Marquee Theatre - AZ

I’ve been seeing bands here for years. Now that I’m older, I always buy a seat upstairs. It seems a lot of people are confused about the floor, which is higher the farther back you go, to offer a better view. Like stadium seating? Duh. I always have exceptional interactions with staff, everywhere from parking to entry to the bar to being assisted to my seat. The bartender upstairs is a doll, and you can find amaretto, which isn’t always available downstairs. The bathrooms are well-maintained, and I’ve never experienced an uncomfortable wait. I’ve spoken with management many times, when I couldn’t purchase upstairs seating when I bought my ticket initially, and hoped that something was available when I got there. It’s always been a pleasant interaction. I believe management cares about their customers. I’ll continue to see badass shows and do meet & greets here for years to come. The only truly annoying thing about this venue, are the people that go upstairs to socialize and talk loudly over the music. If you want to talk, go to a bar somewhere. We’re trying to listen to the music!

Not my favorite venue, though it's located in the heart of downtown Tempe. Crowd management not great, staff not particularly friendly/helpful. Still some good shows here, such as Royel Otis and Michael Schenker recently. Much prefer the Van Buren as a same size venue. Staff better, and the vintage architecture very cool. More up and coming acts play here.

Pretty solid place to catch a concert. You’ll be shoulder to shoulder with people you’ve never met, but hey, that’s part of the charm. Think of it as forced friendship… or at least forced proximity while you both scream lyrics off-key. The sound’s good, the energy’s great, and yes, drinks are expensive, but that’s the universal law of concerts. Nobody’s shocked. Now here’s where it loses a star, no snacks. Not even sad nachos or a lonely hot dog rolling in a warmer. There is a vending machine, but plot twist, it took my money and gave me nothing. Not even an apology. Just chewed up my cash and kept on glowing like nothing happened. And if you know me, you know snack theft is personal. So yeah, Marquee is worth checking out, just eat first. Or bring a granola bar and hide it in your shoe like a responsible adult who refuses to be defeated by snackless venues.

I’ve been here a few times. The most recent time was to see the band Camino. The venue is pretty cool. Even though it was standing room for the most part, it was very comfortable and did not feel extremely packed when I went. There’s fans and cool air blowing from the vent, so it was very well ventilated. We really enjoyed our evening here.

Like this place a lot but just wish it wasn’t so god awful hot once the shows start going. But overall good venue, kind staff, clean bathrooms, not much more that you could ask for. Except maybe free water..