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Royal Oak Music Theater
Rating Details »
Categories: Music Venues, Venues & Event Spaces [Edit]
Neighborhood: Downtown Royal Oak318 W 4th St
Royal Oak, MI 48067
(248) 544-7949
- Price Range:
-
$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Music:
- DJ, Live
- Best Nights:
- Fri, Sat
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Smoking:
- Yes
10 reviews for Royal Oak Music Theater
I like the venue, it's layout and most importantly how flexible it is for the performance-style. I saw Lady Gaga, Glen Hansard and a speaker from Grand Rapids all at the ROMT within a few months of each other. Not what I would normally expect from a music theater. I love how good the view points are, in that you're not getting stuffed into a blind corner where you can see the stage.
It can get really, really crowded when a big performer is there, and the fact that it is a smoking venue has turned some away. Other reviewers have mentioned ticket prices and that can definitely be a drawback, but I still think this is the best venue north of Detroit.
Went to the ROMT last Saturday to see "The Dan Band". The band was awesome, but on to the venue itself....
We found a spot directly across the street (meter parking), which was great. Stood in line for about 45 minutes before the doors opened (it was general admission), which wasn't so great, but at least we got to go in before those who bought tix at the box office.
The place itself was great (it was our first time being there). We ended up getting a very nice table right against the rail leading into the lower floor area. We had a great waitress who let us run a tab, which was uber-convenient! The drink prices were incredibly cheap!!! Usually they rake you over the coals at places like this, but not so this time! Our bar bill over 3+ hours was only $36 (for premium mixed drinks!).
Everyone we met working there were very helpful and friendly.
One down side was the no readmission policy. It made putting quarters in the meter difficult. The staff was great and worked with us though.
Another negative was the lack of ventilation and the abundance of smokers! Luckily we had inhalers with us!
We'll definitely be going back!
Royal Oak music Theater is a decent place to see a show. Their bar setup is actually well thought out, making getting a drink a fairly easy, pleasant experience. That alsone earns them a special place in my heart. They also have a three tiered viewing setup, maximizing your opportunity to actually see what's on stage should you be vertically challenged. You can stand 10 feet in front of the bar and see everything, maximizing your viewing and drinking experiences. Score.
However, two drawbacks. One, the place is expensive. It seems like every show here is at least $30. Wilco is one of the few bands I can justify paying $30 bucks for - especially since in this case it also involves a drive to RO. But for a normal show, it can be a dealbreaker. Two, they clearly ran out of money when finishing this place. Stucco walls and ceiling? Classy guys - way classy.
Their ticket prices are way too high. It's a nice venue, and I enjoyed the free shows that others have put on there, but paying for a show there seems like a robbery. The tickets are nice, and area is nice, but the fillmore now has free apples. Those are delicious.
This venue is probably my favorite in the area (Detroit AND Metro). TRU, anything less than a sold out show here feels less that satisfying... but when you get a full house, there aren't many places better than this joint.
We saw Umphrey's McGee here on March 12th and they didn't disappoint, and neither did the ROMT. Great acoustics, a great environment for dancing and shaking your booty and a great bar and walkway set up that is easy to move from the crowd to the bar / bathroom and back. But there's no specific spot where you have to dance or you can't dance.... it's pretty well suited that if you're in the mood to jam, go ahead, and if you want to bob your head and stand flat footed, that's cool too.
Being a bit of an old timer (read: I can't dance) I choose to fall into the head nodding category, so we usually try to get there in a timely fashion to park on the second or third level right in front of the rail, where there's an oh-so-convenient ledge for our beers, and enjoy the show.
Another great spot is to get into the balcony and grab a seat (only ones in the house for a concert) and chill... good acoustics up there too.
It's a great spot for bands that are big enough to pack 2,000 people or so, but still want an intimate venue.
Ben Harper here was the best show I've ever seen in my life... 2,500 people with their hands in the air singing "I believe in a better way."
*Whew* It was awesome.
It's no State Theatre (Fillmore, sorry, I'm never gonna get used to that).
Yes, it's a big, cavernous, golden, beautiful old theatre. And granted, the new bar and the light system and the paint job -- it's all great, don't get me wrong. It's just so big that most events there feel like failures because it's so empty.
Full disclosure: I have not seen a huge show there. In fact, I'd like to go see Michael Franti & Spearhead on November 7 and hope to see the ROMT at its best.
But the things that I've been to there -- promotional events, mixers, networking events, "girls' nights out" -- have fallen flat, not because of something lacking in the ROMT itself, it's just so big.
It is quite serviceable, it just seems like a cringer when there are ten people dancing, and all the rest are sitting on stool at least 75 feet away from the stage.
I'll get back to you after Michael Franti.
I saw Reel Big Fish here. I was pleasantly surprised (with the venue... RBF was exactly as expected.)
I went off on a rant about the Fillmore recently and how it's going downhill. Everything I loved about the State Theater circa 1997 is in the ROMT, but stuck there and definitely NOT going downhill.
And I'm not quite sure if it's the architecture or the layout or what that reminds me of the old State Theater. Sure, it has the same sort of feel to it, what with the beautiful decor. Maybe it's the bands...
I can remember quite a few memorable music events here. That might be it; their booking agent gets a lot of the artists I want to see, just like the old ST.
At any rate, it's a great place to find written on a concert ticket. Look forward to this place; it's great!
I went to see Mos Def perform here when he came out with New Danger. It is in a great area in downtown Royal Oak. I had a lot of fun at the venue because like Katia said, it is pretty easy to get near the stage! I could see every feature of Mos Def's handsome face. The bar aspect was not memorable, but as far as a venue goes, I enjoyed myself a lot.
It used to be a movie theater so the architecture is very interesting and beautiful. You can also rent out the venue to host your own private party.
They get a really great range of performers. Recently Bright Eyes performed there as well as Justice, Hanson (!), Morrissey, George Clinton, Violent Femmes, and D.L. Hughley.
A great concert venue. I saw Great Big Sea here a few years ago with two other Celtic rock bands, and it still ranks as one of the most fun concerts that I went to ... and the venue definitely helped. It's intimate, you can see the stage from everywhere and get up close and personal with the band. Very cool place to see a show.
this is a nice and big venue and they seem to get pretty good bands going thru them. too bad you can still smoke inside these places in michigan, 'cuz the smoke is disgusting. overall a pretty good place
