My wife and I spent just over $100 for two tickets to see The Mavericks on 4/5/13. This is not the music venue I recall from my younger days. It seems that the "music" part of the Royal Oak Music Theater takes a backseat to the glitz of the bar. We stood in line in the cold for 40 mins, until the doors opened at 7:30 and proceeded to wait for another two hours until the band actually started. As we waited I asked an usher what time the band went on, to which I was told the ushers were not informed of this, but not to worry most bands finish by 11:30.
Is it really too much to ask for a bit of honesty from a venue such as this? If one is paying $50 a seat for a concert, perhaps it's not to much to ask that the focus of the event be on that which the ticket was purchased.
I was their with" WYCD for the 10 man Jam" on Thursday night and had a great time.  We sat at the top in the reserved area ( First time for me)  and had Great food from the Great Lantern.  WOW it was too much but I wash it all down with long pours of Jack and Coke and my had to drive home.  I just love that girl!  It's good to  get out and do something new.
Review Source:Very much like Harpo's - just a little smaller and cleaner. Drinks were weak and expensive. Great security presence that was much appreciated. I love the location. Lots of parking in the area (cheap parking at that!) and close to many restaurants and nightlife to enjoy before a show.
We will definitely be back again.
There's nothing to special about this venue other than there ability to attract some great names (recently saw Ellie Goulding and Imagine Dragons!). Street parking can be tricky with meters running late into the night but there's a lot that has event parking for $3. Definitely reasonable. Came here for concerts during mid-week so there wasn't a ton of great dining and drinking options but again, it's about the bands! As long as Royal Oak can bring great artists, I'll continue to patronize their venue! Thank you Royal Oak!!
Review Source:I actually really enjoy ROMT for concerts. Â I like smaller venue shows, and this seems to be one of the better places for one. Â I went last night to Ellie Goulding and had a blast. Â The music sounds great, the place was clean, and most of the staff were friendly. Â It was a sold out show, but it still didn't seem packed in there at all. Â I hate when you're stuck in a crowd and can't move, so it was nice. Â We couldn't get really close to the stage since it was general admission, Â but the worst part was that we couldn't even really see the stage at all. Â With shows that aren't sold out you would be fine, but there were so many people and the floor isn't completely on an incline so I had to stand on tip-toes just to see her performing. Â
I do have one complaint about the entire night. Â One of the bartenders was completely rude to me and my friend. Â The show was full of 14-18 year old girls, so there was never a line at the bar. Â We walked right up, and this bartender asked us what we wanted. Â I told her that we wanted to do a shot but we weren't sure what we wanted yet, and my friend asked if she could just make us something so we don't have to decide. Â She rudely told us that she doesn't know and that bartenders hate when people do that. Â My friend was a bartender in college, so she asked why, and the bartender told us that it's because she doesn't know what we like, so she's not going to just start suggesting stuff. Â It's not like there was a line of 10 people behind me waiting for a drink. Â We were literally 2 of 5 people at a huge bar, so her suggesting a few shots wouldn't take any time away from another customer. Â I don't understand what her issue was. Â We just asked for two shots of vodka, and she gave us the tiniest amount of alcohol I've ever seen and charged us $14 for them! Â All the other bartenders were really nice and the guys scanning tickets and checking IDs were really funny and friendly. Â I don't understand where this lady came from or if maybe she was just having a bad day? Â It obviously didn't ruin our night, but we were both pretty turned off by the rudeness.
I didn't have the worst time here, but I can say it was far from the best. To start off, I had a party of 8 with tickets to see Bob Saget. I gave everyone their tickets before we went in. It was a particularly windy night, and my mother's ticket blew out of her hand. We were unable to track it down and immediately notified the attendants at the box office. They basically said we were SOL because the missing ticket had already been scanned into their system. So, what am I supposed to do with a party of 8 when one doesn't have a ticket? I mean, I paid about $450 for all of the tickets combined (I even had my receipt, the purchasing credit card, and various forms of identification on me), so I'm not turning around to leave. The attendants just stared blankly and shrugged. Because the entrance was so disorganized we were able to sneak the one remaining member of our party past the ticket scanners (normally I would never do that). We were ready to confront whoever it was that took our missing ticket, but of course that person never showed.
I get the whole "wristband required to drink" thing, but the guys who were supposed to be taking IDs for wristbands would constantly wander away from the entrance. Multiple people, including us, had to go back to the entrance and ask for a wrist band. I mean, really, how hard is it to stand in one place and do your job until everyone is inside the building?
I bought the tickets at the actual box office to avoid service fees. I asked the box office attendant if she was sure that second-row, far-right had no sight-obstruction issues. She assured me there were none. However, when we sat down, about half of our party couldn't see past the giant speakers. On top of that, whoever sat by the speakers had a hard time hearing what Mr. Saget was saying because the vibrations were so obnoxious.
I'm just glad this venue doesn't host more things that I'm interested in, I'd like to avoid it if I can.
For a local venue in the suburbs the ROMT is a pretty great spot considering the shows they book. The inside may not be overly impressive but overall it's a solid venue. They don't have food which is a drag but the servers at the bar work their asses off, drinks are reasonable, bathrooms clean and the theater is easily accessible from surrounding cities. The one negative is seating in folding chairs but it could be worse. The pavilion is a better option for a more comfortable vantage point.
Review Source:My gf and I drove 300 miles to this venue to see Ingrid Michaelson. The venue to me is a 4 star and Ingrid's performance was a 5 star. Great show. I gave this place 1 star because of the staff issues. Unorganized and unprepared. After the opening act for Ingrid, we all have to wait 45 minutes because the crew of ROMT had to do sound check and tuned every equipment before the main performance. That is unacceptable! They should have been ready and good to go after the opening act. I feel bad for Ingrid's group because that also reflects on her.
Review Source:Hmmm. Perhaps I was a bit too hasty in my last review where I primarily discussed attending for a kids' event. I still contend that for an event like that it was great. However, I have to balance that experience out with yesterday's particularly hellish experience at Noel Gallagher. Granted, a lot of this isn't necessarily the venue's fault (my biggest beef were with the drunk brodudes who kept bringing their buddies down and squeezing us out of our spot as they shouted throughout the entire show, shifting the audience as they kept tag teaming beer runs. BUHHHH) I don't know, I think it's just the type of people this kind of venue brings in. There are parts of Royal Oak that I really dig but it does have the tendency to bring in that sort of clientele in certain venues. And the fact that I couldn't really go anywhere else to escape the insanity was a bit rough.
The tiered main-floor system seems like a not horrible idea since you have far more options in terms of being able to see, but it only works if you're in the front. Any further back on those levels and you have absolutely NO sightline. You can only move through those tiers via the center aisle. The far right and left aisles go directly to the front. So if you want to move to the side of a tier you have to go through the center and then fight your way through those lines to get to the less crowded right or left. So annoying.
Finally, the line! Even an hour after doors were supposed to open the line was wrapped around the block. It just takes forever to get in which is crazy because I wasn't even searched when I got in. What's taking so long? My days of dealing with the cold and standing in line are over (oh, Annette--remember when you used to be the first in line, willing to stand for hours to be right in front? Oh, college!) so needless to say we decided to bypass that and grab sushi at Ronin next door. We managed to wait for a table and eat before the main act even started, so how about that?
I guess, bottom line is, overall this isn't a horrible venue and I'll go for a ticketed seating event but my days of general admission here are over because the sightline sucks and the crowd sucks even harder. At least Noel Gallagher sounded amazing and he did Talk Tonight so my night wasn't a total loss!
One of my favorite bigger venues around the Detroit area. I'm partial to seeing bands play in small bars but I can't always get what I want, now can I? When a band comes to town and I hear they are playing at the ROMT, I'm always relieved. I've always had a good time here. There are lots of options for good places to stand to see the show on the different levels, which is a big deal for me because I'm old in my 24 years of age and I'm not as big a fan of getting shoved around in pool of strangers sweat on the main floor like I use to be.
There are usually good drink specials during shows and even waitresses who will come take your order while you are standing around watching the show so you don't have to leave your cherished spot to go get a drink. The employees at this venue, although my dealings with them have been very limited, have never seemed rude or anything of that sort. Security also don't seem overly dick-ish either which is a nice change from some places.
There are parking structures within walking distance of the venue so parking is never a problem. My only gripe is that they sometimes don't open doors at the time they say they will open doors. In the winter, this is pure evil. Open the doors! We are cold! Other than that, this place is awesome.
I'm gonna update my review of the ROMT because I was just here for another show, and I had a different experience at this show which was equally positive, but very different from the first show I saw here.
I saw New Found Glory here on the 3rd, and they closed off the upstairs entirely. The fiance and I ended up at the railing near the second stairwell (if that makes any sense), which was a great vantage point - I wasn't in the mood for the pit, but I didn't feel like being miles away from the stage. It was perfect.
I loved that they set up tons of bar tables everywhere for folks wanting to drink - total plus. I also loved that their shots of Jameson weren't insanely expensive, because that's essentially my go-to drink when I'm out. Between the two of us, and 6 hard liquor drinks, we only spent $43 (including tip), which was significantly less than I would've expected. The bartenders were awesome, and Brandy in particular was a great bartender (and hot t'boot!).
Definitely one of my favorite venues in the metro area, without a doubt!
Came to the Royal Oak Music Theatre to see Robyn and was pretty impressed by the venue. Â
Liked:
- Huge plush lobby area as you enter the front doors
- The theatre itself is pretty wide with a few tiers and levels which I find to be a god sent for a height challenged concert goer like myself. Â There are a few areas with seats so there is an option of standing or sitting.
- Sound quality - not overly loud or distorted
- Ticket prices - $22 vs $40 in Toronto
Disliked:
- Bar prices - Â We bought tall boys of beer and a mixed drink for $9 each. Â Bar service was nice and quick. Â I also noticed a few waitresses walking amongst the crowd taking drink orders.
- Parking is metered street parking that only takes coins. Â There is also a 3 hr maximum so you will need to feed the meter if you're there for longer than the maximum.
The Royal Oak Music Theatre is simillar to venues in Toronto like Opera House and The Phoenix/
Had a great time at Robyn and would consider seeing another show here in the future.
After our last concert here (Iron and Wine - 4/11) Â I think my wife and I will pass on the venue. Â I think they need to reassess what kind of names they bring in and whether or not they suit the venue.
The place is your average mid level live music joint. Â An old theater with all the seating removed. Â This equates to a VERY loud crowd, many of whom seem to care less about the actual music. Â It seems like people are paying considerable amounts of money to talk with one another when they could do that for free outside. Â The standing room only factor gets old after about 15 minutes. Â It equals spilled drinks, lots of bumping, and lots of tall people blocking views.
We love live music and I'm sure this venue would be fine for louder acts, but I think they should reassess who they bring in due to the lack of the above mentioned issues.
An OK venue... Â I went here recently for the Slaughterhouse show and it was handled quite well by the staff. Great atmosphere & security was on point. One critique, they've stolen my smoking lounge (but hey isn't it about time for me to quit). Â Sound & lighting were solid. Â Looking forward to hitting up a Dub-Step show here on the April the 8th...
Review Source:I don't get why everyone has such a hard on about this venue. I have never been too impressed, maybe most impressed with the  Less Than Jake/Reel Big Fish show, but anything that wasn't nostalgia I've regretted stepping foot through the doors. So, let me elaborate.
Lets start off with the time I spent 2 1/2 hours waiting outside, in 20 degree weather in February waiting for them to open the doors for the Excision show. Sounds like fun right? I e-mailed the manager the next day and he explained Excision had had a gig in Minneapolis the night before and couldn't leave until morning, hence the delay. Thats great, but why don't you book a local DJ or two for these shows so that you can ensure doors are actually on time? Doors were originally at 6pm, pushed until 7pm, and we got in around 9:30-10. Really was a mess that shouldn't have happened.
How about sound? Yeah, the sounds is alright. I still prefer the Majestic or the Fillmore any day of the week. Sound at Excision was kind of muddy, not in a good way. I expect dubstep to have wompy bass, but I also love to hear what they are laying over top that wompity womp womp. Motorhead/Clutch wasn't much better sound wise, but it improved near the end. That Less Than Jake/Reel Big Fish show had good sound though. Seems extremely hit or miss for me.
Price wise, its Fillmore style prices with decent service. Beverage prices are nothing to write home about... except the time the bartender lady tried to charge my friend $6 for a bottle of water during Excision. Yep. Ticket prices are markedly higher than The Fillmore and Majestic, but you don't have to deal with Ticketmaster Livenation whatever they are these days. It comes out fairly even in the end, but I still wish they were a bit lower. Not a realistic wish though.
Overall, I will come back here if there is a show I must see, like say Cake. But if someone says "Hey, wanna buy a ticket and come with me to see _______?" I will respond "No, but if you pay for me I guess I will go". Its not a terrible venue, but I've had some absolutely bad experiences here.
Pros: Â This is a great place to see a show. Â It's intimate, but can accommodate a good number of people. Â The drinks are reasonable for a venue of this size. Â They've been pulling in bigger acts over the past few years.
Cons: Â The security is totally irritating. Â Some concerts they let you in early with the print-your-own tickets, but they don't always tell you in advance. Â And there's no rhyme or reason to why they do that. Â And once the doors open, there's always a long wait to get in. Â And they have a coat check in the winter, but it's hell to deal with.
This venue is so underrated and underutilized. It's the perfect size (big enough but not so much that you can still find your friends), it has character, the bar staff is good, the bathrooms are clean and it's great just walking down the street to get there compared to other venues where you have to pay $20 for parking a mile away. I wish they'd turn this place into a regular night club.
Review Source:I like this venue. Â I've seen a couple shows here, and the sound and lighting are legit.
There are some distinct advantages to ROMT if you're into drinking at concerts, which I generally am. Â There's a few super nice and heavily staffed bars, beer in buckets in key areas, and girls going through the crowd with drinks. Â I seriously would like to be one of those girls and then just frequent the front row to get a good view.
also, royal oak music theater gets good bands. the service charge is not spectacular, but you can avoid this by stopping at the box office. Â i was unsure how they would handle a packed show like last night's sold out sufjan stevens, but it turned out fabulous.
The main benefit for the Royal Oak Music Theater (ROMT) is that it's centrally located in Royal Oak. Â It's sad that so many venues have left the city proper, but sometimes it's just convenient to go to a concert just down the road.
ROMT is a pretty big theater and a decent venue. Â Usually it's General Admission but I have seen them fill the place with folding chairs and have assigned seating. Â The theater has several tiers for easy viewing of the acts and even a balcony that is opened for overflow at times.
The music sounds good here and the lights are done well. Â I haven't ever gotten drinks but the bar area looks nice.
The only problem is the line out front to get in. Â Last night, as I have seen on other nights, there is a VIP line usually to the left and a regular line to the right. Â If you don't get in the right line you could get screwed. Â However, no one was informing people of there were two lines, until it was almost time to go in. Â So people waiting in the VIP line who weren't VIP were relegated to the end of the regular line, despite possibly waiting an hour or more in line.
Also, I don't know if it was the band last night or the theater, but only one person was selling merchandise. Â They were constantly busy and I think they could have sold more, if more people were assisting.
i must seem like a fan of all venues around detroit.
i haven't given any of them less than 4 stars.
the royal oak music theater holds a happy place because of the odd assortment of entertainment housed behind its doors. Â ranging from comedy to concerts, the place seems to book the oddities the other venues don't.
i really enjoy shows here for two reasons above all else. Â first, you can pre-party at gusoline alley for less than half the price of cocktails inside and also wait for the line outside to die down. Â second, it never seems too full inside. Â even during rilo kiley i had no problems seeing the performers or getting my drink on.
the building inside is as beautiful as the filmore and the staff are extremely nice.
love juston
One of my favorite venues ever. It's like the Metro in Chicago, but does everything right. They don't oversell the venue, there's still room on the main floor even during a sold out show, there's swift waitress service on the floor, shot girls, great sound, great bar setups.....
I saw MSTRKRFT here a while back and then saw Tegan and Sara yesterday... thoroughly enjoyed myself.
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. Â 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.
This venue is probably my favorite in the area (Detroit AND Metro). Â 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. Â 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. Â 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." Â
*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. Â It is in a great area in downtown Royal Oak. Â I had a lot of fun at the venue because like Katia said, it is pretty easy to get near the stage! Â I could see every feature of Mos Def's handsome face. Â 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. Â You can also rent out the venue to host your own private party.
They get a really great range of performers. Â Recently Bright Eyes performed there as well as Justice, Hanson (!), Morrissey, George Clinton, Violent Femmes, and D.L. Hughley.
A great concert venue. Â 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. Â It's intimate, you can see the stage from everywhere and get up close and personal with the band. Â Very cool place to see a show.
Review Source:
The 5 best restaurants in the 2015 Denver Restaurant Week
3,611 Views | Category: Denver
The complete list of 2015 Denver Restaurant Week businesses
1,971 Views | Category: Denver
The tourists' guide to Portillos: 5 must have dishes
3,316 Views | Category: Chicago
Pho = Pronounced "fuh" not "foe" for pho-king sake
2,913 Views | Category: Denver
Indulgery selected to exhibit at Collision Conference
2,986 Views | Category: Press Releases
Not Logged In
BUSINESSES
Local Businesses
Near Me
My Favorites
SOCIAL
Blog & News
MY ACCOUNT
Login
Register
Contact Us
Add Your Business
