Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium

Awful venue. I was assaulted by an ugly drunk (is there any other kind?) at the Civic, while sitting in the audience minding my own business. Security did nothing. The one guard I saw was enjoying himself standing by the wide-​open side doors — facing outside instead of inward where the paying concertgoers were. (Apparently, those doors have to stay open because there is no ventilation in the building. Not very comfortable for those seated near them on a cold evening, and security is dedicated to guarding the door.) When this enormous, lumpen, male drunk began shoving me (older female, eligible for AARP membership) and cussing at me, out of the blue, none of the surrounding concert goers did a thing to help me. Management did nothing when I went to the office and complained after the concert (lots of lip service, nodding, and insincere smiles). It’s obvious what the priority is here, and that is selling tickets and beer. There is supposed to be a three-​beer maximum per patron, which is purportedly enforced by some sort of wristband. But the disgusting pair of drunks sitting near me brought more than three beers back to their seats. «Security» at the front door consisted of little more than a quick glance into bags. No hands-​on search of contents. This is a small auditorium (a glorified basketball gym), not some mosh-​pit stadium where one would expect out-​of-​control drunks and head bangers. The idiots who run the operation send out an e-​mail to ticket buyers stating a list of rules (three-​beer maximum, no «babes in arms,» rowdy drunks will be ejected, etc.). They enforce none of them. One woman even brought an infant to this amplified concert. And the sound quality? Horrible. One of the mics was so off that the singer sounded like he was screaming. All this mayhem and mismanagement for an acoustic concert that should have been mellow and joyful. But who cares? As long as the Civic got a full house and lots of action at the concessions.

This is an OK venue. The auditorium is big enough to not really be called intimate. We came here to see Dave Chappelle and it was horrible for the alcohol service, there were multiple lines, people were confused as to if you needed a wrist band for drinks etc etc. Took us 30 minutes to get our beers — worst part, only one drink per person. Come on two max I can understand! We stood in line for 30 minutes and missed the entire first act. Now we just stop by 99 Bottles and just down a bunch before we come to an event :)
Otherwise the floor seats are always great and the stadium seats are nice, but when you are trying to leave it is horrible. Watched Bill Maher and the drink lines were pretty non-​existent– so it really depends on the event and crowds. Wine selection is not bad, I like the Pinot Grigio that they serve.

This venue is small however easy to navigate bc of its size. Parking can be a hassle, so make sure to arrive early for whatever event you’re going to see. We saw George Lopez here, parking lots were packed, we parked several blocks over in the Trader Joe’s parking lot and walked over to the auditorium. The floor seating is below the level of the stage so keep that in mind for when you are planning seating. The mezzanine seating that surrounds the floor seating has an adequate view, probably from most anywhere. Since I came to see a comedy show it wasn’t super imperative that we have an amazing view, if it were a concert, I’d probably be more picky about my seats. Overall, this venue is pretty good.

This has venue has a home spun feel, an era past represented by uncomfortable wooden seats and basketball arena ambiance that said acoustics are solid and the staging for larger acts impressive.
My experience with the que is that it moooo– moves slow like a line of cows. Hippie era crowd is typically stoned so no one seems in a hyper hurry to scurry to seats.

This is a really nice venue for live music. The acoustics are very good and seating is ample, while still maintaining the feel of a small town crowd. The beer garden situation can be a complicated mess so you might want to have your drinks before the event. Overall The Civic is a great auditorium — I wish they attracted more shows.

When you first walk in, you can tell this place has been used as a basketball gym, but not recently, as a retrofit had turned this Depression-​era building into a good concert hall, with the occasional Fight Night thrown in for good measure.
There’s really no bad seat in the house, and the sound is pretty good. The place is short on amenities, like air conditioning, with a small snack bar and makeshift beer garden. The men’s room and two ladies rooms can get a little tight with larger crowds. It’s the go-​to venue for larger scale concert tours in Santa Cruz, but it barely holds 2,000 so get your tickets early for that must-​see show.

Love this venue– some of my favorite shows of all time (nine-​inch-​nails, smashing pumpkins, eddie vedder) — it’s a nice size, and so great to have cool artists in my hometown. Took my mom to see Bonnie Raitt and Bill Cosby– she loved it. Super easy to have dinner downtown and walk to show. So excited for Anjelah Johnson!!!

Vintage Church is holding Easter Sunday service here.

A great venue especially if you get in the stadium seating section where it might be tight seating but you’ll never have a head in front of you.

Been to Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium a few times — our first was to see Mudcrutch & then The Pixies & more recently to see THE SHINS & have to say I’m a fan of this little auditorium
Reminds me of somewhere you’d have a High School Play or a graduation ceremony or something cute & hometownie
Crowds are totally hometownie as well & everyone seems to know each other, ranging from the kiddies to the grownups & everyone inbetween & I mean this as the highest compliment. It’s just like you’re coming to see a phenomenal act w/​a bunch of your friends & that always makes for a funner night out!
I also like how it’s all Gen Adm so people can sit wherever they want — there’s plenty of seating but beware it’s HOT AS BLUE BLAZES up in the seats & much cooler on the floor… but even then it’s HOT
If your show is sold out, no worries as your view will be great from the floor as well as seats. Speaking of seats, they’re not the most comfortable but they’ll do just fine
Sound has been good for all the bands we’ve seen & while I’ve heard people complaining of long lines for drinkys or the ATM running out of cash, I’ve never personally experienced these issues
Plenty of parking to be found & shows start early & let out early too & for those of us required to drive back to SF afterwards, this is a much appreciated bonus!

came here to see atmosphere and it was dope.
didn’t have any issues with security or even getting my ticket! always good in my book!

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Smaller venue, smaller stage, short line to get in for any event. If you want to buy wine, you can only get 1 glass for yourself!!!
We came here for the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis presented by Kuumbwa Jazz club last week. We got tickets in advance so no line, the fastest get in ever and we were only 10 minutes before show time.
The event was good, the band performed an expansive ranged f music from jazz canon: songs of the Jazz Age, classic Blue Note Records selections, tunes by Chick Corea, Thelonius Monk, and modern compositions by Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra NYC reedsman Ted Nash.
I’ve only been to jazz more regularly to Kuummbwa club and I was blown away by this performance. If my bestfriend was here, she would snored away after 5 minutes!
Now if it wasn’t for this special event, the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium wouldn’t be a place I come, smaller uncomfortable seats, even though we had good seats facing the stage!

I’ve got good news and bad news.
The good: this place gets world class performers. I’ve seen Wynton Marsalis & the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra (last night); Woody Allen with his New Orleans jazz band; David Sedaris; Pat Metheny; the Santa Cruz Symphony performing Carmina Burana… They have a pretty darn good selection at the concession stand. And in spite of what at first appears to be a somewhat chaotic situation on the porch with tickets & «will call,» the lines move fairly quickly & efficiently. And I think the sound quality in there is pretty good. And unlike many venues in Santa Cruz, you don’t get people standing in front of you, blocking your sight lines, for an entire performance.
But inside, the seats are not all that comfortable (hard wooden seat backs & human backs don’t mix all that well). And the ventilation is non-​existent. It was about 60 degrees outside during last night’s performance, and until they opened some windows about halfway through the performance, it was about 80 in the arena (and that’s really what it is – an arena). When people pay an average of $ 50 for a performance, the least you can do is give them breathable air. And unless things have changed, many of the seats are narrow & are angled, not toward where the performers are, but toward «center court.» As Chico Marx used to say: «Atsa no good.»
Rant over.

Fastest line I have ever stood in to enter an event. Line moved faster then expected, probably because the security who were checking everyone didn’t do a very good job. The venue was smaller then expected. I don’t know why Above &Beyond choose the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium to perform at. I would have choose the Warfield if I wanted a smaller venue.
FYI: They allow unopened cigarettes boxes, but they do not let you smoke inside. You will get kicked out if you smoke. No warnings. Maybe they should open a smoking area, but they don’t. They allow you to bring in cigarettes, but do not let you smoke? What is the point of that? Questionable.

So I just saw Above and Beyond in concert and it was amazing as long as I ignored the prepubescent children running around. However I have to give it 3 stars because it should not take over an hour to wait in will call to get your tickets. Overall I was pleasantly surprised with the night, except next time I will either have my tickets mailed or arrive early to avoid the line.

This is a very basic auditorium. I wasn’t too impressed with the venue but the artist «BassNectar» had very loud bass in the show and the acoustics were complimentary to the performance.

Fun venue for recitals. Like others have said can be hot and also sound seems to be funky. Gret for our daughter dance recital though.

Don’t bring a sweater. It is hot in here. That is my No. 1 tip.
I saw the Smashing Pumpkins here last weekend and the show was pretty good (check out the Talk thread:
). The place is OK. We stood the whole time, but all those wooden seats didn’t look like they would be too comfy. The staff working security/​running the show outside (a will-​call only show) were cool. The bathrooms were clean. I wouldn’t say it’s the most ideal place to see a show, but if you have no other choice, it’s OK. The stage is pretty high up so you see from further back OK. It’s hard to find parking right around the building — we opted for a pay parking garage a few blocks away. But about three hours was only $ 2.50 or so, not bad.
I would probably agree with the previous reviewer, that this place is an echo chamber though.

The civic gets 2 stars for being an echo chamber. I guess if the place was totally filled with bodies it might absorb some of the sound, but its usually not. Combine this with the fact that they have really tight security and they dont sell beer and if I didn’t know where I was there’d be no way for you to convince me I was in Santa Cruz. At least they were lax on the smoke when Ween played.