Stage AE — Attraction in Pittsburgh

I was at this venue to see mom jeans perform and they did great

The things I enjoyed about this venue are that it felt very professional and safe compared to other venues I’ve been to. It was easy to see the stage from a lot of different spots, and the staff were all friendly and helpful. They offered food and drink, and had an atm on site.

What I don’t like and quite frankly have 0 understanding of the reasoning behind is the seating. Now, I understand the tickets are general admission and standing room. I understand that if the seats are completely sold out, the people who bought those tickets deserve their seats. That’s completely understandable. This venue had very limited stools, which were immediately taken by people who put their stuff on the chair so no one could use them. Fine, whatever. There’s a back section with plenty of tables and stools, and I asked if I could take a stool and return it after the show. The employee was nice but said no. While I understand it is policy , it makes 0 sense to me that the completely empty stools in the back can’t be used to sit in.

As the opening acts performed and the next came on, the actual chairs (not the stools) were basically empty the whole time. Even when the main act came on, the chairs were almost completely empty. Me and my boyfriend sat down in 2 seats all the way in the complete back, not blocking anyone’s view, just so we could sit for a minute as we had been standing at this point hours.

Not 5 minutes later an employee comes over and asks to see our tickets. My boyfriend asks if we can upgrade our tickets so we can stay seated(again the chairs were 98 percent empty)

And she tells us that we’d have to pay $100 EACH

One HUNDRED DOLLARS? EACH? For 2 chairs? That’s almost double the cost of our 2 tickets to see the show.

I get policy is policy, but come on. 200 dollars to sit down for not even an hour? When there’s literally plenty of empty stools in the back that patrons could easily use?

I would understand if we were taking someone’s seat but they had been empty all night and clearly no one was coming for them. Idk, I just don’t get it and that partially ruined the experience for me. We are all human and I don’t know why this venue is SO OVERLY strict over 2 people sitting, when there was not even an hour left of the show and the...

good show, good staff but chaotic highway robbery: we had a really good night and maybe i’m just used to smaller spots. i mean, i never really leave bad reviews like that. although the staff was kind, things just felt kinda chaotic and unwelcoming because of a few things that happened with the planning around the event.

police and attendants directed our car from the street to a $45 parking lot and we couldn’t find a way out of line by the time we saw the price. even if we wanted to move, we came on a night of two sold out shows happening simultaneously so we couldn’t park somewhere else if we tried. then we came in and water was $6 a bottle and cups were counted and not permitted to be given out…water fountain only. they also don’t allow water bottles in. then we got merchandise and they had no re entry, we didn’t know that so we had to watch the show holding all of our merch. i think some things that could be done over time would be having a free station with tap water and little cups. Also, better signage to inform patrons of how much the parking will be before they enter the lot. Transparent information about more financially accessible parking around the venue would be helpful as well. Also, signage about bag size restrictions toward the back of the line and clear signage on the rules on patron’s non-re entry. the staff was kind and helpful, so i don’t doubt there’s a good thing going here. this isn’t to come from a place of judgement or to drive scores down, i understand how hard it is to keep up a place like this. i just wanted to give some ideas that could have made me feel more welcome upon arrival and entry and prepare other patrons to check your bag size and type, drink water before hand, take an uber and get your merchandise...

Don't bother going to an indoor show at Stage AE if you are sensitive to heat. Or even if you're just looking for a comfortable, enjoyable experience at a venue that cares about event attendees.

The last two shows I've been to here (one in March and one last night), it was stiflingly warm inside before the opening band even came on. The high temperature combined with all the humidity, fog, and what I can only assume is inadequate ventilation makes for a less-than-pleasant experience. The restrooms are nice and cool (and well-maintained, which earned a star for this review), but the rest of the venue feels like a sauna.

Last night's show HAD to have been oversold. I go to several shows every year and have never felt as trapped and claustrophobic as I did last night. We weren't even in the front near the stage, and my fiancé and I spent the entire night so scrunched up we could barely move.

The majority of the crowd seemed to be massively intoxicated, and clearly the bar had no issue continuing to serve people long after they should have been cut off. Lots of people in the crowd vaping with no consequence despite it not being allowed indoors. Between the overcrowding and long lines, it felt impossible to even go buy a bottle of water to hydrate. Oh, and when the doors opened, the bar was open but not the concessions window. They did open, eventually, but it would be great if you could get inside and buy something OTHER than alcohol since you're not even allowed to bring a bottle of water into this place.

The sound quality wasn't even good.

Overall, it just wasn't a pleasant experience. Stage AE clearly only cares about bringing in as much money as possible with zero regard for guest...