Allen County War Memorial Expo Center

My husband and I attended the Nine Inch Nails concert in February. I've never been to a large concert like that, and I wasn't sure what to expect. I have to say, though, that I was pleasantly surprised how the Coliseum handled this event! Security was always visible, and stepped in when needed. The ushers were very friendly and helpful, and made sure seats were occupied by their rightful owners in a courteous manner. I have to give some credit to the concert-goers as well - the crowd was really receptive to the band (although it would have been nice for people to give some positive feedback to the opening act as well) and overall well behaved. My only complaint is how freely alcohol is available to concert-goers. The guys that were sitting next to us came back with beer after beer - in all I'd say at least 8 to 10 before the concert was over! They looked like they could barely stand, let alone drive home safely. I'm not sure how this should be regulated, but I definitely think something should be done to limit the amount of alcohol people are served, for their own safety. more

The Allen County War Memorial Coliseum is an ugly monster. The original building was made with a concrete façade with a metal roof and architectural structural wing supports. The remodel, with a ton of taxpayer dollars, took the roof off the building and added a story of metal with some windows placed here and there. The metal roof was put back on. It is ugly and without any architectural merit. The inside looks about the same. Events here are usually in the smaller rooms, except for the concerts. The concert arena is not acoustically great, but it does seat more people than the former facility. Parking fees usually depend on the act or the event. Even for the antique shows, with a dollar admission, the parking is three bucks. Go early to events, since the two lanes to get in and out of the parking lots can be crowded. more