Never been there before. Something needs to be done about the quality of sound. Was way too loud. I know the sound man shouldve toned it down. Good thing i brought ear plugs!! Everything else was great. Sat in the balcony!! Will go back

This is a great venue to go see a show at.However, I walked straight to the upstairs balcony and sat down and watched the show from a table with a great view. When I walk through the front door they put a wristband on me after they checked my ID but they never checked my ticket. I also never walked thru security.The merch Booth was directly off to the right before you went through security and access to the balcony was also directly to the right next to the merch booth. I walk straight upstairs found a table sat down no questions asked and watch the entire show. I had access to the entire Balcony Bar, smoking area, and restrooms. my ticket was never even scanned.The Usher at the top of the stairs never even asked if I was supposed to be there. I just walked in.

I was a little worried after reading some of these reviews but this place is just fine! Its crowded yeah but youre at a concert! If you want your own seat buy opera tickets. We got there 5 minutes before the doors opened for Highly Suspect and made it immediately 4 rows back center stage. Id say most of these reviews are from people who dont go to concerts much.

Had an awesome time and got to see a good show. Need to have more shows like this at the madison theatre

First time there and I was impressed with staff, drinks, lighting, and the spaciousness!

If I could have left zero stars, I would have. The last two times I attempted to see Highly Suspect here the concert was clearly oversold. You cant get through to go to the bathroom or bar and get back down to the floor. You cant see the band at all. This doesnt even cover the fact that they have the worst fans. Never again.

Easily the worst venue Ive ever been to. As a number of other reviewers have pointed out, if the show is sold out then you are guaranteed a terrible night. If youre on the floor, everyone is packed in like sardines and good luck if youre shorter than 6 feet. If youre not willing to stand like a toothpick, then youll be way in the back by the bars where you cant see the stage and can barely hear the music. The staff are awful; the drinks selection is terrible. Theres truly not one redeeming feature to this place. I will never go back and hope that any artists coming to this area will take note of just how awful an experience it is for their fans and choose some other venue to play at. As a side note: Ive also been to Madison Live next door...which is not the same (and actually pretty decent)....but given how awful the theater is and their staff are, I am reluctant to go back there now too (if only that I cant justify giving this management team my money). Just to be clear: did I mention how absolutely awful this place is? If not, it is unbelievably bad...a nightmare in fact. Dont go. Artists: dont play here, please, really, dont play here.

The drinks were fairly cheap and the venue was nice, bathrooms were very small for how many people it services. The concert I was at was VERY oversold. If you got there late there might have been a chance you couldnt even see the band.

Great venue, if you get a spot in the balcony. Show was sold out and the floor area looked packed! Balcony has its own bar and bathrooms too.

Great venue for concerts with an up close experience with the band

Nice venue. Good bartenders and sound system. General admission shows held here. First come first serve seats/tables are sometimes placed in the middle levels on the first floor, but I believe the second floor has theatre style seats if you absolutely must sit.

Not a bad view in the place!

4 tier venue. Plenty of places to get a full view of the stage. The acoustics carry over very nicely. Friendly staff. Easy to find. On street parking or theres a parking lot out back. Everything was perfect. Saw Pigeons playing ping pong on NYE 2017/18

Theater gets people in quickly and has great sound for live bands! No seating and dont get stuck behind a tall person.

Great venue for a concert. Took my daughter to see Why Dont We. Had a great time and we had a pretty good view.

Small, but in a good way - similar to Bogarts. Conveniently theres parking to the right of their street (decent prices - $1 per hour or $6 for overnight).Another plus is that theres no way that you can get a bad view.Pictured below: dining/sit down area in front of the stage; bands - The Key Concepts, Telehope, Harbour.

Disappointed in the crowd management and stage visibility. If you dont arrive super early, you will be standing about 10 feet inside the doors, and unable to even see the stage, and the bar chatter will be louder than the show itself. We left very early, even with a band that I was excited to see. Areas closer to the stage were very overcrowded and impossible to get into or out of, even at a very mellow and lesser known show/band. So Im not sure arriving early is a desirable solution either...

Great venue with multiple bars so no long waits for a cocktail!

Great venue! The floor is standing room only. If there are enough tickets sales, they open up the balcony which has seating. Staff is friendly. There are two places to order drinks on the first floor and one place in the second floor.

Drinks are way too expensive. Staff could have a friendlier vibe. The standing room area has no slope So its hard for people to see above crowd. Theres banisters in odd places that create problems with flow of traffic. Bathrooms are always clean. Venue is in great location with lots of cool places to eat before and after shows.

Straight outta the 80s. Thats what the place felt like. Pretty dated but what place like this isnt. Felt like 1980s Miami vice! Whatever, the place puts on great venues and the drink prices were great, if you dont mind tall boy Rolling rocks.

Some of the best shows of my life have been here. Modest Mouse 2005, of Montreal 2010, 2012, 2013, Animal Collective 2013 and 2017.

Worst Venue I have ever been too. The staff is horrible!! Oversold. Did I say OVERSOLD. The Fire Department should be at a every sell out event! The staff has no clue what is going on. I wanted my money back, before the concert started. I was told to go out front to box office. We waited to be told, you should just get here earlier. I listen to the band from the bar. (Could of done that from home.) I gave all 8 of my tickets to staff, maybe they can figure out a place to stick them. I will make sure to tell everyone I know not to go to this venue. I hope the bands playing here realize this. DO NOT PLAY HERE.

Had a great time at a Gregory Allen Isokov concert. I will definitely be making the 2 hour drive again.

Love the Madison, wife and I try and go whenever there is something we like happening.

Saw the band mushroom head, they were amazing , got VIP tickets so we got pics wit the band. The show was super awesome very creative! I also saw venum open for them they hung out after they played so I talked n hung out with em.

The sound is good, but the stage is set so low that no one can see.

Great venue! Saw Animal Collective here a few months ago back in July. The only negative thing I’d have to say is I didn’t have too good of an experience with security. The guy searching before entering I guess didn’t think my Fuji Instax camera case was a camera and held me up to search it. He almost dropped it too. And when I went to wait out back for the band to do a meet, the security guy there lied and said they weren’t gonna be meeting fans that night. They did. Kinda stinks driving 200+ miles in hopes of seeing a band you like but missing out on that because you’re lied to. I’m giving a 4/5 because I doubt all the staff is like that. All around great place I just didn’t have a good experience with the staff.

Went here for a concert. Had a great time! Nice venue. Great beer prices! Parking was easy and nearby. Plan to stand all night though because there were only a few tables but who sits at a concert anyway!

Great place to see a concert. Not a very big venue and perfect to see from anywhere in the venue.

Madison Theater is the best venue locally for live music. Close to hotels, restaurants, and tons of parking on and off street available. Not a bad seat in the house. Side note; smokers can enter an outdoor rooftop patio without ever stepping back outside and losing their entrance to show.

I cannot list the amount of amazing concerts I have seen here. Great venue.

Excellent and fast service during live national acts

Great venue but since we went straight over to merch booth and into venue and up to the balcony us and alot of people never went through security or had our tickets scanned. This seems like a huge flaw in their system.

Great small venue. It’s hard to see if you don’t get close to the stage .

Not a bad place to watch the show great sound and good staff

A great intimate event location in the Crusty Cov. Bathrooms are questionable, but what are you expecting at a small venue like this? Snarky Puppy had a great show.

Wonderful place to hold a concert! Three floors, enough room for everyone!

First time to there and it was much smaller than what I had expected. Overall the concert was great. Id definitely go again for the right performer

Terrible venue. Oversold the show so we were packed in like sardines. People in the back shouting at each other the whole time. No indication or help on how to get to the 2nd floor. Told I couldnt stand in a certain spot by staff and 10 minutes later 20 people stand there anyway. Band did their best with the sound system. This is by far the worst venue Ive been to.

Always loved coming here for raves! Security could be buzzkills alot of the time though but oh well lol. Only had one bad experience and that was when they did jam the bass like 4 years ago and made it seem like a huge EDM event but when we drove 2 hours to get there it was live bands on the main stage till 2am and then they brought it downstairs (they had the DJS playing on band PA equipment (like peavey guitar amps) it was a joke lol. By 2 i had to leave. I tried getting refunded when i got there but no dice. Still would recommend the venue though!!!

Saw the main squeeze tonight. Awesome show

The venue was packed but due to the rooftop area and balcony it made for what felt like a very spacious area despite the number of attendees. Gotta love the pbr tallboy 2 for 10 deal as well! All in all one of my favorite venues in the city.

Saw Snarky Puppy here a few weeks ago. Used to go see Inner Vision Collision here back in the day, wish theyd bring that funkn horn band back from the dead. Good times.

Madison live. Small but accommodating.Love the upclose and personal vibe!

Loved the band I saw here but I believe they oversold the show causing ridiculous overcrowding where you couldnt move without making people fall over, temperatures to where people were fainting in the middle of winter, and a definite trampling disaster had anything catastrophic happened. Too small of a venue for some of the groups they book. Other than the size I enjoy the atmosphere and acoustics.

Went there for guitarfest 2019 first time ever at venue... besides listening to the best blues guitarists around ..the sound system and layout of the venue is superb.. Standing Room / mosh pit is below stage level so seating area has no obstruction! Beers are a little pricey but a good selection of craft beers available. We definitely return for the show Id like to see!

Great venue love the upstairs smoking

One of my favorite intimate venues to see great bands. Played there with my band when it was reopened in early 2000s and Just saw the Claypool Lennon Delirium. Great place.

Classic rock and roll space. Lots of bars and good sightlines. Can get *crowded* on the main floor, but they usually open the balcony when they sell that many tickets. Lots of seats with tables upstairs.

This place is a fire marshalls nightmare. We were at an (obivously) sold out concert. No chairs. No room to breathe. No clear aisles or exits. We were packed in so tight that people I did not know were touching me. The guy in front of me went to take off his coat and almost elbowed me in the face. Not going back.

Ive seen a bunch of shows here. Good place for GA seating. Nice smoking deck upstairs.

The Madison Theater is a great venue for music of all sorts! Its both a great place for new artists as well as many that you are familiar with. It is large venue that was a movie house for decades, has been saved for the most part and even boasts a sizable balcony. The bar is both terrific and well stocked. Prices seem reasonable. The staff are friendly and eager to serve! As Always, Enjoy!

Good venue to have the opportunity to get up close to artists. Security was friendly but on top of things too.

Loved this venue. It has a quaint chart to it. The people who work there and go there are all awesome people. And they have some good music playing there.

Ive been to this venue twice now and I always love it. Its small enough that it is simple and easy. Even getting out after the concert wasnt hard. And the bartenders are always friendly

A hidden gem of a concert venue.

Great acts and great bartenders.

Purchased Balcony Front tickets. When I got to the theater, the front of the balcony was closed for fire code reasons. Myself and the patrons who bought balcony front tickets had to sit in the rear portion, where our line of sight to the stage was blocked by a railing at the front of the balcony. If you go here, definitely get floor seats. The show was great, but the seats were awful.

My least favorite venue in the Cincinnati area. The pit is too low. The bar is too high. The stage is too low. They always oversell it so theres never enough room to see the band, walk to the bar, or even fart comfortably. You are crammed in there like sardines.

Its an awesome place to experience any event..I went there for Highly Suspect!

If it’s a sitting event, you can’t see the stage unless you’re in the bottom section. 70% of seats have a very bad view of the stage

Ill give 4 stars only because the venue is a little dated and declining in appearance... good size, excellent layout (Love that it has 3 levels for viewing a show, even people in the back can see!) and staff was awesome! Concert was awesome and on time everything ran smooth! Drinks were reasonably priced for a concert.

The music sounded really good!

The staff is pleasant & a great venue for shows

This place has a great feel and is a great place to catch a show

Nice place to attend live concerts!

Very disappointing experience at the Madison theater. Went to see one my favorite artists and it was so overcrowded that even seeing (or not seeing) him didn’t make it worth it. The staff was rude and every single inch of the place was crammed full of people. We were told to go stand in the back, even though we got there plenty early enough for a “good” spot. Our friends ended up leaving before the show even started. It was the worst concert experience I have ever had and I will not be returning there. I’m also going to reach out to the artist to suggest other venues next time they are in town.

Just go inside and youll see why its worthy of 5 stars. Theres a certain magic in the air during show time, and the bar staff and cleaning crew are not only hard working, but theyll even help other people if theyre not swamped. Kudos to this venue.

It was the perfect size for a laid back concert.

Good, not great. Long lines to get in usually, but I️ guess that is to be expected. I️ enjoy seeing shows here and you can expect to have fun if you come

Saw The Devil makes three, it was a fantastic show at this versatile venue.

The staff at Madison Theater and Madison Live are amazing. Needed assisted seating for a GA show after surgery and Heather and her group went above and beyond to help me out. They truely saved the day and made for a wonderful concert experience for my friend and I. Madison Live holds 300 and is the perfect venue for a show. Great bar, sound rocks and they handle logistics like pros...us they treat everyone like theyre friends! Definitely worth a visit......I cant wait to go back. Thanks to everyone who worked the Pale Waves show, youre awesome!

Best venue for live music. Two floors, multiple bars, smoking patio. Perfect sound.

Worst venue I’ve ever been too. WAY over sell the shows. WAY over capacity. This place is a joke DO NOT waste your money coming to a show here.

Great venue, but that upper level got uncomfortably hot!

Large venue. Could offer add more to really make it stellar ....pay the bands better.

Good sound for the concert we went to, but could have been better. Bathrooms stayed clean enough, but overall run down appearance with tile bulging in the ceiling making me worried they would fall into the crowd. Would still go to shows here though.

Great venue, wide open.

A little dated but very cute still! Loved the way it is set up and its a great venue. Also, the area has some great little pubs and restaurants and cool architecture.

Great place but overcrouded!

Great place to play music at!

My wife and were invited to visit the Madison Theater the weekend on March 3rd for the Battle of the Bands competition.We arrived around 9 oclock and the competition had already began. The place was at about 75 percent capacity. We were able to get drinks very quickly. The girls at the bar were very nice and fast.The sound was pretty good in the venue especially since none of these bands had any sound boards or anyone to control sound.Unfortunately the band we came to see did not move on in the competition.

Very spacious..great venue..good location. Really enjoyed the concert l went to there. Ran very smooth and on time!

Awesome venue, great place to watch a show

I was just walking down Madison Street and passed by Madison Theater. You must buy tickets to go. They have food and alcoholic beverage. They have a great reputation for the shows they have. Im sure you will have a good time. FYI this is not a movie theater.

Great venue. I love the balance of sitting space and dance floor

Absolutely beautiful inside. I was very impressed with this theatre. The price was right, and the three floors provides enough space for a good show. The restaurant/bar has a surprising menu. I look forward to my next visit.

My daughter had a concert here. Nice little downtown main street vibe. Safe surroundings and very walkable with parking available.

Madison Live is a large rectangular room with the stage at the far end. There are a few tables with stools but mostly standing room to listen to the music. Acoustics are very good and not overwhelming. The bar is reasonable. Enjoyed the evening.

Its a cool area. Good neighborhood. In an old movie theater. It gets hot fast so that kind of sucks when your drinking or just trying to enjoy the show. Or both. The floor is slanted. That helps for us short people. Decent beer selection. Pretty roomy.

Show was great. It was a little warm but thats to be expected with so many people. The theater had a lot of character. Definitely looking forward to going back.

Just seemed to be waaaay too crowded the most recent time I went. Like really, really oversold. I have been there many times and have never had this problem. Had to move up to the balcony to have any room whatsoever.....then the sound sucked up there. Plus thats where all the people who like to pay for concerts so they can talk really loudly to eachother hang out. Twas a bummer

Every time is a great time

Great sound at this venue. Also very handicap accessible.

Great place to see a show! Ample handicapped seating. Im a little worried about the upcoming They Might Be Giants show... Ive heard that they tend to over book some of the bigger shows. We shall see...

One of the best places to catch really good music coming through Cincinnati.

Best music venue in Covington!

Band was great. Venue could have used better sound equipment.

Crowded ballroom performance hall. Easy to get to, plenty of parking nearby.Audio and lighting were fantastic. The stage footprint seems a little small, but works. The floor is multi-tiered, which helps the crowd a little by creating multiple spaces that get crowded instead of one big area.Beer selection at the bar was poor.