Don’t know where to drop this but this is close enough. Anyone know whether the city plans to develop the weird back corner of Redhat amphitheater? Seems like a waste of space, but maybe there’s something holding it off
What back corner? The are behind the stage? Redhat amphitheater is just a place holder to be removed when its time for the convention center to expand. I would imagine there are no plans to put any permanent structures on that block until the CC expands.
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I wish we could keep Red Hat amphitheater and make it fabulous. It’s one of our “cool” elements… walk to a concert and then walk to restaurants and bars. I guess we’ll also lose the shimmer wall.
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Agreed, although it would need about 1,000 dump trucks of Earth to build up the attendance area and create a better stadium effect.
Or just build it out of concrete and steel. Or just leave it as is and build better stage and concessions. Do people complain about it? Does it make money for the city? I think it’s ok to have multiple music venues around the city including Walnut Creek and Koka Booth, etc. Even adding a venue at Dix doesn’t have to shut down Red Hat necessarily. It’s a way to build our music reputation a little. I often hear bands comment that they love looking at the skyline and shimmer wall and find it uniquely Raleigh.
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Yes people complain about it from the musicians who play at it to the people in the surrounding neighborhoods who have to deal with the sound.
They tried to accommodate sound spilling into one neighborhood with no regard for any others. It compromised the sound quality immensely as well.
Basically they built it to be temporary and it shows.
While it’s great to have a venue directly downtown I think the proposed amphitheater at Dix will be much better as it potentially could provide some shade in addition to an overall better experience.
Also the new soccer stadium would be a much better venue for many of these concerts but that’s never getting built because of the State so I probably shouldn’t have mentioned it.
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I just worry that taking down Red Hat to build convention center reduces our downtown cool factor significantly. The convention center could go laterally in either direction.
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I wonder how eventual new developments west of Red Hat are going to impact acoustics for both the venue and the surrounding neighborhoods. It might help a little if you’re due west, but I guess it won’t help much if you live southwest of the amphitheater.
I live directly to the west of the amphitheater in a low area, and the sound bounces off the convention center and then the higher ground west of me in Boylan Heights so it sounds like the concerts are actually in Boylan Heights. It doesn’t really bother me most of the time, but yeah, acoustics.
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The new storage unit building on South helped to block some of the sound and the Fairweather might help some more. I don’t mind it but it is rough with a 430a wake up call to have a concert going until 1030p but that’s part of life living so close to downtown. I just think it’s a terrible venue and there a potentially better options that I would rather see get built than preserving Red Hat. Plus the city owns the land already so if there’s ever going to be a new convention center hotel and/or expansion that’s where it’s going. So better to have the other options in place sooner rather than later.
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Do we have a Red Hat or downtown music thread? Maybe we should open one seems like something a lot of people care about?
I’m with you all the way brotha. I’ve played Red Hat and let me tell you the slapback off the convention center is incredible. Makes you feel like you are rattling the whole city.
I agree having an amphitheater downtown is awesome. The one we have is poorly executed, but the concept is great. Dix amphitheater has the opportunity to be larger for bigger acts (+), surround the experience with nature (+), still be walkable to restaurants/bars unless the Dix huggers kill that part of the master plan (+), and provide better acoustics/sight lines with real stadium seating.
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Moved to new topic…
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Thanks! Thanks! Thanks! (had to get to 20 char but I am thankful)
I personally LOVE Red Hat. Maybe I am getting too old, but I think ALL concerts are too loud. haha We typically only go when BNL is in town, but I love the vibe of being in DTR with all the buildings and lights. And really love when a train pulls into or out of the train station. (Yes, I am a total dork, I already know this 
) I know Red Hat is temporary, but I will really miss it when it is gone. As for an amphitheater in Dix?? meh… IMO it is too far away from downtown proper. Maybe I will feel different IF one is actually built.
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Dix Park is still pretty far from Downtown and won’t feel like a city amphitheater.
Our tin-roof performance art center is pretty lame hence why DPAC is so popular compared to ours even though Durham is not that big of a city. Perhaps it’s time for DECPA to receive another facelift.
This is why we really needed Amazon and Apple here since they could have helped fund good-will projects like Dix Park or to renovate DEPCA.
I personally would like to see Shaw University exchange their property behind DECPA for monetary compensation, realign S Salisbury Street so it’s more circular to give more space behind DECPA. If you relocate Kennedy Theater you have enough space for another outdoor amphitheater. Also, wouldn’t be bad to redesigned the interior of the Raleigh Memorial Auditorium and get a better roof instead of the farm-like sheet metal roof we have on it right now.
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I think by the time the amphitheatre is actually relocated to Dix we’ll have 20 story buildings at the new saunders project (hopefully) and cool development inside of Dix (hopefully)
Or we could pull a total Raleigh move and scrap both Red Hat and the Dix Amphitheatre…
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I think by the time the Dix Amphitheater gets built and phase 2 of the convention center eliminates Red Hat the city will have filled in a lot between Dix and the center of downtown. How many cities have amphitheaters the size of Red Hat in their downtown? That’s just a lot of prime real estate so I can’t imagine it’s many.
I’ve been trying to think of other areas that could hold a Red Hat replacement or just another downtown public performance venue that could host a variety of things…maybe build on the empty lots across from RedHat and build a mini amphitheater for smaller acts/plays/etc.
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We had the same argument with Cane Hockey and their current stadium. The stadium is too far from the city center when city center stadiums is what the NHL organization really desires. Have you tried walking from the middle of Dix Park to City Plaza. It’s a bit of a walk and I walk everywhere.
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I actually do that walk quite often. It’s not too bad and it will only get better as there will be actual sidewalks. I also walk everywhere and I live right over near Dix so I’m familiar with the route. By the time Dix Amphitheater opens (should it open) there will be closer things to walk to in (hopefully) and around Dix. So the need to walk to the center of the city if you want to eat out before or party after a concert will be lessened.
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Let’s hope that is the case.
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