Which arena is better? The Arena at Gwinnett Center or Philips Arena? (loft, theater)

[ajjam]

I've never been to the Gwinnett one so I cant choose....

But consider these factors

Location
Size
Quality of booked acts
Acoustics
Parking

I love PHILIPS just because I love anything in the city, but Gwinnett Arena is a good option as well. What do you all think? And has the Dome ever held concerts?

[ATLTJL]

Gwinnett Arena is definitely better for parking as you can park right on the property and don't have to drive around looking for a private lot. Philips is easier if you just take MARTA.

Gwinnett is nice because it is smaller and there are no obstructed views, so you feel closer to the show.

Philips is bigger and can hold more people.

They both get quality acts. I think the acoustics are good in both.

[cqholt]

Philips Arena having the boxes on 1 wall it allows the upper deck seats to be at least 20 feet closer to the stage. My wife and I attended Watch the Throne tour at Philips. We sat upper 300's next to the stage. They were great seats, we could see all the details of Jay Z and Kanye.

[JPD]

Originally Posted by ajjam

And has the Dome ever held concerts?

Yes. I saw Paul McCartney and the Rolling Stones at the Dome Terrible concert venue. Fortunately, they don't have concerts there very often.

[westau]

Gwinnett has better parking and everything else is MUCH better at Philips.

[toll_booth]

Gwinnett is somewhat more intimate, and it certainly doesn't-have the city vibe that Philips does. I'm actually kinda surprised they have an arena of its size, but hey, if people come...

If it comes down to the same event at both places, I'd just go for whichever one is closer.

[cwkimbro]

One thing Gwinnett needs to be given big props for, that most people in general won't think about, is the facility is much more workable.

It is designed to be used in different floorplans for different types of events, so they can "right size" the seating for different size events and still make the experience seem lively. The reason this matters is if your a small to mid-size show that is too big for a theater, the Gwinnett Arena is actually far better.

The other thing is they have an excellent amount of rigging points, truck docks, backstage areas, and a -huge- working loft that wraps around the facility. Concert tours, basically have no trouble using their full traveling technical set up at Gwinnett. Philips holds strong, but some tours will have to manipulate their layouts and plots to fit the space a bit.

[ATLTJL]

Does that play into how performers decide where to play?

I have seen shows at Gwinnett that definitely could have sold out Philips as well. I always wondered why they would pick a venue with smaller capacity and accept lower ticket sales.

Maybe sometimes Gwinnett just fits in better since it is less active with things like basketball so the availability just meshes with the tour schedule, I don't know.

[cqholt]

It is designed to be used in different floorplans for different types of events, so they can "right size" the seating for different size events and still make the experience seem lively. The reason this matters is if your a small to mid-size show that is too big for a theater, the Gwinnett Arena is actually far better.

With smaller venues like the Tabernacle, Fox Theater, and Civic Center there are plenty of options for those type shows in COA. Its nice that there are restaurants and bars within a walk of Philips, where Gwinnett Arena does not offer a huge choice of amenities within walking distance.

[westau]

Originally Posted by ATLTJL

Does that play into how performers decide where to play?

I have seen shows at Gwinnett that definitely could have sold out Philips as well. I always wondered why they would pick a venue with smaller capacity and accept lower ticket sales.

Maybe sometimes Gwinnett just fits in better since it is less active with things like basketball so the availability just meshes with the tour schedule, I don't know.

It could be that it is cheaper to hold events at Gwinnett so some decide it is worth losing some ticket revenue. It also could just be a scheduling thing like you said. Although now without the Thrashers I am sure Philips has a lot more open dates than they used to.