Tiffany J.
Yelp
TL;DR: Nice venue with great sound. Expensive concessions. Bag policy is not consistently enforced.
I've attended so many events at Toyota Center over the years. The first time I attended a show at Toyota was back in 2007 (Justin Timberlake). For the most part, this venue hasn't changed much in that time. It's a really nice venue and the sound quality is good in my opinion. I like that they keep the aisles lit during shows in case you need to leave your seat. I've sat in many sections from front of floor to Club level (119-122 & 105-108), near the baseline at a bball game, and many of the sections in the balcony. The one area I have not had the pleasure of sitting in are the private suites, but hopefully I'll get to experience it at some point. If I can't be on the floor, I prefer the club seats because of the private bar and bathroom. I had club seats for the John Mayer show the other night and it was great. The view was perfect and I liked having the private bar and concessions.
The one thing that has changed is the security policy post pandemic. I had checked the site to see what the bag size policy is. According to the site, it's 5.5" x 8.5". I brought a small purse which I thought met the requirements but apparently it didn't. The usher at the door had a paper and used it to measure my purse. I took that same purse to the Trevor Noah show last November and it was no problem. I saw other ladies who were able to bring in purses larger than mine, so it seems that it depends on the security person who checks your bag. They have a mobile locker on site that is $15. They offered to zip tie both my purse and my friend's purse so we could just pay one price. After the show, the line for the purse check was extremely long. It probably took 20 minutes or so to get our bags back and when my friend gave the ticket, they handed her one purse. Somehow my purse was not tied to hers. Luckily we were one of the last people in line so there were not many bags left. My purse was there and everything was in it, but it damn near gave me a heart attack. So if you're planning to bring a purse, I would suggest a small clutch, or be prepared to lock it in the mobile truck.
Toyota uses AXS for their ticketing. I don't love the site because it's not user friendly in my opinion. With most sites these days, they do mobile ticketing, but when you scan your phone, it still prints out a paper ticket. Seems to defeat the purpose, but I do love collecting ticket stubs so I'm not complaining. My friend and I bought tickets at the box office day of the show and and we were given old school printed tickets. The lady at the box office was really nice and even asked me if I had a preferred section that I was looking to get tickets in. The ticketing fees, especially if you're purchasing resale tickets is crazy. I don't know if the fees differ much online compared to buying directly from the box office.
As with any large venue, drinks and concessions are over priced. A bottle of water was $5.75. I didn't have any drinks at the show, but I think a beer like Bud Light (Dilly Dilly) is about $10. I rarely get food when I go there, but one time I shared nachos with a friend and they were pitiful. There are so many bars and restaurants within walking distance of Toyota, so I typically will eat and drink before or after a show elsewhere to save my money.
I usually will park on the street (free after 6pm) or at the Greenstreet garage (usually $5) and just walk. It's only a few blocks away and isn't too bad of a walk. They do have garages for Toyota Center, but I do not know how much they cost. Street parking near the venue can sometimes be hard to find because some of the meters are turned into permit parking. There's garages at many of the hotels as well as Discovery Green nearby so you have options, but if you don't mind walking, save yourself some money and park a few blocks away.