and dont bother waiting in line. Many people dont and that contributes to the problem.
We have been to the Riviera twice and both experiences were great! We had no problems finding parking Both times on the street Free! The sound was great and the theatre is stunning! Service was great and everything was clean
Really cool venue. The upstairs is absolutely gorgeous and the prices werent too bad for being a venues in Chicago. I hope to see more shows pop up here. New years was an absolute blast!!
Great venue for concerts have been here two different occasions, most recently to see Bob Moses with Phantogram. Bob Moses is such a cool modern synth rock group, check them out on Spotify or live! Back to the venue, the acoustics are clear with plenty of space to stand to see the stage. If you are shorter, a balcony area exists but is usually an additional ticket cost. Several bars exist right by the entrance, main stage, and also on the second floor which accept both cash and card. Doormen staff are accommodating make sure guests get through the door quickly, safely, efficiently. Also, a bathroom attendant exists with mints and spray for a tip very helpful for staying fresh. This is a great venue to catch a show any time of the year, highly recommend it.
Excellent venue to see a concert. Intimate, great accoustics. You can sit upstairs or dance on the main floor. Gets hot in there, leave your coat in the car.
Not good if you need any accommodations for disabilities. I’m Deaf, and was really looking forward to seeing an artist who I love.The theatre’s website didn’t have a spot to place a request for accessibility. It was “call, but only on show days”. I finally was able to find an email to contact someone of some sorts. They said they would place a request. I Followed up to ask if they got someone or not. No response.When I showed up and asked the manager apologized and offered a refund but I had traveled hours to get there. I wasn’t going to make my friend leave with me.Even though I was with a friend who knew sign, they aren’t trained to interpret these shows. They didn’t go to 4+ years of school for it.It just hurt to take off work & class, spend money for tickets, wait hours in line to get a good spot and not be able to get the same experience as everyone else. It hurt to look at the artist I absolutely adored and not being able to know what she was saying to us.But I spent loads of money when I could have stayed home and listened to her music with a good bass.
I were impressed!! I had heard about it but had never visited. Large and spacious seating.I can see history. My seat was close so the viewing was good. Customer service was good
The band was AMAZING! The rest was just awful! Never in my life have I experienced a worse atmosphere for a show, the venue was entirely to hot, watched a few females fight and security did nothing about it, which caused more fights. I have seen shows at every other venue in the city and this by far was the worst on almost every way.
Had GA fix, 1st balcony. Sound was great! Seat (like the condition of it not location), condition of venue, temperature inside venue all reasons to never return...unless of course the Roots came back.
This is one my all time favorite venues to see a concert in the city. It’s beautiful, retro, and you can often see mid-tier to emerging artists here or even sometimes big name artists. The tickets are electronic or printed making entrance easy, and the size of the venue makes getting in and out fairly painless. Once you’re inside the lobby is pretty small and seating has two tiers that include seating. Make sure to look up and enjoy the beautiful chandeliers and architecture. If you’re contemplating seeing a show here, do it! Little no parking in the immediate area, there are some lots on Lawrence, free street parking west of broadway including in the neighborhoods. There are a number of bars and restaurant walking distance or a short cab away, so you don’t have to go to far before or after the show.
Decent concert venue with clear view of stage, general admission floor area with standing room only. There is as mezzanine seating on the upper level with plenty of sections for those not interested in standing amongst crowd. Bars on each level but drinks are scarce (no red wine and a double shot of cognac was severely underpoured & overcharged... however the facility is super dated and in need of a complete facelift. Also only 1 restroom when check is located on the bottom level so good luck if your up top.Cmon Riviera give the people what we deserve for our dollaz.
If you can get the tickets cheap its worth it. The theatre itself is pretty run down. The seats are all very old and you have to search for a while to find one thats halfway comfortable. You should get there when doors open or earlier if you want a good seat. Balcony seats were good.Ultimately its the act that will make or break the show. If youre going to a good performer the theatre itself wont really matter much.
Definitely one of the better venues Ive been too. They have seating up top and an open pit down down below by the stage where its standing room only. It is first come, first serve, so get there early to get the better views. The seats were comfortable but not enough leg space in my opinion, the servers come to your seat to take your drink orders which was nice. Will definitely be back.
Great venue for an awesome show. Peekaboo was lit! Cant wait to go to another show here!
The event I want for was amazing but this place looks like ancient history they seriously need to do some remodeling
Your waitresses kept blocking the performance. These are all big boys and girls and can go to the bar if they need to leave and miss a performance by choosing to get a drink. I did not want to miss any of the performance, but I did since your waitresses kept standing in my way. A once in a lifetime chance to see Heilung and over 10 hours of driving. Thanks for the negative impact.
Went there to see King Diamond. The band was amazing but the layout of the theater is terrible! Unless you get there super early and are able to grab a spot at the front or get a seat upstairs you pretty much can’t see the band perform at all. The place was packed and my friend and I couldn’t see the band at all from the bar area. Went upstairs and all the seats were packed. Made for a very sad experience when you go to see a band and struggle to see them half the show.
Very nice concert Venue. This happens to me regularly so if you look homely, which I do, for my own comfort, you will be ignored by the bar tenders. This is typical treatment to folks who dont dress up. Other than that it is a nice music venue.
Bathrooms werent bad and there are plenty of bars to get a drink at. E tickets at the door went really smooth and we were in pretty quickly. However our event was over sold and the ability to see the stage was awful. Everything inside is on a very low slope so if you end up just off the main floor youre not seeing much. We came from out of town for this show. If we were in a similar situation again I would travel to another town before going to this venue again.Once again its not a fault of services, everyone I met who worked there was really nice. Its just a really bad sight line to see the stage unless youre really close.
Went to see Heilung. The ritual itself was otherworldly. BUT, I was up on the first row balcony and the view was extremely hindered by a thick metal bar. Tried standing up but people kept screaming at us to sit down. So for two hours I had to sit uncomfortably to look over or under this bar. Also, the whole middle section by the balcony (along with the private side balcony seats) was taken up for VIP but yet only around 2 rows worth of people were sitting there while they crammed people downstairs. The venue is terrible.
Pretty nice place to go for a concert with friends, its fairly large so if you get there earlier you can get a nice spot upfront. Keep in mind that there isnt any place to sit unless you pay for a extra for it, so be prepared to stand the whole time. Theres a bar and food that is available as well, but which concerts dont have that
Cool venue. Standing room on the bottom. Seating up top. They usually have a lot of great talent come through
Saw Heilung there and nobody could see after paying $160 a ticket. They oversold the the show and it was so disappointing to not be able to see. Heilung sounded amazing and beautiful, occasionally we got a quick glimpse. This theater needs to get it together.
Very beautiful theater with a good amount of standing room. Great for both moshing up front but also chilling in back with a good view. Coat check in the wintertime was definitely worthwhile; each item was $3 and it was very close to the entrance. Upper floors have a good view as well. Easily accessible by the red line.
Wouldve been Grand about 40 years ago. Bathrooms are only located in the basement and tend to clog. Lots of bars, good sound, and has seating up top, standing room on the floor. Always GA, convenient to the red line.
The Banks concert was awesome and the production staff was so professional. Show looked and sounded great!
Concert was great. Venue was not. Tons of seats were broken. The bathroom needs a ton of repairs. It was probably great in its hay day but now it needs a lot of work.
I attended the Mat Kearney show here Mar 9th. I had VIP, so I was in the very front row and had an awesome view! The whole place is beautiful and I had so much fun. Great venue. Not a bad seat in the house.
Great place to see a show. Feels more intimate than it is. Also, there is balcony seating available.
Awesome venue and surrounding area. Will definitely come back!
Ttheres plenty seating in the balcony. i always appreciate seating. i also liked the drink servers
Needs some work, but still a great venue for intimate concert experiences.
Holy hooten awesomeness! This place rocks as much as the entertainment from the stage! Friends, family or both will enjoy themselves completely.
Worst venue in Chicagoland by far. Avoid at all costs. The only place Ive been that charges you for water in 2019. Security is outrageous and condescending, drink prices are high, its almost impossible to get a good view the way its laid out unless you pay extra, I could go on and on. Sound was decent and its conveniently located by the red line, but the red line is sketchy after a certain hour so use your discretion.
The hall was beautiful. Loved the concert.
Exceptionally conscientious staff really made me feel like a guest. Great sound at the venue. I wouldnt hesitate to attend another concert there.
The small venue but great time very good Acoustics very great sounding everything all right way around I recommend you get a chance to go see a show over there
Been here for 2 different shows.The theatre gets packed. It’s not very clear which levels you are allowed on.Bartender can be rude, but I don’t blame them for what they have to put up with.
If you want to see anything, DONT plan on standing near the front unless you can get the very first or second row or youre taller than average. From the fourth row, I saw hardly anything being 54. There is zero elevation and the stage is very short. Entire songs went by that I never even saw the artist. I had to watch the entire thing through other peoples phones, which was better than nothing. Also the bass resonance sounds nasty standing there anyway. I think it would be better to stand in the front row of the elevated area in front of the bar, but I cant be for sure since I wasnt able to test it. Balcony is seated and does get rather close but all the front of it was VIP.
Very intimate and historic venue. Worth the visit! Great little local cash only pancake place next door too.
This place has alot of history.
Have been here for several shows over the past few years. If youre in the area before it takes a few steps down to the pit you cant really see much. But theres plenty of space in the pit. The staff are pretty nice. Theres a cool upstairs area. There is a coat check and bathrooms downstairs. Bathrooms are not the best but usable. Enjoy your concert here!
Acoustics are amazing here but seats are in need of some repair. Staff are friendly, security lines are quick. Lots of places to get a drink! Bathrooms are mainly downstairs, but there are accessible bathrooms on first floor. Love the old theaters. I have been here for many concerts and you cant beat the intimacy smaller venues provide. Would recommend!
Ive been to The Riv on numerous occasions and have had a great experience each and every time. The venue is old, but has a lot of character. The architecture is really cool as well. The acoustics are really really good, but, I must say it can be deafeningly loud sometimes, depending on where you are standing/sitting. I go to a lot of shows and typically bring ear plugs, but forgot them last week and was regretting it for a few days until the ringing stopped. They have a balcony section as well which you can access with your GA ticket, at least you can for every concert that Ive been to there. This truly is one of my favorite venues in Chicagoland.
Do Not bring Backpacks! Not allowed in, can not check. Do not bring VAPS or E-CIGS, this is a public service announcement. Have fun
Had a fantastic time the venue however needs a makeover especially the bathroom. The bathroom was horrible
Very old and unique. Needs some restoration to bring it back to its the greatness. Saw concert there and you can get very close.
The show itself was great, sound quality high, and I had a balcony seat so I didnt have any issues with an overpacked crowd or the view. However, more than a few security guards/staff members were absolutely awful and would glare you down if you met their eyes or be belligerent if you asked them a question. Drink prices were bad enough that I was willing to be dehydrated the whole time. If you go just be prepared for a few bumps in the road and youll be fine
Venue had VIP for concert but had to wait outside for 2 hours. The staff had no idea what was going on. I asked where coat check was and they were confused. Called the venue the day of concert and they said they were closed for the day. ALSO ONLINE SAYS that they had food inside the venue..... NO THEY DONT! I just feel you have to do better as a venue if you want people to come to shows.
Pretty sweet venue. Saw Mac DeMarco there.
Artists were amazing, good sound quality and venue was beautiful. Only reason not 5 stars is because tickets were only will call option for the first people who bought them and amongst picking up tickets they shorted everyone who paid for 1+. Also, only had one guy working the will call pick up.
The wait for the concert wasnt bad and the staff was helpful once I was able to fight my way out of the mosh pit.
Came to see Brittnay Howards album release concert. Had never been and didnt know what to expect, our seats were in the balcony and was happy to find that the venue is not too large so most seats seem to be good seats. The sound was awesome and made the experience that much better!
This is a little peace of Chicagos history in Uptown. You can see the years and the lack of proper maintenance, but if you enjoy good old fashion architecture you should visit this place at least once.
Lots of upper level seating and interesting architecture. Multi level bars, the coat check is down the stairs towards the bathrooms
Warning: metal detector wielding security at front door. Will turn down those with vapes.Awesome sounding and beautiful venue. Tycho was a treat as well. Highly recommended (though $17 for a double jack and coke is a little ridiculous).Pack smart, pregame, and enjoy the show in a lovely building.
Best place to go see a concert at!
The building is absolutely beautiful. Built in 1917 and of the French renaissance revival architecture, one cannot stop admiring its ornate detail while inside. The bands and artists that play here are often big names that could book much larger venues but opt for the feel of this theater. I don’t blame them, the atmosphere while inside is memorable to say the least. The reason for rating this place so low is the service provided at the bar. I have never been to a concert hall that provided me with a cup of water with so much disdain than this place. To top it off the bartender filled the cup up half way and told me, “next time I’m gonna charge you for it”. I’m sure this would stay in anyone’s mind and unfortunately it left a negative impression for me.
Rip off. The venue is just one giant blind spot for 1/3 of the audience. I recommend you get there exactly when the doors open if you want any chance of actually seeing the show you paid to see...otherwise youll be trapped in the bar where the acoustics are no good and the view is blocked. Went to see FKA Twigs last weekend but the balcony literally blocks the view of the entire stage. They kept saying sorry, its a sold out show. Sorry, no: the Riviera got greedy and sold too many tickets, which makes it an oversold show.
Good drink options. Not outrageous prices. Odd seating on the balcony, but it works.
Same place but theres always a great vibe
Saw The Roots there maybe 15 ft away from the band. Nice intimate venue.
Cozy historic theater. Some sort of food menu would be a plus. Lazy coat check staff...
I didnt particularly care for it. The layout was obnoxious and the sound was not very good. Too few security people to get the huge line in quickly. Drink prices are crazy, and the bar was not very well stocked. Good show though.
Great venue to see up and coming artists. Really good acoustics in this historic theatre.
Great venue. Solid sight lines from the balcony. Intimate. GA on ground floor good for energetic mosh pits or dancing. Only downside was bathrooms. Only 2 for whole place, in the basement. It flooded the night we were there for Good Charlotte in both the mens and womens, otherwise Id have given it 5 stars. Solid venue.
The place is easy to find and no problem getting in or out. The concert was lit and I was still vibing when I left.
Absolutely loved seeing Andrew McMahon here! The theatre has so much potential for renovation as well. I work for a theatre from 1928 so it was awesome to see another historic theatre with character. Please take care of the riviera!
Great theater. Only small shows should play there
We had a great time listening to Gente de Calle. Great service.
The place is good, the acoustic to enjoy a concert it is also very good. Restrooms are bad.
Love that they have seating upstairs. Made it much easier to enjoy the concert and actually see
Johnnyswim was great, a little warm in there but otherwise very nice old theater.
Concert venue was great! Lots of seating and ample standing room. Drinks were never far since wait staff was up and about.
Hands down, worst venue I have ever been to. Tried to see Heilung but the venue was way over sold. Hundreds of people having to stand in the aisle or in the back with zero view of the stage. Traveled from three states over to learn that over half the theater cant see the stage.
Beautiful classic old theater, now a concert venue.
Seen a handful of shows here and plan to see more in the future. Venue is pretty run-down but what small concert venues arent? Easy to access via the Red Line. One thing that sucks is that in the winter the coat check line backs up into the main entrance so getting out of the building is a mess. Otherwise, nothing too special but if a favorite artist is playing there I wouldnt avoid the place.
Love the venue, love the performance. I will definitely be going back!
Fantastic venue with great sound quality and light show. Love the staggered heights of the sections so even short people can see the stage clearly. Also love the multiple bars.
Tight venue, but it means no seat is a bad seat. Had a great time