Sovereign Center

My introduction to this venue was quite annoying.  Tickets said doors at 6pm, concert started at 7pm.  I stayed at a bar till the concert was about to start.  The line out front was crazy, apparently the doors opened at 6:50.  We all pretty much missed the first song, just walking into the place, hitting the bathroom, getting food, or merch.  I had a seat in the front row which was nice.  There were a ton of GA people around, but the sight lines were good and the audio was on point.  POD sounded great, the new singer of Three Days Grace was really good and Shinedown was amazing.  Don't think I'd trek all the way out here again, but it was an adventure.

An excellent place place to see a show. I saw Van Halen here a few days back, and was quite impressed by the experience. The crowd was great! Apparently the 1980s never ended in Reading, so there was tons of teased and hair sprayed hair and denim jackets. Plus, everyone was jumping up and down and making a scene. A great contrast to NY and DC where rock shows can be a bore.

As for the Center itself, it's a very intimate venue, maybe 6000-7000 seats, so you get right up close to the band from most seats. Tickets were very cheap on StubHub compared to other area shows. Parking is really cheap too. You can stick your car right across from the arena and it's $9. Less than 10 minutes after parking, you are in your seat.

On the downside, the area around the arena is a total shithole. I'd advise everyone to use extreme caution when going here. There were cops in the area, but there were also a bunch of scumbags right outside the doors, and in the parking lot, which was not secured.

In the end, if you are in the NY or Philly area and don't mind a bit of a ride, you should definitely come to see a show here.

I grew up in Reading and I remember all the debates on getting this building constructed.  It's just a shame they had to tear down the Astor Theatre to build this.  

Anyway, I've since left Reading. The Sovereign Center was then finally built and I've been back to see a Royals game and an Express game with family.  

It's a nice venue for a smaller arena with plenty of food options but maybe could have a better selection of beer.  The only complaint I have is that it would be nice to have a scoreboard over the rink so you don't have to keep bending your head to look to the end.