The Orange Peel

Asheville, United States

4.5

Closed now

20 reviews

Accepts Credit Cards

Contacts

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Telephone:
+1 828-398-1837
Website:
www.theorangepeel.net
Address:
101 Biltmore Ave, Asheville, NC, 28801
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
0.3 miAsheville Transit Center
1.5 miPedestrian Bridge
1.7 miMacon Ave at Sunset Trail
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Bussiness info

Accepts Credit Cards
Yes
Parking
Street
Bike Parking
Yes
Wheelchair Accessible
Yes
Good for Kids
No
Good for Groups
Yes
Ambience
Hipster
Noise Level
Very Loud
Music
Live
Good For Dancing
Yes
Alcohol
Beer & Wine Only
Happy Hour
No
Best Nights
Thu, Fri, Sat
Coat Check
Yes
Smoking
Outdoor Area/ Patio Only
Outdoor Seating
No
Has TV
No

Today

Today 12:00 pm – 5:30 pm
Closed now
Local time (Asheville) 18:46 Friday, 29 November 2024

Business hours

Monday –
Tuesday –
Wednesday 12:00 pm – 5:30 pm
Thursday 12:00 pm – 5:30 pm
Friday 12:00 pm – 5:30 pm
Saturday –
Sunday –

Description

Specialties

The Orange Peel Social Aid & Pleasure Club is one of the Southeast’s preeminent concert venues. The club features state-​of-​the-​art sound and lighting equipment rarely found in a club of its size. The smoke-​free facility has a beautiful interior, creating a fabulous setting for enjoying the premier musicians who perform here.

The building on the corner of Biltmore and Hilliard Avenue holds many fond memories for the people of Asheville. From 1950 to 1962, Skateland Rollerdome was the place to be on Saturday night and hosted many birthday parties for children of Asheville. The downtown skating rink proved to be the perfect place for kids to have fun while moms and dads shopped in the department stores that once dominated the downtown landscape. Later, the building housed a series of R & B and soul clubs. Coincidentally, most of those clubs had colors in their names: jade, emerald, and orange. The Orange Peel was the best known of these establishments and had a reputation throughout West

History

Established in 2002.

The Orange Peel Social Aid & Pleasure Club is one of the Southeast’s preeminent concert venues. The club features state-​of-​the-​art sound and lighting equipment rarely found in a club of its size. The smoke-​free facility has a beautiful interior, creating a fabulous setting for enjoying the premier musicians who perform here.

The building on the corner of Biltmore and Hilliard Avenue holds many fond memories for the people of Asheville. From 1950 to 1962, Skateland Rollerdome was the place to be on Saturday night and hosted many birthday parties for children of Asheville. The downtown skating rink proved to be the perfect place for kids to have fun while moms and dads shopped in the department stores that once dominated the downtown landscape. Later, the building housed a series of R & B and soul clubs. Coincidentally, most of those clubs had colors in their names: jade, emerald, and orange. The Orange Peel was the best known of these establishments and had a reputation throughout West

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20 reviews of The Orange Peel

No registration required
Place rating: 5
Greenville, SC
The Orange Peel is fab. It’s mostly a general admission type thing so if you want to be near the stage up front, you’ll have to get there early. There are two bars, one on each side of the floor, to serve boozy needs and there seems to be an outdoor deck as well. The security is strict and they check IDs for everyone so don’t try to be sneaky. There’s also a sign out from that, among other no nos, says no babies so this isn’t the place to bring your little one for their first concert.
Place rating: 4
Hendersonville, NC
Very cool and intimate venue. Right in downtown and close to lots of food and bars.
We were right up front and the sound was top notch!
They have great beers on tap but If you start a beer tab don’t loose the card they give you or they will charge you $ 25 to replace it.
Place rating: 5
Asheville, NC
This is the go to music venue in Asheville in my opinion. It really has it all, wide selections of artists, a comfortable space to watch the show, large capacity and multiple bars to make drink acquisitions easy and quick. They are slightly expensive tho, which could probably be expected at a music venue where liquor is one of the only products they sell.
I’ve always been able to get a good view of the stage, even as a little guy despite the large crowd the venue holds. And with acts from Earl Sweatshirt of odd future to country music groups, they work hard to accommodate every type of music fan they can think of and actually do it well.
If I have any complaints it’s about the difficulty parking on Biltmore Ave right by the wicked weed. It’s never easy and usually takes a few passes or a cpl block walk or paying for a garage, something i hate doing.
Don’t let that deter you though. This approximately 1000 person capacity standing room only music venue is easily Asheville’s best and if u have the chance check it out.
Place rating: 5
Asheville, NC
I love the OP! As a snotty punk rocker living in a town full of jam bands and folk music, is find the Orange Peel to be a refreshingly eclectic slap in the face (in the best way possible). This Asheville music venue that draws in an eclectic mix of musicians from all over the country. The Beastie Boys? Played there. Smashing Pumpkins? Yep. Gwar? Most definitely.
In addition to bringing in great artists, the OP has movie nights, family friendly events during day hours (think puppet shows, school field trips, etc), and supports our community by hosting fundraising events and local entertainers.
I’m also impressed that the OP is super clean and has two bars on the main floor with local brews on tap. The staff is typically very courteous, especially in context of the fact they’re dealing with drunks most of the time.
Keep up with the Orange Peel’s calendar online and join their email list for updates and be sure to check out who is playing while you’re in town!
Place rating: 4
Charlotte, NC
Came here from Charlotte to see Mac Demarco on October 15th.
Nice venue.
Security was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. First they give you X’s on your hands if you’re under 21. Then they stamp your hand with an O, not sure why. Finally they pat you down and thoroughly inspect your bag. And I mean THOROUGHLY.
The show was cool, but I’m not rating the venue on the performance. The stage is hella wide and has a round edge, not a straight one like almost every other venue. I brought my polaroid and was told that no flash photography was allowed, so I took a whatever film photo. Security also told my friend during the show that videos were not allowed. Lame. The photo pit/​security area in front of the barricade was packed with water bottles for anyone that asked for one. That was cool. Also cold water for free offered at the bars.
One thing that I did not enjoy was the lie they had on their sign outside. It stated that you couldn’t crowd surf, but before the show started we were all warned about crowd surfers and that we needed to keep our hands up when they were moving around. It was an issue that night for sure. It’s a part of the act, but it got out of hand. My friend went to the doctor the next day and was told his pain was extremely similar to whiplash caused by car accidents (he was jumped on in the neck/​head). Don’t say it’s not allowed then not enforce the rule.
Also this venue was terribly cold. And I mean like 55 degrees. Everyone was shivering. It was a problem. I had to borrow a strangers jacket and I was already wearing fall attire.
I would definitely return again, but I know what to expect from this venue now.
Place rating: 5
Asheville, NC
Love this place. Great selection of beer, friendly staff. Amazing music selection with all genre’s covered. An Asheville staple
Place rating: 5
Asheville, NC
The Orange Peel is an Asheville staple. Offering so many great events from local artists, fun family nights, movie nights, to upcoming and trendy bands, the Orange Peel is such a great venue. I remember seeing Macklemore and Ryan Lewis perform here before they became very well known and it was one of the best experiences of my life. The best thing about the Orange Peel is that it offers a very intimate experience with the performer (s) because it is a smaller space. Some nights can be crazy and crowded while others are calm and offer a very serine experience. It all depends on the performer and the crowd. Such a great place. I have been to some of the larger concert venues in Charlotte, Greenville and Raleigh, however, The Orange Peel still remains my favorite. Also, ticket prices are very affordable! Check out their website for their event calendar to see if there’s anything your interested in. It won’t be something you regret.
Place rating: 4
Asheville, NC
The Orange Peel works well by intelligent design. The proportions feel right — a big enough space to feel like you’re in a good sized crowd, but not so huge that the masses get overwhelming and obnoxious. The stage and sound are great, and they do a pretty damn good job curating their acts, all things considered. It’s rare that I’ve had a negative experience there, and even then that’s the fault of slobbering idiots, not the establishment.
Place rating: 5
Asheville, NC
If you haven’t seen a show at The Orange Peel, do yourself a favor and go. Seriously, make this a priority. The club has been routinely ranked on national «best of» lists and for obvious reason. First, there’s the warmth of the room. It’s a small, welcoming space (capacity is around 1000) that invites you in to see a show with great sight lines wherever you locate yourself on the dancefloor. Next, there’s the impeccable sound quality. I’ve seen hundreds of shows in a variety of settings, some with great acoustics and some without, but it’s rare to find a place that routinely gets it right. Even with the incredible variety of styles from the acts performing at the Orange Peel, it never fails to sound amazing. Then there’s the amenities that come with the club. It’s rare to find a music venue with a great selection of craft brew options and add the downstairs club Pulp to the mix with their awesome selection of top shelf spirits and a front row view of the show on the large screen in the middle of the room, you can’t beat the drink options. There is regularly food available in the form of pizza slices from Asheville Brewing for the savory fan and the best ice cream on the planet from The Hop for the sweet tooth in the crowd. This place has everything you need and more for a great night out with your favorite band!
Place rating: 4
Asheville, NC
The Orange Peel has the most amazing variety of musical performances. The actual venue is nothing to write home about, just your typical giant square room with a stage and bars on either side but the calendar of wonderful music makes this place a five star joint. The only reason I gave it four stars is because in order to get liquor, one must go downstairs to the members only bar and enjoy their cocktail there. I am a whiskey girl so this doesn’t really fly with me.
I suppose that’s not too important though. My years in Asheville I have been lucky enough to see tons of amazing performances here such as Del the Funky Homosapien, Lotus, RJD2, Bela Fleck, Die Antwoord, Ratatat, Rubblebucket, Skrillex… I could go on and on and on… Many awesome memories have been made here
Place rating: 5
Greensboro, NC
Sylvan Esso concert was so perfect in this venue — so fun to enjoy not only a great local artist — but also highly talented! Beer selection is as you’d expect in beertown — plenty to choose from and not crazy expensive.
Place rating: 4
Winston-Salem, NC
Super unique concert venue. I saw Jimmy Eat World there in October and had a wonderful time. It used to be an old skating rink before they transformed it into a concert hall. Love it there, can’t wait to go back this summer!
Place rating: 2
Columbia, SC
I’m not sure what has happened to the OP recently, but I have had to cross it off my venue list.
They have a new reduced playtime policy that kicks headliners off after 75 minutes (confirmed by worker and at the last few big shows we’ve seen). That’s insane. I’m paying Atlanta prices for a show that was over 2 hours long in GA, but only just over an hour here — with rushed encore!
In addition, we’ve been harassed by surly ticket takers who thought it was hilarious to scan our tix twice and then deny us entry («uh, this ticket has been used already» –smirk-​) until we threatened to report them.
No more OP. No more.
Place rating: 5
Asheville, NC
Helpful caring and really there to give you the best concert experience. The OP is killing it. I have been to many concerts and have never had anything less than a great experience.
Place rating: 4
Knoxville, TN
Damn good venue. Craft beer selection is unreal and right next to Wicked Weed, so hop over there to pregame before a show.
Place rating: 5
Charlotte, NC
This is a very nice venue to catch a concert. Great size, sound is amazing, and fun atmosphere. It’s conveniently located within walking distance of some great bars and restaurants. The staff is pretty cool and the lower level lounge is a solid addition as well. This is everything I look for in a music venue.
Place rating: 5
Brooklyn, NY
Great size, great sound, great ambiance. You can grab delicious food on the go just before a show. this place is perfect – sweet, casual, a little weird, just like Asheville itself :)
Place rating: 4
Durham, NC
My first time at the Orange Peel. We came in from Durham and Deleware to see our favorite band. The show was amazing, but music aside– I was really surprised with how pleasant my experience at the venue was. The «krew» was really nice. We forgot our tickets and weren’t able to get an etix account, the door girl was super responsive and let us read the numbers out loud to her. I apologized profusely under LOUD and Stressful conditions, she was totally cool with it.
The bartenders were attentive. the beer was plentiful and water was easily accessible.
The Bathrooms were the most surprising, super clean amidst a pretty drunk crowd. No wait times.
I’ll be back. For sure. Thanks Orange Peel!
Place rating: 4
Johnson City, TN
OK, we live an hour away and have to come to The Orange Peel Social Aid & Pleasure Club several times each year. If I lived in Asheville, I’d be here pretty often. The only things that could make it better are liquor and more seats… they’ve taken care of both in the private club, but I’m not a member. This venue is serious about getting great acts and making the experience music-​centric and rich. The sound is great, i recommend getting a «beer card» for a group or early in the night… it just goes faster when you need refills. We always meet cool people and it has a friendly small town hippie vibe.
We usually order tix online and have them sent or pick up at the box office/​will call. It’s a serious venue for serious music lovers. Very intimate and you are close up from every spot in the room. Sometimes you can pay extra for the little seating area by stage right, other times it’s closed or reserved for friends of the band. We always enjoy it here.
Some of the best acts seem to come midweek on work/​school nights, but that’s probably out of their control.
Place rating: 5
Allentown, Buffalo, NY
There’s not a lot to add that other reviewers haven’t already covered – this is a terrific live music venue that’s just the right size. You get the energy of a crowd while retaining some of the intimacy of a smaller hall. The place looks and sounds great.
One thing I’d suggest is their Monday night movie series. For $ 2, you get to check out a great film! Popcorn and beer are available at the bar. That was really a low-​cost treat on our last visit to Asheville – and a great thing to do on a night when there’s not all that much music going on at other venues.