The Most Popular Music Venues in Charlotte (2nd blog post)
Charlotte has a wide range of venues that bring thousands of artist to the Queen City every year. Here is a comprehensive list of the most recognized music venues in Charlotte ranked from largest to smallest.
- The Spectrum Center- 20,200 capacity.
The Spectrum Center is located at 333 East Trade Street in Center City. This venue is home to the Charlotte Hornets and usually hosts the biggest artists that come to Charlotte. The venue’s design is described as a “celebration of gathering” featuring exposed staircases and open walkways.
2. PNC Music Pavilion- 20,000 capacity.
PNC Music Pavilion is the largest outdoor venue in Charlotte. It is located at 707 Pavilion Blvd. This venue hosts acts from April-October. Live Nation, the company that owns the venue, emphasizes sustainability. This venue is one of the most sustainable Live Nation operated music venues in the country. It has been able to cut waste production by 59 percent since last season. This impressive achievement can be attributed to its aggressive recycling and composting initiative. After every show, employees sort through every trash can to ensure each discarded item is recycled, composted or tossed out accordingly.
3. Bojangles’ Coliseum- 10,829 capacity.
Bojangles’ Coliseum is located at 2700 East Independence Blvd. This venue was Charlotte’s first civic auditorium and dedicated sports and concert venue when it opened in 1955. Since its opening, the venue has been renamed several times. It was known as Charlotte Coliseum, Independence Arena, Cricket Arena and has now been christened Bojangles’ Coliseum. The venue is home to the Charlotte Checkers, a minor-league professional ice hockey team. When the ice comes up, the venue hosts musicians, comedians and more.
4. Charlotte Metro Credit Union Amphitheater- 5,000 capacity.
Charlotte Metro Credit Union Amphitheater is also operated by the entertainment company, Live Nation. It is located at 1000 NC Music Factory Blvd. This venue is surrounded by other notable concert venues like The Fillmore, The Underground and AvidXchange Music Factory.
This outdoor venue hosts a variety of artists from April-October just like the other outdoor venue on this list. But, It is much smaller than PNC Pavilion. This venue hosts established artists who have smaller fan bases. It is not uncommon for musicians to start at CMCUA then return to Charlotte over the years at PNC Pavilion if they’ve been successful. This venue offers pit seating, regular seating and has a general admission lawn. Regardless of where you end up, the venue’s small size makes every seat a good one.
