Golden State Theatre

Seen many great acts come through this theater, had a great time at all of their shows!

From an aesthetic standpoint, this place is great.  Neat murals, classy old furniture, a balcony, and more.  It's really a lovely spot and an asset to Monterey.  They get some good acts there too.  The service charges on some shows can be very high, and not all of the seats are comfortable.  It's kind of a crap shoot.  I've sat in seats that were just fine, and I've sat in a seat in the balcony where my knees were crammed up against the seat in front of me.  I'm only 5'6", and don't have unusually long legs or anything, so this seems unreasonable.  Choose your seat with care, but then enjoy your surroundings and whatever fine talent they have booked.

It's a great old theater, but the seats are in serious need of refurbishment. ALL the seats lean back way too far when you sit in them (i.e. are broken). OK I haven't sat in / behind ALL the seats, so this may be an unfair assessment, but it is true of all the seats I've occupied / sat behind, and we heard people actually GASPING when they sat in seats that sank back farther than they expected!