Love seeing shows there but, let’s all simply concede that Red Hat was designed to be tem-por-ary…
Its days are numbered as the convention center will expand.
When that happens, here’s hoping Red Hat evolves as part of that expansion plan AND Dix has a world class amphitheater in the works with the connectivity concerns ironed out (*I’m all for the gondola - sounds sweeet). IF capacity differentiation between the two venues is taken into account, we all win.
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Dang, I should’ve done that. I love The Used. We probably would’ve bought tickets if we hadn’t just seen Phoebe Bridgers the night before.
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I’m very excited about Dix Park in general, but not the Amphitheater. As others have said, having a music venue there is NOT the same as having one actually downtown.
I know Red Hat as it currently exists is scheduled to be replaced by a questionable convention center expansion, but I really hope the city can figure out a walkable replacement. I still like the idea of a facility on the roof, but that maynot be practical.
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Which I get the mindset of originally being told it’s temporary and soon the convention center expansion will take its place. But this venue opened in June 2010, and considering the city will be responsible for building the convention center expansion, there’s a very slim chance that happens before 2030. Roughly 20 years of functionality, or maybe more, is a decent amount of time.
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I am holding out hope that the expanded convention center includes an outdoor amphitheater on top!!
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I’m surprised there are so many people here who think Dix Park will actually get built.
I honestly hold out no hope for anything related to Dix Park or public transit. It’s like, ooh there’s gonna be some flowers and outdoor yoga or a faster bus, etc. Maybe in 30 years from now, it’ll all be great, and I’ll be 70 and not want to do any of it.
Also, I don’t care at all about the convention center or its plans. I’ve been inside maybe twice in 12 years. I’ve been to a number of shows at Red Hat and had a lot of fun each time. It adds a lot more to that end of downtown than more convention space ever will.
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What do you mean? Dix Park already exists. I was there last week. Plaza and play is designed and I’m confident it will get built.
It is very possible/probable other things in the masterplan won’t get done, such as the Amphitheater which I don’t like anyway.
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Dix Park is a top priority for the city, almost as much as the new city hall complex, based on what I heard during my internship.
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Well I mean, the convention center is for tourism mostly, while Red Hat is for locals mostly. There’s definitely some overlap, but that’s the primary focus of the venues.
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If PNC replacement goes here it will obviously host huge music concerts much like Charlotte’s uptown-located Fillmore.
If convention center expansion they really need to invest in a rooftop concert venue.
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I would love an entertainment complex downtown similar to the Fillmore with a larger capacity indoor venue (because F********K the Ritz) and an adjoining outdoor amphitheater, and then some corresponding bar/restaurant space.
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There is a rumor that Midtown Exchange will have a Live Nation concert space, but I don’t know if that has been confirmed.
Live Nation owns The Ritz, so if one goes in at Midtown Exchange, I don’t know if they would compliment each other, or if that would be a replacement.
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It would need to be indoor to replace The Ritz. Live Nation is going to want to maintain a medium-large standing-only venue in Raleigh that doesn’t close for like four to five months out of the year.
The Ritz sucks, but I place at least 50% of blame for that on Live Nation (price gouging, insanely long lines for entry, etc.) and another 25% on the location (that street turns into a gridlocked disaster before and after shows, and it’s pretty impractical to get there by any method other than driving). The remaining 25% is the weird layout and crappy acoustics, but whatever.
I doubt I’d miss that place as long as a nicer but comparable replacement came in.
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Any suitable replacement would undoubtedly be another LiveNation venue, but to your point- any better location (as in: DOWNTOWN/walkable location) and better acoustics would still be a vast improvement.
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For sure, they’re a couple acquisitions short of a monopoly. But I agree, downtown would be much better.
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Ice Rink coming to the amphitheater https://abc11.com/ice-rink-downtown-raleigh-skating-in-near-me/11224630/
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Finally I can post this pic again now that the news has broken!
I’ll get an updated one when we get back to town.
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Even the Grinch’s heart grew three times seeing that
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