State Theatre of Ithaca

Beautiful venue, relatively comfortable seats. Cordial staff. Great acoustics. Been here twice now and looking forward to returning.

I give it 4 stars because of the great variety of entertainment they bring in and the friendly staff. The building itself is pretty warn down...but again, it's all about the entertainment, the ambiance is tertiary for me.

Every element of our show here was amazing. No line was.too long, the seats are great and most all places have a great view!

Went to see Blues Traveler here. Was amazing. Great view, very helpful staff, clean, and sounded amazing!

Attended the Jay and Silent Bob Aural Sects Tour here, the theater was beautiful and comfortable. Easy to find, but finding parking was a little difficult. The theater itself is historic, from a time when vehicles weren't very common. I'd imagine theatre goers back then walked, or were dropped off.. which is still so cool, but I wasn't aware of the lack of parking until I arrived.

State Theater in Ithaca, NY is a great venue for shows and as of December 6, 2024, they are celebrating their 96th year! The opening act was Steve Leonard who is currently a bassist with the headlining group Almost Queen. The current drummer for Almost Queen also sat in as Steve's drummer and did a great job. This was the first time seeing Almost Queen which I learned have been around for over 20yrs! They have a great interactive show which kept the audience engaged, singing and dancing right along to the great hits that we all know and love. A must see tribute group to see when they come to or close to your area.

The theater is clean and beautiful, not a bad seat in the house. But, when my wife and I stood up to dance to a Blackberry Smoke song, the couple behind us in seats N5&7 apparently didn't like that and she grabbed my wife's dress and tried to make her sit down and then he put his hands on my shoulders and forced me down into my seat!!! I was good, I simply turned around and said do not touch my wife and went back to enjoying the show. Then security showed up and asked US to leave. They took us out to the lobby and said we could watch the rest of the show from the other side of the theater. We explained what happened, even had others next to us telling security that we didn't start this incident, but it fell on deaf ears. It turned a very enjoyable evening into something I will never forget or forgive.

Not a great venue for a concert. We went up to the balcony thinking it was similar to a house of blues show where all spaces are GA before being kicked out of our seats. We were able to go up the stairs and grab seats without ushers checking us which meant we got there early only to get booted to the back of the GA seats downstairs. Additionally, bathroom and bar lines were super long. Hopefully won't have to come here again for a show.

Saturday's attempt at enjoying Michaela Anne and The Wood Brothers was my first and likely last experience at the Ithaca Theatre. Short and to the point, its effort to be a social club and theater simply doesn't work...the establishment caters well to neither when combined. While I enjoy drinking and good music as much as the next, there is little room for movement, drink sale lines compete for bathroom lines along stair wells, and face-to-face communication can only occur standing in clogged thoroughfares. For those who attend to enjoy the performance, good luck with that. There is constant clamorous socializing occurring, even during a primary, otherwise spectacular event. The audience is never settled, endlessly getting up to grab another drink or to go to the bathroom, requiring all those between them and the isle to exit the very narrow seating rows, to let them out, then in, then out,...You get the picture. Think I'm kidding? Reach out to Michaela Anne (opening performer), who initially threw the audience a clear "hint" that performing amidst the clamor was not easy. For her finale, she explicitly asked that listeners attend to the important message within her next song (ironically, about respect for others), though to no avail. Dismissive or oblivious to either plea or the 'shushing' of those who wished to listen, the socialites did not yield. Despite clear signs stating that no photos or videos are allowed, ushers could be seen capturing the performance with their phones. For those who do not partake or care for exposure to a certain plant and practice that was recently legalized in New York...beware. Eventgoers were subjected to a notable amount of second-hand smoke from the lucrative herb. Did we not get rid of second-hand smoke in enclosed public spaces? I guess this smoke is different. The last bit of folly and experiential impact is the lack of seating etiquette and encouragement by staff. Rather than take to the isles or rear to move or dance, participants simply remained in their seating space, often brushing or hitting those beside or in front of them. Accordingly, once one group gets up in place, so do those behind them if they wish to see the performance...then those behind them, and so on, until everyone in the audience has to stand if they are to observe any of the performance...all to the disappointment of children and those less able to stay standing. Need I say more? Don't believe me?...You'll see.

Loved seeing City and Colour here. They have a larger bathroom upstairs for ladies, with many stalls. They had snacks and beverages available. The adult beverages are pricey, limited, and not large. So just be prepared. But the soda & snacks were reasonably priced

Our second time here. Still beautiful, staff is still great, the sound is still good... But this past Saturday night, the heat in there was unbearable. Everyone was drenched in sweat. Literally, we were all wet. So... they need to get some air up in that hizzy. It really distracted from the evening - we had to rush outside for air a few times. Thankful it wasn't during a heatwave!

Beautiful theatre. Great sound. Decent wine & beer options (range of $5-8). Affordable shows ($40-60 bucks for decent seats). Nearby parking on the street. It wasn't too tough to find a spot a block or two away. They have seated shows so most people actually stay sitting the whole time as it's a legit theatre space. I'm always down to make a trip out to Ithaca for a show here. Make a weekend of it!

State Theatre is great. They get some really amazing performers in and it's a really beautiful theater. They did a great job preserving it's grandeur. I love it there.

I have been a patron of the State Theatre for several years. I love the space, acoustics, and bands they book. Why the two stars? The audience is consistently rude, disrespectful, and disruptive to the concert experience - to the point where musicians have asked them to chill out. I understand that a high energy band often transmits that energy to the audience. However, most of the shows at the State are more mellow bands - City and Colour, John Prine, Gillian Welch - you know, singer-songwriter types. When they play a slow, sad song, I don't want to have to listen to the two drunk girls behind me shouting to each other about their plans for after the show. (Sometimes those drunk girls are 22, sometimes they are 55). I understand that it is a concert where people want to have a good time, but concert venues are very different. This is not Bonnaroo, and it isn't a scummy bar either. It's a beautiful theatre. Yet unlike the Palace (Albany) or Radio City (NYC), the audience doesn't respect the musicians. They feel like it's okay to shout over the music and be rude to others who ask them to quiet down. I haven't ever seen this problem addressed by staff. Although Dan Smalls Presents books some of my favorite bands there, and the musicians put on a great show, I will probably take my business elsewhere.

State Theater of Ithaca is so much grander than I anticipated! I came here with a friend to see Regina Spektor (who taught us that the first talking picture was apparently played at this historic theater). There were no problems with the sound, the seats were comfortable (I am small, however, I am not sure that the seats are necessary conducive to the comfort of all). They sell local wine and beer at reasonable prices, but I opted to indulge in a giant cookie from Ithaca Bakery (which they also sell at the theater) instead! I would definitely come back since Ithaca seems to attract the sorts of artists I enjoy compared to Rochester. Also, parking was not a problem: street parking is free after 6 pm and in weekends, and the garages do not charge after 8 pm.

Gorgeous old building with lots of history. The acoustics were surprisingly good, if a tad echo-y. It is a huge cavernous space with a beautiful stage and a nice venue for live music. The marquis outside is vintage old theater. I love that places like this are still around.

I have had two delightful concert experiences at the State Theatre of Ithaca in the last two years. Caught Guster/Eli 'Paperboy' Reed and the True Loves, as well as the Josh Ritter Trio with the Dunwells, and both shows were great. The Theatre itself is standard, and the level of hospitality is top notch. The concession workers and ushers were all very friendly and inviting. I'll certainly be returning if another show catches my eye.