One of the best venues I have ever been to! My husband and I recently attended for the Nick Cave show. The sound at the Orange Peel is great, probably one of the best that I have heard (that combined with Nick Cave was perfect :). Since it was sold out we were told by my brother in-law that we should get there early because the staff is slow to get people in the door. We arrived at 7pm and found a very long line that apparently began at 2pm! We thought for sure we might miss some of the show, but whatever past problems they had with checking people in seem to be resolved. The staff came outside and checked ID's and issued wristbands before the doors opened. Once they opened the doors all we had to do was show our tickets; we were in super fast!
We noticed that even though the venue was sold out there was still plenty of room to move around and it made our experience all the better. We found that there were a lot of staff members on hand behind the bar and on the floor so we had no problems getting drinks or other information we needed. Unlike some of the other reviewers on here, we found the staff to be super friendly and did not witness any sort of "bad behavior from any of them."
All in all, it was a great experience, and we can't wait to go back again! We only wish that it was in Greenville, SC instead of Asheville! :)
I am an avid concertgoer and attend at least 50-100 shows a year at venues all over the country but mainly in the southeast. Â I had always heard great things about the Orange Peel and decided to finally give it a shot.
I was supremely disappointed. Â The room is excellent and the sound is very good. Â As a venue it's an incredible and beautiful place. Â However, the rest of the experience left a sour taste in my mouth.
While I was waiting for the opening band to begin I went to the restroom and on my way out was accosted by a member of the security staff. Â He started questioning me and essentially accusing me of doing something illegal in the restroom. Â It was unsettling to say the least. Â Then, throughout the duration of the show, I could see at least 5 security guards in my line of sight at all times and constantly felt like I was being watched even though I had done nothing wrong.
The rest of the event went without disturbance but within 5 minutes of the artist finishing their performance i was hustled out the door like livestock and out onto the street.
I won't be back. Â Ever.
I absolutely love the Orange Peel as a music venue. It has great acoustics and brings in some big name bands, while providing an intimate experience for its viewers. I've been to several different shows there, most recently I saw: Black Moth Super Rainbow and Gza during Moog Fest. Both shows were incredible and, despite being packed, I still found room to dance.
My second favorite thing about the Orange Peel is the fact that they have a small bar downstairs that serves liquor at reasonably affordable prices. I bought a well bourbon and ginger for around $3. The only downside is that you have to buy a membership (blasted NC liquor laws) but its only a couple of dollars and only one person from your group has to be a member. It's a great space to hang out if you get to the show early and there's a television monitor that shows what's going on upstairs so you don't miss any of the band playing.
By far the best music venue in Asheville that I've been to.
It's large enough to bring in great artists but it doesn't feel like you're in the masses. I went to Moog Fest this year and was sorely disappointed with some of the bands I actually liked a lot more than Black Moth Super Rainbow and Gza, but it was just so much easier to get into their shows in this smaller and more intimate venue than where pretty much everyone else played at the Civic Center - kids graduate high school there, c'mon.
That's what a venue should do: make fans or potential fans fall even more head over heels for the music they already love. The Orange Peel brings it back those basics by providing a simple venue that amps up the coolness of the band by really making them the main attraction. Besides the beer-only bars on each side of the stage (so smart), the only other thing to notice besides the music and the people you're with is the simple block-style orange letters printed on one of the walls.
Oh, and there's a bar downstairs that if you pay a buck or two you can become a member (NC liquor laws) and then be able to buy and drink liquor. They've got Bulleit Bourbon too! This place was a great reprieve from the madness of the rest of Moogfest. Another cool thing about this area is that there's a TV that showed everything going on upstairs. Perfect for running upstairs right before it starts to get too crowded for the next show.
Came here for the August Burns Red show. I have nver been to this venue before, but damn....it blows Columbia venues (cough **NBT) out of the water. The floor and stage were huge, there were fans everywhere (the ceiling kind not the screaming kind with feet and brains lol!) They had cold water at the end of the bar- on both sides- and cups for everyone there to stay hydrated without having to ask. The staff did their job and deff. kept up with security. The bathrooms? Clean and MANNNNYY stalls. Not cramped at all. Parking was tricky but we found a spot within a reasonable amount of time. A lot of rude people IN the venue but there were some non-douches as well. Good experience.
PS: This was a HUGE show. I was never searched and received no pat-down like the other reviewers mentioned? Maybe they stopped doing that? Hopefully so :)
I came here to watch a concert featuring "The Weeknd". And it was awesome. The only problem was that it was extremely hot. (But what concert/club isn't?) Anyways, it wasn't really my scene but I really enjoyed it because I had a date and also it was an experience to have after more than 6 years of not going to this type of concert. However, my review here isn't going to be based on the venue or the concert, but rather the facility itself.
Orange Peel is just a big Warehouse with a stage. Sadly, I didn't have the chance to go exploring (because I saw many places where you could go). The facility has two bars on the left and right when you walk in from the front entrance and depending on the concert, the age group could be extremely wide or very narrow. For me, it was quite wide.
One turnoff for me was that they only had one huge fan, that rotated at an okay speed. The A/C was definitely a tease during the whole concert though and also I was actually surprised that no one fainted during the concert. Another one was that even though it's Asheville and they brew a lot of beer in this city, the beer was expensive!
Overall, I thought it wasn't a bad place to go watch a concert. Even though its not a place I would go to by myself, it's a nice place to experience at least once in your life. Â The bathrooms are clean, so no worries (and they're quite big). For me, I'll probably just chill and pass on the next concert.
The staff and management are so awful that it completely overshadows the great material aspects of this place. The space is great, but constant harassment by staff is ridiculous and unnecessary to create a great venue that abides by the laws and creates a legitimate place for people to enjoy music. Additionally, the beers are tiny!
Review Source:Great venue. Â Saw a couple of my favorite shows here - (Dinosaur Jr. and Animal Collective) Sound was great, intimate setting - a perfect size space in my opinion. Â
Definitely a 5 star club. Â I don't recall the beer selection or anything, but that doesn't count for much at a music venue as far as im concerned. Â I would recommend anyone this place to see music!
Great music venue in Asheville. Been here a couple of dozen times over the years and I always love it. Â Great size, great beer selection, good sound, huge ceiling fan, merch stands in the corner, coat check and free water tanks at the edge of the bar. Â
Some shows are standing and some are sitting, but if you are a sitting type and get there early enough you can usually find a seat on the outskirts. Â
Downstairs is a membership club if you want to drink liquor or get away from the action. Â It's really a nice vibe down there and they pipe in the music and show the stage on a big-screen TV.
I'm not exactly sure what I expected from the Orange Peel, but I know I had some serious misconceptions. Â
From the exterior it looks like many venues I've visited before. Â Pretty open, well lit, tiny parking lot... you know, typical. Â But when my ticket was torn and I made my way in I was almost amazed at the space and how open it is. Â We walked in during the middle of Wye Oak's set and the sound was fantastic, Explosions in the Sky were even better and crystal clear.
The bars have a decent selection of beer and use their own system of cards to manage the open tabs and they have big and bigger sizes for draft. Â The smoking patio is gigantic, the bathrooms were clean, and the venue was beautiful. Â
I'm a fan.
I saw Cut Copy here last night and it was a really fun show! Â I have been to this venue before but had not seen is so packed until last night! Â The drinks are a bit expensive and I don't like that there isn't re-entry. Â But I didn't really care last night because I didn't want to miss a second of the show. Â Big fan of the giant water coolers as well, I hate bothering a busy bartender for water but a girl has got to stay hydrated! Â
This was unusual though, a really big fight broke out last night. Â It was kind of crazy, not to mention, very trashy. Â It didn't last long though. Â Security wasn't exactly right on the scene, but I'm sure they don't deal with much fighting, cause the Orange peel usually keeps it classy. Â
All in all, really great venue, clean bathrooms, and huge space. Â I will definitely be coming again for another show!
So last fall when Mayer Hawthorne's tour had only one NC stop in Asheville, I had to be there!
I want this venue in Charlotte! This place is spacious & the sound is fantastic! Not to mention, the "basement" lounge where they held Mayer's VIP meet & greet. The stage is wide, but not too big. Â The bar area is kind of small, but the bar staff seemed to accommodate everyone efficiently.
The location is nice, too. After a show, you can walk to several nearby bars.
I'm definitely a fan!
There is a distinct love for music at such a venue. Away from the arena or dank pit of a dive. The Orange Peel feels like a giant farm house or warehouse with shockingly big fans; like freakishly large fan blades. Actually decently priced beer and good sound make the place fun, not to mention the intimacy with the guests which makes the music seem purer.
Review Source:Cant speak highly enough of this place. Â The staff was professional, no nonsense, fantastic and just really great people to work with. Â Sound, lighting, just amazingly great. Â The dressing rooms and bathrooms are ample and clean, I think the only down side is that they only serve beer and wine so do keep that in mind. Â They were curteous, willing to work with all of the coordinators of a big event I am a part of every year. Â They keep in mind the paying audience, and have a cool collected head about every aspect of a live performance. Â I CANNOT speak highly enough about them!
Review Source:One of the best little concert venues I've been to. Â I saw Gogol Bordello here with an opening by The Constellations and it was AMAZING. Â Obviously the performers were FANTASTIC, but The Orange Peel did an amazing job making sure we got to appreciate how fantastic they were. Â
There is a giant fan that helps cool down everyone while we're singing and dancing everywhere... this needs to exist EVERYWHERE. Â I mean seriously... the greatest creation EVER. Â The acoustics were fantastic. They had a little bar area that was nice when you are needing a drink and a chillout moment, haha. Â You can still see the performance amazingly though. Â There is not a bad spot in the area. Â You can see and hear well everywhere. Â I would come here again in a heartbeat. Â Bought my tickets with very little hassle, got in with no hassle, and had one of the best live music experiences I've had in my life :D
Broken Social Scene, second row: I can't NOT give this place a rave review.
Arriving a bit before the opening act, we were able to score our awesome spot. Â But the venue is pretty intimate for the bigger indie acts that they host, so that you're able to enjoy the show and see the performers from wherever you stand. Â The crowd was fun and the band was so taken by the enthusiasm that they put on an extra-long show for us. Â And Orange Peel also maintains a temperate environment, which is pretty important for the audience, so that after dancing for 2+ hours straight, you're not sweating.
Well-stocked bars with some unique draft beers and a small selection of wine. Â Free cold water kegs, so you don't have to ask the bartender.
Wow I can't believe I forgot about reviewing this place.
I came here during the Butch Walker / Locksley road trip of '10. Â I had drinks down stairs prohibition style, and then came out for a rockin' good time. (if you want liquor you have to join a secret club downstairs otherwise its beer only)
I loved the people of Asheville, they were so awesome, and hospitable. Â The drinks are relatively cheap, and the location is walkable from just about anywhere in the downtown area. Â
Downfall, people here get really really drunk, and two girls fought during Butch's set (who fights during butch walker?!) and they went down in front of me and each thought I was the other and impaled me with their nails.. I had to press charges, and they were crying. Â I feel bad, but I'm scarred. Â for life.
But that's not the venue's fault. Â
I could see myself coming back her for another show in the future- granted this time I'll avoid the crazy, drunkards ;) Â
ohh and standing all the way in the back you can see EVERYTHING and the sound is perfect. Â no need to be right up front!
The Orange Peel is my third favorite venue in all of the south: The Cat's Cradle is my first and Center Stage in Atlanta is my second. The acoustics are great, it's clean enough, and you don't think you're going to die walking to your car. Lighten up already.
Two things I see mentioned several times in a couple of reviews:
markups on beer - that's how overhead is paid for, friends.
Also, smell of people in the club? This is in Asheville, NC. I love Asheville. I miss Asheville, but there is such a thing as knowing your audience.
All of this being said, four stars out of five. If they're hosting someone you want to see, take the trip. Asheville is lovely. Take the drive; take your camera and take the time.
I was really excited to attend Donna the Buffalo's 2008 NYE run. I had heard a lot of really good things about the place - mainly from hipsters, so I should have approached my visit with a little more trepidation, perhaps.
It wasn't bad, it just didn't live up to the word-of-mouth expectation. The show was okay, but not amazing. The crowd was good. The drinks were overpriced and the staff wasn't amazing. The huge fans were distracting.
It's like an exaggerated version of Asheville: hip to an extent, but overrated and over-impressed with itself (I actually like the rest of Asheville better). It didn't turn me off, but it didn't blow my mind. I'll come back, but not for the venue.
I loved the show I saw, Vampire Weekend ROCKED and their opening act was decent. Â I thought the venue was the perfect size for an intimate but full of energy performance with pleanty of room to dance and loved the smoke free environment. Â I am glad there was no room to sit because shows are always better when you can get close to the stage and connect with the band. Â Sound was fine, loved the biggest ceiling fan ever, NO jerks trying to start fights. Â I did not drink but thought the drinks looked like the normal size for any concert venue. Â Who besides morons bring perscriptions meds to concerts? Â I think the people who said the sound sucked and the drinks were small and expensive don't go to many concerts. Â I vote thumbs up!
Review Source:Alright, let me go ahead and say I'm writing this review because of a bad experience I had at the Peel during a hip-hop show a couple of months ago. I was with some friends and my boyfriend, and all of us  were having a great time and dancing. Two thugged out rednecks  behind us apparently didn't like the way one of my friends was dancing, so they decided to grab him and told him they wanted to fight. My boyfriend turned around and told them that we weren't there to fight, so of course the rednecks start throwing punches. The scuffle was broken up by security pretty quickly, and the two rednecks and my friend were taken out of the club and thrown on the street, so of course what do they do? My friend takes off running with the rednecks following him, trying to finish the fight. My boyfriend (the only non-white guy, surprise surprise) gets taken into a back room to be "interviewed", which equated to the bouncers asking him why he started the fight. After he explains he didn't throw a single punch, he too is thrown out of the venue.
My question is why weren't the parties separated and let out of the venue at different times? Doesn't it make sense that people who were fighting in the venue are just going to fight out on the street if you throw them out at the same time? How stupid are you, or do you just not give a shit?
Also: whoever runs sound here should be shot.
Also: expect to wait at least 10 minutes to get a drink at the bar, and expect to pay $4 for a dixie cup full of beer.
If this weren't the only place to see national acts in Asheville, I would never set foot in this place again.
It was a good venue. The beer selection was average but at affordable prices. The cups were a little on the small side. The smell of human body odor really started to irritate my cilia. Hippies really do not know how to dance, they looked like a bunch of Jelly Fish or Portuguese Man o' War floating in a sea of stink. The movements were so odd and the dreadlocks were the stinging tentacles. I thought hippies were supposed to be at peace, I got bumped into many times without appology. That pissed me right off! They book really good bands so I guess I can't really complain.
Review Source:The negative reviews of this place are just silly...in my opinion. This is the best venue for bands in Asheville. Period.
The Grey Eagle holds no candle to the experience that can be had at the Peel. I will, reluctantly, go to the Eagle if I have to see someone...but I never seek it out as a place of discovering new bands.
I've had the pleasure of seeing Nickle Creek, Howie Day, Patty Griffin and How to Grow a Band (Chris Thile) here...all of which were memorable occasions. I would be there much more often had I not moved to New York City.
Being among the few people actually from the city of Asheville (aka: didn't move here and now call it my "home"), I must say that there has never been anything like this place. It is a welcome change from the days of having only the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium as a concert venue...or various dive bar locations throughout the city...
The tickets are priced well, the drinks are not too expensive, the venue is just plain old cool and it is remarkably clean for being a music hall. I'm very happy that it hasn't gone grungy and smelly like many other locations in the city (one being, I have to say it again...Grey Eagle). If the speakers are too loud, move away from them. I've never had trouble...but then again, I don't listen to the kind of music where that could ever be an issue.
I love the Peel. I'll keep going and recommending it to everyone I know.
I'm a bit suprised to read a few bad reviews of the OP. Â I've been there 5 times: Son Volt 3 times, Steve Earle and Shooter Jennings. Â Each time has been pretty enjoyable. Â One of the Son Volt shows was a nightmare trying to get a beer, but I had a long drive home so I wasn't going to have more than a few. Â The place is always pretty clean and the bathrooms are pretty nice. Â It's nice not to have to pee into a horse throth (sp?). Â I've read that several bands list the OP as their favorite place to play. Â I've also always been able to park pretty close. Â NO Smoking is very nice!
I was there last night 2/17/09, the crowd was great (no drunk frat boys looking for a fight), no long waits for beer and the sound was fine. Â I was right up front by the left speakers next to the bar. Â The OP is my favorite place to see a band.
My husband and I are avid show-goers and not terribly hard to please, but the Orange Peel has given us plenty to grumble about over the years. Many locals would LOVE to have an other comparable venue, but as things stand now the Peel has the market cornered on big-name, big-drawing bands and you have to go there if you want to see them. Where to start with the grumblings? The ear-splitting volume of every show (you can't get away even in the bathroom), the terrible sound (unless you happen to be standing in the middle of the venue), the overselling of tickets to the point of eradicating dancing room, the tiny beers that cost the same as a pint elsewhere, the rudeness of some staff throughout the years, the way staff members hover over the crowd from a high vantage point watching your every move like predatory birds, the two recent expensive shows within one week when we were herded out the doors like cattle after only  1 1/2 hours of music. Are we having fun yet? This venue does not deserve its accolades, in my opinion.
Update: The Orange Peel has expanded, presumably for the purpose of stepping up to the next category of venues in terms of size, thereby attracting larger crowds and bigger bands. There is a lovely new smoking porch and plans are in the works for a private, liquor-serving club downstairs. The Peel would like to thank you for paying for all of this with your $4.50 per 12 ounces of beer. Meanwhile, the sound is still terrible (they subscribe to the teenage-boy idea that "louder" must equal "more clear"), the staff still has orders to prowl through the crowd like predators on the hunt, the shows get shorter and shorter (don't plan to ever stay more than 2 hours for your money), and thorough searches upon entry are now par-for-the-course (yes, ladies, your tiny purses will be searched, right down to the insides of your cigarette packs). Try to enjoy yourself anyway. There's nowhere else to see that band.
Every time I end up in Asheville I somehow also end up at the Orange Peel. It seems like the rest of the youths in town do too. My favorite memory was when the door guy let me in for free because he saw I was wearing a purse I had bought from his wife's clothing store. In such a small town, this is the place to meet and greet with everyone.
Review Source:This really is one of the best venues for a concert I've ever been to.
I've been up from Atlanta for 3 shows and I love coming here. Nice intimate place to see a show in a great part of town. Lots of places up the street to grab a bite to eat or a beer before the show.
Parking is OK, you have to go to some pay lots to be sure you won't get towed.
The coat check is awesome, especially if going to a show during the cold weather seasons.
I'll be heading back in September to see my cousin's band play, just wish Mars Volta would play here instead of the Civic Center.
I think this is a great venue. Â Great space, not too large and smoke free. Â The sound system is actually quite good. Â From the likes of Flaming Lips to Ozomatli to Badly Drawn Boy to Built to Spill and various of local acts to name a few. Â For us upstate South Carolina folks, this is the closest venue for us to see bands since many bands tend to skip the southern state of Carolina. Â We southern folks don't appreciate music as much as the northern folks of Carolina. Â
Not that I give any creditability to Rolling Stone magazine but they have listed Orange Peel as one of the top 5 music venues in the US.
The Peel is a no-nonsense place to see a show. No smoking and plastic beer cups might irritate some, but the place just has a feel about it. The building has a cool history and a cool look.
Just a few of the acts I have had the privilege to see here:
Andrew Bird
Jamie Lidell
Toubab Krewe
Sean Lennon
Telepath
Gomez
RJD2
STS9
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