Artemus W. Ham Concert Hall — Attraction in Paradise

I've been to Ham Concert Hall 6 years now because my twin sons are both in orchestra and band. Highly embarrassing evening that we have to be AFRAID of overambitious and immature isle attendants people working for security. First the front door lady tells us to go up to the left. we go up the stars and the Asian girl says there are no seats upstairs left go way over to the right side upstairs. Ok so we did but I told her she needs to communicate that with the people at the front. VERY disorganised. NEXT we are upstairs in the right... never seen anything like the behavior of an attended and security in my life. First the attendant in the aisle starts yelling at people during the concert at 8:15is to 8:30pm tonight, 4 minutes into one of the songs YELLING at people DURING the performance about the light from people's cell phones instead of saying it quietly as not to disturb meaning she starts yelling AFTER the concert begins and people are trying to hear their kids in which we all have spend THOUSANDS$$$ on our kids to make it this far. NO consideration for the VALUES we have placed in our kids. She lacks serious judgement. 4 minutes into the kids playing, I asked her to be quiet she was that loud. Then she goes and calls security. Apparently Security thought its ok to harass Hispanics and Black people and let White people record with their cell phones as two additional people who security refused to yell at had their cell phones out recording. First of all I am all American. My family has been here from Spain since 1690 and the US wasn't formed until 1776. I am 100% American. I said to security hey what about that guy with his cell phone. She said "he is not recording" meaning she can make up her own personal rules and exceptions on the clock. So she leaves and then puts on a security outfit to be more threatening but in the mean time she didn't see the guy had two aps running at the same time. She must not know anything about smart phones or just highly incapable or just lazy. But the girl working security says in front of everyone about 3 isles away in front of people she is going to call an officer on me when i am trying to watch my sons ALLSATE band performance WOW who does she think she is? Some old white guy in front of me has two aps up recording with his cell phone blaring light during the performance, he kept acting like he was playing solitaire DURING the concert and she security would not tell him to put his phone away. In the front midsection another white male was recordning and she sat there and kept her eye on me instead of telling the guy to turn off his recordning too. Then the security guy she called starts flirting with two girls DURING the concert again we are trying to watch my son in his Jr year who we have put tons of money time and effort and support. I am sitting 4 seats in and I dint know any of the people next to me and she yells from two rows bellow while I am trying to watch my son and she says is going to call an officer?!?! I have a recording of the clip of her saying she is going to call an officer. The girl working security must not know the difference between people watching their son who we have not just put thousands of dollars into playing not just trombone but HONOR BAND and security acted like it was like going to a low class drug infested night club harassed and interrupted us during the concert and started yelling over people. Maybe she is bucking for that security or police chief position at us parents expense. UNLV is sad. Just sad. The acoustics are amazing. The kids played like virtuoso but whoever manages the the people there and security protocol really needs to get a serious clue as to where they are are, Especially since both my twin sons are looking for colleges in anther year and it won't be UNLV. Highly embarrassing evening that we have to be AFRAID of overambitious and immature people working...

People don't usually think of Las Vegas as a university town like they do say Ann Arbor or Ithaca. But a university town it is! The University of Nevada Las Vegas has a gorgeous campus and some world-renown programs. Its hospitality school, for example, ranks second in the world after Cornell's. So it's not surprising that the university would also have a stellar arts program. Because everyone knows Las Vegas has jaw-dropping entertainment. We saw a dance program. These students were as professional as they come. The first half was modern dance; the second half was a ballet: Stravinsky's Firebird. It was hard to believe they were still studying. The theater itself is a well, a university theater. The plush red seats were comfortable. But they are close together so you have to stand up if someone comes by. There are steps and elevators to go to the back rows and the balcony. The sound is really good. Not Smith Center quality but fine for its age. There are few if any sight line blockages. I don't think there's a bad seat in the house. There are plenty of exits and they are clearly marked. The two-story lobby is inviting. There's a concession bar for liquid refreshment but no alcohol. The plaza out front is beautifully landscaped. Lights highlight the trees at night. The best part: Parking is FREE. There's a huge garage on Cottage Grove with plenty of room. There's a stop light at Cottage Grove and Maryland Parkway so you can pull out easily to get home. The ticket office is next to the parking garage. The theater is up the stairs in its own plaza. If there is a production at UNLV, forget the Las Vegas Strip and support these talented students....because it will cost you a lot more when they end up in a production...

Through the decades, I've seen numerous concerts, live performances, etc. It's time to give some props to the concert hall at my alma mater.

My most recent visit was to see W. Kamau Bell with a friend who's a fan. I realized it's been about a decade since my last visit here. The parking garage right next to the Hall makes life so much easier. For such an old building, the concert hall still knocks it out. The foyer makes it easy for patrons to meet their party as it's spacious and can serve as a waiting area until the doors are opened. The acoustics, lighting, seating all come together very well here at Artemus Ham. The high ceilings make the Hall seem even more spacious than it actually is and allows for bigger productions that require tall ceilings. The seats are comfortable and there's plenty of space should people need to pass through. Sound system is top notch from music to stand up. The acoustics work very well with the lighting. Overall, everything was designed optimally and the staff operating has always been on point.

If you ever come across a performance to check out at Artemus Ham, you'll never have to worry about the concert hall delivering. You can just sit back and enjoy the show. ...