Stage West — Attraction in State College

My girlfriend got me concert tickets here for my birthday. The first thing I have to say is that the staff was very polite and helpful. That is about where the positives end. This venue is not setup for larger concerts. The different levels and high crowd capacity made it impossible to see the stage. No one was checking tickets which seemed to be a contributing factor in the venue being too packed. People seemed to be walking in without even having tickets. Unfortunately the venue was split between 21 and up and all ages. This meant you were not allowed to leave the lower bar with drinks, making it impossible to view the stage from the lower area. The large amount of people made it very difficult to reach the bars upstairs. People were standing in the stairs so they could view the stage. Once we finally did make it upstairs it was clear the air conditioning couldn't keep up. A few people around us were unable to get drinks due to the credit card machine having issues. One guy was told to go back downstairs to the ATM. Once we finally got drinks at the upper bar we were told we couldn't take them out on the floor near the stage. This made it possible to have a drink and view the show at the same time. Overall this was extremely disappointing for a first time visitor. The layout was terrible, HVAC was bad, and we ended up watching the show on TV screens. The layout was so poor that the band had to be escorted with their instruments through the crowd to exit the stage area. I thought this place had potential but the layout and large amount of people made it impossible to be a decent...

Went for Mac Miller night, what a disappointment! Very few songs by Mac were played. Most of the music was bad remixes of other rap songs. The venue itself is over priced and has little to offer. Not to mention the behavior of the patrons there was unbelievable, and security did nothing to try and stop it. It turned into drunk underage kids climbing over one another on stage to make an Instagram story. I was so excited for this venue, but it’s obvious they have a lot to work through. If you want a frat basement party with 8 dollar well drinks and a 20 dollar cover this is the place. You’d be better off in that...

Don’t get me wrong, good atmosphere and DJ, but everything else is a scam. The staff is disorganized and half of them will talk down to you like you’re worthless. The other half are intoxicated. Don’t talk to josh about getting a job because he will disrespect you and most likely kick you out. Don’t buy tickets at the door, they will be $20+ per girl and $30+ per guy. Austin will try to sweet talk you at the door. He accepts venmo, but will upcharge if you get there anytime...